bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Perils of Whistle Blowing
Authors: Tavakolian Hamid R.
Published: January 2008

The various forms of retribution that whistle blowers endure, at the hands of their employers, both financially and psychologically for having attempted to correct mismanagement, fraud, and dishonesty are often times too much for the whistle blower to bear (Glazer and Glazer, 1986, August). Careers are put into jeopardy because individuals with strong ethics decide to pursue lawsuits against their employer. For instance, US Forest Service employees have found their careers ruined through either demotions or loss of job when caught speaking out in favour of the environment or sound science, or when simply obeying the law (Schneider, 1991, July/August).
Linking Strategy to Training: An Overview of the Implications of Competitive Strategy for Training
Authors: Erdener Carolyn B.
Published: January 2008

“Is there reason to believe that top management might be receptive to dramatically expanded HRM involvement in decision making? Yes, because intense competition and unprecedented environmental changes, particularly in the last two years, have irreversibly changed the way successful businesses must be run… Therefore, top management… should support a new vision of the HRM function, especially a vision that enhances corporate performance.” (Anderson & Fenton, 1993:73)
Computers and Creative Problem Solving
Authors: Proctor Tony
Published: January 2008

We live in a world that is undergoing continuous and rapid change. Situations are regularly encountered that have not previously arisen. Technology, competition, changes in social values, new expectations of customers, economic upheaval and all the other kinds of changes that can occur in the business environment produce new problems for management. Often solutions to such problems requires insight that traditional, well used problem solving techniques are unable to provide. Under such circumstances the need for creative problem solving assumes a greater importance than ever before. Developments in world markets, shorter production cycles, the requirement to find new ways to resource the exploitation of opportunities, and the scarcity and cost of basic resources are just a few of the new challenges to the modern day executive. In order to respond to such challenges there is a need to think creatively.
Managing For Excellence In The Public Sector
Authors: Doyle Kevin , Kleiner Brian H.
Published: January 2008

Public sector management has never been overwhelmingly applauded for efficiency in operations; but in the last few decades accusations of mismanagement in the American federal government have been common, particularly in the wake of the Grace Commission report and the Gramm‐Rudman Deficit Reduction Plan. The pressure is on government to streamline operations and become more “efficient”.
Choice Of Size Factors and Empirical Problems in Corporate Analysis
Authors: Pat Obi C.
Published: January 2008

This article reviews the empirical accuracy of various alternatives for size used in measuring corporate performance. The primary focus is to expose inherent weaknesses in usefully interpreting these size factors. The empirical performance of a number of size alternatives which are frequently used in the management literature is then analysed. Consistent with explanations offered by Coffman (1983) and in most other financial studies, the market value of equity is identified as the most robust single measure of corporate size. However, measures of size that are based on total capitalisation and sales performance, appear to provide increasing explanatory power.
The Use of Different Information Channels in an Organizational Context
Authors: Zeffane Rachid , Cheek Bruce
Published: January 2008

Because information is vital to effective decision making, the fostering of conditions which promote effective use of existing channels of information is therefore seen as a prime element contributing to organizational survival and success (Fulmer et al, 1990). In particular, the way in which characteristics of individuals and the attributes of the tasks they perform, affect the use of different information sources is a pertinent issue in organizational analysis. It is also an important consideration in information systems development and management. Much of the existing research in this area has been dominated by attempts to define appropriate modes of information processing and the construction of models that might enhance effective communication (O'Reilly, 1982; Schick et al, 1990; Kim 8c Lee, 1991). The importance of this area of research has been heightened by the dynamics and complexities of industrial organizations and the need for various modes of information processing to address these dynamics (Kim & Lee, 1991). Also, because the appropriate use of information is the ‘life‐blood’ of organizational dynamics, the identification of aspects that might affect differential use of various channels (of information) is fundamental to an understanding of the area.
A Partial Test of the Synthesis Integrated Model of Ethical Decision Making: Cognitive Moral Development and Managerial Moral Deliberation
Authors: Wyld David C. , Jones Coy A. , Cappel Sam D. , Hallock Daniel E.
Published: January 2008

Lawrence Kohlberg's (1969) concept of cognitive moral development (CMD) has been one of the most investigated constructs in the field of social psychology, with over one thousand studies reported investigating this construct in only two decades of research. However, what is the relationship of this theoretical construct to actual decision making and behavior? Blasi (1980, p. 4) opined for the criticality of moral judgement research to both ethical decision making and ethical inquiry, stating that “without judgement, an action, no matter how beneficial, would not be moral.” Relating Kohlberg's model to business decision making and behavior has been central to the building of theoretical frameworks of the ethical decision making process engaged in by individuals. The models of this process proposed by Trevino and Youngblood (1990), Trevino (1986), Bommer, Gratto, Gravender, and Tuttle (1987), Ferrell and Gresham (1985), Ferrell, Gresham, and Fraedrich (1989), Swinyard, DeLong, and Cheng (1989), and Jones (1991) all contained cognitive moral development as a factor in their respective models of ethical decision making.
Toward a Framework of Organisation Direction
Authors: Drago William A.
Published: January 2008

