bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The evolution of internal waves in a rotating, stratified, circular basin and the influence of weakly nonlinear and nonhydrostatic accelerations
Authors: de la Fuente Alberto , Shimizu Kenji , Imberger Jörg , Niño Yarko
Published: November 2010

The evolution of internal waves in a two‐layer rotating circular lake was studied under nonlinear and weak nonhydrostatic effects. Inclusion of nonlinear acceleration allowed the waves to steepen at the rear of the crest in deep lakes, forming a front with time. The nonhydrostatic acceleration is shown to counteract this wave steeping, leading to wave dispersion, and when the two effects are in balance, solitary‐type waves can form. It is shown that a Kelvin wave evolves by imparting energy primarily to submodes of the parent cyclonic wave by steepening and to solitary‐type waves. By contrast, a Poincaré wave is shown to evolve without shedding much of its energy to other waves, and only a small fraction of the wave energy goes to other submodes, and this is not lost from the parent wave but rather is periodically transferred back into the parent wave. When both Kelvin and Poincareé waves were present simultaneously in the waterbody, then an interaction was observed when both waves were in phase, which gave rise to additional wave components.
Clinical Utility of the Combined Use of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and Goal Attainment Scaling
Authors: Doig Emmah , Fleming Jennifer , Kuipers Pim , Cornwell Petrea L.
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE. We investigated the clinical utility of combined use of Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to plan goals and measure progress in a community rehabilitation setting.

METHOD. Fourteen participants with traumatic brain injury completed an outpatient, goal-directed 12-wk occupational therapy program; 53 goals were generated. Performance and satisfaction self-ratings and GAS ratings were collected before and after intervention. Self-awareness, motivation to change, and perceived client-centeredness measures were taken before intervention.

RESULTS. Sensitivity to change was demonstrated by significant improvements after intervention for total performance self-ratings on the COPM and GAS T scores.

CONCLUSION. Combined use of these tools, although time consuming, resulted in goals that were perceived almost unanimously as client centered, despite most participants' having moderate or severe impairment in self-awareness. The process also enabled subjective and objective demonstration of goal achievement, thereby supporting the clinical utility and treatment validity of the combined use of these tools.
Chronometry of Mentally Versus Physically Practiced Tasks in People With Stroke
Authors: Wu Andy J. , Hermann Valerie , Ying Jun , Page Stephen J.
Published: November 2010

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronometry is appropriate for monitoring engagement in mental practice by comparing the time taken for people with chronic stroke to mentally and physically practice five tasks.

METHOD. Eighteen stroke participants mentally and physically rehearsed each task. Time was recorded for each of the three trials per task.

RESULTS. Participants required significantly more time to physically practice than to mentally practice tasks (all p < .05). A significantly greater amount of time for mental practice of the more-affected arm than for the less-affected arm was also observed (p < .01).

CONCLUSION. Because there was no agreement between the time taken to mentally and physically practice the tasks, chronometry does not appear to be valid for monitoring mental practice in this population.
Rehabilitation for Bilateral Amputation of Fingers
Authors: Stapanian Martin A. , Stapanian Adrienne M. P. , Staley Keith E.
Published: November 2010

We describe reconstructive surgeries, therapy, prostheses, and adaptations for a patient who experienced bilateral amputation of all five fingers of both hands through the proximal phalanges in January 1992. The patient made considerable progress in the use of his hands in the 10 mo after amputation, including nearly a 120% increase in the active range of flexion of metacarpophalangeal joints. In late 1992 and early 1993, the patient had “on-top plasty” surgeries, in which the index finger remnants were transferred onto the thumb stumps, performed on both hands. The increased web space and functional pinch resulting from these procedures made many tasks much easier. The patient and occupational therapists set challenging goals at all times. Moreover, the patient was actively involved in the design and fabrication of all prostheses and adaptations or he developed them himself. Although he was discharged from occupational therapy in 1997, the patient continues to actively find new solutions for prehension and grip strength 18 yr after amputation.
Managing occupational boundaries to improve innovation outcomes in industry-research organisations
Authors: Hayes Kathryn J , Fitzgerald J Anneke
Published: November 2010

