bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Communication for commitment in remote technical workforces
Authors: Jacobs Glenda
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To investigate and explain the extent to which communication systems and practices may enhance or undermine organisational commitment in field service engineers. To identify communication principles underpinning both successful (intentional and unintentional) and counter‐productive strategies for engaging commitment in remote technical workforces.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach of the study is critical interpretive. Data were obtained from two UK service companies, in the form of interviews and observation (primary sources), and organisational texts and publications (secondary sources).

Findings

The findings illustrate management strategies and practices through which remote technical workers form a sense of organisational attachment, and the communication principles underpinning them. In doing so, they suggest that availability of digital technology and frequency of electronic communication are not necessarily key to developing and maintaining a sense of organisational attachment in workforces of this kind.

Research limitations/implications

As an interpretive study, the findings relate to the way the identified communication systems are perceived and interpreted. This could usefully be supplemented by quantitative analysis of actual systems use.

Originality/value

This paper firstly expands what may be understood as effective use of communication systems in remote work contexts, and secondly poses new questions regarding the relationships between types of employee commitment and the role of communication technology as a means of fostering and perpetuating them. It also emphasises the value of distinguishing between types of teleworkers when researching the complex needs and practices of this diverse work form. This paper also provides insight for practitioners the forms of organisational commitment encouraged or undermined by remote communication systems.
Structural elaboration and institutional isomorphism: the case of crime analysis units
Authors: Giblin Matthew J.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Studies of police organizations typically involve examining predictors consistent with structural contingency theory while comparatively fewer have examined the applicability of institutional theory. The purpose of the current study is to examine the influence of institutional factors on the elaboration of organizational structure, specifically the incorporation of a crime analysis unit into a police organization's structure.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained using a 2002 mail survey of law enforcement agencies focusing on the crime analysis function and environmental factors influencing the organization of that function. Additional information complementing the survey data was obtained through telephone interviews with representatives from 12 of the surveyed departments.

Findings

Multivariate results show that, consistent with contingency theory, size is an important predictor of structural elaboration. Analyses and interview responses suggest that institutional factors, particularly accreditation standards, may play some role in shaping organizational structures.

Research limitations/implications

The survey was returned by 160 agencies for a response rate of 56 percent but analyses were based on relatively small samples of 67‐77 agencies. Telephone interviews were conducted using a purposive, non‐probability sampling method.

Practical implications

The results of this exploratory study provide insight into factors contributing to the adoption of structures and strategies in policing.

Originality/value

The research is one of only a small number of studies in policing to explicitly test propositions derived from institutional theory, particularly the concept of institutional isomorphism.
When police go shopping
Authors: Ayling Julie , Grabosky Peter
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This article aims to alert readers to the procurement and acquisition activities of police agencies, to the risks that these entail, and to mechanisms for their effective management.

Design/methodology/approach

The article explores the ways in which acquisition by police is conducted and regulated. It examines these relationships between police and the private sector from the perspective of their benefits, such as costs and efficiency gains, and the risks they entail, including overdependency, corruption and lack of accountability.

Findings

Shopping by the public police is on the increase. Through procurement and outsourcing, police harness resources needed to cope with increasing demands on their services. Increased police activity in the marketplace, driven by changing ideological, economic and pragmatic considerations, represents a fundamental structural shift in policing. The article identifies appropriate institutional and procedural safeguards, and raises questions about the implications of commercial relationships for the future of public policing.

Originality/value

This article makes a contribution by flagging the increased reliance of police on externally provided goods and services, and by suggesting ways in which the procurement process can be managed to ensure both accountability and value for money.
Learning to organize: US unions, work, and learning
Authors: Scully‐Russ Ellen
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Responding to the recent split in the US labor movement, this paper aims to argue that learning must become an integral part of a progressive union devoted to organizing.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper traces the evolution of vocational education in US industrial unions and critiques it in light of the challenges facing labor today.

Findings

The paper finds that vocational education in US industrial unions is a negotiated benefit aimed at meeting the instrumental needs of individual union members. The evolution of this model was inevitable given the US labor relations context within which it emerged. However, significant changes in US political economy call for a new model of vocational education in unions. Rather than learning as a service, Learning to Organize challenges unions to put learning in service of the broader, collective aim of renewed labor power.

