bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anomalous evidence in dividend announcement effect
Authors: Gunasekarage Abeyratna , Power David M.
Published: June 2006

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the long‐run financial and return performance of UK companies which are grouped according to whether or not they have changed their dividends and earnings. Prior research has been conducted using US data and they are limited to extreme dividend changes such as dividend initiations and omissions. They have also arrived at contradicting results; some report a drift in performance, while others document evidence of mean reversion in performance. The current paper hopes to resolve this conflict using data for a large sample of UK firms which disclosed more general changes in dividends and earnings.

Design/methodology/approach

The aims of the paper are addressed using a stock market‐based study of share price performance and a detailed analysis of company performance based on financial ratios. These analyses are conducted from five years before to five years after the announcement of dividend/earnings news.

Findings

At the time of the announcements, share returns tend to be positive (negative) where companies have increased (decreased) the dividend and earnings. There is also evidence to suggest that the stock market has anticipated some of this news in the preceding 12 months. However, the dividend/earnings news does not appear to act as a signal of long‐term future company performance; companies which cut this dividend and reported lower earnings achieved the largest excess returns over the next five years. A similar mean‐revealing pattern existed in the financial ratios. Finally, most of the future long‐term share performance was attributable to the earnings rather than to the dividend news.

Research limitations/implications

The main implication of this research is that current dividend/earnings news is not a good guide to future company performance. Indeed, it is these firms which cut their dividends along with reporting a reduction of earnings which achieve excellent results over a subsequent five‐year period. Of course, there are a number of limitations with the research; it draws on data from two previous studies, looks only at the UK and does not consider sophisticated models of investors' expectations with regard to dividend and earnings information.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper is the long‐run analysis of UK company performance following joint dividend‐earnings announcements. The analysis is comprehensive in that it considers both stock market performance as well as financial ratio performance for a period of up to five years following the dividend‐earnings news. Thus, it should be of interest to most UK investors as well as to financial managers with large quoted firms. Academics will also be interested in the results since they shed some light on an existing debate in the literature.
Modelling the rural community library
Authors: Dent Valeda Frances
Published: June 2006

Purpose

To provide background on how the Kitengesa Community Library in rural Uganda, which serves as both a community library and a school library, might be seen as a model for other similar libraries in developing countries. To use a case study of the library to highlight certain characteristics of rural libraries as developed by B.J. Mostert and presented in his 1998 article.

Design/methodology/approach

The information in the article comes from a two‐year study of the Kitengesa Community Library. The methodology included focus groups, interviews, door‐to‐door visits, questionnaires, examination of library circulation information, and many hours of observation. Information from the study was then used to support the comparison to Mostert's characteristics of the rural community library. A review of the professional literature is also provided.

Findings

Findings indicate that the Kitengesa Community Library is a successful working model that might be used in other similar rural villages to serve both schools and the community. Implications of the findings are discussed in detail.

Research limitations/implications

Future research might include the impact of the library on the achievement of students, and the impact of the library on the teaching and learning practices of users.

Practical implications

The information presented in this paper offers some basic considerations in terms of the implementation of rural library services. Provision of such services is becoming increasingly important as more and more of the world's population becomes literate, and more of the world's attention is focused on the welfare of those living on the African continent.

Originality/value

The study itself is unique in that the data hail from a two‐year study of a small village library. Literacy is a major factor in terms of development in underdeveloped nations, and libraries have the potential to play an important role in the eradication of illiteracy, and provision of services for the “newly literate”.
Strategic impact of new product development on export involvement
Authors: Lim Jeen‐Su , Sharkey Thomas W. , Heinrichs John H.
Published: June 2006

Purpose

This study seeks to evaluate the importance of new product development cycle time for firms that have a strategy of pursuing exporting as a means of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

A mail survey utilizing the key informant approach for selecting senior executives of US manufacturing firms was chosen because of the importance of executive involvement in international marketing strategy decisions.

Findings

This study supports the argument that faster new product development capability must be augmented for firms striving for a higher degree of export involvement. Additionally, the importance of integrating the marketing, R&D, and engineering functions to develop competitive advantage is highlighted.

Research limitations/implications

Results must be interpreted as explorative since the sample was based on US manufacturing firms. Additional research is needed to test differential effects of innovative product and modification/extension cycle time on export involvement and other indicators of performance.