This study empirically develops a framework of dominant dimensions of organisation direction. ‘Organisation direction’ denotes the paths taken by organisations through time. Isolating dominant dimensions of direction will aid planners by providing a set of directional dimensions to be considered when developing the organisation's overall strategic plan.
Bankruptcy: An Emerging Financial Strategy
Authors: Tavakolian Hamid
Published: January 2008

The origin of bankruptcy dates back to the laws of the Roman Empire which were instrumental in the formation of both English and American laws (Galligan, 1991). However, it was not until 1898 that the United States enacted its bankruptcy laws for the first time. Later, the Chandler Act of 1938 was added in order to legislate reorganisation into existing bankruptcy laws. In order to expand this critical domain, the 1978 Bankruptcy Reform Act was made into law. Finally, Congress passed the Bankruptcy Amendments and Federal Judgeship Act in 1984 so that some weaknesses in the 1978 reform act could be improved.
Tangled Webs? Managing Local Mixed Economies of Care
Authors: Charlesworth Julie , Clarke John , Cochrane Allan
Published: January 2008

One central dimension of the restructuring of welfare in the 1990s has been the construction of local mixed economies of care developed around the ‘lead agency’ role of local authority social services departments in the provision of services to families and children and in community care. The implementation of two major pieces of legislation — the 1989 Children Act and the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act — has profound consequences for the organisation and provision of personal social services. Although the two acts do not provide a coherent direction for the organisation of social care, their combined impact has effected a profound reshaping of the provision of care services, affecting the role and internal order of social services departments in particular. The search for greater integration of services — the ‘seamless web’ referred to in the development of community care — has been pursued through legislative frameworks that involve the potential for disintegration as well as integration.
Care in the Community and the Contract Culture
Authors: Carswell Leslie , Connolly Michael
Published: January 2008

Radical reform of the health and community care sectors has been a major undertaking of recent Conservative governments. The 1989 White Papers Working for Patients and Caring for People, together with subsequent development, have introduced a significant restructuring of both services. The essence of this is the creation of what has been variously called a planned market (Saltman and Von Otter, 1992), a quasi‐market (LeGrand). This in turn reflects a wider trend in redefining the role and nature of the welfare state within western democratic societies. This is captured by notions of “enabling” and “contracting” — hence the term “the contract state”.
Collaborative Capability and Collaborative Maturity
Authors: Huxham Chris , Vangen Siv , Eden Colin
Published: January 2008

Recent UK government policies have had a number of effects on public sector organisations. Among the more obvious is the pressure — created from both direct and indirect policy changes — towards privatisation. Thus, for example, local authorities have been required to shift away from being service providers towards enabling others to provide. In the health service, many of the support services have been privatised and an “internal market” has been introduced, in which the purchasing authority is now formally separated from a variety of competing service providers.
The Politics of New Public Service Management: Privatisation and Managerialism in Royal Mail
Authors: Martinez Lucio Miguel , Noon Mike
Published: January 2008

In analysing change in the public sector, and in particular the imperatives for change, there has been a tendency amongst some observers to isolate privatisation as a governmental strategy and divorce it from the wider political agenda, ignoring the political contingencies that have characterised this key development. So while the scale of privatisation, and indeed quasi‐privatisation, has been immense, the contradictions in terms of the aims and implementation of privatisation have been apparent (Marsh, 1991). In turn, the strategic and structural origins of such changes are usually ignored in the discussion on new public sector management with the research agenda tending instead to emphasise the problems of implementation with regards to an ideal typical notion of new public sector management.
Dissolving the Civil Service?
Authors: Talbot Colin , Harrow Jenny
Published: January 2008

This paper reports on the impact of the ‘Next Steps’ programme (and other initiatives such as ‘market testing’) on the underlying coherence and unity of the Civil Service. It concentrates on the impact of these changes on the human resource and careers structures within the Civil Service, which has arguably been the single biggest factor under‐pinning a unified Service. It reviews both the nature of the changes imposed from above and the record of their impact as recorded by official, researcher, consultancy and ‘insider’ accounts. Finally, it draws on an ongoing major consortium project (organised by the Cabinet Office) on human resource development strategies in 10 departments and agencies to review how the changes are developing in practice. It draws conclusions about the likely long‐term impact of the changes on the Civil Service.
“New” Management in local government — rhetoric or reality? A case study of changes in middle management roles and behaviour
Authors: Keen Linda
Published: January 2008