Practical implications

The paper shows that union leaders need to reframe their views of vocational learning and its role in unions. Union vocational and labor educators can help leaders to both broaden the vocational learning agenda and link worker engagement in vocational learning to strategic planning, policy development, and everyday operations inside unions.

Originality/value

The paper offers ideas on how to mobilize unions' extensive vocational education resources in support of broader worker engagement and a new strategic agenda inside of US unions.
Competence development of entrepreneurs in innovative horticulture
Authors: Mulder Martin , Lans Thomas , Verstegen Jos , Biemans Harm , Meijer Ypie
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the learning of entrepreneurs in authentic learning environments. The research questions are: How do entrepreneurs assess their compentencies, and how do employees and external consultants assess the compentencies of these entrepreneurs? What are the competence strengths and weaknesses of entrepreneurs? What are the learning activities that entrepreneurs perform?

Design/methodology/approach

Ten small business owners participated in a self‐assessment and an assessment by employees and external consultants. Follow‐up interviews elicited work‐related learning activities. The interviews were transcribed. Descriptive statistics,t‐tests and correlation tests, and a qualitative analysis of interview transcriptions were performed.

Findings

Competencies are being rated differently. Competence assessment is a potentially powerful learning source. The top competence strength is having a learning orientation. A total of 99 learning activities were found embedded in the innovative work processes of the entrepreneurs. The top three learning activities were reflection, observation and experimentation.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on only ten entrepreneurs. Research is planned with a larger numbers of subjects.

Practical implications

Competence assessment needs to be provided for entrepreneurs in the sector as a tool for deeper self‐reflection, and further performance improvement.

Originality/value

Much research on skills development and workplace learning is about employees in large organisations. However, employers in small and medium‐sized companies are also an interesting professional group to study, since they create working and learning places for employees. Not much is know about their competence development. This study addresses that target group.
Knowledge identification and management in product design
Authors: Yuan Fu Qiu , Ping Chui Yoon , Helander Martin G.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to improve the understanding of knowledge identification and management in product design by studying designers' cognition and behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Knowledge management becomes an essential process in product design. However, most organizations and designers do not understand what knowledge should and can be managed. Little research is focused on studying the cognitive and social psychological factors within knowledge activities. This paper is mainly focused on knowledge issues in product design. This study focuses on the internal human activities and explores knowledge management research utilizing a human factors perspective.

Findings

In this paper knowledge in product design is defined; knowledge in product design is identified and classified based on design decision‐making processes. Furthermore, how to improve the knowledge management process in collaborative decision making is presented.

Research limitations/implications

This study uses an experimental approach and hopefully the research can therefore be generalized to other situations.

Practical implications

This study provides guidelines for information technology support for knowledge management in product design.

Originality/value

Knowledge used in product design is identified and classified. The paper explores knowledge management research by analyzing human activity, in combination with the study of management and engineering technologies.
MaKE: a knowledge management method
Authors: Sharp Peter
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Within knowledge management (KM) there is a need to develop KM methods that help prioritise requirements and assist in information systems (IS) development strategy. This paper aims to present MaKE™, a KM method that is designed to address this need.

Design/methodology/approach

MaKE was developed using an action research approach.

Findings

Organisations face a number of challenges in KM. MaKE addresses a number of them, including how to: align organisational performance and IT expenditure; adopt a sensible balance between IT and human involvement; address problems that stem from top‐down models of information strategy; assist in business innovation; address redefined value chain issues in the web technology world; realise the significance of the virtual and intangible as well as the physical; create and apply new knowledge as well as be effective in the ongoing renewal of existing knowledge; engage people in the paradigm shift away from industrial‐economic thinking and towards a knowledge perspective; link business objectives with knowledge‐sharing initiatives and technologies available to address them within a framework; and apply people‐centred KM tools to a whole organisation or across organisations.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation is the amount of testing that has occurred to test the contribution of MaKE in relation to each of the challenges referred to above.

Originality/value

There are many original concepts within MaKE. For example MaKE First Steps is the first KM process devised to assist in collaboratively defining knowledge in organisations.
High performance work systems: the sum really is greater than its parts
Authors: Denton Keith
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This article seeks to highlight the importance of creating a systematic approach to work measurement and performance improvements. It is not the people or innovative practices that are most critical to success but rather how they are connected.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper looks at some of the components of high performance work systems and examples of organizations that are employing a systematic approach to performance improvement.

