bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
I’m OK ‐ you’re not OK
Authors: Yagil Dana
Published: July 2002

The study examined drivers’ perceptions of police officers enforcing traffic laws as well as emotions stimulated during apprehension. The subjects, 693 males in the army, completed a questionnaire measuring perceived attributes of police officers, drivers’ evaluation of police officers’ conduct, emotions aroused during apprehension for a traffic offense, perceived importance of police enforcement of traffic laws, and the perceived deterring effect of the police. The results show that drivers attribute disagreeable traits to police officers, perceive the latter’s conduct unfavorably, and experience a high level of stress during apprehension. Young drivers perceive police officers more negatively than do older drivers and experience more anger and less shame and guilt during apprehension. Belief in the importance of police in enforcing traffic laws is predicted by a driver’s evaluation of police officers’ conduct and the perception of police officers’ traits. The deterring effect of the police force is predicted by emotions of stress experienced during apprehension, as well as by attitudes toward police officers. Results are discussed in relation to the effect of self‐serving biases on drivers’ perception of police officers.
Law enforcement responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic
Authors: Thompson R. Alan , Marquart James W.
Published: July 2002

Much attention is given to the topic of HIV/ AIDS within the general population and several specific professions, namely the medical and related health‐care fields. By comparison, little serious attention is devoted to the implications this deadly disease poses for the law enforcement profession and its practitioners. In response to this situation, a study was undertaken to assess the nature, accuracy and extent of officers’ beliefs, perceptions and attitudes about HIV/AIDS as it relates to the performance of their daily law enforcement responsibilities. Preliminary results from this empirical effort indicate that officers do in fact possess a range of personal views that are expected to directly influence the profession’s future development. Selected findings and their implications for both training and policy initiatives, as well as suggestions for additional empirical research endeavours, are presented and discussed.
Assessing the value of police pursuit
Authors: Crew Robert E. , Hart Robert A.
Published: July 2002

This article develops a method for assessing the costs and benefits of police pursuit. Using pursuit data from the State of Minnesota and cost and benefit data from both the insurance industry and scholarly efforts to estimate the costs of crime, we create “pursuit tradeoff ratios” for each of five types of pursuits. Using logistic regression, we analyze several factors said to affect pursuit outcomes. We show that the benefits of pursuit outweigh their costs across all five types of chases, but that some types of chases are less beneficial than others.
Assessing the incapacitative effects of pepper spray during resistive encounters with the police
Authors: Kaminski Robert J. , Edwards Steven M. , Johnson James W.
Published: July 2002

This article investigates the effectiveness of pepper spray as a means of aiding arrest. The authors aim to provide a more rigorous study than has previously been achieved. Data from the Baltimore County Police Department have been used in this analysis. The evaluation undertaken has taken into account the “effective‐ineffective” dichotomy of the incapacitating effects of pepper spray as well as whether those being arrested were drunk, under the influence of drugs or mentally disturbed. Five variables of age, weight, height, race and sex were also recorded, the latter three having little or no effect. The overall conclusion which is drawn is that using pepper spray eases arrest in the majority of instances. The conclusions drawn leave the way open for further detailed analysis of the use of the spray to ease arrest.
Residency requirements and public perceptions of the police in large municipalities
Authors: Murphy David W. , Worrall John L.
Published: July 2002

Proponents of police officer residency requirements maintain that police officers who live in the area they serve contribute to the local tax base, provide better information dissemination, and represent community interests in their agencies. However, little research has been conducted to assess the extent to which residency requirements affect public perceptions of the police. This paper explores the relationship between police residency requirements at the municipal level and citizen satisfaction with law enforcement – specifically, the connection between residency requirements and reported confidence in the abilities of the police to prevent crime, solve crime, and protect citizens. Data derived from a national survey of citizen satisfaction with criminal justice institutions conducted during 1995 and from the 1993 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics survey of agencies with more than 100 sworn officers reveal, among other things, that residency requirements affect citizens’ perceptions of the police in a negative way.
Community‐policing: utilizing the knowledge of organizational personnel
Authors: Riley John
Published: July 2002

Questions the approaches used for evaluating the success of community‐policing in the USA. Finds that reliance on crime and arrest statistics is not adequate. One of the new measures “knowledge of organizational personnel”, is examined reporting on the interest in and acceptance of the community‐policing philosophy among police officers working in a pilot programe in Anchorage, Alaska. Findings suggest that police officers took satisfaction in some aspects of the work but were frustrated and uncertain about others. Support for the programme is linked to three issues: desire for professional development, a desire for knowledge of area covered and an interest in creative and proactive problem solving.
A political economy of community policing
Authors: Barlow David E. , Hickman Barlow Melissa
Published: July 2002