Commercialisation activities combining the discoveries of one occupational group, such as scientists, with the commercial skills of managers involve interactions across occupational and organisational cultures. This article explores the challenges posed by working across occupational and organisational boundaries, and describes management techniques developed informally in four Australian organisations to address barriers to knowledge transfer. It identifies the existence of Knowledge-stewarding Communities of Practice (CoP) that span organisational boundaries and impact commercialisation outcomes. It also presents recommendations for management practice based upon diversity management and innovation theories. The context of the study is Australian hybrid industry-research organisations composed of academic, government and industry personnel. Semi-structured interviews with a total of twenty scientists, engineers and managers focused on their experiences of knowledge sharing across organisational and occupational cultures, and methods used to manage these boundaries. The existence and efficacy of boundary-crossing individuals and boundary object strategies are explored. A generic process management model of innovation is extended to acknowledge and accommodate occupational and organisational cultural proclivities towards exploration or exploitation, and to stimulate future research.
Untangling the value of information scope: An investigation in retail pharmacies
Authors: Harrison Jennifer L
Published: November 2010

This research investigates whether the importance of information scope for decision making mediates the relations between dimensions of strategic orientation, perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU) and organisational effectiveness in the retail pharmacy industry. Data from a survey of NSW pharmacies was analysed using structural equation modelling. Although two dimensions of strategic orientation – product-market development and market scope – were positively associated with information scope, the direct organisational benefits and mediating role of broad scope information were disconfirmed and no link between information scope and PEU was found. The results suggest the need for rethinking theoretical models of information scope. Implications for retail pharmacies and organisations interested in the effectiveness of those businesses are discussed.
Strategic utilization of entrepreneur's resource-based social capital and small firm growth
Authors: Bratkovic Tina , Antoncic Bostjan , Ruzzier Mitja
Published: November 2010

An entrepreneur's social capital can be important for their firm's growth. The creation of a network can be largely determined by strategy. This study makes a contribution by developing and testing a model of the firm growth driven by the entrepreneur's social capital that considers the entrepreneur's resource acquisition network ties. In the model a controversial combination of strong and weak tie arguments is proposed. Regression analysis was conducted using structured-questionnaire survey data from small firm entrepreneurs in Slovenia. The findings suggest that firm growth can be influenced by strategic utilization of the entrepreneur's resource-based social capital. In particular, resource network intensity can have a positive influence on firm growth, whereas the central resource ‘network person friendship’ can be negatively related to firm growth.
e-Business connections in the health sector: IT challenges and the effects of practice size
Authors: Gibb Jenny L , Haar Jarrod M
Published: November 2010

The use of information technology (IT) in the health sector is critically important for enhanced patient care and ultimately cost savings. However, the uptake of IT in health has been slow when compared with other industry sectors, due to the range of issues and IT inconsistencies associated with the needs of its stakeholders. This study explored the challenges experienced by 108 New Zealand medical practitioners in their IT interface with other key primary and secondary health providers. We found IT interface challenges were negatively related to e-business activity (receiving) but held no effect on e-business activity (sending). Further, we tested for and found significant moderating effects of practice size, based on patient numbers. Large practices were able to buffer the negative influence of IT interface challenges on e-business activity (receiving), while small practices were severely hampered by IT interface challenges. The implications of operating in a modular industry structure are discussed.
Promoting exchange between East and West management cultures: The role of dialogue
Authors: Jabri Muayyad
Published: November 2010

This paper calls on cultural studies as a resource for rethinking East and West management cultures. An analysis of East and West management cultures reveals that much of our prevailing knowledge of East and West management cultures is derived from cross-national comparisons of culture. These comparisons are predicated on assumptions of instrumental rationality and the cultural homogeneity of the self with social others, which effectively presume an ontology of the self as stable, enduring, and the same as social others. For promoting exchange between East and West management cultures, there is a need to move beyond this mistaken assumption of ontological ‘sameness’. To achieve this, the paper argues that at least two changes are required: (i) reversing the tendency to treat culture as an entity that is separate from the individual; and (ii) reversing the tendency to treat the narrative identity of the individual as stable and enduring. With a view to realising these changes, the paper proposes the notion of ‘dialogical encounter’ as a means of enabling individuals to be given a role in determining how their culture is ‘made known’ to others.
Women in management: A personal retrospective
Authors: Still Leonie
Published: November 2010

The status of women in employment in general and in management in particular has interested researchers in Australia since the mid-1970s, although interest in women's industrial and occupational employment segregation and pay inequality has an even longer history. However, this overview concentrates on developments in the ‘women in management’ field since the 1970s, primarily because of the concerted and concentrated efforts to raise the employment status of women since that time.