Practical implications

The paper shows why consistency is more important than the tool or innovative practice one employs. If one wants long‐term performance improvements one must connect all the dots. One must make sure there is a consistent theme or thread that draws all the pieces together. Employing innovative work practices will not succeed unless one “bundles” one's work practices together under a cohesive theme.

Originality/value

Everyone knows one has to approach problems systematically to be consistently successful. This article cites research and practical examples of how one can improve organizational performance by bundling innovative practices. The whole is greater than the parts.
Increasing the visibility of hidden failure costs
Authors: Krishnan Suresh Kumar
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this study, with its central thesis placed on excelling at business measures, is to underscore the need for business entities to understand the significant implication of hidden failure costs and its impact on their business processes. The study also stresses the need for organizations to systematically break the many norms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study looked at capturing the often‐overlooked component of poor quality cost via a simple function of measurement which requires an effortless yet painstaking way of collecting data pertaining to intangible wastages in the form of time, service charges and material.

Findings

A simple formula is introduced, using three types of indicators that could be used to monitor the level of poor quality costs (PQC), to quantify the total failure costs by accumulating the values of both hidden and visual failure costs.

Originality/value

The study breaks the boundaries of existing methods of understanding and calculating the all‐embracing cost of doing business, hence paving the way to make inroads in business processes improvement, enhanced job‐scope comprehension, agility and performance, further intensification of internal and external customer satisfaction.
Interview with David Norton
Authors: Foster Kim
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To explore some of the theories presented in the latest Kaplan and Norton book Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies.

Design/methodology/approach

This interview and transcript is prepared by an independent writer.

Findings

Presents David Norton's views on the balanced scorecard, the hall of fame, strategy and his academic life.

Practical implications

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Originality/value

This is an independent interview which provides strategic insights into some of the theories of Kaplan & Norton's work on the balanced scorecard.
Money laundering: towards an alternative interpretation – Chapter two
Authors: Bosworth‐Davies Rowan
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The second part of a series that aims to provide an alternative viewpoint about the issues surrounding money laundering.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper combines narrative with argument and analysis to look closely at how the present state of the money laundering laws which are currently in force have arisen, to a greater or lesser extent, throughout the world.

Findings

No real understanding of this phenomenon can be achieved without understanding the political conflicts which are identified by the US approach to world affairs, and the part that the US currency plays in them, because it is as much the influence of the ex‐patriot US dollar which plays such a significant part in the world of funny money control, as any other aspect.

Originality/value

This comparative study enables readers to see more clearly the intentions behind the thinking (or lack of it) of those who have implemented the legislative changes, as well as their geo‐political ambitions.
Offshore centres post 9/11: economics and politics
Authors: Masciandaro Donato
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this research paper is to discuss the crucial difference between financial offshores and fiscal offshores.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper combines narrative with argument and analysis.

Findings

It is shown that the decision of a few countries and territories to adopt lax financial regulation do not coincide with those that institute competitive taxation policies. From a methodological point of view, the classic intuition of Becker is intertwined with the new political economy approach, in order to review and comment on empirical tests.

Originality/value

The paper suggests common guidelines for the design of international policy against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
Money laundering laws and regulations: China and Hong Kong
Authors: Sham Alain
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To examine the criminal laws and regulations on money laundering control in China and Hong Kong and to call for legal and institutional reforms in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a comparative analysis and critically reviews the laws and regulations on money laundering control in China and Hong Kong.

Findings

China has shown a firm determination to combat money laundering since 2002. Reforms on Article 191 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China (1997) and the institutional framework are called for to comply with the international standards of the FATF recommendations, the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000) and the UN Convention against Corruption (2003) to control money laundering.

Practical implications

This paper highlights the problems and proposes both legal and institutional reforms on money laundering control in China.

