bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing three signals of service quality
Authors: Dean Dwane H. , Lang Jane M.
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a relatively new signal of service quality, third‐party evaluation of a service brand.

Design/methodology/approach

The meaning of the third‐party signal to consumers was studied and the third‐party signal was compared with two other signals, word‐of‐mouth communication about a service brand and popularity of a service brand, for the ability to influence anticipated satisfaction with a homeowners' insurance product.The three signals appeared as factors in two experiments. The factor levels were favorable, absent, or unfavorable.

Findings

All three signals exhibited significant main effects. Of the three signals, third‐party evaluation accounted for the greatest proportion of variance in the dependent variable, and this signal also had the strongest negativity effect. Also, a significant two‐way ordinal interaction was found between word‐of‐mouth communication and third‐party evaluation. The boosting effect of a favorable versus an unfavorable word‐of‐mouth communication was less in the presence of a favorable third‐party evaluation than in the circumstance where the two signals conflicted.

Research limitations/implications

Quality signals other than those under study were excluded from stimuli in this investigation. The ability to generalize the findings of this study to the real world is limited by the fact that the effects of other quality signals (brand, price, etc.) on the three signals studied are unclear.

Originality/value

This study strongly suggests that third‐party evaluation is perceived as a product quality signal by consumers. Incorporating a favorable third‐party signal into advertising may allay consumer uncertainty of service quality and increase the likelihood of service brand purchase.
An exploration of happy/sad and liked/disliked music effects on shopping intentions in a women's clothing store service setting
Authors: Broekemier Greg , Marquardt Ray , Gentry James W.
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine which two dimensions of music, happy/sad or liked/disliked, have significant effects on shopping intentions, thereby providing guidance for decision‐makers in service environments.

Design/methodology/approach

Subjects viewed videotapes of an unfamiliar store in an experimental research design. Subjects were exposed to one of several musical treatments while viewing and were asked to speak their thoughts about the store aloud. Happy/sad musical treatments were determined through pretests while subjects' unprompted comments were used to assess like/dislike for the music. Subjects also reported intentions to shop in the stimulus store. The hypothesized model was then tested.

Findings

Happy/sad music had a significant direct effect on shopping intentions while the direct effect of liked/disliked music was marginally significant. However, the combination of the two music dimensions investigated is perhaps most noteworthy. Shopping intentions were greatest when subjects were exposed to happy music that was liked.

Research limitations/implications

Only a women's clothing store service setting with a limited target market was utilized. Care should be taken when generalizing beyond this setting and subject group.

Practical implications

Happy music that is liked by the target market can significantly increase intentions to shop in a retail service environment.

Originality/value

Little research has been done investigating the effects of the affective, or happy/sad, component of music in service settings. This study helps fill that gap in the literature. In addition, studies investigating music's effects in retail environments often examine only one dimension of music. The value of assessing effects of multiple dimensions of music is demonstrated.
The Napoleonic tradition
Authors: Guy Peters B.
Published: March 2008

Purpose

This paper intends to provide a framework for understanding the concept of administrative tradition, and then applies it to Napoleonic administrative systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis involves the creation of a number of dimensions that can be used to analyze traditions, and the paper demonstrates the range of application of the dimensions.

Findings

Provides findings from a number of studies of public administration.

Originality/value

This framework is applied primarily to industrialized democracies in this paper but can be used across the full range of administrative systems, and is a significant augmentation of existing frameworks for comparative analysis.
Reform without doctrine: public management in France
Authors: Rouban Luc
Published: March 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to give an overview of the public management process in France and tries to explain why it is specific as compared to other countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based upon a sociological and comparative methodology. It reports the empirical findings of a European survey.

Findings

Management reforms in France are fragmented and do not fit in a general doctrine or a new philosophy of the state. The French managerial reform style is due to the domestication of management tools by Napoleonic structures. Nevertheless, management innovations are used in order to draw new frontiers within public administration between what is the centre and what is the periphery.

Research limitations/implications

The methodology as well as the findings of the paper could be used for a more systematic comparative work in order to understand why and how public management tools fit in national political as well as professional traditions. There is scope for connecting public management research with broader historical and sociological studies of public administration.

Originality/value

The paper shows that both political values and work practices have to be taken into account in order to understand why public sector management reforms are easier in some countries even within the Napoleonic tradition.
Public management reform in Italy: explaining the implementation gap
Authors: Ongaro Edoardo , Valotti Giovanni
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to outline the sets of factors influential on the implementation of public management reform in the politico‐administrative context of Italy.