A growing volume of literature during the 1980s and 90s has focused on changes in local government management systems, involving essentially a move from bureaucratic and professionally dominated “administration” to more flexible and private sector style, customer orientated “management” of service provision. However, relatively little empirical investigation has been undertaken into the impact of these changes on middle managers' work roles. Middle managers play a key role in the implementation of these organisational changes, and this paper, using a case‐study analysis of a County Council well advanced in its adoption of “new” management practices, identifies the changes which middle managers have experienced in their work roles since the mid‐1980s.
Privatisation and the Internal Environment: Developing Our Knowledge of Change‐Management
Authors: Parker David
Published: January 2008

Privatisation is occurring at various levels within government in many countries around the world. So extensive is the reform programme that the term “re‐inventing government” has taken on a fashionable gloss.
Partnerships in Local Economic Development: The Management Issues
Authors: Hutchinson Jo , Foley Paul
Published: January 2008

One of the themes of local economic development in the UK during the 1980s which has continued through the 1990s is that of partnership. The involvement of the private sector and the community, is increasingly seen as a prerequisite for regeneration. Indeed central government claim that “partnership is the key to success” (Department of the Environment, 1990, p.19).
Redefining ‘Public Service’ in the Water Industry: Understanding the Role of the State
Authors: Taylor Graham
Published: January 2008

There has recently developed an increasing interest in the way in which the ‘culture’ of public service has been transplanted by cultures and discourses of ‘competition’ and ‘consumerism’ within public service organisations. The literature has focused on the way in which the restructuring and privatisation of public services has resulted in the ‘commercialisation’ of social relations both with public service organisations and between public service organisations and their consumers. The Foucaultian premises of much of this literature has prevented a thorough empirical assessment of the material dynamics through which notions of public service has been contested and reinterpreted; and in particular the important role of state legislation and regulation in this process. This is the central theoretical problem addressed by this paper.
The New Management and the Professionals
Authors: Ackroyd Stephen , Soothill Keith
Published: January 2008

This proposed paper takes the opportunity to review findings from research and reported processes in a range of public sector services; education, health, social work/social care and policing/security. It offers a general analysis of the impact of the new management on a range of public sector occupations. Among other sources, the paper draws particularly on research by the authors in several of these areas including, specifically, research into the NHS hospitals, social work, and the police.
Gender and Change: The Case of Teaching
Authors: Healy Geradine , Kraithman David
Published: January 2008

Our purpose in this paper is to report on findings of an independent study done in collaboration with the National Union of Teachers on career progression and change. Our concern is to understand by the use of a large survey the impact of change upon teachers and to identify any gender related factors. We shall focus on three key aspects of teachers' employment: pay, professionalism and satisfaction.
Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations in the Public Sector: From Model Employer to a “Hybrid Model”
Authors: Farnham D. , Horton S. , Giles L.
Published: January 2008

Since 1979, Conservative Governments have expounded different ideologies and policies from those of earlier post war administrations and this has given rise to substantial changes in the public sector. The large impersonal and centralised bureaucratic public organisations, created in the post war period, have come under considerable political attack and much of the public sector has been exposed to major restructuring, decentralisation and privatisation programmes. In addition, greater emphasis has been placed on competition, enterprise and improving efficiency, effectiveness and economy and ultimately service quality. The public sector of the 1990s is, therefore, quite different in size, structure and organisation from that of the late 1970s. The provision of public services has increasingly shifted away from large monopolistic organisations to smaller specialised agencies and to a mixture of public, private, self help, family and voluntary sources.
Declining in Unison? Trades Union Organisation and Privatisation on Local Authority White Collar Services
Authors: Rainnie Al
Published: January 2008

The governments consultation paper ‘Competing for Quality’ estimated that the number of local authority employees engaged in professional or technical activities was in the region of 250–300,000. A leaked PA Consulting Group report on the feasibility of extending compulsory competitive tendering to professional services estimated that the jobs of 120–150,000 people were at risk from the process of CCT.
Local Pay Bargaining: A Public Sector Response to the Development of the Contract State?
Authors: Joyce Paul , McNulty Tony
Published: January 2008

As local councils modify their structures and practices to take account of, and prepare for competition and change, the employee relations systems within them have not been immune from such forces. The changes that have taken place within the employee relations systems have affected personnel departments, the trade unions and the relationship between them.
Incorporation and the Mangement of Industrial Relations in the PCFC Sector
Authors: Arthur Len
Published: January 2008