Originality/value

This paper initiates the analytical research on the legal and institutional problems of money laundering control in China which had not been adequately explored.
Recovering the proceeds of crime from the correspondent account of a foreign bank
Authors: Cassella Stefan D.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the issues about the recovery of the proceeds of crime, with emphasis on the USA situation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first sets forth the rationale for Section 981(k) of the Patriot Act and the requirements the government must satisfy to use it successfully to recover criminal proceeds. It then discusses the facts of a case where the new statute was applied and the legal arguments that were made when a foreign bank challenged the application of the statute in federal court. Finally, it discusses how the court resolved those issues in granting the government's suit for the recovery of the money.

Findings

Finds that Section 981(k), while controversial, has proven effective in allowing the Government of the USA to recover property from wrongdoers in the types of cases where it was intended to be applied.

Originality/value

Shows that Section 981(k) is an innovative and controversial addition to the arsenal of weapons that federal law enforcement authorities in the USA can use to recover the proceeds of crime.
Yakuza – organized crime in Japan
Authors: Shikata Ko
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce some facts about Yakuza and countermeasures by the Japanese police.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides some statistics and descriptive explanation about Yakuza and countermeasures by the Japanese police.

Findings

In Japan, there are more than 80,000 regular or associate Yakuza gang members. Yakuza groups are changing their styles and behaviors and adjusting to a changing society. The Japanese government has been tackling organized crime. The two main measures against organized crime are new legislations and “strategic investigation.”

Originality/value

This paper is one of limited literatures written in English which explains the facts about Japanese Yakuza.
Money laundering – chapter three
Authors: Bosworth‐Davies Rowan
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to provide an alternative and possibly controversial examination of the contemporary anti‐money laundering regulatory phenomenon. It is intended to challenge existing givens and to pose an alternative and challenging view of the reasons and the motives behind the imposition of the international laws and regulations dealing with money laundering.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper contains the views of one man who has spent most of his working life examining the money laundering question and it is a single alternative view based upon personal experience.

Findings

The findings are not enunciated in the sense that there are research outcomes. It is a question for the reader to interpret and accept or reject the writer's viewpoint.

Practical implications

The paper seeks to encourage a more questioning and agnostic view of current anti‐money laundering practice, with the aim of stimulating more debate on a topic which has for too long been the captive of a small coterie of government agencies.

Originality/value

The paper is challenging in that it represents a complete counter‐blast to every accepted conventional wisdom on money laundering. It is a viewpoint piece.
The value of job security: a lower‐bound estimate from a human capital perspective
Authors: Gélinas Patrice
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to quantify the monetary value of job security.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is theoretical and based on a financial economics human capital model. Empirical estimates of the annualized value of job security at three large corporations and at the government of the USA are also developed for an illustrative employee profile.

Findings

A financial economics human capital model can be used to derive a lower‐bound estimate for the monetary value of job security and empirical estimates can be calculated straightforwardly to help managers who allocate economic resources to fulfill organizational labor requirements or negotiate labor agreements.

Research limitations/implications

The model presented provides a lower‐bound estimate only. Future research could suggest approaches to calculate more precise estimates.

Practical implications

This paper provides a tool for managers and workers who wish to include the monetary value of relative job security in the definition of total compensation during the negotiation of employment conditions or while benchmarking total compensation.

Originality/value

This paper is a pioneer contribution in the field of quantifying the monetary value of job security.
Reporting organisational performance in managing human resources
Authors: Cuganesan Suresh
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To examine how the performance of organisations in managing and utilising their human resources is disclosed through key performance indicator (KPI) reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilises intellectual capital (IC) and corporate social responsibility (CSR)/stakeholder perspectives in performing a content analysis of KPIs reported by Australian banks.

Findings

Examining KPI reporting in relation to human resources across the sample of Australian banks indicates significant differences in the amount of KPIs reported and the focus of the KPIs reported, with the emphasis varying from disclosing the value derived from human capital to the value provided to employees and the broader society. Overall, the findings suggest the popularity of a stakeholder perspective in reporting on the management of human resources.

Practical implications

Policy formulators and researchers need to investigate the benefits and cost of mandating or providing further guidance for extended performance reporting, the need for integration and convergence in IC and CSR‐stakeholder reporting and how reporting practices align to internal measurement and management of organizational sustainability.