Design/methodology/approach

Provides a combination of different research designs, multiple case studies on regional governments.

Findings

Some broad sets of factors affecting implementation of public management reform have been identified They include: characteristics of the administrative tradition and features of the politico‐administrative context; the design of the reform package and the coalition of interests sustaining the reform; behavioural triggers; and the building over the time of management capacity at the level of individual public sector organisations.

Research limitations/implications

Research limitations include the availability of empirical evidence given the width of the phenomenon under investigation, as well as the broader caveats that apply to researching vast and complex problems like those concerning management reforms at nation‐wide level. Some implications for the development of a broader comparative research agenda on countries in the Napoleonic administrative tradition are proposed.

Originality/value

Provides an interpretation of the dynamics of the process of implementation of public management reforms in Italy by combining a plurality of theoretical sources.
Public management reform in Portugal: successes and failures
Authors: Corte‐Real Isabel
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to address the question of the influence of the administrative tradition and the politico‐administrative context on the formulation and implementation of public management reform in Portugal.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on empirical evidence collected from various sources. It reflects the personal experience of the author, who was personally involved in the reform process, and is also the result of a wide‐ranging review of literature on public administration and public management reform in Portugal and other European countries.

Findings

The paper identifies different phases of reform, and acknowledges the existence of a recurrent problem with public expenditure and increasing public employment. It concludes that there has been no lack of great reforms, and suggests a different approach – one that does not require special speeches or special doctrine, but is based on discreet work by politicians and managers seeking to fulfil the traditional values of the public service.

Research limitations/implications

Mainly due to a lack of both studies and evaluation practices – make it difficult to assess the actual impact of the different waves of reforms. However, administration has managed to cope with the process of change while maintaining a key orientation towards the citizen and society.

Originality/value

The value of the paper is that it is the first time the whole cycle of reforms, from 1974 until 2007, has been covered and also related to the politico‐administrative tradition. It contains summarised but complete information and suggests a new approach based on the ethical values of the public service.
Two types of learning environment
Authors: Ellström Eva , Ekholm Bodil , Ellström Per‐Erik
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to first elaborate on the notion of a learning environment based on an empirical study of care work. Second, to explore how aspects of a learning environment may differ between and within units in the same organization, and how to understand and explain such differences.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on a multiple case‐study design including four departments within two care units. Data were collected through direct observation of working conditions and work practices as well as semi‐structured interviews with all care‐workers within the two units (29 persons), and with the head and deputy head for each of the two units.

Findings

It was possible to distinguish between two qualitatively different patterns of working conditions and practices within the four teams. These patterns of practice were interpreted as representing an enabling and a constraining type of learning environment as these concepts were defined in this study. The evidence suggests that the emergence of an enabling learning environment was an outcome of a dynamic interplay between a number of factors that had the character of a virtuous circle.

Originality/value

The article adds to previous research through a distinction between two types of learning environment (enabling and constraining), and by linking these two types of learning environment to different conceptions of learning and to different working conditions and practices.
Reaching beyond disciplines through collaboration
Authors: Karlsson Jan , Anderberg Elsie , Booth Shirley , Odenrick Per , Christmansson Marita
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and describe the learning that takes place in the interaction between academics from different disciplines and perspectives in collaboration with practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach

The research draws on theories of learning that view it in relation to context, where the most significant features of the learning process concern discerning new aspects of a phenomenon. The study focuses on the workplace learning of researchers in a multidisciplinary programme at the National Institute for Working Life in Sweden (NIWL). Data was collected from semi‐structured interviews. In the analysis the learning experienced was discerned by identifying how the participants spoke of developing and changing in their work as researchers.

Findings

The investigation identified five categories of learning of the academics in the multidisciplinary research programme, namely: deepened awareness of perspectives and concepts; practical development; new awareness of one's competences and professional learning process; flexible professionalism and practical usefulness; insights into research and development processes.

Practical implications

The study contributes to an increased understanding of how knowledge production and academics' workplace learning is constituted in multidisciplinary contexts and research programmes involving practitioners from outside academia.