Practical implications

This study demonstrates the importance of the resource‐based theory of competitive advantage, new product development cycle time as a determinant of export involvement, and competitive advantage for firms which pursue international opportunities. It suggests that product development capabilities are not a critical determining factor of the level of export involvement. The findings show that the ability to develop competitive products faster than competitors is a prerequisite for export involvement.

Originality/value

This study suggests that the speed of new product development is a precondition for export involvement and that the new product development cycle time measures were significantly related to the perception of a firm's overall competitive position in global markets.
New channels/old channels
Authors: Hughes Tim
Published: June 2006

Purpose

This paper seeks to concern itself with the implications for the management of customer relationships of pursuing a multi‐channel approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study method is used in analysing the situation of four organizations from the UK financial services industry. A conceptual framework covering structural, people and process elements is utilized to examine the challenges to be overcome in providing an integrated approach to customer management.

Findings

The addition of new channels alongside those already in existence opens up new areas of the organization to customer contact and creates significant challenges in relation to staff roles and existing processes for interacting with customers. Channel integration is a strategic issue potentially requiring structural changes to the organization and changes in the behaviour of customers.

Research limitations/implications

This exploratory research suggests the need for studies in relationship marketing to take cross‐disciplinary approaches in investigating what organizational forms operate most effectively in multi‐channel environments. There is also a need to develop a better understanding of how different groups of customers use different channels and of how service quality dimensions operate in this environment.

Practical implications

Multi‐channel customer management adds another dimension to traditional methods of segmenting customers and requires sophisticated understanding of the way that customers use channels. The addition of new channels offers a range of opportunities for interacting directly with the customer, raising new questions about how best to manage customer communications holistically.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to one's understanding of the implications for organizations in managing customers in a multi‐channel environment.
Improving customer service: issues in customer contact management
Authors: Spencer‐Matthews Sarah , Lawley Meredith
Published: June 2006

Purpose

This research aims to better understand the issues of why individualised communications should be incorporated into customised customer contact service and how customer contact management should be implemented.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative methodology of case research was used. In total nine Australian service industry case studies, involving 34 in‐depth interviews, were undertaken.

Findings

The analysis revealed three themes: optimisation of market factors, the process of implementation, and requirements for smooth customer contact management implementation. These findings showed minor implementation problems with service and organisational requirements driving customer contact management implementation overall. In addition, factors to assist with smooth customer contact management implementation are identified.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations, which could be addressed by future research, include application to other industries, expansion to other countries, the consumer perspective and the need for statistical generalisation.

Practical implications

Key practical implications include the identification of the need for firms to consider customer contact management as an avenue for differentiation and competitive advantage as well as providing guidelines for the successful implementation of customer contact management.

Originality/value

This research builds theory about customer contact management for the first time.
Human resource development practices as determinant of HRD climate and quality orientation
Authors: Hassan Arif , Hashim Junaidah , Zaki Hj Ismail Ahmad
Published: June 2006

Purpose

The aim of the study was to measure employees' perception of human resource development (HRD) practices, to explore whether ISO certification leads to any improvements in HRD system, and to examine the role of HRD practices on employees' development climate and quality orientation in the organization.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 239 employees belonging to eight organizations (four of them ISO certified) responded to a questionnaire which measured the following variables: career system, work planning system, development system, self renewal system, and HRD system.

Findings

Results indicated large inter‐organizational differences in HRD practices. In general, however, employees' ratings were moderate. ISO certified companies, compared to others, obtained higher means on some HRD variables. Organizations with better learning, training and development systems, reward and recognition, and information systems promoted human resource development climate. Quality orientation was predicted by career planning, performance guidance and development, role efficacy, and reward and recognition systems.

Research limitations/implications

Comparison between ISO and non‐ISO certified companies did yield some significant differences, yet it was difficult to conclude that the differences were due to ISO certification alone as organizations in the sample were not matched.

Practical implications

The findings can be used by HR practitioners and scholars in building management concerns and advocacy for better HRD systems and practices.

Originality/value

Very little empirical knowledge is available on this subject from transitional economies like Malaysia. The study makes a modest attempt in that direction.
Management development in the NHS: nurses and managers, discourses and identities
Authors: Sambrook Sally
Published: June 2006

Purpose

Aims to provide a brief discussion of discourses of HRD, then a brief review of HRD within the NHS, including stakeholders in HRD, and particularly management development. To explore some of the different discourses used by different managers, particularly those with a nursing background and those without, and the possible reasons for the use of these different discourses.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study approach was adopted, including semi‐structured interviews. Primary research data were collected from tape‐recorded interviews with seven Directorate General Managers from two Welsh NHS Trusts. Discourse analysis was used to explore connections between the participants, the discursive resources they employed and their professional identities.