The overview also concentrates on the Australian experience, in an attempt to determine if ‘the more things change the more they remain the same’ or if actual change and progress has been made. My credentials for undertaking this retrospective are that I have been researching in the women in management area since the early 1980s and have tracked the main changes, influences and dimensions since that time. Readers who are expecting a critique of the impact of feminism and other ideologies in the area will be disappointed. My research perspective is, and always has been, managerial and organizational. I will thus not be mentioning a whole raft of substantive thinkers and researchers from other perspectives who have contributed to this area over the years. To assist the process of review, I have divided developments into a number of eras to illustrate the progression of both policy and research over the various periods.
Reflections on Professor Still's retrospective: A trans-Tasman response
Authors: Pringle Judith K
Published: November 2010

Professor Still presents a succinct and insightful piece, reflecting on the development for women in management within Australia over the past three decades. She rightly focuses on women in management rather than to try and map the multitudinous developments of the women/gender in organisation literature that has mushroomed into a sub-discipline of its own over the past three decades.

In considering any parallel development for women in New Zealand it seems compelling to start in the late 19th century. As a result of direct and indirect action by the suffrage movement; fuelled by activities of the women's temperance union, NZ women gained the vote in 1893. Like Australia, the colonial women were perceived very much as Damned Whores and God's Police (Summer, 1994). In these brief reflections, I focus on the last 30 years of changes since the second wave of the feminist movement. In summary, the conclusions are somewhat depressingly similar to Australia; however, there are some noteworthy differences.
Obeying organizational ‘rules of relevance’: Gender analysis of policy
Authors: Eveline Joan , Bacchi Carol
Published: November 2010

There is considerable research showing that gender is deemed irrelevant to organizations and to policy. This paper examines the results of a research project that sought to reverse those ‘rules of relevance’. The project required policy actors in several public sector organizations to undertake a gender analysis of their policies. We found that it was through the collaborative work of doing the gender analysis that policy actors came to see why such an analysis was needed. This necessarily meant seeing the relevance of gender to the policies they dealt with, which could also highlight gender bias in their organizations. Yet, a bureaucratic and gendered division of labour ensured that those who got to do the gender analysis were those in relatively powerless positions, predominantly women. We draw on the ‘turn to practice’ in organizational studies and feminist strategies of ‘sudden seeing’ to consider what our results might offer future projects of gender analysis and organizational intervention.
‘Girl disease’: Women managers' reticence and ambivalence towards organizational advancement
Authors: Ross-Smith Anne , Chesterman Colleen
Published: November 2010

This paper addresses the theme of the special issue by drawing attention to ways in which gender scholarship can influence management and organizational studies in an analysis of the pathways to senior management. Based on an Australia-wide study of the experiences of women and men in senior management, it adds new empirical data to the body of knowledge on women's career advancement at senior levels of organizations. Many women interviewed expressed reticence and ambivalence about the advancement of their careers and their prospects for promotion, which was called ‘girl disease’ by one woman. Forms of ambivalence varied according to different age and sector cohorts; in particular difficulties were identified in reconciling family responsibilities with the demands of senior level appointments. We analyse expressions of ambivalence and reticence by exploring the tensions between women's gender identity and the organizational factors that shape their ‘managerial’ identity. We conclude by suggesting strategies to improve organizational practices in relation to women's career development and promotion.
Profitable margins: The story behind ‘our stories’
Authors: Ryan Irene
Published: November 2010

Institutionalised sport offers a context of ‘profitable margins’ for gender and diversity scholars in management and organisation studies to understand the intersections of different identity categories. Sport is about gendered bodies which are sorted into overt, pre-determined categories, such as sex, chronological age, ethnicity and disability. The storyline is illustrative of this as it traces a methodological journey and identifies three challenges that evolved in research aimed at exploring the intersections of gender and age in sport. It will discuss how further contributions can be made by placing self as the subject and object of the research through the use of the method known as memory-work. Memory-work is a method theoretically constructed as non-hierarchical, inclusive research. In this article this method is applied from an individual stance which created tensions and unexpected challenges. Despite its limitations memory-work opens up possibilities to those researchers wanting to adopt a multiple lens within gender and diversity research.
Socially responsible diversity management
Authors: Syed Jawad , Kramar Robin
Published: November 2010

The purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual framework to describe ‘socially responsible diversity management’. This framework seeks to demonstrate that the desired social justice outcomes of affirmative action programs and the business benefits of diversity management programs can be achieved but only by undertaking initiatives at a number of levels. Traditional approaches to afirmative action have been unsuccessful in achieving their goal of equitable labour market outcomes and it is unclear that diversity management programs have contributed to business outcomes. The article argues that neither affirmative action nor diversity management has been able to fully achieve its objectives because of a number of limitations. The article argues that organisations can achieve better business outcomes, as well as equity outcomes associated with a diverse workforce, by adopting a relational, multilevel framework of managing diversity. Such a framework provides for the creation of what is termed ‘socially responsible diversity management’.
Subtle sexism: Re-informing intergroup bias and regulating emotion in an Australian police organization
Authors: Melgoza Alberto R. , Cox Julie Wolfram
Published: November 2010

From a liberal feminist perspective, we argue that gender can both inform, and should continue to be informed by, social identity studies in efforts to understand and manage subtle sexism in contemporary workplaces. We investigated the presence of a form of subtle sexism, affective aversive sexism, in an Australian male-dominated organization: a police force. To do this we surveyed 159 policemen and examined relationships between individual emotional experience, emotional intensity and emotion regulation. Results indicated that, in a subtle display of intergroup bias, policemen experienced both higher positive and higher negative emotions in the presence of other policemen than of policewomen who, we argue, may be less central in the men's identities and relationships at work. Implications for research, training, and emotion management in the workplace are discussed and it is suggested that liberal feminist research can contribute much to understanding the dynamics that reproduce structural segregation in the workplace.
HRM: A Management Science in Need of Discipline
Authors: Cooksey Ray W. , Gates G. Richard
Published: November 2010

Human Resource Management (HRM), as a sub-discipline of management science, is in its infancy. HRM practices are often Utopian in expectation and fail to incorporate a realistic view of existing knowledge bases in the psychological, social, and biological sciences. The HRM discipline relies upon theoretical approaches (eg theories of motivation, satisfaction, and performance) which are: (1) almost invariably linear in conceptualisation and depend largely upon correlational evidence, (2) frequently validated within nonrepresentative contexts that are overly constrained by researchers and (3) overly simplistic in that the constraints and patterns imposed by our biological, psychological and social systems are frequently ignored or assumed to constitute random error within the models. This frequently translates into HRM practices which map reasonably well onto theory yet fall short of yielding expected outcomes. The theories do not match the realities observed. We point to nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory as a way of conceptualising how common HRM practices may translate into observable outcomes. Such an approach will force managers to pull back from simple reliance on linear predictions and realise that truly effective HRM practices should be sensitive to the unique, complex and less systematically predictable patterns of human behaviour.
Distinguishing the Purpose and Objectives of Working Arrangements
Authors: Mammam Aminu
Published: November 2010

This paper addresses some of the limitations of the current approach to the conception, adoption and installation of working arrangements. It has been argued that emphasis on bottom line, shortermism and control can result in short term benefits. This partly explains the continuous reorganization of the workplace in some companies. The paper underscores the need for organizations to articulate a “purpose” for working arrangements. It is argued that there are two dimensions of the purpose of novel working arrangement: (a) providing appropriate “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” reward for internal stakeholders and (b) achieving organizational objectives (eg meeting customer expectations). The paper proposes a framework for adopting and installing a working arrangement which is based on auditing the work system.
Conceptualising Organizational Restructuring in the 1990s
Authors: Littler Craig R. , Bramble Thomas
Published: November 2010

Organizational restructuring in Western economies has proceeded along different trajectories during the latter part of the 1980s and early 1990s. Traditional theories of organizational restructuring have inherent limitations associated with a ‘growth bias’. Various new concepts have been put forward, both prescriptively in order to shape organizational change, and analytically in order to capture the nature of those changes. By contrast, these concepts are premised on organizational workforce reduction. This article considers four widely diffused concepts of organisational restructuring - downsizing, delayering, lean production and re-engineering - and argues that the trajectories of change require a broader understanding than has been provided by existing concepts. Towards this end, an integrated model is put forward.
Cross-cultural Research in New Zealand Organisations: What We Know and What Needs to Be Addressed
Authors: Chong Lee Moya Ah , Thomas David C.
Published: November 2010

Business in New Zealand is increasingly global in nature. Additionally, the domestic workforce reflects a unique blend of cultural groups. These factors highlight the need for managers to understand the cross-cultural nature of their task. In this article we review the research on cross-cultural management that has been conducted in New Zealand. Findings in seven topic areas of management (job satisfaction, motivation and performance, absenteeism and turnover, leadership, communication, group behaviour and employee adaptation) are discussed. We then identify areas that might benefit most from research attention.

