bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International accounting regulation by the United Nations: a power perspective
Authors: Rahman Sheikh F.
Published: July 2002

This paper presents the results of a complex but challenging investigation into the global power play at the United Nations (UN) over the issue of international accounting regulation. It specifically attempts to explain why the host developing nations of most transnational corporations (TNCs), despite controlling a significant majority vote at the UN and thus possessing the necessary “political” power, conspicuously failed to impose their accounting disclosure agenda on the TNCs and on the (minority) developed nations. The political concept of power is used in examining the accounting standard setting process at the UN, in the context of regulatory reforms of the TNCs. While alternative models of power are considered, Robert Dahl’s decision‐oriented pluralistic model was adopted in the study because it proved to be the most consistent with the events, objectives and the empirical data presented. The research findings indicate that organized pressures from the TNCs, co‐ordinated under the joint forum of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), coupled with the economic and diplomatic manoeuvring of the developed market economy nations, had succeeded in overriding the rule of “one‐nation‐one‐vote” and securing ade factoveto over the majority view at the UN. The pioneering efforts of the UN in setting international reporting standards had been curbed and frustrated through the construction and use of such “veto” by the minority representation.
The Hegelian logic of critical research
Authors: Tinker Tony
Published: July 2002

The vast historical, cultural, linguistic, and geographical divides between East and West makes meaningful communication especially difficult. But these differences need not lead to total incommensurability – where no empathy or exchange of experience is possible. This paper shows that, within Professor Shiozawa’s keynote address, we find considerable overlap in the critical traditions of Japan and the West. Research in both cases is motivated first, by a focus on problems emanating from the instabilities and crises of capitalism, second, an appropriation of evidence that is distinct in its pursuit of greater “realism in process”, and third, a desire to reconstruct experience in a way that discerns the “self‐activating” mechanisms of material processes, and reflect them in our intelligibility. While differences will remain in the specific problematic junctures of capitalism that Japanese and Western researchers seek to investigate, the broad contours of our methodological procedures do provide us with ample grounds for a meaningful conversation.
Postcard from Japan: a management accounting view
Authors: Hopper Trevor
Published: July 2002

The papers presented at the APIRA conference 1998, on management accounting change are discussed – Japanese cost management; management control system design; ethnographic case studies; and management accounting’s role in public sector transformation.
Japanese accounting profession in transition
Authors: Sakagami Manabu , Yoshimi Hiroshi , Okano Hiroshi
Published: July 2002

This study describes the history and present conditions of the accounting profession in Japan. In particular, the crises of the 1990s have highlighted the fact that Japanese CPAs operate under quite different institutional arrangements from their Anglo‐American counterparts. In addition, there are no equivalent Japanese bodies to the British Chartered Public Finance Accountants and Chartered Management Accountants for public sector or management accountants. This paper identifies factors behind such differences. We discuss three points at issue: currently existing problems with auditing in the private sector, the long absence of external auditors in the public sector and the reason why the accounting profession has not been formed in a management accounting field. Finally, we point out issues involving the Japanese accounting profession that might be tackled in the future.
A theory of public health sector report: forging a new path
Authors: Van Peursem Karen A.
Published: July 2002

With the aim of shedding light on issues surrounding the development and evaluation of report, this paper offers a theory for facilitating and legitimizing an accountability‐based discourse and disclosure in the public health sector. The project adopts Laughlin’s (1995) vision of middle range theory and an accountability perspective to justify the form and normative perspective which shapes the skeletal model to follow. Formulated in part from an analysis of the health management and public sector accounting literatures, the model is now empirically supported from the preferences of health sector accountees in New Zealand. The result is a conceptual construct which is both considerate of and challenging to the standard financial accounting model. The skeletal model consists of five conceptual categories, their interrelationships and properties. The theoretical model considers and mandates illumination of political incentives, incorporates the assumption that accounting can be constitutive as well as reflective and is sympathetic to a wide range of interests and contextual distinctions.
Scholarship in university business schools – Cardinal Newman, creeping corporatism and farewell to the “disturber of the peace”?
Authors: Craig Russell J. , Clarke Frank L. , Amernic Joel H.
Published: July 2002

This paper was stimulated by the chilling vision of the corporate university described by Moore and touted by numerous others. It exposes the ways in which Newman’s The Idea of a University will be abrogated and transformed by corporate universities. Fundamental issues are raised about the nature and purpose of universities and about the roles of its professors and schools of business, especially in a world characterized by “the triumph of the market”. An urgent plea is proferred for broader debate about the place of Corporate Universities in business higher education.
Extending practice – Accountants’ constructions of the industrial relations arena in the USA
Authors: Fogarty Timothy J. , Radcliffe Vaughan S.
Published: July 2002