Originality/value

In organising and supporting learning and knowledge exchange in inter‐ or multidisciplinary research programmes with (or without) practitioners, it is essential to be aware of the importance of relational and contextual implications for academics' learning processes.
The knowledge system of a firm: social capital for explicit, tacit and potential knowledge
Authors: Smedlund Anssi
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to bring clarity to the concept of social capital in the value creation in firms from the knowledge management perspective. To discuss the social characteristics of different types of knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a review of the literature, it is argued that different types of knowledge have the distinctive logic of value creation and social capital. Social capital is seen as a network of individuals with shared norms, beliefs and trust.

Findings

The social network structure for explicit knowledge is centralized and maintained by clearly defined rules, beliefs in high quality and trust in organizational hierarchy. The social network structure for tacit knowledge is distributed and maintained by the norms of reciprocity, beliefs in lifelong learning and an incremental trust. Finally, the social network structure for emergent, potential knowledge is decentralized and maintained by liberal norms, beliefs in innovativeness and an enabling type of trust.

Practical implications

This paper helps to understand the role of social capital in the value creation of a firm and the connections between different types of knowledge and their corresponding types of social characteristics.

Originality/value

This paper presents a holistic approach to explicit, tacit and potential types of knowledge and the argument that all are needed. It is stated that these three types of knowledge form a basis for three management systems of firms.
The effect of tacit knowledge on firm performance
Authors: Harlow Harold
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of the tacit knowledge index (TKI) to assess the level of tacit knowledge within firms and its effect on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 108 US and Canadian firms that are using knowledge management was surveyed to determine each firm's TKI. This measure includes both the degree of usage and the tacitness of the knowledge management method. Regression and correlation were used to statistically analyze the innovation and financial outcomes.

Findings

Significant relationships were found between a firm's level of TKI and the firm's innovation performance. Less clear is the relationship between a higher TKI and financial measures.

Research limitations/implications

This research gives managers a way to structure their use of knowledge management methodology and use of resources in a way that may maximize performance, either as stand alone systems or as part of the Balanced Scorecard.

Practical implications

The use of this research could greatly reduce the uncomfortable gut feeling that many managers have in funding so‐called soft tacit‐based knowledge management systems rather than invest in easier to assess hardware systems.

Originality/value

This pioneering research develops tacit knowledge as a measurable quantity and links this metric to firm performance.
Managerial foresight: concept and measurement
Authors: Amsteus Martin
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish what foresight is, to review past usages and definitions of foresight and to synthesize them into one generic definition, in order to make the concept measurable.

Design/methodology/approach

A discussion on how to classify variables in the social sciences serves as the starting‐point. Next, a review of past definitions and usages of the concept foresight is followed by further analysis and then synthesizing of the generic definition. The generic definition is finally compared and contrasted with the related concepts of forecasting, strategic analysis, and intuition.

Findings

Foresight is defined as behavior along three dimensions: degree of analyzing present contingencies and degree of moving the analysis of present contingencies across time; degree of analyzing a desired future state or states a degree ahead in time with regard to contingencies under control; and degree of analyzing courses of action a degree ahead in time to arrive at the desired future state.

Research limitations/implications

The article makes foresight quantitatively measurable, which in turn makes it possible to empirically measure the existence of foresight among managers and to test the relationship between foresight and organizational performance.

Practical implications

Practical foresight tools and programs, etc. can now be assessed and compared by both practitioners and researchers.

Originality/value

In identifying three fundamental behavioral dimensions of foresight, the article conceives and advances foresight as a distinct concept that can be related to several research areas, both on individual (e.g. managerial) and organizational levels.
Japan's Sino‐Pacific war: a conflict unplanned, lacking both means and foresight?
Authors: Richardson Jacques
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to arrive at an understanding of how Japan allowed herself to become involved in a conflict with such tragic proportions, for both Japan and others, as the Second World War.

Design/methodology/approach

In a reconstruction, a series of similarities in widespread, local occurrences within the Japanese authority structure that produced larger‐scale reactions, events that could neither undo nor even attenuate the triggering incidents, are described.

Findings

The “triggers” occurred almost entirely at the tactical level, ignited by small groups or individuals ignorant of implications higher in the hierarchy of possible outcomes. Emphasized is the causative factor of formalized insubordination, or gekokujô.