Originality/value

This paper integrates IC and CSR perspectives to examine which approach better explains observed KPI reporting patterns in relation to human resources. Thus, far, both disciplines have advanced in isolation despite both being concerned with sustainability issues. In classifying disclosed KPIs for human resources within four alternative reporting frameworks (two from the IC literature and two from the CSR‐stakeholder literature), it determines whether IC (with its focus on how value is derived from human capital) or CSR‐stakeholder (with its emphasis on the delivery of value to employees as stakeholders) has garnered more traction in both influencing reporting practices and mitigating the limitations of financial reporting practices.
Determinants of radical product innovations
Authors: Herrmann Andreas , Tomczak Torsten , Befurt Rene
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Time and time again companies with leading positions in the market place lose their dominance when a radical change occurs in the technological basis. In some cases, the survival of companies is in jeopardy because old technology‐investments hinder managers from adopting new technologies. Following on from the resource‐based view, the purpose of this paper is to develop an approach which explains the ability of a company to generate radical product innovations through the willingness of managers and employees to put aside their existing knowledge and acquire new skills.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a causal analytic model to demonstrate the key influences on radical product innovations. The model incorporates formative indicators and we use a partial least squares approach to fit it. Since the central termini of this approach embody hypothetical constructs, causal modeling is the best‐suited approach to capture complex theoretical phenomena.

Findings

The results show that the willingness to abandon investments strongly determines radical product innovations. There obviously are key elements for cutting off traditional‐style investments with respect to new ideas that in turn foster radical outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

Since a causal analytic model is used, can be pictured a “real‐world” innovation making process only to a certain extent. Even though this paper covers only a partial view of reality, it cannot fundament an approach that is absolutely free of errors. As for any other model, retests are suggested.

Originality/value

This paper extends the 1998 findings of Tellis and Chandy by offering a more detailed analysis of radical innovation drivers. Results address researchers as well as practitioners, providing insights on coping with difficulties of abandoning traditional investments.
An entrepreneurial decision process model describing opportunity recognition
Authors: Pech Richard J. , Cameron Alan
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to expand upon existing theories of entrepreneurial cognitions. It constructs an information‐processing framework of entrepreneurship (I‐Pe) that holistically maps out the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition process. This framework demonstrates how various entrepreneurial needs and attitudes, as well as entrepreneurial motivators, impact on the diagnosis and assessment of informational cues. It describes how opportunity‐related information is processed by entrepreneurs in order to reach a decision of acceptance or rejection of potential business opportunities.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper commences with a case study of New Zealand's winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Bill Day and his company Seaworks, a marine contracting firm. The case content is based on personal interviews by the authors as well as secondary data. The case describes how Seaworks achieved its current level of success. A number of Bill Day's uniquely entrepreneurial behaviours are then mapped into a cognitive framework describing influential elements of the entrepreneurial decision processes. This framework is derived from interdisciplinary research encompassing the study of entrepreneurship, psychology and cognitive neuroscience.

Findings

Entrepreneurs have a heightened ability and awareness for recognising and audaciously exploiting business opportunities. They persistently and continually seek opportunity‐laden information in order to satisfy internal motivators such as need for achievement and the fulfilment of competitive urges. The case study describes an entrepreneurial mind that is attracted and stimulated by elements of excitement and fun. This entrepreneur is driven by business challenges that match and stretch his skills, knowledge, and abilities. Business related informational cues are sought and processed to calculate profit potential, the level of risk, and the cost of enactment. Final calculations are filtered. Benefits and potentially positive outcomes are amplified in the calculation process, while potential complications are regarded as challenges to be overcome rather than obstacles to be avoided.

Practical implications

The I‐Peframework derived from this research clearly demonstrates uniquely entrepreneurial decision processes. It advances our understanding of entrepreneurial cognitions and entrepreneurial decision behaviours, which has applications for the teaching of business skills as well as increasing our understanding of the phenomenon that has been termed “entrepreneurship”.

Originality/value

This paper is based on an original case study written by the authors and integrates cognitive theory within the context of entrepreneurial behaviour in order to explain why entrepreneurs are so successful at recognising and exploiting opportunities.
Innovation in disruptive regulatory environments
Authors: Pilkington Alan , Dyerson Romano
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of the electric vehicle, technological capabilities of incumbents and would‐be new entrants in the auto industry. These are discussed with reference to US regulatory moves towards zero emission standards to provide a new framework for identifying the potential success of various types of regulation and the technological capabilities they demand.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodologically, a two pronged approach is adopted whereby US patents are analysed to quantitatively confirm the presented case‐based evidence on responses to emission regulation. The paper also discusses the use of patents as a means of examining technological development.