This paper examines the historical means by which accountancy, as a mature profession, has sought to expand its practice to new areas of business. Accountancy has long been eager to satisfy perceived client needs, and in so doing foster an ever widening scope for accounting expertise. However, as the profession faces the end of a boom in audit services, the question of how its markets can be self‐consciously expanded has re‐emerged. To understand the dynamics of professional expansion we examine the way in which accountants attempted to develop their practice in the US industrial relations arena shortly after the Second World War, amid the charged industrial relations climate of the time. By examining professional discourse, as evidenced in practitioner journals, we explore accountants’ constructions of potential roles for themselves in this new field. The means by which the profession has redefined itself previously may be instructive as an element in the development of fresh markets for its services.
Australian public sector financial reporting: a case of cooperative policy formulation
Authors: Ryan Christine
Published: July 2002

In the past two decades, the public sector both in Australia and overseas has undergone a period of intense change. The focus has been on efficiency, effectiveness and value for money of public sector operations. The methods by which governments account and report on their operations has received scrutiny. While Treasuries and Departments of Finance in each Australian jurisdiction have traditionally formulated the reporting and accounting rules used in the public sector, since 1983, with the formation of the Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (PSASB), the accounting profession has become involved in the setting of accounting standards for the public sector. Several researchers have suggested that a “contest” exists between the accounting profession and the government regulators for control over the public sector accounting standards process. This paper explores the processes whereby the public sector in Australia formulates its financial reporting policies by examining the interactions between the PSASB and the government regulators in each of the Australian jurisdictions. Policy community and policy network theory are used to argue that policy is formulated by a “cooperative” grouping of accounting professionals from the central agencies of Treasuries and Departments of Finance and the PSASB. The paper concludes that this method of policy formulation has implications for the content of policy and for the access of stakeholders to the formulation of that policy.
Quality issues in the treatment of depression in general practice
Authors: Gilmore Kerry‐Ann , Hargie Owen
Published: July 2002

Watson and Gallois have argued that “at the very core of health communication is the interaction between health professionals and their patients”, and thus effective and quality communication between doctor and patient is imperative.
Total quality management in European healthcare
Authors: Øvretveit John
Published: July 2002

Total quality management (TQM) promises much for service industries yet it has been little used in European healthcare. Of those hospitals and services which have implemented TQM, few have had great success and many have found difficulties sustaining their programmes. This paper defines TQM in healthcare and considers examples and results of TQM in European healthcare. It distinguishes between team projects using TQM methods and organization‐wide TQM programmes, and finds more evidence for the success of projects than for programmes. The paper discusses whether the differences between healthcare and many other industries explain the mixed results, and considers the prospects for future TQM programmes in European healthcare.
Quality in finance of health care: the unaddressed imperative
Authors: Asubonteng Rivers Patrick , Glover Saundra H.
Published: July 2002

As the health‐care industry undergoes major change, a method of “accounting for quality” has become a key factor in health services delivery and fiscal accountability. This article examines several aspects of health care that inhibit the development of common methods of defining and accounting for quality. Key issues and characteristics of the health‐care market are addressed and the article provides a synthesis of these obstacles to the process of deriving common measures and standards of quality that may be utilized by the health‐care industry for financial decisions.
The patient care development programme: organisational development through user and staff involvement
Authors: Hill Patrick , O’Grady Alex , Millar Bruce , Boswell Kathryn
Published: July 2002

A number of approaches have been developed in recent years to try effectively to engage service users in the process of planning and delivering health‐care services. The consumerist methodology for the strategy described in this paper was designed to maximise staff involvement in capturing user views, in order to develop services at a district general hospital. This strategy – the Patient Care Development Programme (PCDP) – provides a framework for both staff and patient involvement in shaping and influencing the development of health‐care services. Uses the findings from applying the strategy to modify care packages, roles, skills, layouts, protocols and procedures, in response to both the “shortfalls” and the service strengths that the patient’s view uncovers. Discusses the results of an evaluation of the programme which has been replicated in another part of the UK. The PCDP now forms part of a clinical governance framework and is being used to develop multi‐agency integrated care pathways.
Achieving clinical governance in Women’s Services through the use of the EFQM Excellence Model
Authors: Jackson Sue
Published: July 2002