This research was supported in part by the Carnegie Bosch Institute for Applied Studies in International Management. The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments of Kerr Inkson and John Deeks on earlier versions of this manuscript

The increasingly multicultural nature of the business environment has become widely recognised as a management issue (Adler and Ghadar 1990). New Zealand is neither a large target market (population under 3.5 million) nor is it the headquarters of a large number of multinational corporations. However, because of its geography, it is dependent on international business for its quality of life. Additionally, its unique domestic cultural environment provides a dramatic back drop for cross-cultural management. These two dimensions make cross-cultural management a particularly salient issue in New Zealand.
Leadership Activities of Australian Executives
Authors: Sarros James C. , Tanewski George A. , Santora Joseph C.
Published: November 2010

Our study examines the nature of Australian business leadership. Various extant concepts of leadership are reviewed in terms of current trends in Australian business leadership. Some of these concepts are used in the development of the Corporate Leadership Descriptor (CLD), and its sub-scales, namely the Leadership Operations Scale (LOS), Leadership Attributes Scale (LAS), and Job Outcomes Scale (JOS). Data were collected over a three year period from a variety of executive samples. Major findings indicate that key leadership functions focus on direction setting, team building, problem solving, and change agent responsibilities. Recommendations for further research and application of the CLD are provided.
Business Ethics Education: Should We? Can We?
Authors: McKenna Richard J
Published: November 2010

Emanating from some of the major business failures of the 1980s has been a growing disquiet at the absence of a concern for ethics in the business community. A possible cause for the apparent immorality of actions taken by some businesses is the absence of ethics from the training programs provided to business managers and professionals. It may be that whilst some practices of the 1980s were those of immoral persons, the wider and underlying problem is one of amoral behaviour. That is, our business system operates without an ethical base, and this occurs, in part, because business ethics is excluded from the curricula of the institutions responsible for the training and further education of business managers and professionals.

The successful introduction of business ethics into the curricula requires a sufficient body of academics who believe that the learning of business ethics is both necessary and possible. Research data shows that few Australian universities have a formal program in business ethics. This paper reports an exploratory examination of the attitudes of business academics toward the need for inclusion of ethics in the business curriculum. The response to the survey suggests that while there is, as yet, no centre of concentrated will and ability to set the process of curricula change in motion, there is widespread interest and recognition of the need. Several constraints are identified, including the instrumentalist ethos of our institutions.
Management Characteristics, Attitudes and the Decision to Export
Authors: Philp Norman E. , Wickramasekera Rumintha
Published: November 2010

The incessant trend towards the internationalisation of the marketplace will continue to dominate the agendas of managers of Australia's manufacturing establishments as they approach the next millennium. Empirical studies of the determinants of the firm's export marketing behaviour have been quite prolific and internationally comprehensive (Aaby and Slater 1989) and the characteristics and attitudes of the firm's main decision makers are often posed as important explanatory variables. The current study also examines the significance of managerial characteristics, commitment and attitudes towards exporting behaviour, by concentrating on a sample of firms drawn from a single industry (food and beverage processors) and with similar size and locational characteristics (small-medium firms located in regional Victoria).

A logistic regression model with a binary dependent variable (ie current exporter vs non-exporter) and, initially, 19 independent variables was formulated and estimated. An optimal model utilising only six of the most significant, management-related variables was able to predict the probability of a firm being an exporter with an accuracy of over 90% . The importance of management's willingness to commit both its mind and its firm's resources to the export endeavour and its recognition of the importance of price competitiveness were significant discriminators of active export behaviour. Exporting managers were also found more likely to be tertiary educated and foreign language fluent but not necessarily any younger than their non-exporting counterparts.
Information Technology Success Factors for Small Business Managers
Authors: Drennan Judy , Bodi Anna
Published: November 2010

Information Technology (IT) provides great scope for small business to gain benefits in terms of customer service, productivity, business growth, return on investment, profits and time based competitiveness. Yet these outcomes are not guaranteed. In this study of 80 small businesses in Victoria, which have been drawn into IT networks by larger organisations and invested in IT, factors which inhibit or promote gains are investigated. One important aspect is whether certain characteristics related to the small business manager show a relationship with ‘success’ or positive outcome indicators. Data analysis indicates that factors such as length of time using computers, accessibility of information and positive attitude towards IT change are associated with the extent to which business benefits are realised.
Karpin on Management: Is That All Managers Should Be Doing?
Authors: Lamond David
Published: November 2010

The recent Karpin Committee report once again focused attention on managerial skills and competencies, as it prognosticated on the skills and knowledge required by current and future Australian managers, and the kinds of educational experiences necessary to foster them. In doing so, the report made critical assumptions about the kinds of functions and behaviours that can be properly called ‘managerial’. Indeed, leadership is elevated as the conspicuous task of managers (leaders?). But is this what managers should be doing?