Places recent trends in policing in the USA into historical context, emphasizing the critical importance of political, economic, and social forces on the formation and development of police institutions and practices. Specifically, this paper describes four major developments in policing in relation to the US political economy: pre‐industrial police, industrial police, modern police, and postmodern police. Each of these developments has unique characteristics. At the same time, each retains certain structural imperatives which transcend the particulars and ultimately tend to preserve the police as front line defenders of the status quo. It is through an analysis of historically specific characteristics of, and fundamental structural conditions for policing that this paper contributes to a better understanding of the potential of contemporary police agencies to play a role in achieving either greater social justice or just greater social control.
Leading organizational change
Authors: Moran John W. , Brightman Baird K.
Published: July 2002

Discusses the shift in focus of change management from change itself to the people facing change and the impact on the most powerful drivers of work behaviour: purpose, identity and mastery. Observes that leaders need to align these behaviours with organizational change by explaining the who, what, where, why and how of the change. Describes the change management cycle: understand the current situation, develop a change plan, enlist others to develop critical mass and track and stabilize results. Presents the “TRY” (test, recalibrate, yes) model to help change leaders’ resistance to change and lists what is needed in leaders to increase their ability to manage organizational change effectively.
Organizations as contexts for learning: a case study in certified public accountancy
Authors: Watkins Karen E. , Cervero Ronald M.
Published: July 2002

The purpose of this study was to determine whether two different organizational settings of certified public accountancy (CPA) practice produced substantially different or equivalent learning opportunities for a practising CPA. Three sources of data in this research project were examined, including a work history from both firms, interviews, and surveys from the three principal parties. In this study, 31 learning opportunities were identified across three domains of learning in order to compare the learning provided in two organizational contexts. It was found that, indeed, learning occurred in all three domains and at consistently high levels across both organizations. It was concluded that there were no material differences in the learning opportunities available in each firm.
Applying knowledge‐enabling methods in the classroom and in the workplace
Authors: Smith Elizabeth A.
Published: July 2002

There is a gradual shift away from traditional teaching and training methods based on academic research models to unstructured, learner‐centered programs designed to meet the specific needs of learners. Knowledge management processes and teaching methods used in three graduate courses in industrial/organizational psychology are presented in this paper. Learner‐enabled models, peer group teaching and mentoring, discussion groups, and experiential learning exercises were used in the classroom. Goals were to help learners acquire and develop a useful base of relevant explicit and tacit knowledge; to encourage learners to make better use of what they already know; and to more closely align classroom learning with specific job requirements. Practical applications were to prepare students to meet workplace demands; to create methods to transform information into useful classroom and work‐related knowledge; to tie employees’ learning goals to the mission, goals, objectives, and strategies of the organization; and to develop ways to recruit and retain highly talented workers.
Guided learning at work
Authors: Billett Stephen
Published: July 2002

Reports and discusses the findings of an investigation that examined the efficacy of guided learning in the workplace. The investigation comprised the trialing of guided learning strategies and an analysis of the learning occurring in five workplaces over a period of six months. The guided learning strategies selected for investigation were questioning dialogues, the use of diagrams and analogies within an approach to workplace learning emphasising modelling and coaching. Throughout the investigation, critical incident interviews were conducted to identify the contributions to learning that had occurred during these periods, including those provided by the guided learning. As anticipated, it was found that participation in everyday work activities (the learning curriculum) was most valued and reported as making effective contributions to learning in the workplace. However, there was also correlation between reports of the frequency of guided learning interactions and their efficacy in resolving novel workplace tasks, and therefore learning. It is postulated that some of these learning outcomes could not have been secured by everyday participation in the workplace alone. Further, factors associated with the readiness of enterprise and those within it were identified as influencing the likely effectiveness of guided learning at work.
Knowledge management in the HRD office: a comparison of three cases
Authors: Filius Rene´e , de Jong Jan A. , Roelofs Erik C.
Published: July 2002