Following a brief explanation of the concepts inherent within the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model, the experience of using the framework as a mechanism for delivering clinical governance is described. The framework was utilised by a Women’s Services Directorate of an acute National Health Service Trust in the UK, who concluded that the Model was an ideal tool for supporting the delivery of clinical governance. However, this was only the case when a number of factors were taken into consideration. For instance, the Directorate found that the change programme required a phased implementation process, sound leadership, expert facilitation, good information systems, numerous training and development opportunities for managers, teamwork and the application of best practice in relation to project improvement teams. Moreover, the absence of all the aforementioned ingredients had the potential to compromise any successful outcome.
Quality improvement in the healthcare industry: some evidence from Singapore
Authors: Chow‐Chua Clare , Goh Mark
Published: July 2002

Presents an exploratory field research on all hospitals in Singapore, highlighting the different routes hospitals have adopted in pursuing their corporate quality journey for the new millennium. In general, both continuous improvement and innovation‐based approaches have generated cost and time savings and helped to streamline work processes. However, the initial survey results show that innovation‐based programs require a longer time frame for implementation, are more prone to resistance to change and suffer from program failure. Also, large hospitals and public hospitals are more inclined to implement innovation based approaches while medium‐sized hospitals tend to use continuous improvement as a medium for quality improvement.
Severe anaemia during pregnancy in Kisumu District of Kenya: prevalence and risk factors
Authors: Nyabuti Ondimu Kennedy
Published: July 2002

Anaemia during pregnancy is an important contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity in Kenya. A prospective study was conducted in Kisumu District, a region characterized by high incidences of maternal and infant mortality, to determine the levels and prevalence of maternal complications. Four health facilities were purposely selected to act as sentinel centres from urban and rural clusters. All the obstetric‐related cases were recorded between January and July 1997, and the outcomes of the pregnancies were recorded. Details on the respondents socioeconomic, demographic, biomedical and environment characteristics were also recorded. A total of 1,455 cases were recorded, of which 59 percent experienced obstetric‐related complications. Of those with complications, 22 percent were suffering from severe anaemia. Among other things, the study reveals that anaemia prevalence is determined by maternal and environmental factors. These include poor pregnancy care, illness during pregnancy, socioeconomic conditions of the mother and the sanitary conditions of the household. Policy measures aimed at managing anaemia should seek to address all these factors.
The relationship between team and organisational learning
Authors: Bennett Janette
Published: July 2002

Current government policy requires that all acute Trusts will have an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) by 2005 but there is no additional funding for such expensive technology. Instead funding must be found by reviewing internal policies and procedures. Such extensive organisational process review is an opportunity to bring about organisational learning but there is no government guidance on how to bring this about and a dichotomy exists within organisational learning theory. This paper investigates if teams are the bridge between divergent schools of thought on organisational learning, and considers if they are the mechanism to bring about both organisational learning and the delivery of a successful EPR implementation, the stated aim of government policy.
PULS: leading for change
Authors: Heiberg Inger , Sævil Helljesen Gro , Kolnes Johannes
Published: July 2002

Explains the journey that one particular hospital took to embrace change management through leadership and quality improvement programmes that were put into practice simultaneously. Details of the achievements of that hospital and the learning that emerged are given along with a brief insight into the achievements and experiences of other hospitals in Norway that were embarking upon the same programme. In essence attempts to answer two main questions: “Is this concept useful for top management groups in their efforts to improve care for patients?” and “Is this approach useful to improve the way top management groups work?”
In search of excellence in Irish health care
Authors: Downey‐Ennis Kay , Harrington Denis
Published: July 2002

As in the world‐wide context in recent years Irish health care has undergone much change, which has led purchasers and consumers alike to call for a more efficient and effective service. Many differing approaches are being utilised in an effort to become more responsive; however, only limited results have been shown. Thus, the search for excellence is both compelling and inevitable within the sector. Here one seeks to discern the elements that offer health‐care institutions the chance to excel from an organisational perspective in their quest to become more responsive and patient‐focused. Also provides details of some forthcoming research aimed at exploring the issues and outcomes of using the EFQM excellence model to support the search for excellence in Irish health care. A follow‐up article with the findings will be published in a later issue of this journal.
A clinical risk profiling tool for trusts
Authors: Ireland A. , Tomalin D.A. , Renshaw M. , Rayment K.
Published: July 2002

While there is debate about the extent to which patients are harmed when they are cared for in hospital, it is clear that admission as an inpatient is not without risk. This paper presents works on the progress to date with identifying what these risks are and quantifying the likelihood and severity of the risk. The clinical risk profiling tool that has been developed as part of this exercise has assisted with the identification and prioritisation of clinical risks and is the first step in risk reduction and elimination.
Quality of Life as an Indicator of Outcome in the Treatment of Cancer
Patients:
Authors: Morris Jenny , Watt Alex
Published: July 2002