Closer examination of the Karpin model of ‘management’, in the broader context of the literature on management and managerial behaviour, shows that the Karpin view is narrow and partial — it ignores or devalues key managerial functions while promoting others. This is due, in part, to the fact that the committee's approach is devoid of any theoretical framework for designating particular behaviours as ‘managerial’. If the Karpin recommendations are to steer management education into the third millennium, the result will be, in turn, a narrow and partial educational experience.

This paper argues for an approach to management education driven, not by a populist vision of managers simply as entrepreneurial leaders, but by an appreciation of the necessarily broader range of managerial functions and the way in which they are integrated. It proposes such an approach, derived from management theory and elaborated in the context of Australia and the Asia-Pacific region in the 1990s and beyond.
An Analysis of Managerial Competencies Across Hierarchical Levels and Industry Sectors: A Contemporary Australian Perspective
Authors: Wallace Joseph , Hunt James
Published: November 2010

In recent times, an increasing number of writers have noted the important contribution that the management competency movement is making to contemporary organisations. However, there is widespread evidence to suggest that a comprehensive framework for understanding managerial competencies has not yet been established in Australia. This paper reports the results of a survey on a sample of 234 managers drawn from private and public sector organisations into the perceived importance of 99 managerial competency elements. Findings indicate a substantial number of competency elements are perceived to be generic across occupations and situations, but they also indicate in some instances differing levels of importance attached to these competencies across hierarchical levels and between sectors. Evidence of a range of significant competency groupings is presented along with a proposed framework to interpret competency elements. Additionally, this study provides assistance in developing a platform for further research into the competency field.
Paradigms and Approaches to Learning Preparing for the Third Millenium
Authors: McKenna Richard J , Williams Mark Campbell
Published: November 2010

In this paper, we contend that business education could benefit from attention to a field of study concerned with the way in which adults learn, and their motivation as students. We warrant the assertion that, although university business faculty tend to present a conventional wisdom set in the traditional paradigm(s) of their discipline areas, there is growing need for managers and academics to reject the concept of certainty, and to be open to conflicting values, change, uncertainty, and continuous learning. Conformity to a central paradigm requires that any ideas that stray from the established path be ignored, but emerging paradigms in business theory and research increase the urgency of the need for significant changes in the traditional curriculum and methodology of business education. We consider it long overdue for students of organisations, including current and future practitioners, to participate in the dialogue and benefit from new approaches, which will challenge the community of business academics to redesign both the content and the methodology of courses.
Marketing Decision Support Systems and Australian Businesses: A Queensland Case Study and Implications Towards 2000
Authors: Buttery Alan , Tamaschke Rick
Published: November 2010

Little is known about the extent to which the Marketing Decision Support System (MDSS) technology is currently used in Australia, or about the scope for the technology in Australia towards the year 2000. This paper reports the results of recent survey research into MDSS in Queensland by industry sector (agriculture and mining, manufacturing, construction, and services). The results suggest that there is an urgent need to boost the pace of MDSS development in all industry sectors, and that this should be given a high priority in government policy initiatives to enhance Australia's competitive advantage. It is possible, otherwise, that the present gap in information usage between Australia and its competitors will widen, with consequent negative implications for the nation's current account deficit, foreign debt and unemployment.
MBA Graduate Education in the People's Republic of China
Authors: Zhao Shunting
Published: November 2010

China has adopted economic reform and an open door policy and decided to establish a socialist market economy, which has not only strengthened her economic power and accelerated her modernization process, but also promoted her educational development and reform. The development of MBA graduate education in China is a very good example of this. However, it has taken quite a long time for the MBA program to receive attention from government, industry, business circles, colleges and universities and people from all walks of life. On the one hand, the development of the MBA program in China shows that the economic reform and modernization process have had a great effect on the demand for qualified personnel; on the other hand, the MBA program suits the design of China's market economic system and promotes China's social and economic development.
Some Evidence of Consumer Ethnocentrism in Australia
Authors: Mulye Rajendra , Rickard John , Higginson Timothy
Published: November 2010