Findings

The paper shows the significant need for market protection for disruptive innovation and that a limiting factor of success in regulation occurs when radical technology is demanded.

Originality/value

A new framework is presented for identifying the potential success of various types of regulation by linking to the technological capabilities they demand and identifies the significant need for market protection for disruptive innovation. This implies that a limiting factor of success in regulation occurs when radical technology is demanded.
How leaders influence employees' innovative behaviour
Authors: de Jong Jeroen P.J. , Den Hartog Deanne N.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To provide an inventory of leader behaviours likely to enhance employees' innovative behaviour, including idea generation and application behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a combination of literature research and in‐depth interviews, the paper explores leadership behaviours that stimulate employees' idea generation and application behaviour. The study was carried out in knowledge‐intensive service firms (e.g. consultants, researchers, engineers).

Findings

It was found that there were 13 relevant leadership behaviours. Although innovative behaviour is crucial in such firms, it has received very little attention from researchers. Leaders influence employees' innovative behaviour both through their deliberate actions aiming to stimulate idea generation and application as well as by their more general, daily behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

Future quantitative research could condense our overview of leader practices, explore which practices are most relevant to employees' idea generation and/or application behaviour, which contingency factors influence the leadership‐innovative behaviour connection and provide information as to whether different practices are relevant in other types of firms.

Originality/value

Neither the innovation nor the leadership field provides a detailed overview of specific behaviours that leaders might use to stimulate innovation by individual employees. This paper fills that void.
Social cognitive theory in technological innovations
Authors: Ratten Vanessa , Ratten Hamish
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to understand the behavior that Australian youths have towards wireless application protocol (WAP) banking.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a quantitative study of the youth market in Australia. Social cognitive theory is utilized to support a conceptual model that is empirically tested.

Findings

The major finding from the research is that the conceptual model is partially supported which indicates the immaturity of WAP technology.

Originality/value

Social cognitive theory provides a useful explanation for youth's intentions to use WAP technology in the banking industry. The youth market is an early adopter of technology that presents a good indicator of future market potential.
Staff development and performance appraisal in a Brazilian research centre
Authors: Lourenço Ubeda Cristina , Cesar Almada Santos Fernando
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to analyse the staff development and performance appraisal in a Brazilian research centre.

Design/methodology/approach

The key issues of this case study are: the main organisational changes which have taken place over the last decades; the aspects of the organisational structure that have either contributed to or hindered competence‐based management; the development of necessary researchers' competences related to main projects and processes and the way of appraising the development of their competences. The analysis of this paper was carried out considering the following phases: strategic planning, specifications of projects and processes, competence‐based management and performance appraisal of researchers.

Findings

Although integration was found between the performance measurement and strategic plans defined by the research centre, competence‐based management is still centred on individuals and based on their tasks. The link between researchers' competences and their social context is not considered.

Originality/value

Feedback from the results of research projects and recycling of organisational processes would allow the studied organisation not only to identify the individual competences necessary for each activity, but also to improve the relationship between professional growth and innovation brought about by competitive strategies of companies.
Product counterfeiting, non‐consensual acquisition of technology and new product development
Authors: Trott P. , Hoecht A.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To examine the literature on counterfeit products and explore whether imitation and counterfeit product activities can actually facilitate the development of new products.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the dominant school of thought on counterfeit products that characterises it as a significant economic and social problem throughout the world, and develops an alternative school of thought, which focuses on the overlooked benefits of imitation and counterfeit activities. The paper suggests that the concepts of counterfeit and imitation are often misrepresented as powerful lobby groups present their cases.

Findings

This paper argues that while some counterfeit firms adopt short‐term profit motives other counterfeit firms demonstrate a longer‐term motive which manifests itself in an ability to reverse engineer, imitate and learn. Such firms may be suitable long‐term partners, in particular for multinational firms with operations in transition economies. Thus, firms face a difficult strategic choice when faced with product counterfeiters that of whether to fight or co‐operate.