Until the 1988 Education Reform Act, a large part of English higher education was provided by polytechnics and colleges of higher education that were under local authority control (LEAs) and were collectively known as public sector higher education. The 1988 Education Reform Act split this sector from the LEAs and handed control and all assets over to newly constituted Higher Education Corporations (HECs) that were run by the institutions boards of governors. All staff cntracts were also transferred making the HECs the employer instead of the LEAs. The majority of the funding was to come from the Government channelled through a body called by Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council (PCFC). From that time on, until the establishment of the current Higher Education Funding Councils, the area was known as the PCFC sector. Direct Government funding of similar institutions already existed in Northern Ireland and in Scotland. Wales was excluded from these changes at this time and the sector remained partly with the LEAs.
Female Resource Management and the National Health Service: Preliminary Findings from the Nursing Profession
Authors: Lane Nikala
Published: January 2008

The British labour market is characterised by patterns of occupational job segregation with a concentration of women within particular sectors, and at certain levels within these sectors. The types of employment in which women predominate tend to be lower paid, with less opportunity for career progression, than those occupied by men. This suggests that there is an under‐utilisation of female labour power within many sectors of the economy.
Executive Development in Hong Kong
Authors: Chow Irene , Kelley Lane
Published: January 2008

While many of the major economies of the world such as Japan, the United States, England, and Germany are caught in the jaws of a major recession and large international corporations from industry after industry are going through a period of not just low profits but operating at significant losses, the Hong Kong economy is on a roll. It is being driven by its important symbiotic relationship to the 1990's economic miracle, the People's Republic of China which has experienced a GDP increase of 12.8% last year and 14.1% in the first quarter this year, 1993; which has grown rapidly to be the largest exporter to the US market for twelve different products and is now the US's number two deficit in imports versus exports. Hong Kong is playing a major role in that growth; Hong Kong employers now employ more than 3,000,000 employees in the PRC which interestingly, is more than they employ in Hong Kong. Little Hong Kong, with a population of just over 5.5 million, is the biggest player of the foreign direct investors in China today, larger than even Japan or the US. Hong Kong's GDP/Capita surpassed that of Great Britain this year and its government just announced as this is being written salary increases for the next fiscal year of 10.66% surely one of the highest in the world in this time of economic recession throughout most of the developed economies; the index of its stock market, the Hang Sang Index, has increased in value in the first half of this year nearly 40%. Hong Kong is definitely on a roll but it also has serious problems especially in terms of the topic of this article, Management Development. Week after week, there are over 100 pages of employment ads in its major newspaper, The South China Morning Post. The purpose of this article is to describe the unique features and problems in Hong Kong's development of its executive pool.
Analysis and Synthesis in Construct Formulation During the Research Process
Authors: Cuthbert Peter , Rowley Jennifer , Slack Frances
Published: January 2008

Undertaking research generates much information and raw data that the researcher is required firstly to use to define the research process adopted, secondly to interpret and ultimately to draw conclusions and recommendations. All of these tasks require the researcher to organise and record the information in a manner that will be comprehensible when the time for writing up comes round.
Strategies For Securing A Competitive Advantage
Authors: Comaris Jeffrey J. , Kleiner Brian H.
Published: January 2008

In the 1990's, corporations and entrepreneurs alike are constantly looking for new ways to make or increase profit with a product or a service. The days of old when people accepted whatever the market had to offer in mass quantity are all but gone. Businesses must be highly competitive in meeting the customers’ needs. These customers, whether they are individuals buying for personal consumption or businesses buying to meet their own requirements, are demanding higher quality, new technology, at a fair cost all in a shorter time span. They want specialised customer service and products that address each of their unique preferences. Standardised products or service is becoming a thing of the past. Society as a whole also demands businesses to treat the environment in a non‐damaging way and positively address issues that have an adverse effect on the physical and emotional well being of its members. Consumers tend to favour businesses who take a responsible proactive approach.
Managing For Excellence in the Tobacco Industry
Authors: Zantop Melissa , Kleiner Brian H.
Published: January 2008

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's future strength depends on improving its long‐term earnings potential. To enhance its profitability, they must
What Managers Must Know to Conduct Business in Mexico
Authors: Tong‐Martindale Cheryl , Kleiner Brian H.
Published: January 2008

Mexico, through the maquiladora option, is becoming an increasingly attractive “offshore” manufacturing site. For some U.S. companies crossing the 2,000 mile common border with Mexico is really not very new. Large U.S. firms such as General Motors and Ford, and smaller U.S. firms like Pulse Engineering, have used Maquiladoras for at least two decades. Other U.S. firms, including General Electric, Honeywell, International Rectifier, Fisher Price, Mattel, Kendall and American Home Products followed suit.
How To Create Successful Joint Ventures
Authors: Beauchamp Peter D. , Kleiner Brian H.
Published: January 2008