Findings

Provides evidence of some of the tensions associated with management development in the NHS, between professional and managerial development, between central and local HR activities, and between competition and cooperation. A particularly interesting dimension is the transition frombeinga nurse tobecominga manager and the ways in which different individuals cope, as articulated in their language use. Highlights some of the discursive struggles to maintain one's professional (nursing) identify when promoted to managerial positions. It provides examples of some nurses who have adopted the new managerial discourse without such apparent difficulty of changed identity. It also presents material from NHS managers who have no nursing background to enable further comparative analysis of the relationships between identity and discourse.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are limited by small sample size, although feedback suggests the findings can be generalised to other NHS Trusts across the United Kingdom, and possibly globally. Not one senior manager used the term HRD – it was always “training and development” or “professional development” or “managerial and organisational development” and sometimes “learning”. Nor was there much use of the government's preferred term “workforce development”. This has implications for HRD research within this context, suggesting the need for shared understanding amongst researchers and participants.

Practical implications

Various and varying discourses and associated discursive resources are identified, illustrating the diversity of talk about HRD within the NHS. As one DGM commented, “I think we're using the same words but it means something completely different”. This has practical implications, suggesting the need for shared understanding amongst HRD stakeholders to ensure a coherent and integrated approach to HRD within this complex multi‐disciplinary context.

Originality/value

How HRD is talked about and accomplished through talk has been relatively neglected in the health care context. This paper contributes to our understanding of how the complex range of learning and development activities are perceived and articulated, from the perspective of senior managers responsible for HRD.
Comparison of slip surface and moving band techniques for modelling movement in 3D with FEM
Authors: Shi Xiaodong , Le Menach Yvonnick , Ducreux Jean‐Pierre , Piriou Francis
Published: June 2006

Purpose

To compare slip surface and moving band techniques for modelling movement in 3D with FEM.

Design/methodology/approach

The slip surface and moving band techniques are used to model the rotation of electrical machines in 3D with FEM. The proposed techniques are applied to a permanent magnet synchronous machine. The comparison is carried out at no‐load for the electromotive force (EMF) and the cogging torque. The torque is also compared for the short circuit case.

Findings

For both the locked‐step and moving band approaches there is no difficulty in establishing the scalar potential and potential vector formulations. However, if step displacement is not equal to the mesh step, the results can show numerical irregularities. Some improvements have been proposed in order to limit this problem.

Originality/value

The results of the EMF and the cogging torque are improved.
An energy‐based vector hysteresis model for ferromagnetic materials
Authors: Henrotte François , Nicolet André , Hameyer Kay
Published: June 2006

Purpose

Proposes a new quasi‐static vector hysteresis model based on an energy approach, where dissipation is represented by a friction‐like force.

Design/methodology/approach

The start point is the local energy balance of the ferromagnetic material. Dissipation is represented by a friction‐like force, which derives from a non‐differentiable convex functional. Several elementary hysteresis cells can be combined, in order to increase the number of free parameters in the model, and therefore improve the accuracy.

Findings

A friction‐like force is a good way to represent magnetic dissipation at the macroscopic level. The proposed method is easy to implement and non‐differentiability amounts in this case to a simple “if” statement.

Research limitations/implications

The next steps are the extension to dynamic hysteresis and the in‐depth analysis of the identification process, which is only sketched in this paper.

Practical implications

This vector model, which is based on a reasonable phenomenological description of local magnetic dissipation, enables the numerical analysis of rotational hysteresis losses on a sound theoretical basis.

Originality/value

It proposes a simple, general purpose macroscopic model of hysteresis that is intrinsically a vector one, and not the vectorization of a scalar model.
Nonlinear scaled models in 3D calculation of transformer magnetic circuits
Authors: Zakrzewski Kazimierz , Tomczuk Bronisław , Waindok Andrzej
Published: June 2006

Purpose

To make easier and faster the designing of transformers using scale models.

Design/methodology/approach

The scale modeling in designing of transformers is included. Both computer and physical models of high leakage reactance (HLR) and 3‐phase (TP3C) transformers have been considered. The 3D field computations have been executed for the scaled models, and the results were recalculated to the full‐scaled ones.