Originality/value

The thrust of the paper is to interpret exactly how Japan's lost war against China and the Western Allies began. There may be lessons in this analysis for institutions and organizations outside the military sphere when contemplating new initiatives, especially major departures.
Knowledge‐based capabilities and their impact on performance: a best practice management evaluation
Authors: Battor Moustafa , Zairi Mohamed , Francis Arthur
Published: March 2008

Purpose

It is widely acknowledged that customer relationship management (CRM), market orientation, organizational learning and innovation are the most critical knowledge‐based capabilities required to achieve superior performance. The purpose of this paper is to identify management practices that are necessary to develop these capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The findings of this paper are based on the analysis of a number of best practice case studies that have been published on many subjects, including, for example, strategic marketing, relationship marketing and knowledge management.

Findings

Successful companies are configurations of management practices that enable the development of knowledge‐based capabilities. This paper identifies the factors that give a firm superior knowledge‐based capabilities.

Practical implications

The paper provides managers with some insights into how to develop better knowledge‐based capabilities.

Originality/value

The paper highlights a set of attitudes and practices that are necessary for firm success in today's competitive environment.
From the deal world to the real world: maximizing M&A value after the deal is done
Authors: Galpin Timothy
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide the key dos and don'ts when integrating the people, processes, and systems of companies undertaking mergers and/or acquisitions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides the current state of M&A integration across industries, integration dynamics and common pitfalls, integration best practices, and a section regarding how to conduct “merger repair” activities in order to correct integration efforts that have gotten off track.

Findings

The measurable impacts of well‐conducted M&A integration efforts is presented and discussed.

Practical implications

Key implications for management who are pursuing a merger and/or acquisition strategy are demonstrated throughout the key success factors described in this paper.

Originality/value

The value to the reader is found in the practical recommendations and tangible actions identified. Likewise, the section describing the need for and how to conduct “merger repair” is new to the literature pertaining to M&A integration.
Taming the dragon: how to tackle the challenge of future foresight
Authors: Wilenius Markku
Published: March 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the principles that businesses should (and should not!) follow in their foresight activities and to show how foresight serves the development of knowledge capital in business companies.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper singles out seven key principles: look to the future; anticipate future needs; make use of incomplete knowledge; expect the unexpected; think long‐term and short‐term; dream productively; and respect knowledge.

Findings

This paper highlights the principles that businesses should (and should not!) follow in their foresight activities and to show how foresight serves the development of knowledge capital in business companies.

Originality/value

The paper highlights a recent survey in the USA on how employees understand their job tasks and their organization's goals.
Evolving an Experiential Management Development Programme
Authors: Long Ralph , Jinks Michael
Published: March 2008

In 1978 a review of the Management Training Programme being run by the Civil Aviation Authority revealed a need to change our method of approach in order to get the best out of the programme. Having clarified the course objectives, it involved writing new case study exercises and, above all, changing the style of teaching. At the end of the day an evaluation exercise indicated that not only had the participants gained new skills and effectiveness as line managers but many had also increased their self‐confidence to manage. In short we had achieved “a semi‐permanent change in behaviour”.
Looking Out for the Best Interests of the Company?
Authors: Boytim Dennis C.
Published: March 2008

Many large companies have recognised the need to change their organisations in order to provide challenging opportunities for workers. The use of job enrichment schemes, autonomous work groups and participative management is now widespread. There are, however, still too many instances of repressive management practice. In this article, the personal experience of a worker in the US car industry forms the basis of a plea for a new approach to development and training. In it, I try to show that inefficient management practices are employed in the plant where I work, and give some suggestions for improvement. The company's name is not given in order to protect the guilty as well as the innocent.
What Makes for an Effective Trainer?
Authors: Bennett Roger , Leduchowicz Tad
Published: March 2008

In good or bad times, training plays an important part in the development of knowledge and skill in all sectors of the economies around the world. Just as the successful sportsperson must train to keep on winning, so too must any organisation. Whilst the effectiveness of the sportsperson's coach is reflected by success in winning events, it is often more difficult to evaluate the success or effectiveness of the organisational trainer. Many other factors come into play in determining individual and organisational performance — methods of work used; efficient supply of materials; adequate equipment; attitudes of senior management, and of customers; the whims of the market place, government policy and the world economic situation. With so many variables involved it may seem futile to bother to study effectiveness.
Training Marketing Professionals in the 1980s
Authors: Hibbert E.P.
Published: March 2008