HRD professionals can be considered to be knowledgeable about knowledge management practices in their own offices. Effectiveness of knowledge management practices of three HRD offices were studied, using a combination of structured questionnaires plus interviews with four HRD professionals per office. Three categories of knowledge management activities were considered, by the members of these organisations, to be effective: activities that expand the individual or collective experiential horizon; activities that are meant to consolidate knowledge; informal and formal communication about work issues. Conditions that facilitate or inhibit these activities are identified. Organisations wishing to improve their knowledge productivity are confronted with some fundamental choices: innovation versus routine, office versus officer, and knowledge sharing versus knowledge shielding.
The “wonderland” of virtual teams
Authors: Johnson Pamela , Heimann Virginia , O’Neill Karen
Published: July 2002

Virtual reality, virtual space, virtual organizations, virtual teams; the word “virtual” is today’s organizational buzzword. One of the fastest‐growing, high‐tech office trends today is “virtual teams”. These teams cross time, space, and cultural boundaries and do so effectively with the use of technology. This paper will look at the changing nature of work, give a definition of virtual teams, discuss the qualities needed for successful virtual team membership, and view the communication challenges existing for virtual teams in the twenty‐first century.
Learning at work in technology intensive environments
Authors: Tikkanen Tarja
Published: July 2002

Reports on research which examined informal learning at work in two technology intensive SMEs. While learning was continuous and active, depending on the branch and level of job experience, stimulus to learning and competence development varied. The study suggested there are advantages from a more systematic organizing of learning in the workplace.
The impact of stress on customer service representatives: a comparative study
Authors: Gignac Ann , Appelbaum Steven H.
Published: July 2002

Restructuring and downsizing are facts of life and impact on employees via higher stress levels. Describes how a high technology communications organization, Technet Ltd, underwent restructuring when it changed the focus of its businesses and how this affected customer service representatives and their assignments. Reports the results of research carried out to study stress in customer contact employees in the small and medium business offices at Technet Ltd. Describes how the current research was compared with two prior studies in 1989 and 1992, utilizing a modified version of the original questionnaire. Analyses the results according to the literature and the prior studies, and makes conclusions and recommendations.
Europhon (UK)
Authors: Cockburn Tom , Wootten Cheryl
Published: July 2002

Presents a good example of how management sometimes tries to control the workforce and how employees can retaliate. Another theme is the misuse of technology as a form of control over the employees.
Exploring learning organizations: enacting mental models ‐ the power of the Rosenthal stage
Authors: Morrison Michael , Rosenthal Annie
Published: July 2002

Discusses that the only true source of sustainable competitive advantage seems to be by building learning organizations. Says that, in order to ensure the survival of their organizations, managers need to focus on individual and organizational learning, the development of a shared vision, an awareness of the internal environment and the external context, and that a key requirement in this process is the ability to surface and test the mental models of people throughout the organization. Also one of the ways of testing mental models is within the context of action. States that exploration of effective action is examined using the Rosenthal stage. Uses an action‐based method using a miniature stage. The Rosenthal stage involves a five‐step process of surfacing, externalizing, reflecting, revealing, and active dialogue of people’s perceptions of their organization. Presents a case study which demonstrates the surfacing of a mental model of a senior manager in a multinational communications organization. The power of the Rosenthal stage enabled this manager, after one session, to gain contextual insight into the breadth of his organization, and the value of his contribution.
Occupational standards ‐ a quality assurance mechanism for technical performance
Authors: Marshall Keith
Published: July 2002

Quality assurance standards for the performance of companies are well known and very widely used. The ISO 9000 series of standards provides excellent guidance as to how to ensure appropriate operation of any given company. However, while good at describing the systems inside an organization, quality assurance standards do not help identify well the technical performance of individuals or, more importantly, teams. Considers the use of a complementary series of standards ‐ occupational standards ‐ to assist in this identification of technical performance and takes a recent piece of work in engineering as an example.
Developing a curriculum for organizational learning
Authors: Teare Richard E.
Published: July 2002

Addresses the agenda for learning, development and research by presenting an organizational framework for action learning, supported by internet‐based resources and tutored sessions in the workplace. Outlines a themed approach, developed in response to corporate needs and aspirations, which is derived from a generic curriculum and augmented to address industry issues and corporate specialisms.
The virtual university: a learning university
Authors: Davies David
Published: July 2002