Practical implications

Companies need to improve their risk management, in particular in their foreign market entry and collaborative strategies. Companies should seek to take a long‐term view and to protect their technology‐based competitive advantage. Furthermore, copyright and trademark holders need to positively identify collaborators and to offer sufficiently attractive prospects for these business partners to keep them “on the straight and narrow” and to benefit from the contribution they can make.

Originality/value

This paper brings together in a clear and coherent way an alternative perspective on counterfeiting products, which challenges the dominant perspective. This is based on recognising that reverse engineering (RE) and imitation form an essential part of the product innovation process.
SME exporting challenges in transitional and developed economies
Authors: Neupert Kent E. , Baughn C. Christopher , Thanh Lam Dao Thi
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This research seeks to extend earlier work by Scharf et al. (2001) that examined the challenges faced by SMEs along their path of internationalization. In particular, the internationalization process in transitional and developed economies is examined.

Design/methodology/approach

The central research methodology for the project uses a qualitative approach involving the in‐depth investigation of a “critical incident.” The incident explored is the firm's “worst nightmare” or “biggest challenge” in conducting international business. Respondents are asked to “tell the story” of the “critical incident”, its nature and consequences.

Findings

SME exporters in the transitional economy encountered export problems related to product quality acceptance and logistics management. In comparison, SME exporters in the developed economy faced issues such as country differences, general business risk, and logistics.

Research limitations/implications

The research methodology provides both limitations and benefits. This type of in‐depth critical incident analysis lends itself to small sample sizes, in this paper 29 cases. The limitation is the generalizability of the findings because of the small sample. The benefit is that the methodology yields an in‐depth understanding of the challenges faced by SME exporters.

Originality/value

This paper extends earlier work examining challenges faced by SMEs by comparing the experiences of managers in two different economic environments and finding differences in their respective challenges.
Co‐entrepreneurial ventures
Authors: O'Connor Valerie , Hamouda Angela , McKeon Helen , Henry Colette , Johnston Kate
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to discuss the nature of co‐entrepreneurs (i.e. those companies that have a mixture of male and female founding members) within the ICT sector in Ireland. For the purposes of this paper, the term “co‐entrepreneurship” is used to describe male and female business partnerships. The characteristics of co‐entrepreneurs; their educational, skills and family backgrounds; their current role in the company, and the nature of the team founder structure are examined. A discussion on why the team approach was selected is also included. Other issues explored in the paper include the shareholding percentage of the co‐entrepreneurs and the extent to which the business has a lead entrepreneur.

Design/methodology/approach

In 2003 the authors compiled a database of 1,026 indigenous ICT companies, which were electronically surveyed for information regarding software production, ownership of company and gender of founding members. A total of 24 per cent (81) of the responding companies from this survey indicated that there was a mixture of male and female founding members. These companies were subsequently sent another survey designed to gather information on company background, profiles of co‐entrepreneurs, co‐entrepreneurs' motivational factors and co‐entrepreneurs' roles. A total of 34 (43 per cent) of the companies responded, of which 23 were suitable for the research.

Findings

The findings of the study indicate that the family business or spouse/partner structure represents a major component of mixed gender companies in the ICT sector in Ireland, and that such companies tend to be small, with well‐educated and experienced founders.

Originality/value

A particularly interesting contribution of this paper is the provision of insights into the co‐entrepreneurial partnership through identifying the key differences between the male and female co‐founders. A key conclusion of the study is that there would appear to be a recognition among co‐entrepreneurs that complementary skills and knowledge are critically important in the exploitation of new business opportunities, especially in the IT industry.
Corporate real estate strategy in the UK and Malaysia
Authors: Ali Zaiton , McGreal Stanley , Adair Alastair , Webb James R.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare corporate real estate (CRE) strategies of companies in a mature market, the UK, with companies in an emerging market, Malaysia, and examine whether CRE strategy impacts on financial performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology involved the analysis of the reporting of CRE strategies in company reports for two time periods, 1998 and 2003. Multivariate models were used to test the relationship between CRE strategy and financial performance.