Findings

It is possible to calculate the scale coefficients for nonlinear models of transformers using finite element method (FEM) software. Obtained coefficients are useful in the designing process. Measurements confirm correctness of the scaling laws.

Research limitations/implications

The calculations were done only for transformers and the eddy current was not taken into account.

Practical implications

Presented formulae for scale model calculation are very useful for designing of transformers by the engineers. It is possible to design a series of transformers. Only one physical model must be manufactured for experimental verification.

Originality/value

This paper offers an innovative approach to non‐linear scaled modelling of transformers using FEM.
Reducing power losses in axisymmetric electromechanical converters
Authors: Mikołajewicz Jacek , Nowak Lech
Published: June 2006

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to find the effective methods of power loss reduction in axisymmetric electromagnetic devices and improve their dynamic parameters. As an example the linear tubular motor is considered.

Design/methodology/approach

The elaborated algorithm has been applied to analyze the dynamic operation of axisymmetric electromagnetic devices, especially tubular linear induction motors. The mathematical model of transients includes: the equation of electromagnetic field, the equations of electric circuits and the equation of motion. The model is based on the finite element method. For the time‐stepping, the Cranck‐Nicholson scheme is applied. In order to include non‐linearity, the Newton‐Raphson process is adopted.

Findings

In order to reduce the influence of eddy currents, it is suggested that the solid core should be equipped with one or several radial slots. In such a case, the radial component of eddy currents occurs near the slot and disturbs the axial symmetry of the system. However, when the width of the slot is small, the fields generated by the radial component of eddy currents on both sides of the slot practically cancel one another and the system can still be considered axisymmetric. Another solution given in the paper consists of replacing the cylindrical core with a system of flat laminated segments. In such a case, saturation of the ferromagnetic parts is greater than in the case of classical axisymmetric core.

Originality/value

In the paper, new quasi‐2D axisymmetrical field‐circuit methodology for electromagnetic device dynamics analysis has been elaborated. Proposed constructional solutions enable one to reduce the power losses in the primary core by half and total losses by 30 percent.
Preparation and characterisation of high performance yellow anticorrosive phosphomolybdate pigments
Authors: Abd El‐Ghaffar M.A. , Youssef E.A.M. , Ahmed Nivin M.
Published: June 2006

Purpose

Owing to the ongoing demand for the elimination of chromate‐ and lead‐based pigments and the need to identify effective replacements, phosphate and molybdate are finding increasing application in coating industry. In the study reported here, phosphomolybdates, the newest of the second generation of molybdate and phosphate pigments had been prepared, characterised and evaluated as anti‐corrosive pigments for coating applications.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, Ca, Zn and Ca‐Zn phospomolybdates were prepared and characterised by chemical analysis and spectrophotometric measurements, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in addition to thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The pigments were also evaluated according to international standard testing methods. The conditions for the preparation of the phosphomolybdate pigments were established. Their anticorrosive properties were evaluated by incorporation in anticorrosive paint formulations using medium oil alkyd resin as a binder. The paint films were tested in artificial seawater for 28 days.

Findings

The results showed superior anticorrosive protection properties of the pigments prepared over their phosphate and molybdate counterparts, in addition to the high tinting strength of their golden yellow colours.

Practical implications

The method for enhanced production of the eco‐friendly phosphomolybdate pigments was novel and economically feasible.

Originality/value

Phosphomolybdates, the newest of the second generation of molybdate pigments incorporate a synergistic combination of phosphate and molybdate compounds and are believed to have exceptional corrosion inhibiting activity, which has allowed for more optimised applications in specific types of coatings. They are considered the best known and most frequently utilised non‐toxic eco‐friendly inhibitive pigments.
The demise of Native American mascots: it's time to do the right thing
Authors: Wolburg Joyce M.
Published: June 2006

Purpose

The intent of this article is to show why the use of Native American mascots, logos, and nicknames by sports teams perpetuates depictions that are perceived as harmful and racist by Native Americans.

Design/methodology/approach

This article examines data from published research, personal correspondence, and essays by Native Americans so that non‐natives can understand the issue from the native perspective. It also calls into question previous communication efforts that may have limited the voices of Native Americans.