This account aims to introduce contrasting perspectives on teaching and learning methods, and to detail the growth of new forms and vocabularies of access to learning. As we move towards the new millennium, the development of national, yet diversified, credit frameworks and systems will provide an essential underpinning for the organisational culture that will be needed to sustain the wellbeing and growth of the educational system. These new systems are already being incorporated into the practice of ‘virtual’ education. Lifelong learning has widespread support across the social and political spectrum and its importance can hardly be over‐stated as we seek to maintain competitiveness in a changing world. Increasing knowledge and understanding to serve both the needs of the economy and of individuals to play a major role in democratic life has become an agenda of necessity as well as desire. An open society requires open systems of knowledge. A prognosis for the future is submitted where the significance of part‐time modular and open flexible learning is evaluated in terms of a curriculum rooted in useful knowledge and competences, acquired at different sites of learning, including the workplace. It is argued that modular structures, using the potential offered by credit accumulation and transfer to different institutions with different missions, can transcend and transform the learning opportunities for students in a mass system of higher education which is rapidly becoming part of a global market economy and society. Continuous lifelong learning involving its key features of open access, recognition of learning wherever it takes place and the growth of new learning networks and partnerships, is at the conceptual heart of the development of the virtual university.
Management development ‐ several smiling faces?
Authors: Wild Ray
Published: July 2002

Two types of management education (or development) provision are compared. The possibility and appropriateness of the new type replacing the older is examined. A matrix of types of management education is then established ‐ onto which the two types are located. Provision in the range is then examined and weaknesses are identified.
Learning to manage and managing to learn
Authors: Gates G. Richard , Cooksey Ray W.
Published: July 2002

Increasing competition and accreditation pressures on MBA programmes throughout the world to perform, in terms of competitive pricing and “world’s best practice” curricula, may produce outcomes inimical to the very goals being pursued. Two major themes of management education are considered in light of this trend. First, management education content and process is critically reviewed from an evolutionary non‐linear systems perspective particularly with respect to incorporating more effective yet deliberately destabilising double‐loop learning processes in the educative system. Business schools fail to incorporate such approaches because they over‐rely on single‐loop learning processes which ignore dynamic complexities in the human condition and in organisational systems. This helps explain why business schools and consultants readily incorporate management fads and fashions into their curricula. Second, the structure and delivery of management education programmes is reviewed. Conventional approaches here fail to take account of the more demanding experiential side of human learning and development which may be just as important as the rational approach which so often captures the delivery agenda. Again, the attraction of management fads and fashions is implicated as a major reason why business schools fail to incorporate double‐loop learning into their own agendas. In the words of the sages, you often get what you pay for and what you get is often simplistic, linear, de‐contextualised, and strongly prone to over‐application.
An insight into management of organisational change projects
Authors: Cicmil Svetlana
Published: July 2002

This article offers a “project” perspective on managing change, a view that starts by recognising the aspect of organisational change implementation, and develops to embrace a focused range of gaps and behavioural issues which determine the success or failure of change programmes. There are indications that the effort invested in closing those implementation gaps could concurrently remove the behavioural concepts on implementing organisational change projects. It is supported by findings based on the empirical evidence from the author’s own research and consultancy experiences, and on data collected from investigation of a sample of UK‐based organisations during 1996‐98. Some suggestions for further research are offered.
The impact of self‐efficacy on the effectiveness of employee training
Authors: Orpen Christopher
Published: July 2002

Examines whether the mediating role of self‐efficacy on the effectiveness of formal training programmes is greater for jobs in which self‐confidence on the part of incumbents is important for effective performance than for jobs where it is relatively unimportant, among 118 employees doing a variety of jobs in an Australian financial services firm. Using hierarchical regression analysis, self‐efficacy was found to mediate the relationship between the perceived amount of formal training and superior ratings of improved performance among employees in jobs where self‐confidence was judged to be important for success, but not among employees in jobs where it was judged not to be important, as hypothesized.
The impact of Investors In People on Scottish Local Government Services
Authors: Douglas Alex , Kirk David , Brennan Carol , Ingram Arthur
Published: July 2002

This paper reports on the findings of qualitative fieldwork aimed at exploring the motives, financial implications and the perceived benefits of achieving the Investors In People Standard. It examines perceptions of IIP at three different organisational levels. The research found differences between the motivation for, and perceptions of, IIP at all three levels as well as differences in the perceived benefits of the Standard. The views of senior management regarding the benefits of IIP were not generally shared at the other levels of the organisation. Indeed front‐line staff felt that IIP made little difference to them personally, the way they performed their jobs, or to the levels of satisfaction of their customers. This presents a major problem for senior management of local authority services if they are to achieve all the benefits attributed to IIP and so get beyond the “plaque on the wall”.
Most common errors of new managers
Authors: Knippen Jay T. , Green Thad B.
Published: July 2002