This article explains how effective training and education in sales and marketing has been developed by the Institute of Marketing in the UK. This is primarily offered as a service to British industry to improve competitiveness and performance. It also explains how the Institute helps to develop personal professionalism and career planning by offering an internationally recognised qualification — the Diploma in Marketing. Reference is made to current economic and trading prospects and the implications for designing and delivering education and training programmes, and the contribution that the marketing “professional” can make to the profitable development of a business. The article emphasises that “professionalism” must be based first on successful experience and second on gaining an approved marketing qualification.
Case Studies in Personnel Management Training
Authors: Oldham Margaret
Published: March 2008

This article arises from the use of case studies on several business studies courses at The Hatfield Polytechnic between 1974 and 1981. It gives an account of how case studies were used, gives examples of case material used (Appendices), and describes some of the problems encountered by the staff and students concerned.
Youth Unemployment and Vocational Training in the EEC
Authors: Sellin B.
Published: March 2008

Growing Awareness of the Problem, Since 1976, the Management Board of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) has given top priority to the problem of youth unemployment when adopting CEDEFOP work programmes.
Learning through Work Experience in Britain
Authors: Cornforth C. , Taylor S. , Varelidis N.
Published: March 2008

Work experience has traditionally been a part of industrial training, either informally through on‐the‐job learning or, more formally, as a component of occupational training programmes. However, work experience as a mode of training has not been systematically researched. Apart from Watts, there is little advice available on how work experience can be designed as an effective vehicle for learning.
The Youth Training Scheme (UK):
Authors: Weatherley Michael
Published: March 2008

This year, the Manpower Services Commission (MSC, UK) is introducing their new Youth Training Scheme. Some 41 pilot schemes have already been validated. This scheme, which is supported by both sides of industry, will give all young people under the age of 18 the opportunity to acquire a job‐related skill. To achieve this, employers will be subsidised to a total of a £1 billion. This investment will allow both the present Youth Opportunities Scheme and time‐serving apprenticeships to be replaced. By 1985, training to a certificate standard of performance will be available to employed and unemployed young people alike. This will emphasise the importance of the transition by the individual from school to work, and will move the last years of school life, as well as tertiary education, to a more vocationally oriented base. By developing a greater flexibility in those completing the training, it is anticipated that British practice will be brought into line with that found in Europe.
Students, Courses and Colleges:
Authors: Lancaster G.A. , Saunders J.A.
Published: March 2008

Higher education is the main source of executive manpower and professional technology for businesses, yet it is only in the last few months of the education system that firms make contact with the education élite. When a graduate is recruited, a firm obtains two things — the individual and the training. Many firms concentrate on the individual when selecting potential executives, although if a company is seeking technologists, a student's course is more important. Businesses dedicate much effort to obtaining the best of the output of the education system and spend generously on management training, but pay little attention to the mechanism that brings together the two raw materials — sixth formers and courses in higher education. In the long‐run, a business is only as good as the people it employs and the failure to manage the process that ensures a flow of the right people into business is reflected in the failure of British businesses to be competitive.
Industrial Training in the American University System
Authors: Partridge S.E.
Published: March 2008

The American University system with its emphasis on a flexible, elective course approach dates back to the 1870s when the educator, Charles W. Eliot, reformed the then traditonal Oxbridge‐type curriculum at Harvard. This disjunction from the “locked‐in” approach of British universities was further accelerated by the need for high quality engineering courses to replace the Classics and Arts as the levels of American technology and industry were raised. In fulfilment of the American dream that higher education should be open to all irrespective of class or wealth, the flexible curriculum of Eliot allowed a young man to work his way through college in accordance with his circumstances. Consequently, Harvard became the model for a plethora of universities founded in the 1890s and thereafter. Bradley, a private university, is one of that number.
The Harvard AMP after 40 years
Authors: Berman Jeffrey , Wall Stephen J.
Published: March 2008

The Harvard Advanced Management Programme (AMP) is the oldest, largest and most elite of the university executive development programmes. It grew out of the need to re‐train large numbers of executives as the economy shifted from a peace‐ to a war‐time footing in the early 1940s. The programme became so popular that it spawned over 30 other executive development courses at other top business schools, as well as countless specialised short university courses for executives. After the war, the AMP helped executives regain a peace‐time perspective. The AMP has been going strong since then and at present counts thousands among its alumni. The current fee is above $17,000 for the 13‐week session, space is limited and admission is competitive.
Management Self‐development
Authors: Canning Roy
Published: March 2008