Findings

By examining the meaning of warriors and other cultural symbols for Native Americans and by exploring the different views of sports between natives and non‐natives, the article shows why it is unacceptable to ignore the native voice. It also demonstrates that it is possible for a sports team with a native identity to successfully change its brand image.

Practical implications

Marketers, consumers, owners of sports teams, universities, and members of outside organizations can be better informed as to why Native Americans have asked for an end to this practice. Marketers can also understand why the objections go far beyond political correctness and are part of a human rights issue.

Originality/value

The article helps stakeholders understand why privileging a revenue stream over the impact on human rights is an example of misplaced marketing.
Corporate sponsorships
Authors: Holt Glen E.
Published: June 2006

Purpose

To provide an overview of how corporate sponsorships can be successfully used by libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

Using successful examples from St Louis Public Library, the topic of corporate sponsorships and their value to libraries is presented.

Findings

Corporate sponsorship of services and events can be a valuable source of support for libraries. However, it is important to accurately determine what project costs are, and what the value of the partnership is for the corporation.

Originality/value

Not everyone agrees that corporate sponsorships are a good idea for libraries, but getting involved in them does not mean that you have to compromise the library's mission. With proper planning and partnering, a win‐win outcome is possible.
Full costing of business programs: benefits and caveats
Authors: Simmons Cynthia , Wright Michael , Jones Vernon
Published: June 2006

Purpose

To suggest an approach to program costing that includes the approaches and concepts developed in activity based costing.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilizes a hypothetical case study of an Executive MBA program as a means of illustrating the suggested approach to costing.

Findings

The paper illustrates both the benefits of using an activity based costing approach and the danger of allocating organizational sustaining costs to a specific program for the purpose of assessing the profitability of that program.

Practical implications

University and faculty administrators will understand the benefits of activity based costing and they will understand that they should not evaluate the profitability of a program (nor make decisions about the termination of a program) on the basis of allocated organizational sustaining costs.

Originality/value

The value of the paper is to university and faculty administrators, who will be able to utilize a new approach to costing university programs.
A processual view of institutional change of the budget process within an Australian government‐owned electricity corporation
Authors: James Wendy
Published: June 2006

Purpose

Australian public sector organisations are faced with their greatest challenge in decades, as public sector reforms essentially re‐examine the role of the State in the economy. These changes have led to a shift away from a traditional administrative approach of public sector organisations to one that fosters managerialism and economic rationalism, the underlying philosophies of new public management. Queensland, the Northeastern state of Australia, has experienced a period of government committed to change and reform specifically related to corporatisation and a national competition policy. Aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

To understand the effect of changes in budgeting, the researcher explores the processes of change over a period of time as they occur, through the use of a case study approach. The processual approach adopted for the study is consistent with old institutional economic theory, which is used to inform the findings.

Findings

It was found that indiscriminate changes to the budgeting process, together with the introduction of a transfer pricing system, caused considerable resistance. Streamlining was introduced late in the study, which, for the most part, despite the embeddedness of the earlier system, overcame many of the obstacles identified with relation to the budgeting process, while the conflict as a result of the transfer pricing system remained an unresolved and thorny issue.

Originality/value

The implications for organisational change management suggest the consideration of embedded institutions within an organisation, while determining the processes and directions of change. The implications for reform setters and the Queensland electricity supply industry are such that the short‐term goal of cost‐efficiency may not necessarily be in the best interest of the overall long‐term benefits to the community.
Management consultant (process) performance in local government
Authors: Deakins Eric , Dillon Stuart
Published: June 2006

Purpose

Broadly conceptualised, a consultant's work can be evaluated by the deliverables produced and by the process used to achieve those deliverables. This paper seeks to report the use of a survey instrument to assess and compare management consultant process performance and client performance (in specifying the contract), enabling meaningful dialogue between the parties.

Design/methodology/approach

A validated instrument, previously developed by the authors, was employed to survey all local and regional authorities in New Zealand regarding the expectations they have of their management consultants and their perceptions of process performance. Congruence of the performance profiles was assessed with the aid of profile similarity indices.

Findings

While results for the sector indicate that New Zealand local authorities appear to be generally well satisfied with the levels of service they are receiving from their management consultants, individual authorities are experiencing significant gaps between their expectations and what is being delivered. In addition, misalignments between client expectations and benchmark process performance measures indicate a lack of rigour when specifying contracts.