Discusses some of the problems inherent in moving into a management position in an anecdotal fashion. Describes potential areas of difficulty in style, communications, handling problems, job expectations. Concludes with a series of recommendations as to how best to manage the job of being a new manager;
The coaching network: a program for individual and organizational development
Authors: Bowerman Jennifer , Collins Gordon
Published: July 2002

Coaching networks have been implemented in some Canadian companies as a way of building personal innovation and creativity. The authors describe how such a network can be developed using just‐in‐time adult education principles, within an interpretive paradigm. Dialogue and conversation through coaching are used as a potential vehicle to bring about both individual and organizational transformation. Program participants value the network in terms of the opportunity both to learn new and useful skills for the workplace, and the opportunity to build self‐confidence through relationships with others in the organization. Key issues for the authors include the need to build in‐house expertise, ownership of the program, and the amount of structure necessary to maintain program integrity yet still permit maximum creativity on the part of participants.
Communities of practice: bridging technology and knowledge assessment
Authors: Adams Eric C. , Freeman Christopher
Published: July 2002

Introduces an assessment model being developed around a knowledge initiative in Pepperdine University’s Educational Technology Doctoral program (http://moon.pepperdine.edu/gsep/programs/ET). The knowledge initiative involves the implementation of group memory technology, developed by Intraspect Software (http://www.intraspect.com), in an attempt to cultivate a community of practice in the program. The assessment model looks for indicators of communities of practice and mines for usage patterns called “knowledge transactions”, as forms of measures.
Irradiating intranet knowledge: the role of the interface
Authors: Standing Craig , Benson Stephen
Published: July 2002

The article considers the relationship between effective knowledge creation, acquisition and management and the user interface. The need for and problems associated with knowledge management are discussed and a useful model for organisational learning development is proposed (IPRAM). The article makes a detailed consideration of interface issues in relation to knowledge management and their role in synergising the personal‐corporate knowledge nexus for organisational and economic benefit. Alternative customisable representations of intranets are presented with their implications discussed. Network models, metaphors and iconic interfaces all have their merits. Besides improving interface representations of the intranet researchers need to consider how conceptual and experiential knowledge can be captured in the intranet.
How does knowledge management influence innovation and competitiveness?
Authors: Carneiro Alberto
Published: July 2002

Is concerned with human value management, examines the relationships between organizations’ competitiveness, innovation advancements, and knowledge management and presents a set of considerations regarding how these relationships affect strategic management and the formulation of competitive strategies. By considering how knowledge development is related with personal characteristics and personal development, this article attempts to provide useful insights on the linkages between innovation and competitiveness. These considerations point out the importance of knowledge development and the role of knowledge management in order to assure competitiveness. This work proposes also a conceptual model, with special focus on the relationships between knowledge management, competitiveness, and innovation. The major factors are presented and directions for future research are suggested according to the proposed model.
The transfer of knowledge and the retention of expertise: the continuing need for global assignments
Authors: Bender Silke , Fish Alan
Published: July 2002

With ongoing globalisation, organisations are increasingly confronted with worldwide competition. In order to build and sustain their competitive advantage, the knowledge and expertise of an organisation’s staff needs to be seen as a critical strategic resource. This paper presents a general overview of knowledge management and discusses the transfer of knowledge and expertise throughout organisations operating on a global scale. A particular emphasis is placed on the importance of global assignments in transferring knowledge and furthermore on the implications for HRM practices to ensure the successful and effective retention of expertise. Practical examples are presented from Robert Bosch AG, a German multinational organisation and its Australian subsidiary. In this paper, the term “expatriate” is used, however the importance of host country nationals as well as third country nationals should not be ignored in the effective transfer of knowledge and the retention of expertise.
Knowledge management in small and medium‐sized companies: knowledge management for entrepreneurs
Authors: uit Beijerse R.P.
Published: July 2002

This article deals with a field which gets little or no attention in the research done into knowledge management: small and medium‐sized companies. In the first part of this article a conceptual model will be developed. This model can be used to analyse the most important knowledge management processes in companies. In the second part of the article our model is used to analyse 12 innovative companies from the industrial and business service sector. Knowledge management appears in small and medium‐sized companies to get its form especially at an operational level. A total of 79 instruments were found with which knowledge is organised in practice: 18 instruments for determining the knowledge gap and for evaluating knowledge; 41 instruments for acquiring and developing knowledge; 20 instruments for knowledge sharing. On a strategic and tactical level there are provisions for knowledge management but they have not been developed as such.
Integrating complexity theory, knowledge management and organizational learning
Authors: McElroy Mark W.
Published: July 2002