Joint ventures were originated as commercial or maritime enterprises used for trading purposes by merchants of ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Syria. In the United States, joint ventures date back to the 1880's when the rairoads used them for large‐scale projects. In the early 1900's joint ventures were implemented to decrease the risk, financial and otherwise, involved in shipping and gold explorations. More recently, joint ventures have become predominant as a result of technological and economic changes that led from deregulation, globalisation, and increased need for product innovation [p.7].
The pre‐registration year: A suitable case for a strategic review
Authors: Newman Karin
Published: January 2008

Objective — On the basis of previous research funded by the NHS Executive into management education for clinicians it seemed possible that a gap existed between the house officers' perceptions or experience of the pre‐registration year and the educational objectives of the GMC. This study explores the nature of the gap between house officers' perceptions and the GMCs expectations. Design — Observation through job‐shadowing of two individual housemen covering surgery and medicine and in‐depth semi‐structured interviews. Setting — Five hospitals in five regions of which three are teaching hospitals. Subjects — Twenty houseman comprising ten from medicine and ten from surgery, four ward nurses, a Trust Hospital Chief Executive, two Medical Directors, one clinical tutor and a clinical sub dean. Conclusions —The picture of haphazard training and education opportunities of pre‐registration house officers suggests that there are two fundamental problems to be addressed. One is, how best to generate a sense of ‘ownership’ by and ‘affinity’ to a corporate organisation. The second is even more fundamental and requires a strategic review of the purpose of the pre‐registration year and strongly suggests the desirability of re‐profiling the house officers job in order to close the gap between expectations and the reality of current experience and produce better medicine.
A Survey of Management Development in Suffolk
Authors: Quayle Michael
Published: January 2008

To establish the level, range and scope of current Management Education, Training and Development activity in small and medium size enterprises.
Operational Research and the Knowledge Structure of Management Disciplines
Authors: Kim‐Keung Ho Joseph
Published: January 2008

The discipline of Operational Research (OR) has always been important in the management field. It has a problem‐ solving/decision‐support focus; it guides the development of many management disciplines, such as management accounting, logistics management, and information systems design, to name a few. It is, in brief, a vital subject for guiding management practices and management development. Because of that, it can appear disturbing to note that contemporary OR has been facing a number of challenges and is obsessed with a number of theoretical/methodological concerns. Two recent examples illustrate this situation:
Teamworking — Just How Effective Is It?
Authors: Landles Eric
Published: January 2008

A key concept in many TQM organisational interventions is the introduction of teamworking. Thus, the organisation of shopfloor employees into work teams is becoming more popular in Western industry. These teams typically consist of between five and twelve multi‐skilled workers who are encouraged to rotate jobs among themselves. These jobs are not just those traditionally done at shopfloor level but include responsibilities that have previously been carried out at supervisory and managerial levels. Hence, many aspects of planning, organisation and control are delegated down the organisational hierarchy to the work team which, rather than merely following instructions, becomes a decision malting and problem solving unit.
Hong Kong in Transition: Some Empirical Evidence from a Study of Executive MBAs
Authors: Chong John K.S. , Shih Ta‐Lang
Published: January 2008

Since Great Britain and mainland China signed an agreement on the future of Hong Kong in 1984, worldwide attention has been focused on the roles of businesses and managers in Hong Kong after June 30,1997, when government control is transferred from the British to the mainland Chinese. Two different scenarios will probably take place. One is that Hong Kong will be allowed to continue doing business as usual and enjoy a high degree of autonomy. Another scenario, which seems somewhat more likely, is that business and politics in Hong Kong would undergo dramatic changes under the influence of the repressive regime in Beijing.
The Use of Charitable Contributions in Mail Surveys with a Business Population
Authors: Faria A.J. , Dickinson John R.
Published: January 2008

The promise of a charitable contribution on behalf of respondents to mail surveys may prove effective in increasing response rates as well as offering cost and administration advantages. This study refines this type of incentive by investigating the effect of the amount of the charitable contribution and the placement of the incentive offer in the cover letter. The research population is drawn from the industrial sector, an important sector which has been studied far less than consumers.
The Diffusion of Knowledge and the Role of Cognitions in Technology Design
Authors: Swan Jacky , Newell Sue , Robertson Maxine
Published: January 2008

This paper provides an overview of a series of research projects investigating the diffusion and appropriation of technologies for production and inventory control (PIC). These technologies are referred to, collectively, as production and inventory control systems (PICS) though also appear under a number of other names (for example, computer‐aided production management). PICS are information technologies used, predominantly by operations management or logistics personnel in manufacturing industry, to plan and schedule production runs and materials handling so that materials are available when required for production without holding unnecessary inventory. Typically, though not always, the technologies are computer‐aided. Like other technologies, they involve a significant amount of organisational as well as technical innovation (c.f. Damanpour, et al, 1989).
THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF STRATEGY‐AS‐RATIONALITY
Authors: Singer Alan E.
Published: January 2008