Evaluation of treatment can be seen as part of a wider concern to
measure quality of care, as well as about the need to monitor and
improve the effectiveness of services. Quality of life issues will be
of increasing interest to those involved in the commissioning of
health‐care services. Cancer is used to illustrate how the quality of
life of patients, both during and after treatment, can be measured and
the information used by purchasers to consider the relative
effectiveness of different methods of treatment. This in turn can
inform the overall purchasing strategy of commissioning agencies.
Feedback on Quality:
Authors: Roberts Emilie , Leavey Ralph , Allen David , Gibbs Graham
Published: July 2002

There is a growing consensus within the NHS of the importance of
obtaining feedback from patients in order to improve the quality of
health care; consequently, many patient satisfaction surveys are now
undertaken. However, much research is based on provider‐held assumptions
about service quality. This study focuses on patient satisfaction with
coronary bypass surgery, starting with the concerns expressed by
patients and using these as a basis for evaluating different aspects of
care. The paired comparison technique was employed to produce a ranked
list of aspects of care that were perceived to be in greatest need of
improvement. Some difficulties were encountered in administering the
ranking technique to patients in a highly specialized health‐care
setting; however, results were obtained and validated for follow‐up
patients. The item of most concern to these patients was a lack of
sensitivity about when patients felt ready for discharge.
Completing the Clinical Audit Cycle
Authors: Anderson Stuart
Published: July 2002

Describes the process of clinical audit following the introduction of a
revised discharge policy. Identifies three key indicators of success
regarding hospital supply of discharge medication: the extent to which
ward staff and patients have to make personal visits to the pharmacy;
the extent to which nursing staff telephone the pharmacy to chase
individual prescriptions; and the rate of written complaints from
patients. All three measures increased substantially during the four
months following the introduction of the policy, compared with the
previous four‐month period. An action plan focused on changing relevant
behaviour of consultants, junior doctors, ward and nursing personnel,
patients and pharmacy staff by means of increased awareness of the
consequences of their actions. A follow‐up study demonstrated
substantial reductions in all three measures during a third four‐month
period.
Making total quality a clinical priority
Authors: Koch Hugh , Davies Jane
Published: July 2002

Outlines the introduction of total quality systems into all
clinical services within a community‐based NHS Trust in the West
Midlands. Provides practical details of each aspect of the
quality‐planning process. Shows the commitment of clinicians to
“managing quality improvement”.
Improving the peri‐operative experience a multidisciplinary team
approach
Authors: Johns Christopher , Summerbell Linda
Published: July 2002

Describes the clinical audit forum of anaesthetists in North Tees
NHS Trust with particular reference to patients’ peri‐operative
experience. Shows that a designated waiting room in theatre has improved
the effectiveness and efficiency of the service provided.
A real job for managers in the health service
Authors: Davis Richard
Published: July 2002

Suggests that current conditions in and around the NHS are creating
stressed and difficult work for NHS managers – this obscures the
fact that, in common with all managers in the West, they have been given
the wrong work to do. Proposes that Western management is built on
command and control assumptions which are entirely dysfunctional for
today’s work. Outlines a challenge to the principle of command and
control and describes, with the help of W. Edwards Deming’s views, what
an alternative picture of work could achieve.
Methodological issues in patient satisfaction surveys
Authors: Lin Binshan , Kelly Eileen
Published: July 2002

Examines some of the methodological problems encountered in
conducting patient satisfaction surveys, including the sampling frames,
quality of survey data and instruments, non‐response problems, and
reporting and interpretation of results. Proposes guidelines and lays
out an agenda for future research.
Do or DIE
Authors: Parsley Karen , Barnes Joanne
Published: July 2002

Over the recent past, a number of different approaches to quality
improvement have been introduced to the field of health‐care delivery.
Presents an overview of the approach developed at Brighton Health Care
Trust. Outlines the strategic approach incorporating: the recognition of
the need for staff education to enable them to participate fully in
improving the quality of patient care; the identification of seven core
components; the development of an educational package; and the
development of a structure to support the implementation.
Health care quality in NHS hospitals
Authors: Youssef Fayek N.
Published: July 2002