Findings

The results show that a high percentage of companies have CRE strategies that map to the Nourse and Roulac framework, though some companies had alternative or no CRE strategies. Variations are apparent between the UK and Malaysia and between the time periods with differences in the clarity of reporting. The contribution of CRE strategy to financial performance is more significant in 2003.

Research limitations/implications

The testing of relationships based on another framework, would allow comparisons to be made with the current study in determining the potential of CRE strategy.

Originality/value

This study has been the first attempt to identify relationships between CRE strategy and the financial performance of companies and in doing so has raised other potential questions for further research.
Enhancing the contribution of corporate real estate to corporate strategy
Authors: Scheffer Johannes J.L. , Singer Bastiaan P. , Van Meerwijk Marc C.C.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research paper is to provide corporate real estate executives with a measurement tool for pinpointing and enhancing the contribution of corporate real estate to corporate strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

A measurement tool is designed by adopting a theoretical framework in which seven added values of real estate are aligned with nine corporate strategic driving forces. The practical applicability of this tool is validated by assessing the contribution of corporate real estate to corporate strategy at 14 Dutch‐based global corporations.

Findings

Many corporations still lack sufficient insight into the impact of corporate real estate decisions on corporate performance. Therefore, it is difficult for senior management and other stakeholders to grasp the actual contribution of corporate real estate.

Research limitations/implications

Future research may be conducted to investigate the exhaustiveness of the listed real estate issues. Moreover, the linkage between the added values and the strategic driving forces could be validated further in practice.

Practical implications

The measurement tool supports corporate real estate executives in aligning corporate real estate with corporate strategy. Thereby it contributes to the further recognition of the importance of real estate in a corporate setting.

Originality/value

Prior papers on the contribution of corporate real estate to corporate strategy have primarily been focused on either pinpointing various driving forces or linking specific property decisions to corporate strategy. This paper, however, unveils the linkage between fundamental drivers of corporate real estate and corporate strategy in a comprehensive management tool for portfolio analysis and strategy formulation.
Developing an effective service life asset management and valuation model
Authors: Kooymans Rob , Abbott James
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to describe the development and testing of a depreciated replacement cost model for a portfolio of corporate real estate assets.

Design/methodology/approach

A model was developed in Microsoft Excel, using depreciation rates and adjustment factors derived from readily‐available tables applied to elemental building costs. The model was applied to an actual property portfolio, with the costs of data‐gathering being estimated.

Findings

The developed model proved to be effective in both planning and managing maintenance and capital expenditure, with application to life‐cycle maintenance and replacement decisions. The model was successfully used to conduct a replacement cost valuation on the test portfolio. It was found that the cost of the initial detailed data‐gathering could be repaid in a relatively short time by use of the model.

Practical implications

The methodology appears to be widely applicable to corporate real estate portfolios, with depreciation rates and methods, and levels of detail of components used being able to be changed to suit individual country and portfolio circumstances.

Originality/value

Provides a model useful for harnessing basic property information into a sophisticated day‐to‐day and strategic portfolio management tool.
The art of entrepreneurial foresight
Authors: Fontela Emilio , Guzmán Joaquín , Pérez Marybel , Santos Francisco Javier
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to present an analysis of entrepreneurial activities that emphasises anticipation and the art of future exploration; in so doing, it identifies important aspects of entrepreneurship as aesthetic or creative activities.

Design/methodology/approach

After a short synthesis of the main entrepreneurial functions in terms of decision making in the financial sphere, the managerial sphere, and the “booster” sphere, the paper concentrates on the qualities required for a successful “booster” function (motivation, ambition, innovation, cooperation, proactiveness). Because proactiveness and innovation both require futures thinking and creativity, the paper presents relevant material from the literature on long‐term foresight to establish the artistic aspects of these important components of entrepreneurial activities.

Findings

The paper's linking of entrepreneurial functions to the capacity for anticipation establishes the need for entrepreneurs to acquire competencies (in the area of forecasting) that are usually associated with artistic endeavours.

Practical implications

There is an urgent need for university curricula to include material that is oriented towards the training of entrepreneurs. This should include specific courses on creativity and forecasting.

Originality/value

The recognition that key entrepreneurial functions (proactiveness and innovation) are more art than science, and that they therefore require a set of operational tools, is relatively novel in the current literature on entrepreneurial (and managerial) functions, and opens a research field in business decision making.