As a training concept self‐development remains for many a curious, yet insoluble, puzzle. On the one hand, it appears deceptively simple yet can be highly theoretical and general, while on the other, it claims to be specific yet covers everything from Guided Reading to Outward Bound and Action Learning.
Learning Circles
Authors: Scriven Richard
Published: March 2008

The notion of Quality Circles has received widespread attention in recent years as a method of increasing the involvement of employees in the planning of their work and in making decisions which affect their working conditions and practices. Quality Circles are intended to utilise the knowledge and experience of employees. They should encourage employees to share responsibility for the end result. They should strengthen employees' commitment to change processes which they themselves have helped to generate.
Business Games can be Educational too
Authors: Fripp John
Published: March 2008

The origins of gaming can be traced back to the early 19th Century when the use of maps led to the birth of the rigid War Game (Kriegspiel). These were partly used for educational purposes (e.g. to improve military officers skills) and partly for research (e.g. to study military strategy in a variety of settings). From these early beginnings, a great number of different uses for games have arisen, and teaching and research applications have diverged. The question of how and why games are currently used as the basis for a growing amount of organisational research will be addressed in my second article. At the moment, the most popular and well‐known types of games are business games based on a particular company or sector of industry, and used for educational purposes. As such, they offer a number of unique advantages over other educational devices such as case studies, lectures, behavioural and other exercises. I believe, however, that the full educational potential of games has not been fully realised for a number of reasons. Perhaps the word “game” itself gives the impression of time‐wasting amusement for its own sake. Also, in common with many new developments, it took time for the full implications and requirements of games to be realised, and some early experiences were unsuccessful. In fact, there is still some disagreement on the merits of games relative to other learning methods. I now describe these potential advantages and how they may be realised, beginning with the key question of game reality.
Management Team Development: A Problem‐centred Technique
Authors: Kilcourse Tom
Published: March 2008

Working as a consultant in the field of team development, I frequently find myself at odds with people who have different perceptions about the nature of the work. This confusion was actually expressed in print when in 1980, following the publication of my article on team problem diagnosis, another consultant wrote of his “simpler” method. This turned out to be the “LIFO” system. Again, similar misunderstanding arose in 1982, within a large client organisation in the public sector. The client had undergone major reorganisation, and it had been decided to create an internal consultancy role, a central function of which was to be team development. I was engaged to train those appointed to the role, with emphasis on the skills required by internal consultants. It came as some surprise therefore to be told during a seminar with some of the organisation's directors, that “team building” had recently been conducted in the area concerned. I had not yet trained the internal consultants. It emerged of course that their “team building” and my “team development” were entirely different processes. Impatient to “get things moving”, the organisation had initiated a programme of “team‐building” activity based on packaged exercises, mainly concerned with the analysis of management style.
An Evaluation of Management Training
Authors: Brook J.A. , Shouksmith G.A. , Brook R.J.
Published: March 2008

The aim of the present study was to measure the effects of a management training course on the work behaviour of a group of scientists and technicians who performed supervisory roles within their organisations. A matched control group consisted of non‐trainees who were scheduled to take part in similar courses in the future. The study was designed to determine whether the observed changes in behaviour were due to the training course itself or to other factors operating within the work environment, and for this reason, a no‐training control group was employed as well as measures of organisational climate. Both self reports and the assessment of the subjects' superior officers were recorded. A longitudinal design evaluated effects on trainees work behaviour at three, six and 12 months following training. Moderate effects were observed throughout the follow‐up period although some gradual fall‐off in behaviour occurred. Both qualitative and quanitative aspects of the observed changes were examined. In addition to measuring actual changes in behaviour, immediate post‐training intentions were compared with post‐training outcomes. Personal characteristics of age, tenure and leadership experience were not found to be significantly related to behavioural changes at work.
Management Development in the Small Business
Authors: Sutton David
Published: March 2008

I have always believed that management teachers need to be immersed in the day‐to‐day pressures and risks of management from time to time if they are to retain an understanding of the real world which they exist to serve. Case study teaching, project supervision, set advising, even consultancy, all lack two features of the manager's life: taking and carrying responsibility for risky and expensive decisions and involvement in the detail which takes up so much time and energy — often out of all proportion to its importance.
Supervisory Training in Italy
Authors: Ferrari Sergio
Published: March 2008