Hospitals provide the same type of service, but they do not all provide the same quality of service. No one knows this better than patients. Reports the results of a market research exercise initiated to ascertain the different factors which patients of health care identify as being necessary to provide error‐free service quality with NHS hospitals. To measure patients’ satisfaction with NHS hospitals, the internationally‐used market research technique called SERVQUAL was used in order to measure patients’ expectations before admission, record their perceptions after discharge from the hospital, and then to close the gap between them. This technique compares expectations with perceptions of service received across five broad dimensions of service quality, namely; tangibility; reliability: responsiveness; assurance; and empathy. This analysis covered 174 patients who had completed the SERVQUAL questionnaire, including patients who had had treatment in surgical, orthopaedic, spinal injury, medicinal, dental and other specialties in the West Midlands region. Recorded the average weighted NHS service quality score overall for the five dimensions as significantly negative.
Health service delivery to outback South Australia: a story of organizational change
Authors: Booth Adrian
Published: July 2002

Discusses attempts to meet in an accessible, equitable and high‐quality way, the health needs of 35,000 South Australians in 1.68 million square kilometres. Illustrates innovative work practices, developing teams and responses to regionalization.
Inquest on QUEST
Authors: Dick Raymond W.
Published: July 2002

Describes how a group of nurse managers developed a tool for measuring the quality of care in mental hospital wards and how this was adapted for use within general elderly services. Examines the impact of the tool on service provision within a group of small local community hospitals and evaluates it using a matrix composed of Donabedian’s structure/process/outcome model of quality and Maxwell’s six dimensions of quality.
A priority queuing model to reduce waiting times in emergency care
Authors: Siddharthan Kris , Jones Walter J. , Johnson James A.
Published: July 2002

Investigates the increased waiting time costs imposed on society due to inappropriate use of the emergency department by patients seeking non‐emergency or primary care. Proposes a simple economic model to illustrate the effect of this misuse at a public or not‐for‐profit hospital. Provides evidence that non‐emergency patients contribute to lengthy delays in the ER for all classes of patients. Proposes a priority queuing model to reduce average waiting times.
Can we measure the effectiveness of our organizations?
Authors: Butler Tom , Kendra James , Grimley Ruth , Taylor Brenda
Published: July 2002

Based on an action learning programme involving clinical directors and their business managers, explores the options open to analysing the effectiveness of a directorate including its place in an organizational structure.
Quality in provision of forensic psychiatric services: room for improvement
Authors: Phillips Ceri , Burnard Philip , Morrison Paul
Published: July 2002

Highlights some of the tensions which impede the development of an effective and efficient system of service delivery in forensic psychiatry. Reports on an investigation exploring the quality of care in a relatively small unit providing forensic psychiatric care in a secure setting and the constraints which impede the development of such services. Discusses the findings from the investigation which point to the need for the organizational structure surrounding forensic psychiatric care to be altered so that there are no perverse incentives for purchasers of the services and to enable the contracting process, considering both cost and quality issues, to take place on a level playing field.
Advancing observational quality methods for the measurement of forensic psychiatric care
Authors: Robinson David K.
Published: July 2002

Discusses some of the current problems associated with observational quality measurement. Uses Lerninger’s conceptual theory‐generating model as the basis of discussion. Puts forward a qualitative approach which breaks away from more traditional methods.
A critique of the concept of quality of life
Authors: Cheung Chung Man
Published: July 2002

Taking a philosophical approach, ancient Greek philosophers and Christians began to investigate the concept of quality of life. Later, such philosophical pursuit was replaced by the school of positivism, which indicated that science was and still is the only valid form of enquiry. Through such positivistic science the metaphysical nature of the concept of quality of life is thought to be uncovered. However, the later Wittgensteinian philosophical thoughts demonstrated that there is no metaphysical understanding of any concepts but there is only knowledge of playing language games. In the light of this philosophy, prior to any scientific investigations, researchers have already understood and agreed on the concept of quality of life by playing language games. From the above philosophical analyses, outlines some implications for health care research.
The nature and value of small and community hospital accreditation
Authors: Hurst Keith
Published: July 2002

Discusses the characteristics of health care accreditation schemes, especially the implications of their voluntary status. Singles out the Trent small hospital accreditation scheme (TSHAS) for detailed and systematic evaluation. Describes the quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, which involved a meta‐analysis of the literature, interviews with key staff and questionnaires completed by other participants in TSHAS. The main findings, divided into ten themes, confirm much of the published work on accreditation. The findings also provide new insights into the nature and value of health care accreditation, notably about the direction in which accreditation needs to go if both community and larger hospital accreditation is to survive.
Practices of the best companies in the medical industry
Authors: Atherton Erin , Kleiner Brian H.
Published: July 2002