Research limitations/implications

The research makes use of subjective measures of excellent consulting practice sourced from industry‐respected consultants and authors in the field, rather than attempting to justify their choice from a theoretical basis. Conceptual difficulties with the use of profile similarity indices in alignment research are noted. The generalisability of the benchmark performance standards to consultants operating in other sectors remains to be tested.

Practical implications

Benchmark consultant performance standards provide the basis for local authorities to insist upon internationally recognized and recommended standards of contract delivery. The use of well‐developed process performance measures to assess differences between local authority expectations and perceived consultant performance, and between perceived consultant performance and benchmark expectations, provides the opportunity for local authorities and their consultants to engage in meaningful and objective dialogue. Skilled consultants will benefit from dialogue that should translate into greater respect and understanding of their true worth, and into the setting of contract specifications and pricing that reflect this assessment.

Originality/value

Previous authors have argued the lack of well‐developed performance measures and attendant benchmark performance standards expected of consultants. The present study directly addresses these gaps and focuses on the manner in which management consultants work with public sector clients to produce contract deliverables. Validated benchmark measures are used to detect process performance gaps, providing the opportunity for local authorities and their consultants to engage in meaningful dialogue.
Post‐bureaucracy and Weber's “modern” bureaucrat
Authors: Höpfl Harro M.
Published: June 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a re‐examination of the Weberian corpus.

Design/methodology/approach

Discusses the Weberian corpus and the discrepancies and lacunae in Weber's accounts. Outlines “Weberian” bureacracy in the post‐bureacracy literature, the use and utility of ideal types and the problems of ideal typifications.

Findings

The so‐called “Weberian ideal type” which is the standard reference point in bureaucracy versus post‐bureaucracy discussion is only ambiguously related to what Weber himself wrote. Usually “Weberian” bureaucracy is equated with rule‐governed hierarchy. This is a gross over‐simplification of Weber's thought, but his “ideal type” demands radical re‐tooling in order to be usable. The components he itemized and the importance he attached to them are inconsistent, they are abstracted from exemplars which Weber privileged without explanation, and he gave no unambiguous criteria for deciding which components this ideal type should include or exclude. Moreover, he equated bureaucratic organization with modernity, when on his own account there were fully bureaucratic organizations centuries before “modernity”. His ideal type thus cannot yield a clear distinction between bureaucratic and “post”‐bureaucratic organizations, unless “bureaucracy” is flattened into “hierarchy”, and “post”‐bureaucratic into “non‐hierarchical”. But hierarchy cannot be eliminated from complex organizations, and bureaucracy can be re‐theorized to include any non‐contradictory attributes. Therefore, there can be adaptations of bureaucracy, butex hypothesithere cannot be a “post‐bureaucratic era”.

Originality/value

The paper shows that Weber's ideal type can be re‐theorized to include any “non‐contradictory attributes”.
Are we living in a post‐bureaucratic epoch?
Authors: McSweeney Brendan
Published: June 2006

Purpose

According to an extensive and growing literature, we are in the twilight of bureaucracy. The labels applied to the supposed new organizational form include: post‐bureaucratic; post‐modern; post‐hierarchical; and the virtual organisation. The purpose of this paper is to consider the various claims for “epochal” change by evaluating the supporting and contrary evidence.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on evidence on the reform of the UK Civil Service over the last few decades to show the intensification of bureaucracy.

Findings

The paper takes issue with the “epochalist” visions of sudden transformation which have underpinned much of the comment on post‐bureaucracy, arguing that the concept of post‐bureaucracy is analytically blind to the diversity and complexity of contemporary organizational change.

Originality/value

Locating the debate on post‐bureaucracy in the broader political economy of Neo‐Conservatism reveals an authoritarian dimension which has been absent from most commentaries.
Workload allocation models and “collegiality” in academic departments
Authors: Hull Richard
Published: June 2006

Purpose

To present empirical research on the adoption of workload allocation models (WAMs) within the UK university system and relate these to the broader context of the new public management (NPM).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on the historical sociology of the professions to highlight the dilemmas posed by the adoption of WAMs.

Findings

University managers and academics are faced with some difficult choices. Managers are faced with a requirement to develop, implement and if necessary challenge a range of new tasks, business processes, projects to be managed and teams to be led. For staff, the choice is to accept the increased workloads or to lobby for increased resources. However, calls for “increased resources” is likely to entail further bureaucratisation. A more transparent and accountable approach to academic work may offer a more viable way forward than that implied by recourse to the fundamentally elitist notions of “collegiality”.