Chronicles the unfolding convergence of thinking and practice behind knowledge management, organizational learning and complexity theory. Of particular interest are the roles that knowledge management and complexity theory play in this impending consilience of ideas. On the one hand, knowledge management is anxious to rid itself of its overly technology‐centric reputation in favor of promoting the role it can play in furthering organizational learning. On the other, complexity theory, a confident solution in search of unorthodox problems, has discovered its own true place in the world, an explanation for the means by which living systems engage in adaptive learning – the seminal source of social cognition in living systems.
A model of knowledge acquisition that refocuses knowledge management
Authors: Van Beveren John
Published: July 2002

This paper presents a model of knowledge acquisition from definitions of data, information and knowledge. The model asserts that knowledge cannot exist outside of the human brain, and that any expression of the knowledge requires it to be transformed into information to be communicated outside of the brain. The model asserts that information is acquired through the sensors to the brain where it is processed with prior knowledge and that new knowledge can be created from the processing of information within the brain only. From a discussion of this model in the context of alternative viewpoints, it is concluded that the future focus for knowledge management should be toward human resource strategies that leverage human‐intellectual capital within firms and for the dissemination and sharing of important information that promotes creativity and innovation within and between employees.
A review of naturalistic decision making research with some implications for knowledge management
Authors: Meso Peter , Troutt Marvin D. , Rudnicka Justyna
Published: July 2002

In the last decade naturalistic decision making has been pursued by cognitive psychologists. The focus is on how human experts make decisions under conditions of time pressure and complexity; how they organize and use their knowledge is expected to provide principles for the emerging science of knowledge management. This paper surveys this research and discusses results, which indicate more attention needs to be given to: problem formulation; asking the right questions; use of teams; organization of knowledge; expanding scope of expert systems and case‐based reasoning. Also the method, cognitive task analysis, which is generally used in naturalistic decision making is readily adaptable to business knowledge management.
Sense‐making theory and practice: an overview of user interests in knowledge seeking and use
Authors: Dervin Brenda
Published: July 2002

The Sense‐making approach to studying and understanding users and designing systems to serve their needs is reviewed. The approach, developed to focus on user sense making and sense unmaking in the fields of communication and library and information science, is reviewed in terms of its implications for knowledge management. Primary emphasis is placed on moving conceptualizations of users, information and reality from the noun‐based knowledge‐as‐map frameworks of the past to verb‐based frameworks emphasizing diversity, complexity and sense‐making potentials. Knowledge management is described as a field on the precipice of chaos, reaching for a means of emphasizing diversity, complexity and people over centrality, simplicity and technology. Sense making, as an approach, is described as a methodology disciplining the cacophony of diversity and complexity without homogenizing it. Knowledge is reconceptualized from noun to verb.
Organizational innovation and virtual institutes
Authors: Jin Zhouying
Published: July 2002

The world has entered the Knowledge Age. Numerous events provide evidence that traditional organizational systems are finding it difficult to maintain their competitiveness in this unpredictable world. The “organization” itself has become the most important factor of competition.Organizational revolution is the first item on the agenda. This paper examines traditional Chinese research organizations and concludes that organizational innovation is a precondition for creation and innovation. The author discusses a new type of reserach organization ‐ the virtual institute (VI), its background and significance. The author also looks at the organizational change in China and offers examples of VIs both in the USA and in China. The experiences of implementing VIs in China indicate that the VI is an inevitable trend for the future. Finally, the author discusses the outlook and challenges of VI.
Knowledge management and innovation: networks and networking
Authors: Swan Jacky , Newell Sue , Scarbrough Harry , Hislop Donald
Published: July 2002

Begins with a critical review of the literature on knowledge management, arguing that its focus on IT to create a network structure may limit its potential for encouraging knowledge sharing across social communities. Two cases of interactive innovation are contrasted. One focused almost entirely on using IT (intranet) for knowledge sharing, resulting in a plethora of independent intranets which reinforced existing organizational and social boundaries with electronic “fences”. In the other, while IT was used to provide a network to encourage sharing, there was also recognition of the importance of face‐to‐face interaction for sharing tacit knowledge. The emphasis was on encouraging active networking among dispersed communities, rather than relying on IT networks. Argues for a community‐based model of knowledge management for interactive innovation and contrasts this with the cognitive‐based view that underpins many IT‐led knowledge management initiatives.
Patterns of business excellence
Authors: Samson Danny , Challis David
Published: July 2002