The knowledge that human rationality is itself an area of active inquiry should be a sobering thought for those who confidently peddle simple remedies to contemporary managerial, political and economic concerns. Yet mainstream strategic management, as a body of theory and practices, has so far absorbed only a few of the elements of the rapidly evolving general theory of rationality.
ATTRACTION OR REPULSION: HOW INSTITUTIONAL OWNERS REACT TO CORPORATE SOCIAL PERFORMANCE
Authors: Waddock Sandra A. , Graves Samuel B.
Published: January 2008

For years suspicions have abounded that institutional investors are notoriously short‐sighted when it comes to making their investment decisions. Faced with performance assessment on a monthly if not daily basis, institutional investors need to show timely results and hence may be under considerable pressure to improve short‐term payoff at the expense of long‐term performance. Because institutions today now own more than 50% of corporate equity, they wield an increasingly powerful influence on companies. This influence has recently been magnified with the emergence of activist institutions, lead by certain institutional investors such as CALPERS or TIAA‐CREF. As a result, there have been concerns among stakeholder groups and scholars that company decision makers will themselves yield to pressures to forego investments in longer‐term opportunities.
GENERALISABILITY OF STORE AND MERCHANDISE SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR
Authors: Lesser Jack A. , Kirk William T.
Published: January 2008

An unprecedented number of syndicated and custom research firms are compering for differential advantage within the marketplace to provide corporate information. As a result, numerous forms of research are available to the business community. The proliferation of methods and findings is potentially important to decision‐making. Such diverse offerings can provide corporate planners with a detailed understanding of consumers' concerns and aspirations.
Strategic Plan Intensity: Effectiveness in Different Contexts
Authors: Drago William A.
Published: January 2008

Mintzberg has severely criticised the current state of strategic planning practices (1994). So thorough was his condemnation of planning, plans and planners that Peters, in a brief review of Mintzberg's work, offered a eulogy to strategic planning as we know it, “Rest In Peace” (1994). However, after arguing convincingly against the effectiveness of strategic planning in all situations, Mintzberg does suggest that there may be situations or certain contexts in which strategic planning is beneficial (1994).
U.S. Joint Venture Activities in the Former Soviet Union
Authors: Chan Marjorie
Published: January 2008

The study focuses on primarily big U.S. firms' joint venture activities with the Soviets after the break‐up of the former Soviet Union. It examines U.S.‐Soviet joint ventures in the following sectors: oil and gas, soft drinks, consumer products, gold mining, aircraft engines, telecommunications, and software. Data were collected by mail and interviews in order to identify the obstacles in the negotiation and operational stages of the venture. Furthermore, business and governmental organisations' recommendations as to whether or not U.S. firms should engage in joint venture activities in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) were elicited.
Merger Mania and C&G
Authors: Deman Suresh
Published: January 2008

In the last decade, hostile takeovers have become prevalent in the corporate world and have generated much controversy in the economics profession and in society at large. The so‐called “Chicago School” of Antitrust has offered the intellectual reasoning for a considerable loosening of antitrust laws which, particularly in the recent past, has gained the attention of both economists and journalists. The fourth wave of hostile and friendly takeovers in the US and UK has led many leaders of the business community and the public to question the desirability of takeover activity.
LANGUAGE AND EXPORT BARRIERS IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR
Authors: Peel Michael J. , Eckart Helga
Published: January 2008

In response to a number of regional UK language surveys (e.g., Hagen, 1988, 1993), which indicate that a significant proportion of UK firms have lost trading (export) opportunities due to a lack of foreign language skills, the Department of Trade and Industry recently launched a campaign (including an advice and language audit service) with the aim improving the foreign language skills of British exporters (Authers, 1993).
The Missing Link: High Performance and HRM
Authors: Lowe Jim , Delbridge Rick , Oliver Nick
Published: January 2008

In recent years certain writers have put forward the notion that a distinctive and definite change has occurred in the way in which employees are managed (Beer et al, 1985; Guest, 1987; Poole, 1991; Sisson, 1991). The term or concept of Human Resource Management (HRM) has been used to describe these changes and has fuelled a spirited debate among academics and practitioners. This debate has centred on the distinctiveness of HRM and in particular whether, and in what ways, it is different to its predecessor, so called Personnel Management. This debate has considered the extent to which HRM has theoretical validity as a concept with predictive capabilities and/or the extent to which it represents a model with internally consistent features and dimensions. Others have suggested it is perhaps better understood as a map or a bracketing ‘catch all’ concept for a cluster of related management practices or approaches (Legge, 1989; Noon, 1992). The related debate has concerned the attempt by writers and commentators to establish empirically whether definitive changes have in fact taken place. Apart from case studies of exemplar (usually American and Japanese) organizations, wider survey and case material of UK based brownfield operations has tended to suggest limited adoption of HRM although Storey's (1992) recent collection of case material suggests that the wider adoption of HRM is underway.
The Whitecoated Worker in the High Performance Company
Authors: Randle Keith
Published: January 2008