Originality/value

The paper presents new research on WAMs and NPM.
Technology, innovation and post‐bureaucracy: the case of the British Library
Authors: Harris Martin
Published: June 2006

Purpose

In recent years it has been argued that the widespread adoption of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) presages the “end” of bureaucracy and its replacement by new and more flexible organisational forms. The purpose of this paper is to question contemporary accounts of “the network enterprise” and “the virtual organisation”, arguing that these are founded on a logic which abstracts innovation from its institutional and organisational context.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a case study analysis of the British Library to explore the relationship between ICTs and new organisational forms.

Findings

The case study evidence suggests that there is a need to go beyond the binary opposition of “bureaucratic” and “post‐bureaucratic” forms. The evidence also shows that the bureaucratic form was associated with the institutional legacies, expertise and practices that are crucial in fostering innovation.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the bureaucratic context offers a more propitious environment for innovation than has been suggested by managerialist accounts of the “post‐bureaucratic organization”.
Sustainable quality management: a strategic perspective
Authors: Svensson Göran
Published: June 2006

Purpose

The topic is restricted to the components of total quality management (TQM), in which a set of values, tools and techniques unites the descriptions of TQM. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact on an additional core value of the components of TQM, namely the sustainability of values, tools and techniques.

Design/methodology/approach

A strategic perspective of sustainable quality management is applied, rather than tactical and operative ones. The term “sustainable quality management” is used.

Findings

The paper contends that quality management (in general) and TQM (in particular) should be scrutinised by stressing the sustainability of values, tools and techniques.

Research limitations/implications

Sustainable quality management provides a potential to improve and extend the theory generation and the best practices of TQM in the future. An important area for further research is to examine the extent of sustainable quality management practices beyond the organisational boundaries and traditional channel structures. Sustainable quality management is complex to implement and evaluate.

Practical implications

The paper provides theoretical and managerial ideas and insights in order to anticipate and avoid the non‐sustainability of TQM practices.

Originality/value

One contribution is a model of a circulation approach to TQM. Another contribution is a model of the sustainability of TQM, which connects and reconnects corporate values, tools and techniques in quality management.
Quality and risk management: what are the key issues?
Authors: Williams Roger , Bertsch Boudewijn , Dale Barrie , van der Wiele Ton , van Iwaarden Jos , Smith Mark , Visser Rolf
Published: June 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the field of risk management in relation to the connection to quality management. It poses and attempts to answer three questions. What can quality teach risk management? What can risk management teach quality? What must both risk and quality management still learn? This is an area which has so far not been explored by the quality management fraternity.

Design/methodology/approach

The examination is built on more than 20 years' experience in the area of quality management and extensive involvement in recent developments around risk management (e.g. the Australian/New Zealand standard for risk management – AS/NZ4360, the development of a risk management model by the European Foundation for Quality Management, and the launch of risk‐based instruments by a number of private companies).

Findings

Amongst the major findings are that there are three types of risks: predictable risks that organisations know they face; the risks which an organisation knows it might run but which are caused by chance; and the risks which organisations do not know they are running.

Practical implications

It is pointed out that in the past the challenge for quality management professionals was to support process and design improvements, but the challenge of the future is to improve relationships in order to reduce and manage the most important risks.

Originality/value

The paper outlines how the quality management discipline can help with the management of these types of risks.
Quality management in a modular world
Authors: Arnheiter Edward D. , Harren Hendrik
Published: June 2006

Purpose

Companies are emphasizing modular designs and manufacturing approaches, but to stay competitive and retain market share they must continue to offer products and services of the highest quality. Therefore, since modularity is increasingly popular and product quality is always critical, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of modular strategies on key quality dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper first presents an overview of modularity, and then outlines eight commonly used dimensions of quality. Each dimension is then examined in terms of how it can be affected by modularity.

Findings

It is shown that modular product design has a significant impact on key attributes of product quality. Six of the eight quality dimensions examined are potentially affected in a positive way by modularity, while five of the eight attributes are affected in a potentially negative manner by the use of modularity.

Practical implications

Since modularity can have both a positive and negative impact on quality, managers must proceed with caution when adopting modular strategies.