The nature of consumer ethnocentrism in Australia is examined through the application of the CETSCALE to a total of 377 respondents from Victoria. Two groups of respondents — members of the Australian Owned Companies Association (AOCA) and a comparable sample from the general population were used to assess ‘known group validity’ of the scale. The results suggest that the CETSCALE is a reliable measure of consumer ethnocentrism in Australia and offers evidence of ‘known group validity.’ Two underlying dimensions of ethnocentrism, termed emotional and reasoned ethnocentrism, were detected and found to be invariant across the two groups. Awareness and knowledge of three Australian made logos was found to be lower than expected for both groups.
Towards Improved People Management: An Analysis
Authors: Davis ED
Published: November 2010

People are routinely described as the most important asset of an organisation. There is, however, considerable evidence that people are managed poorly in many workplaces. This paper explores the importance of the fair and effective management of people at work and suggests some benchmarks to assist in the assessment of HRM in organisations. It surveys workplace experience and indicates some common barriers to good HRM, concluding with some suggestions for strategy to embed high quality people management in our workplaces.
The Dynamics of Diversity and Change in Management Education: Fragment from a Case
Authors: Newton John F.
Published: November 2010

The present paper takes an ‘unintentional’ look at the issue of diversity as it presents itself in a study of management education. The inquiry is unintentional in that the author had not conceptualised diversity as an artefact of the research, yet found himself struggling to work with his own experience of difference as he engaged with the subject of the research. The concept of diversity came to be thought of in terms of ‘requisite variety’ and its challenge to management education is conceptualised as a search for a ‘holding environment.’ These ideas are grounded in the case material of a part time, postgraduate student of business administration who works as a financial manager in an Australian corporation, is female and is ethnically a Malaysian Chinese.
Australian Management Research: Prospects for the New Millennium
Authors: Elliott Gregory R.
Published: November 2010

This paper is an abridged and revised version of a report that was originally published in the Australian Research Council (ARC) report ‘Management Research in Australia’, jointly funded by the ARC and the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM). It documents the results of a Delphi study into the future of management research in Australia over the coming decade. An important finding was that there might be a ‘shortfall’ between the likely and desirable level and character of Australian management research. A dominant view of the panel was that management research will become more relevant to the needs of its important client groups, including students, government and business. Significant divergence within the respondent panel is also identified.
Locus of Control and the Assessment of Managerial Skills
Authors: Spillane Lynda , Spillane Robert
Published: November 2010

There are considerable differences in perception of one's behaviour as externally controlled or as the result of personal choice (ie external or internal locus of control). This study assesses the influence of the external/internal locus of control on subordinates' perceptions of their managers' technical and people skills. Internal subordinates were found to criticise external managers for their technical skills, while external subordinates criticised their internal managers' people skills. The implications of these outcomes for the assessment of work performance are also discussed.
Environmental Strategies and the International Hotel Industry
Authors: Obrien Peter W. , Parker Lee D.
Published: November 2010

Business enterprises worldwide have recognised that linking green objectives to profit goals can be a source of competitive advantage. This paper outlines the forces inducing corporations to adopt proactive stances to environmental strategic postures and the arguments for and against such postures. It presents an expanded concept of efficiency management and a related menu of environmental strategies that corporations can adopt. Empirical evidence of the environmental strategies that are being used and their outcomes is drawn from leading international hotel corporations and from smaller enterprises in this industry and the implications are discussed.
In Search of a Unified Definition of Organisational Political Behaviour: Evidence for a Multi-Level Approach
Authors: Härtel Charmine E. J. , Berry Melissa E.
Published: November 2010

Despite thousands of years of interest, there is no standardised definition of organisational politics. This paper attempts to integrate different accounts of organisational politics through the development of a multi-level definition. A two-stage field study showed that political activities observed in the workplace can be fully captured by defining organisational politics relative to organisational efficiency at the level of the organisation, the group and the individual.
Acknowledging Student Diversity: Modifying the MBA Experience for International Students
Authors: Dunwoodie Karen , Ainsworth Murray
Published: November 2010