Since the beginning of the 20th century the authority of supervisors has decreased due to larger size of firms and power of workers' unions. Now, the supervisors' status has increased again, through automation and the necessity of a more human approach to workers' problems. This article describes these changes, looks at the job profile of supervisory activities in eight areas, considers the problems and difficulties of the supervisors' position in relation to management and the workers, and provides examples of Italian Supervisory Training in FIAT the automobile firm and ALFA the state‐controlled firm. Recent surveys show that supervisory training exists in 71 per cent of the firms, done mainly in five‐day seminars, and trainers come both from inside and outside the firms. It concludes that there are still many problems but that they are slowly being overcome.
Applying Learning Techniques to On‐the‐job Development: Part III
Authors: Richardson Jim , Bennett Ben
Published: March 2008

This third and final article summarises our views of the place and importance of Learning to Learn as an approach to management training and education. In it we shall update many of the approaches to which we referred in the first and second articles and which we have developed through the use of our methods on in‐company and open groups. We would hope to leave you with the idea that Learning to Learn is a different kind of animal from most other approaches, and with an understanding of the implications of this difference for training as a whole.
The Negotiating Grid
Authors: Mastenbroek Willem F.G.
Published: March 2008

This article describes a grid which clarifies personal negotiating styles and is based on two basic dimensions of negotiating: (1) The way one balances co‐operation and “fighting”, and (2) The extent to which one shows procedural flexibility. These two dimensions combine into four negotiating styles: (1) analytical/aggressive, (2) flexible/aggressive, (3) ethical/persuasive, and (4) flexible/compromising. The main characteristics are given for each style, while clues are provided about how to negotiate when confronted with a particular one. Furthermore, the two basic dimensions are clarified by describing the major learnings on these dimensions as experienced by a large number of participants in training conferences on negotiating organised by the author.
The Police: A Management Development Survey
Authors: Kakabadse Andrew
Published: March 2008

Media coverage of police activities is substantial and makes for “eye‐catching” headlines. Most people in the UK will remember the riots of 1981 and how policemen battled against overwhelming odds. Equally, the story of the young, brave policeman who attempts, and is injured in the process, to arrest treacherous villains, induces waves of sympathy from a probably, very middle‐class public. Best of all, are the stories of corrupted policemen who, detected and apprehended, generate in us all that slight feeling of insecurity which makes for excellent gossip.
The Use of Learning Curves
Authors: James Roger
Published: March 2008

Since I became a professional trainer I have encountered many people who talk about “learning” curves in a way which indicates they do not fully understand what “learning” curves are, how they are arrived at and what use to make of them. I have had queries from training officers wanting to know “what is the learning curve” for particular jobs. I have met many management students who think a “learning” curve is a statement of an absolute state of the universe in much the same way as Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion. Recently I came across a company selling synthetic work‐study data who included in their data an analysis, based on a “learning” curve, which indicated how many repetitions of the method would be necessary before the operator “learned” the job to given levels of performance. The International Labour Office's Introduction to Work Study shows a diagram of a “typical learning curve” (p. 205) but there is no discussion of the use of the curve, why it is or what it is or just how “typical” it is. It has been put in with minimal apparent understanding and minimal attempt to develop understanding. Each of the above examples demonstrates a need to make clear the background to “learning” curves and what use to make of them.
The Evaluation of Training Part II:
Authors: Newby A.C. , Bramley P.
Published: March 2008

In a previous article we emphasised that evaluation is not something to be done in isolation, “tacked on to” a training event. Instead, it was argued, evaluation is an integral part of the learning cycle, as essential to good training as is the accurate identification of needs or the specification of appropriate learning modes.
Training Budgets: Are They Obsolete?
Authors: Wright Phillip
Published: March 2008

Too often organisations look to performers when seeking to improve productivity. Instead, performance should be stressed, as 80 to 90 per cent of productivity improvement opportunity can be found in the work situation. Therefore, it is suggested that departmental training budgets should be replaced by company‐wide performance improvement budgets administered by a performance improvement manager. Opportunities to improve productivity can then be given priority on an organisation‐wide basis, shifting the emphasis away from the individual to the total work environment.
Hiccups and Nightmares:
Authors: Wright P.L. , Taylor D.S.
Published: March 2008