Most companies have attempted a significant number of improvement initiatives such as total quality, re‐engineering, restructuring and teams, with very mixed success. In many cases these initiatives have been adopted without being part of an improvement strategy, but as part of a series of ad hoc decisions. This paper explores the deeper “pre‐conditions” that explain the variance in success of such improvement attempts and resulting performance changes. We describe and illustrate a holistic management system and set of guiding principles that are common to the world’s best companies. The system comprises closely connected elements of the integrated improvement strategy, action plans, performance management, external benchmarks, and rewards for all employees. Further, this system and the actions within it are guided by a set of principles that are common to “best” companies. This approach to management is different in kind to the ad hoc approach, and executives can assess themselves against the system and the principles framework. They can then set up an action plan to permanently change the state of their organisation and achieve a significantly improved likelihood that improvement initiatives will work sustainably.
Business performance sustainability through process modelling
Authors: Briffaut J.P. , Saccone G.
Published: July 2002

Sustaining business performance in an ever changing economic and technical environment is a challenge to be addressed with relevant management implements. This goal can be achieved by using business modelling by processes allowing for costing deliverables, controlling operations and designing information sytems aligned with business procedures and organisation. It has to be stressed that the same process model can fulfill the three purposes above mentioned so that coherent views are secured for the various business stakeholders. In addition, adequate descriptions of business processes can “scavenge” the features of business assets such as organisation, personnel qualification, information systems to be taken into account in strategic decisions.
Determinants of new product selling performance: an empirical examination in The Netherlands
Authors: Jan Hultink Erik , Atuahene‐Gima Kwaku , Lebbink Iris
Published: July 2002

Although several studies have suggested that the salesforce is a major contributing factor to new product success, few studies have focused on the role of sales managers and salespeople in new product launch, particularly with respect to its relation with performance in new product selling. This article decribes the results of an empirical investigation into the determinants of new product selling performance. The results show that product newness to the firm, market volatility, resource inadequacy and behavior reward are related inversely to new product selling performance, whereas feedback provided by the sales manager, new product complexity, salesforce new product selling experience and output reward are related positively to sales performance.
Service innovation multi‐country launch: causes of delays
Authors: Chryssochoidi George M. , Wong Veronica
Published: July 2002

Little research has focussed on launch of service innovations across international markets. The determinants of timeliness (conversely, delays) in the launch of service innovations across multiple country markets has equally received little attention in the literature. This paper reports on the findings of an exploratory case‐based research investigation into service innovations launched by Cypriot financial institutions across three or more foreign country markets. The analysis shows that on‐time introduction of service innovations rely heavily on: service innovation synergies with existing operations; sufficiency of marketing resources; extensive use of “soft” integrating organizational mechanisms; and proficiency in the development process. External environmental elements, including market heterogeneity and extensive competition have a lesser impact on the timeliness of such multi‐country introductions. Several propositions are forwarded for further investigation.
A sociotechnical approach to the innovation of a network technology in the public sector – the introduction of smart homes in West Lothian
Authors: Kinder Tony
Published: July 2002

The paper argues that some conventional tools guiding innovation processes inadequately analyse problems arising from blending telematics with public service integration in areas of complex service provision. Also uses Molina’s diamond of alignment, and Nicoll’s contextual usability conceptual approaches to analyse a case study on the introduction of smart housing in West Lothian, Scotland.
Integrating product and technology development
Authors: Drejer Anders
Published: July 2002

Increasing competition at product, firm, and industry level makes it more and more important to be able to develop new products and – at the same time – develop the necessary new technologies for producing those new products. In this paper we shall take a look at how four firms go about integrating their product and technology development. This serves as the basis of a model for this kind of integration and a general definition of possible means for integrating product and technology development.
Culture and climate for innovation
Authors: Ahmed Pervaiz K.
Published: July 2002

Notes that many companies pay “lip service” to the idea of innovation and stresses that becoming innovative requires an organisational culture which nurtures innovation and is conducive to creativity. Considers the nature of organisational climate and of organisational culture, focusing on factors which make for an effective organisational culture. Looks at the interplay between various organisational factors and innovation and suggests elements which promote innovation. Concludes that the most innovative companies of the future will be those which have created appropriate cultures and climates.
Gaining competitiveness through innovation
Authors: Denton D. Keith
Published: July 2002