The environment within which the pharmaceutical industry is operating is dynamic and highly competitive. Government cost‐ cutting in healthcare, the rise of generic drugs, increasing R&D costs and depreciating patent lives are having important effects upon the sector (Sharp 1991). Recent years have witnessed a wave of takeover, merger and restructuring. The need to discover, develop and market drugs rapidly is greater than ever before. Consequently, high performance is seen as vital both by analysts of the sector and by managers in the company which forms the subject of this paper. This is not unproblematic in a research‐ based industry, there may be conflicts between short‐term and long‐term objectives and there is no simple relationship between individual high performance and high performance as an organisation.
High Trust, High Knowledge, High Stress — The Inherent Ambiguities of Japanese High Performance
Authors: Salmon John
Published: January 2008

Few western commentators now seriously doubt the industrial achievements of Japanese manufacturing industry. Not many, however, can find a common explanation for the era of high speed growth that elevated Japan into an economic super power in the late 1970's and 1980's. A status that hitherto had been regarded as the exclusive preserve of the Anglo Saxon Model of industrial capitalism. There are a number of possible reasons for this.
Change in Employee Relations — Can Line Managers Deliver?
Authors: Hyman Jeff , Cunningham Ian
Published: January 2008

This paper originates from a 30‐month study funded by the Leverhulme Trust on ‘Preparing Managers for Changes in Employee Relations’. The study consists of two linked empirical stages, the first consisting of in‐depth surveys of 45 establishments, with aggregated employment in excess of 100,000 employees. Each establishment has been subjected to a lengthy questionnaire, in‐depth follow‐up interviews with senior on‐site managers and in some cases, additional questionnaires administered to line managers. The second stage, commencing in April 1995, consists of in‐depth case studies of six of these organisations.
Productivity, Machinery and Skills in the United States and Western Europe: Precision Engineering
Authors: Mason Geoff , Finegold David
Published: January 2008

Previous intra‐European comparisons carried out at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) have identified close links between inter‐country differences in ‘intermediate’ — shopfloor, technician and supervisory — skill levels and relative labour productivity performance. However, in this context the economic performance of the United States constitutes a ‘puzzle’ of considerable interest for, in spite of intense concern about the apparent inadequacies of education and training provision below four‐year degree level in the US, average labour productivity levels in US manufacturing and in the economy as a whole remain the highest in the world.
Involving Doctors in Management: A Survey of the Management Development Career Needs of Selected Doctors in NHS Wales
Authors: Walker Richard , Morgan Philip
Published: January 2008

The pace of the development within the NHS initiated both by recent government reforms aimed at introducing a more businesslike attitude to health care, coupled with advances in clinical medicine has necessitated a management response from the medial profession. To date, however, the management training of doctors remains sparse, and is almost non‐existent at medical undergraduate level due to the long demands of the clinical specialties. While the need for management development of doctors is recognised at postgraduate (Senior Registrar) level both access to and content of the training are strongly variable throughout the NHS in Wales. As Hadley and Forster (1993) note:—
The New Pay — Losing Sight of Reality?
Authors: White Geoff
Published: January 2008

The growth of more contingent pay systems has been a key development in the 1980s and 1990s. Various contextual changes — such as the pattern of employment, the decline of collective bargaining and Government support for particular initiatives to encourage financial participation — has given employers an increasing freedom in determining both the composition and level of remuneration (Brown and Walsh, 1994). This new freedom has allowed new pay systems to develop which are, according to the prescriptive literature, much more contingent on individual business circumstances than in the past (Armstrong and Murlis, 1994; Schuster and Zingheim, 1992). Pay determination has become increasingly linked to the performance of the individual company or business unit, the team or work group and, of course, the individual employee. Concepts such as the “going rate”, the “rate for the job” and pay comparability have been challenged and, in some cases, replaced with new approaches to pay determination. These new approaches include “person related pay”, as opposed to “job related” (Mahoney, 1989; Gomez‐Meja and Balkin, 1992); more decentralised pay determination systems (Millward et al, 1990; Jackson, Leopold and Tuck, 1993); more “variable” or “at risk” pay (CBI, 1994i); and more flexible benefits schemes (IDS, 1991). Most importantly, the concept of “reward strategy” has emerged, the clear linkage of remuneration systems to business objectives and company culture (Hewitt Associates, 1991; Murlis and Armstrong, 1994; Gomez Meja and Balkin, 1992). A recent CBI/Wyatt publication on “Variable Pay” (CBI, 1994) concludes that employers are looking for payment strategies based around three criteria:
Peformance Culture: The Causes and Effects of Performance Pay in Public Services
Authors: Heery Edmund
Published: January 2008