Interpersonal skills training is commonly carried out by skilled tutors who provide feedback and guidelines to trainees, based on their performance in role played interactions. Unfortunately, such tutoring sessions do not always go as planned. The result may be minor “hiccups” which impair the smooth flow of the proceedings or a “tutor's nightmare” where all appears lost. It can be very unnerving for the inexperienced tutor who encounters problems such as a role player who dries up or a course member who resolutely refuses to accept feedback. In this article we describe 13 of the more common tutoring problems, together with our suggestions concerning ways in which they may be handled. These suggestions are not intended to be prescriptive, but they may provide trainee tutors with something to fall back on whilst they are developing their own ways of handling tutoring problems.
Tomorrow's Industrial Training Officer — The Challenge of Change
Authors: Donnelly Eugene
Published: March 2008

This monograph seeks to supply a contribution to the debate on the major formative factors which have led to current perceptions of the roles which either should be, or are, undertaken by industrial training officers. Any attempt to ascertain these developmental paths must be limited by the relative importance which the interpreter gives to writings and events. To this extent it must be a subjective and selective viewpoint. Whatever our perspective, there is one undoubted fact: there has been a considerable increase in the number of industrial training officers over the last 20 years — and a corresponding increase in training activities. This increase has been more than matched with an outpouring of literature on training and, to a much lesser extent, research into training themes.
A Cultural Audit: First Step in a Needs Analysis?
Authors: Wright Philip
Published: March 2008

For some time now, we have been inundated with descriptions and advice concerning the care and the development of “corporate cultures”. It has been said that many of our business and industrial inadequacies result from outmoded management techniques that have created dysfunctional cultures and that “the notion of corporate culture addresses the real human issues that often impinge on the success of…” an enterprise. In that training, or human resources development, is (or should be) closely linked to these “human issues” and to the success or failure of the organisation, the concept of corporate culture must be addressed when designing training or development programmes. This article will outline one method of using these concepts to enhance the training process.
Learning to Learn for Managers
Authors: Mumford Alan
Published: March 2008

This monograph derives from a two‐part project undertaken for the Manpower Services Commission in 1984 and 1985. The first part of the project involved surveying the literature in order to establish the extent to which the subject of Learning to Learn had been covered and how much practical guidance was available to anyone wishing to help managers.
Effectiveness and Efficiency in Industrial Training
Authors: Koehorst Piet , Verhoeven Willem
Published: March 2008

In our first article, we looked at a large number of sources of ineffectiveness and inefficiency in industrial training. Most of the problems are related to the way line managers deal with training questions. To many line managers, it is far from obvious that a great deal of thought needs to be give to effectiveness. But the situation is different in the case of senior management and the management of training departments. They are trying to take measures to improve effectiveness and efficiency. In this article, the second of three, we also express some doubts as regards measures which are popular in those circles.
A Methodological Approach for Training Analysts of Small Business Problems
Authors: Mackness J.R.
Published: March 2008

The methodology described in this article has been used to train both analysts of very small businesses and small business managers themselves. Very small businesses are characterised by the following:
Labour Market Training in Sweden — A Reflection of Swedish Society
Authors: Geers Frederick
Published: March 2008

Training in the Swedish labour market started on a small scale just after the Second World War and increased considerably during the 1958 recession. Since the second half of the 60s, such training activities again expanded rapidly, with the number of trainees who completed their training growing from 40,000 in the fiscal year 1964/65 to 143,000 during 1972/73. After a fall in trainee numbers came an even sharper rise, when training subsidies were extensively allocated to corporations in an attempt to stem the tide of redundancies (245,000 trained during 1977/78). Subsequently, the overall trend was downwards, with 128,313 trained in 1983/84.
Using a Live In‐basket Exercise for Management Training: A Case Study
Authors: Sloman Martyn , Lee Richard
Published: March 2008

In May 1985, a new module was added to the syllabus of the Middle Management Course at the Staff College of the National Coal Board. This module, called the “Enterprise Study”, was a live in‐basket exercise based on the experience that NCB managers encountered in establishing a new subsidiary job‐creation company, NCB (Enterprise) Ltd. The teaching format was novel and, as experience was gained from operation, unexpected benefits were derived and drawbacks discovered. The perspective as to the purpose and value was altered as a result.
Effectiveness and Efficiency in Industrial Training, Part 3:
Authors: Koehorst Piet , Verhoeven Willem
Published: March 2008

In our first article, we looked at numerous sources of ineffectiveness and inefficiency. Our second article demonstrated that certain popular economy measures do not have the desired effect. On the basis of this analysis, we conclude our series with a third article containing a number of suggestions as to how to improve the effectiveness of industrial training. We also describe briefly the way we are attempting to boost effectiveness in the Netherlands.