A report containing information about three of the top medical manufacturing companies in the world ‐ Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic, Inc . Resources have been gathered and employees in key positions from each company have been interviewed to obtain the most current and accurate information. Interviewees were asked what factors contribute to their company’s success. These factors were then explored more explicitly through a variety of publications, and the results are included in this report. In today’s competitive market, companies must keep current with the market trends and be flexible and open to changing and/or improving their practices in order to remain successful. It has been found that although the main focuses of each company may be similar, the processes by which they strive to meet their goals are quite unique.
Planned and reported implementation of clinical practice guidelines
Authors: Millard Andrew
Published: July 2002

The aim of this project was to compare the intentions with reported action of health Trusts in Scotland to prioritise and implement published SIGN clinical guidelines. All health Trusts in Scotland were asked about plans for implementation, and resurveyed 15‐18 months later for confirmation. Specific guideline implementation groups led by medical doctors were the most common implementation structure. Implementation usually consisted of baseline audit, development of a local version, and reaudit. In one case a successful link between acute and primary care through an area level GP audit facilitator was thought to increase implementation. More research is required to: find out what influences the ability of an organisation to implement guidelines; identify particular facilitating factors or barriers; and on factors influencing the ability of a health organisation to implement guidelines.
The forgotten stakeholders: seniors’ values concerning their health care
Authors: Gallagher Elaine M. , Hodge Gerald
Published: July 2002

Within the context of health care reform and its evaluation, a major gap exists in relation to our understanding of the values which seniors hold regarding their health care. This paper reports on a modified participatory, ethnographic study of such values, using transcribed interviews with ten seniors from across Canada. Members of the National Advisory Council of Canada, most of whom are themselves seniors, participated in designing the study, carrying out the interviews and interpreting the results. Clusters of values were identified concerning health care services, service providers and the overall health care system. While the numbers involved in this study preclude generalizing to the population, a number of recommendations emerged from the study which could impact on future research and begin to influence health policy at local and national levels.
Functional status classification of institutionalized elderly in Israel
Authors: Fleishman Rachel , Potel Fernando , Walk Dror , Mandelson Jenny , Mizrahi Gad , Yuz Fanny , Bar‐Giora Miriam
Published: July 2002

In Israel, institution staff classify residents’ functional status as part of the routine governmental surveillance of institutions for semi‐independent and frail elderly. However, owing to a lack of clarity and specificity in the regulation which defines functional status categories, nurse surveyors, who conduct the routine surveillance of institutions, have begun to make their own estimates of functional status. Data were collected and compared on the functional status classification of 78 per cent of the elderly residents by institution staff and nurse surveyors. Data analysis showed that the poorer the functional status, the less congruity between the classifications. This has practical consequences for estimating the number and type of staff needed. It was found that the waste of resources and discrepancies caused by reclassification of the elderly by the nurse surveyors may be avoided by using more specific and precise definitions as suggested in this article.
Evaluating Executive Development: A Case Study
Authors: Wade‐Benzoni Kimberly A. , Fulmer William E.
Published: July 2002

Describes an effort by a large US company, GTE, to evaluate the impact
of a major management development effort and to decide how best the
group responsible for the course should operate in the future to be most
effective in performing its role. The results of the study provided
insight on how various operations respond to an internal supplier of
management development and how that group could be more effective in
meeting the needs of its internal customers.
Human Resource Development and Senior Women Managers in the North‐East
Authors: Hall Claire , Bright David
Published: July 2002

Considers how women have progressed in their careers to middle/senior
management levels in the North‐East. Focuses on the individual
experiences of 40 such women and covers the impacts of their work and
environment, education training and development, personal circumstances,
and contributions and barriers to success. The data were collected via
interviews and questionnaires during 1992/3. Our findings point to a
highly qualified group of women who stress the importance of networking
and mentoring at different stages in their careers. Personal
characteristics are highlighted as contributors to success.
Organizational issues and peer pressure are among the key barriers to
success.
Working for Women Working in Leeds
Authors: Siddall Kate , King Helen , Coleman Therese , Cotton Bill
Published: July 2002

Discusses the launch of a public/private sector partnership in Leeds
– Opp 2k. Explores why organizations should balance their workforces and
how this can be achieved. Opp 2k exists to share work practices which
contribute to the increase and improvement of the position of women in
the workforce. Gives positive reasons why women should be developed in
organizations and discusses family friendly policies and changing
management styles.
Could It Work for Me? A Personal Reflection on an Outdoor Development
Programme
Authors: Holden Richard J.
Published: July 2002

From a highly personal perspective seeks to discuss the outcomes from
participation on a particular outdoor development programme. Draws on
learning logs completed during the programme and subsequently on return
to work to reflect on a personal development agenda and on the broader
potential of such learning for team building. Concludes that the problem
of transfer proved a major constraint on real personal development but
that provided that such issues are recognized and appropriately managed
then the potential of such learning is considerable.
Strategic Learning
Authors: Grundy Tony
Published: July 2002