Originality/value

This is a seminal work because it considers the impact of modularity on the dimensions of quality. It is argued that the use of modularity should not be considered a panacea by companies searching for a quick solution. That is, there are potentially significant negative side effects associated with modularity.
Teaching self‐efficacy, stress and coping in a major curriculum reform
Authors: McCormick John , Ayres Paul L. , Beechey Bernice
Published: June 2006

Purpose

The main research aim was to investigate relationships among teachers' occupational stress, coping, teacher self‐efficacy and relevant teachers' perceptions of curriculum changes in a major educational reform.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical framework that included the attribution of responsibility for stress model, aspects of social cognitive theory and perceptions of the changes to the HSC, was used to guide the study. Multilevel variance decomposition and structural equation modelling were employed.

Findings

Stress attributions to personal and organizational domains were associated with the teachers' perceived stress from implementation of the new curriculum. Furthermore, results suggested that these teachers may have coped with stress associated with the changes using palliative strategies rather than direct problem solving. Teachers' greater understanding of what the curriculum changes entailed was associated with lower teacher self‐efficacy.

Practical implications

Emphasises that curriculum reform cannot be carried out in a vacuum, and that teachers' mental models or schemata of the education system within which they work are likely to influence their interpretations of the reform and its implementation. Analyses provide insights into teachers' cognition in relation to stress and self‐efficacy during curriculum change.

Originality/value

The nature of the reform, which was the focus of this study, is relatively rare, for both the magnitude of the curriculum change and the size of the education system (750,000 students) involved.
Customer satisfaction in a retail setting
Authors: Burns David J. , Neisner Lewis
Published: June 2006

Purpose

To examine the relative roles played by cognition and emotion in the development of customer satisfaction in a retail setting.

Design/methodology/approach

An experimental design was employed. Study participants were exposed one of two expectation scenarios depicting past experience with an unnamed retail store, with one developed to build high expectations and one developed to create low expectations. Study participants were then exposed to one of two performance scenarios depicting a new experience with the unnamed retail store, with one depicting a successful pleasurable experience and one depicting a performance failure. Participants were also asked to complete scales measuring their cognitive evaluation of the perceived performance and their emotional reaction to the perceived performance.

Findings

Both cognitive evaluation and emotional reaction were found to explain the level of satisfaction experienced in a retail setting. As opposed to a service setting, however, cognitive evaluation was found to be more important than emotional reaction in explaining customer satisfaction. When the individual treatment levels were examined, anger/delight and shame were observed to be significant only for the third treatment level (high expectations/poor performance).

Practical implications

The findings suggest that retailers whose customers possess high expectations will need to place explicit attention on their customers' emotions. If a performance is deemed as negative, not only will the negative performance affect level of satisfaction, but also the negative emotions associated with the poor performance will also likely affect level of satisfaction.

Originality/value

The paper examines the role of emotion in developing customer satisfaction in a retail setting.
Efficiency measurement among hypermarkets and supermarkets and the identification of the efficiency drivers
Authors: Pestana Barros Carlos
Published: June 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse a representative sample of hypermarkets and supermarkets working in the Portuguese market, using a benchmark procedure to compare companies that compete in the same market and thereby deriving managerial and policy implications.

Design/methodology/approach

A two‐stage procedure to benchmark the companies was adopted. In the first stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used and in the second stage a Tobit model is employed to estimate the efficient drivers.

Findings

First, that, on average, the efficiency of hypermarket and supermarket retail companies is high compared with that to be found in other sectors. Second, larger retail groups are, on average, more efficient than the smaller retailers, and third, that national retailers are on average more efficient than regional retailers. Finally, scale plays an important role in this market. The efficiency drivers are market share, number of outlets and location. Finally, regulation has a negative effect on efficiency.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has two limitations. The first is in relation to the data set, and the second in relation to the DEA method. With reference to the data set, the homogeneity of the retailers used in the analysis is questionable, since retailers of different sizes, production characteristics and locations are compared, which may face different restrictions and therefore might not be considered to be directly comparable. However, it can always be claimed that the units are not comparable and that it would consequently be equally impossible to undertake a ratio analysis. Moreover, the data set is short, so that the conclusions are limited. For the conclusions to be generalised, a larger panel data set would be required.

Practical implications

These can be separated into managerial and competitive – more importantly, the latter with its implications for the retailing industry and its future evolution.

Originality/value

Clarifies two issues: the changes in the fortunes of the retail companies, as observed in their sales volume ranking, and the need to look for the causes of retail efficiency, apart from internal managerial procedures.