Innovation has always been at the centerpiece of competitiveness. Experimentation, exploration and a drive to maximize resources is as essential for companies as it is for nations and our whole species. Many of the lessons for how to best innovate can be drawn from nature herself. The Cambrian explosion provides a good blueprint for how innovations occur. It shows us that true innovation often occurs in sudden dynamic shifts. It is not one of continual or gradual improvements but rather “lumpy” improvements. It is these sudden competitive changing innovations that open up and close out vast areas of commerce. Unfortunately, we never know where these competitive changing innovations will occur, so it is best to be ever vigilant and explore not only main lines of inquiry but also by‐products. Often, it is these by‐products that turn out to be the competitive shifting innovations.
Managing and organizing innovation in the knowledge economy
Authors: Johannessen Jon‐Arild , Olaisen Johan , Johannessen Jon‐Arild , Olsen Bjørn
Published: July 2002

In the knowledge economy, where the business environment is characterised by turbulence and complexity, knowledge is the main source of creating both innovation and sustainable competitive advantage. This paper describes a conceptual model and an associated set of managerial and organising implications for the innovation‐led company. The question we are trying to answer is: which management and organising characteristics are necessary to manage innovation in the knowledge economy? The paper is based on in‐depth interviews of 32 CEOs and top executives in leading European organisations, 40 people known internationally for their ability to achieve and maintain a position among the top performers in their fields, and a “best practice study” of five leading international companies.
Learning the hard way: the lessons of owner‐managers who have closed their businesses
Authors: Stokes David , Blackburn Robert
Published: July 2002

There is a tendency to associate business “closure” with business “failure”, confusing owners that close a business with ‘unsuccessful’ entrepreneurs. This article reports on a study into the experiences of business owners who have left their business. Three stages of research, including interviews and a postal questionnaire, tracked businesses that closed, what the owners did next and what they learned from the experience. The results suggest that some common assumptions need challenging in order to remove the stigma from closing down a business. The overall conclusion is that the closure process can represent a positive, learning experience. Even owners who have had unsuccessful ventures are motivated and more able to make it work next time because of lessons learned. This provides further support for the concept of the serial entrepreneur.
Competitive conditions, competitive advantage and the location of SMEs
Authors: Bennett Robert J. , Smith Colin
Published: July 2002

This paper uses a large‐scale survey of SMEs (1,531 respondents) in the UK to assess the factors associated with their competitive conditions and their competitive advantage. Results appear to confirm that, as SME businesses grow, they develop their strategy to seek specialisation and differentiation of their products and services and diversification of their customer base. However, the paper suggests caution about any government policies based on local intervention. It suggests that policy assisted areas have no association with different local competitive conditions or advantage/disadvantage. Instead, the paper suggests that firms increasingly obtain competitive advantage from developing trading relationships with other regions or countries beyond their own locality. Consequently policy assistance should be tailored closely to the needs of the SME rather than the locality.
Entrepreneurship and small business research – a European perspective
Authors: Hisrich Robert D. , Drnovsek Mateja
Published: July 2002

Interest in the field of entrepreneurship has significantly increased among academics, practitioners and government officials in the past decade both in the USA and in Europe. The increased interest is reflected in the increased number of courses, majors and minors at colleges and universities throughout the world; the increased number of endowed chairs; the increased number of journals in the field; the increased coverage of the field by the media; and the increased interest in the provision of government support. In light of this significant increased interest, it is important to understand the state of research in the field in Europe in the last few years, the focus of this article.
A paradigm for benchmarking lean initiatives for quality improvement
Authors: Comm Clare L. , Mathaisel Dennis F.X.
Published: July 2002

The implementation of more complex lean initiatives in the public sector of the economy is critical for quality improvement and survival. Describes the development of an eight‐step paradigm that is being used to assess and benchmark lean practices in the production and operation of military aerospace products. Traditionally, such efforts have been employed only in the private commercial sector of the economy and have focused on a five‐step managerial process that is based on traditional planning, implementation, and control phases. This research expands the traditional process to provide an indication of how lean initiatives could be developed and implemented by other industries.
Beyond the House of Quality: Dynamic QFD
Authors: Adiano Cindy , Roth Aleda V.
Published: July 2002

Describes a dynamic approach to quality function deployment (QFD) that
translates customer wants and needs into relevant product and process
parameters. Using feedback loops, this new approach incorporates updated
customer satisfaction data and dynamically links evolving requirements
directly back into manufacturing and related processes. Updated customer
requirements “peg” the key parameters in statistical process control
charts. Introduces the concept, illustrates the mechanics of the
approach, and describes how it benefited an IBM assembly plant.