Explores the notion of strategic learning through a case study. The case
is used to identify a model of the learning process. Readers are
invited to analyse issues in their current role to produce a map of
strategic issues.
Operating in Japan
Authors: Stephens Charlotte S.
Published: July 2002

Japanese companies are successfully operating in other countries
but foreign companies operating in Japan have not been as successful. An
exception to this experience is the insurer, American Family Life
Assurance Corporation (AFLAC), headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, USA.
Over 75 per cent of its revenues are generated in Japan. Nevertheless,
when AFLAC′s chief information officer initiated a joint development
information systems project with AFLAC′s Japan branch, he faced many
difficulties. Moving to Japan to facilitate this project, he finds the
management process perplexing in terms of communication, office
politics, and cultural differences. Since information‐systems work
involves teamwork, working with these differences is essential to
multinational corporations.
The whistleblowers’ charter
Authors: Vinten Gerald
Published: July 2002

Whistleblowing – the unauthorized disclosure of illegal or
unethical conduct within an organization – has an ancient lineage,
although the first known use of the term rather than the concept was in
1963. Far from being subversion, it is a vital, almost indispensable
control device. This is seen in case study examples of the Challenger disaster, the North Sea oil rigs and international
banking. Despite this, whistleblowers experience discrimination and
retaliation. One way forward is to set up codes of practice that will
distinguish valid from invalid forms of whistleblowing, and ensure that
the contribution of whistleblowers to the organization is maximized and
public interest is not sacrificed.
Recruiting executives in business:
Authors: Spinelli Souza Francesca , Zajas Jay J.
Published: July 2002

Explores the dimensions of recruiting executives from an
organizational and conceptual perspective. Discusses several key topics
such as selecting team players, internal and external recruitment and
identifying career requirements. Also deals with identifying and
fostering organization values, and the selection interview.
Crushed by the job crash? Analyse, energize
Authors: Church Olive D.
Published: July 2002

Examines how executives can recover from a “crash” at
work – i.e. a situation requiring executives to find new
employment. Considers the importance of knowing oneself. Goes on to
discuss the characteristics of different forms of employment.
The application of systems dynamics to the re‐engineering of value
processes
Authors: Thurlby Robert , Chang Jane
Published: July 2002

Value processes are those high‐level processes which are critical
to achieving an organization′s objectives. Describes the re‐engineering
of a value process which was not working efficiently and causing serious
problems to an important new business operation. Conventional process
engineering tools were initially used and, after these had failed to
deliver significant improvement, the problem was readdressed using
systems dynamics and the i‐THINK modelling tool. Reports, in detail, the
authors′ experiences of using systems dynamics together with the results
achieved. Describes the models produced, as well as how systems dynamics
forced the authors to explore the processes beyond the boundaries
identified by the conventional approach. It was in these new areas that
the key to the problem and its solution lay. The problem was a case of
process invasion by the customer into the supplier′s value process, and
the solution identified by simulating the i‐THINK model lay in
obliteration of the elements of the process. Comments on the relative
merits of systems dynamics with conventional process engineering, and
describes plans to continue investigation into other areas of the value
process.
A product improvement case study using systems modelling
Authors: Corben David A. , Wolstenholme Eric F. , Stevenson Richard W.
Published: July 2002

Presents a case study in systems modelling for product improvement
in a large manufacturing company. Summarizes the background to and
purpose of systems modelling as a change management tool as a prelude to
introducing the case and its use in understanding a particular paradox.
Practical change management in financial services
Authors: Ockenden Mike
Published: July 2002

Presents a case study of the financial services industry which is
entering a period of unparalleled change that will see some very
definite winners and losers. The effective management of change in the
practical rather than theoretical world will determine who the winners
will be. Suggests that new leadership techniques are required to unleash
the power of people and systems, and that there is no time to waste.
Concludes that a clear vision for the future is required but will only
be realized by adopting new ways of leading.
Interlevel dynamics in clinical inquiry
Authors: Coghlan David
Published: July 2002