Most international students entering RMIT's MBA program have relatively limited work experience and lack self-presentation skills. Some shortcomings in self-confidence in a western culture, job-seeking skills, networking experience and personal presentation skills are also evident. In these qualities the international students are notably different from the older Australian part-time students with whom they study. This visible diversity provided the catalyst for developing several “internationalising components” to better meet the needs of international students to enable international students to present themselves as informed, capable, culturally aware and desirable graduates. This paper describes how program changes were made with the objectives of building team interaction and problem solving skills, as well as cross-cultural awareness, building self-awareness of “me as a manager in the global marketplace” and exploring cultural diversity in business practices. In addition, the “competencies” stream was modified, with emphasis being placed on students' ability to assess the appropriateness and cultural fit of western models and theories in their own countries.
Debating the Ambiguous Enterprise of Management
Authors: Hardy Cynthia , Palmer Gill
Published: November 2010

There are significant ambiguities surrounding the academic discipline of management, which can be analysed in terms of three major debates. First the professional status of management brings with it questions about restriction or access to management education, the control of curricular and the relative importance of basic, applied and consultancy-driven research. Second, there are debates about the changing nature of management research, which require the accomodation of increasing diversity within management theory. Finally, the ambiguities associated with these debates can be seen to have impacted on the development of management education, its accessibility and diversity. The ambiguities associated with these debates must be carefully managed if the discipline is to prosper. New organisational forms are needed to embed management teaching and research within the complex collaborative relationships of the many stakeholders involved.
Strategic Choices and Business Performance: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Sharma Bishnu , Fisher Tom
Published: November 2010

The paper reports research within Australian manufacturing companies that investigated the perceived importance and interrelationships of functional and business strategies. Seven functional strategies were postulated (operations, research and development, technology, marketing, human resources, organisational, and financial). Porter's (1980) generic strategies were used to define business strategies because of their ability to simplify complex strategic patterns and because of their popularity in the strategic management literature (Miller and Dess, 1993). The research found that Australian manufacturers operations strategy was the most preferred and effective functional strategy. Australian manufacturers also have a preference for combined generic strategies. However, an analysis of performance suggests that the adoption of a single generic strategy may be preferable.
Systemic Barriers to Managing Change: Is Autopoiesis an Appropriate Metaphor?
Authors: Whiteley Alma M.
Published: November 2010

The paper reports on a study into the usefulness of autopoiesis as a metaphor for reflective thinking about organisations contemplating change. Autopoietic systems display qualities of evolutionary invariance, self organisation to perpetuate the system's status quo, self referential activities and attempts to organise aspects of the environment to suit the system's needs. Systemic characteristics include a desire to return to equilibrium and to be resistant to evolutionary change. Autopoiesis can be used as a metaphor for gaining insights and seeing with fresh eyes some of the perhaps hidden, institutionalised concepts that inform contemporary management strategies. The need for a metaphorical image emerges from the difficulty in reflecting on organisational activities while using historically derived language and symbols. The autopoiesis metaphor was integrated into an exploratory research project with human resource managers as respondents. Tentative findings were that this is a useful metaphor for use in organisational diagnosis. Given this, a more comprehensive study would seem to be worthwhile.
Is Strategic Planning Worth the Effort? A Study of Firm Performance Versus Planning Comprehensiveness in Australia
Authors: Devenish Peter , Fisher Tom
Published: November 2010

The planning-performance literature suggests that there is a weak positive correlation between strategic planning and financial performance. This study has been undertaken to determine whether this weak positive correlation is true for Australian firms.

Strategic planning for the purposes of this study is arranged in three levels of planning complexity. A sample of 77 listed firms was surveyed to determine their level of planning complexity, and this was correlated with the firm's financial performance over a three year period.

A range of statistical tests did not reveal any significant correlation between strategic planning at any of the three levels and the financial performance of the firm. This negative finding is generally in line with other recent studies conducted in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, positive correlations were found with several subjective performance measures, suggesting that respondents generally believe that strategic planning is helping their company.
Diversity is not the Problem – Openness to Perceived Dissimilarity is
Authors: Härtel Charmine E J , Fujimoto Yuka
Published: November 2010

The diversity of internal and external customers continues to increase with social, economic and global changes. This presents an array of opportunities and challenges for organisations. In the present paper we argue that whether interactions between diverse individuals results in benefits or deficits for the organisation depends largely on the level of openness to dissimilarity present in the exchange. This proposition is developed and presented in a model linking types of diversity to organisational group process and outcome effects. Implications for interactions with diverse internal and external customers are suggested. Structural and management characteristics expected to enhance dissimilarity openness in the workforce are offered.