It is commonly argued, not least by the Conservative Government, that failings in public services stem, not from inadequate financing but from poor management. Accordingly, the Government has initiated a wave of managerial experiment in the public services and has sought to strengthen the managerial function, often by a series of wholescale borrowings from the allegedly better managed private sector. Increasingly, the object of this new managerialism has been to generate a ‘performance culture’ in the public services. The skilful deployment of new management techniques, it seems, will alter attitudes and practices across public services, such that staff become more client or customer focused and committed to the continual improvement of the services they deliver.
TQM and Employee Involvement in Context
Authors: Wilkinson Adrian , Godfrey Graham , Marchington Mick
Published: January 2008

There is a basic ambiguity in TQM in that, while managers seek the commitment and co‐operation of their employees, increased control over the work process is a cornerstone of TQM. This ambiguity is reflected in the literature concerning TQM (Wilkinson et al, 1992). Its advocates see it as universally beneficial, improving competitive advantage and, at the same time, empowering the workforce as responsibility is delegated to those actually carrying out the task. Its critics, however, note the tighter managerial control involved in the drive to reduce variation (Parker and Slaughter, 1993) and the increased surveillance arising out of the quality measurement systems introduced (Delbridge et al, 1991; Sewell and Wilkinson, 1992). From the latter perspective, TQM is seen as another development in the capitalist labour process intended to push back the frontiers of control and intensify work.
FACTORS AFFECTING INTENTIONS TO RAISE THE LEVEL OF FACTORY AUTOMATION (FA): A SURVEY OF SMALL MANUFACTURERS
Authors: Park Jaesun , Chong John K.S.
Published: January 2008

A great contest is changing American manufacturing firms. Worldwide competitors have imposed growing pressures on American manufacturers to become more competitive. In addition, the rapid advances in manufacturing technology and the recent development of productivity improvement concepts have forced an increasing number of firms to consider incorporating new trends into their manufacturing decisions. In particular, Factory Automation (FA) has received considerable interest among manufacturers.
WHY “MANAGER‐DIRECTED” WORK GROUPS ARE IMPORTANT: THREE FORGOTTEN REASONS
Authors: Clement Ronald W.
Published: January 2008

Anyone who has followed the literature of management in recent years knows that self‐directed work groups (SDWGs) are being used by a growing number of companies. In fact, about one‐fourth of the companies responding to a recent survey reported using them (Wellins, Byham, and Wilson, 1991). An SDWG is a work team that is responsible for a complete work process, including the planning, organising, and controlling of the team's own efforts. One study says that the SDWG “… represents the most extensive use and richest fulfilment of the team concept…” in business today (Stoner and Hartman, 1993, p.71).
NEURAL NETWORK SIMULATION: A NEW APPROACH TO RISK ASSESSMENT AND BUSINESS FORECASTING
Authors: Peel Michael , Wilson Nick
Published: January 2008

Neural Networks (NN's), one of the latest developments in computer software artificial intelligence, are an innovative method of simulating and analysing complex and changing systems of relationships. Originally developed to mimic the neural architecture and functioning of the human brain, NN techniques have recently been applied successfully in a wide variety of complex business and financial applications (Trippi and Turban, 1994).
EFFECTIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS — A MODEL FOR BUSINESS
Authors: Kline Robert S.
Published: January 2008

Forty years ago the coverage of business news by the media was scant or non‐existent. At best, local newspapers carried the stock market report. Gradu‐ally this situation has changed. Today, business news affects many facets of our everyday lives—oil prices affect the cost of gasoline; interest rates play a part in determining whether or not we buy a house; the economic stability of an organization can determine whether we keep or lose our job.
Long‐term Horizon and Financial Management: Japan's Competitive Advantage Over the United States
Authors: Turetsky Howard F. , Tudor Thomas R.
Published: January 2008

The time dimension of a country is a key determinant of the time horizon prevalent in the business sector. The long‐term horizons of Japan compared with the short‐term horizons of the United States are integral parts of their distinct business ideologies. There is a direct impact on their respective financial practices. A comparative analysis of the financial management ideologies, practices and techniques, within the framework of time horizon, offers an explanation of Japan's inordinate economic success in the global market.