Within experiential paradigms of action research, clinical inquiry has hitherto received little attention. Clinical inquiry is the observation, eliciting and reporting of data which are available when the researcher is engaged in a helping relationship in the management of change. Its core elements are: the client wanting help and, therefore, being more likely to reveal important data; the clinical researcher being expected to intervene, allowing new data about the client system to surface; and the richness of the data allowing the clinical researcher to develop deep insights into the client system. Interlevel dynamics, as an extension of levels of analysis, are useful diagnostic and intervention constructs for the clinical researcher who is helping an organisation manage change. They can be used to point out areas of systemic dysfunction and intervention. A case example of clinical inquiry in an IT‐organisational change context illustrates the systemic nature of clinical inquiry in dealing with human, organisational and technological issues at, and between, the individual, team, interdepartmental group and organisational levels.
Building coalitions in an era of technological change
Authors: Koch Christian
Published: July 2002

Information and communication technologies have the capacity to transform organisations into networks of spaces, where information and even physical flows are delocalized to a greater degree than previously. This capacity occurs as a managerial opportunity and is the point of departure for mobilizing critical theory’s analysis of technology. Through seven cases, it is demonstrated that the virtualization of manufacturing networks is still modest, but in progress. It is explored how collective actors tackle this and whether they are carriers of subversive rationalities.
Fermenting change ‐ Capitalizing on the inherent change found in dynamic non‐linear (or complex) systems
Authors: Black Janice A.
Published: July 2002

While there is no set definition of what constitutes “complexity,” some general classes of definitions have emerged across the writings of several fields of science. The basis for the classifications and a general definition used in this issue are presented. The papers of this issue are classified into the general categories and introduced to the reader.
Video fractals
Authors: Letiche Hugo
Published: July 2002

In this article, research as “mass media” (Luhmann) is appraised. “Videocy” or videoed research results are examined. A form of video research with its roots in action research, Delphi methodology and visual anthropology is reported on. The simulacra it produces, wherein feedback loops are used to produce an effect similar to the fractali‐zations of complexity, achieves a powerful reality‐effect. But is it a “responsible” form of (research) practice?
When problem solving prevents organizational learning
Authors: Tucker Anita L. , Edmondson Amy C. , Spear Steven
Published: July 2002

We propose that research on problem‐solving behavior can provide critical insight into mechanisms through which organizations resist learning and change. In this paper, we describe typical front‐line responses to obstacles that hinder workers’ effectiveness and argue that this pattern of behavior creates an important and overlooked barrier to organizational change. Past research on quality improvement and problem solving has found that the type of approach used affects the results of problem‐solving efforts but has not considered constraints that may limit the ability of front‐line workers to use preferred approaches. To investigate actual problem‐solving behavior of front‐line workers, we conducted 197 hours of observation of hospital nurses, whose jobs present many problem‐solving opportunities. We identify implicit heuristics that govern the problem‐solving behaviors of these front‐line workers, and suggest cognitive, social, and organizational factors that may reinforce these heuristics and thereby prevent organizational change and improvement.
Viewpoint: perspectives on women in consulting
Authors: Joyce Covin Teresa , Harris Marilyn E
Published: July 2002

Introduces the articles selected for the special issue and their
purpose. Over the next decade, consulting is likely to become an
increasingly attractive career option for many women. Reviews research
related to the topic of women in consulting and highlights some of the
critical opportunities and challenges facing women in the consulting
industry. The five articles selected for the issue provide multiple
perspectives on the unique experiences and contributions of women in the
field of consulting.
Women in organization development
Authors: Waclawski Janine , Church Allan H. , Warner Burke W.
Published: July 2002

Focuses on women in the field of organization development (OD),
their consulting practices, motivators, values, and intended directions
for the future. Reviews the current state of the field – focusing
on both the inherent tension in values that is endemic to the practice
of OD today and the increasing presence of women doing OD. Presents the
results from a recent survey of 148 contemporary women OD practitioners.
Discusses intervention preferences, perceptions of primary motivators
and values in the field today, and idealized motivators and values for
the future of OD. Also addresses implications of these results for the
field.
Globalization folklore problems of myth and ideology in the
discourse on globalization
Authors: Spich Robert S.
Published: July 2002

Discusses myth making and ideology in the discourse on
globalization. Argues that the present globalization model of the world
political economy represents more of a contemporary business ideology
than a new intellectual paradigm. Reviews and critiques the roles,
development and problems of both myth making and ideology. Proposes an
improved forum of discussion of globalization issues in the literature.
“Witness us in our battles”
Authors: King Toni C.
Published: July 2002

Describes four projective patterns characterizing black female
professors′ experiences with students. Implications for the teacher as
change agent frame the conceptualization of projections inferred from
African American female academics′ experiences. The patterns of the
“too good” mother; the “degraded” authority; the
“exception to my race”; and the “ally” in
marginality are supported by anecdotal data from over ten years of
clinical practice with black professional women. Each projective pattern
is discussed in the light of differential student dynamics within and
across race and gender.