bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Investment Advisers Act: the need for clarity in the post‐Goldstein era
Authors: Wider Jedd
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to discuss regulatory clarifications provided by the SEC since the June 2006 DC Court of Appeals decision in Goldstein v. Securities and Exchange Commission disrupted the SEC's hedge fund registration framework and other recently promulgated investment adviser practices and procedures.

Design/methodology/approach

Describes recent legislative efforts to reexamine the hedge fund industry and the SEC's response letter on several important issues raised by the American Bar Association Subcommittee on Private Investment Entities; highlights the need for the SEC and/or legislatures to address numerous issues raised by the Goldstein decision.

Findings

The SEC's response letter to the ABA Subcommittee on Private Investment Entities provided clarification on recordkeeping requirements for performance information, performance‐based compensation, and deadlines for distributing audited financial statements of funds‐of‐funds to investors. Further actions to be taken by the SEC and/or legislatures are still uncertain on issues such as the applicability of the antifraud provisions of the Advisers Act, the investment adviser accreditation threshold for “accredited investors,” liberalization of the manner of offering restrictions, increasing financial tests for individuals qualified to invest in hedge funds, and the necessity for general solicitation restrictions.

Originality/value

A useful update on the continually changing regulatory environment for hedge funds by an attorney who specializes in investment fund regulation.
NASD publishes initial proposal to change conflict of interest rules relating to underwriting of public offerings in the United States
Authors: Gittleman Charles S. , Sacks Russell D.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the NASD's recent proposal modifying NASD Rule 2720, the rule by which underwriting can be conducted where the underwriter and the issuer have a “conflict of interest” as defined by the rules.

Design/methodology/approach

Summarizes and analyzes the proposal.

Findings

On September 14, 2006, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (“NASD”) published for initial comment proposed amendments to Conduct Rule 2720 (the “Rule”) relating to conflicts of interest that occur between underwriters and issuers in the context of securities distributions (the “Proposal”). The Proposal substantially changes the Rule, and, as such, adjusts certain aspects of the underwriting process including: where the underwriter and the issuer are affiliates; where the underwriter or its affiliates (including venture capital and private equity arms) have an ownership interest in the issuer; and where the purpose of the securities offering is to repay debt owed to the underwriter or its affiliates.

Practical implications

NASD‐member broker‐dealers may seek to monitor the state of the Proposal in order to ensure that firm policies and procedures are consistent with future changes to the Rule. NASD members will also want to consider how the Proposal signals NASD's changes in thinking in respect of how they approach conflicts of interest in their own businesses.

Originality/value

Alerts practitioners and the industry to a new proposal that has significant consequences for underwriting, particularly in an age of increasingly global financial institutions.
Tackling risk‐based compliance
Authors: Ludwick Kevin
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to recommend a way for the compliance function to identify, monitor, and report the risks it faces to the firm's management.

Design/methodology/approach

Outlines the principal challenges in setting up a risk reporting system and recommends a three‐phase approach for implementing such a system.

Findings

Developing a risk reporting system presents three challenges: designing a reporting system driven in real time by compliance work with a varied data set, organizing the information and processes of the compliance function so they can be automated, and arranging the presentation of risk to reflect complex organizational structures. The three phases for implementing such a system are gaining management sponsorship, looking for pilot projects to score quick victories, and rolling out the program.

Originality/value

An overview of compliance risk reporting systems that stresses the importance of collecting the right data in an automated fashion.
Application of cybernetics to manufacturing flexibility: a systems perspective
Authors: Scala Joe , Purdy Lyn , Safayeni Frank
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Flexibility continues to be key to the competitiveness of manufacturing firms. However, both in academia and industry, there still exists a lack of understanding regarding the fundamental nature of flexibility. This lack of understanding has often led to overly optimistic expectations regarding the direct transformation of technological flexibility into manufacturing flexibility. A theoretical model of the firm, based on cybernetics, is proposed in this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

The model relates flexibility to the cybernetic concept of variety and examines a dynamic system in terms of its task structure.

Findings

The model proves useful both in dispelling some of the misconceptions regarding flexibility, and in providing practical insights into issues of designing flexible manufacturing organizations.

Practical implications

The paper presents a means by which variety can be measured.

Originality/value

The conceptual model clarifies certain aspects of system flexibility. The first implication is that the flexibility required at a node is not fixed, but dependent on its connection with other nodes. The degree to which the interconnected nodes are effective regulators determines the variety impinging upon the target node. The second implication is that variety reduction is often a preferred solution over increased variety handling. The third implication is that the seemingly peculiar finding that relatively inflexible nodes in combination can be quite flexible, is easily explained using this theoretical model of the firm. System flexibility depends more on each node possessing requisite variety than on each possessing an enormous number of responses.
International shopfloor level productivity differences: an exploratory study
Authors: Steenhuis Harm‐Jan , de Bruijn Erik J.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Operations managers need to consider where to manufacture, or outsource, their manufacturing activities. A factor in location choice is productivity differences at different locations. This study aims to focus on determining productivity at the shopfloor level since this is the place where the differences in productivity ultimately affect the international competition position.

Design/methodology/approach

Causes for international differences in productivity for an essentially equal production technology, with an essentially equal level of shopfloor skills are determined from case analysis.

Findings

It was found that working conditions, degree of centralization, the national attitude towards time, and the motivation of the workforce influence productivity.

Practical implications

Productivity is dependent on factors that are connected with the external environment. Consequently, companies can not assume that productivity levels will be the same when moving to another country.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates factors, some outside of the company's control, that affect productivity and therefore the cost of international production.
Dispersed network manufacturing: adapting SMEs to compete on the global scale
Authors: Noori Hamid , Lee W.B.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To develop a conceptual framework for a new form of production system unique from many perspectives. The proposed system is based on the creation of a network of plants that are electronically linked so that the participating members focus on their specialized tasks yet also share their manufacturing and production resources to create a loosely structured and flexible enterprise.

Design/methodology/approach

To introduce dispersed network manufacturing (DNM) as a new business model, and to discuss dispersed manufacturing network (DMN) as a possible realization of DNM. To link DMN to complex adaptive systems and to provide a prototype as to how SMEs can form a dynamic and adaptive network to create competitive advantages on both collaborative and individual scales.

Findings

The notion of DNM advocates a reciprocal bonding among network members but calls for no obligatory egalitarian responsibility to one another. This research shows the feasibility of a network of plants that are electronically linked so that the participating members, spread geographically, focus on their specialized tasks yet also share their manufacturing and production resources to create a loosely structured and flexible enterprise.

Research limitations/implications

In the DNM universe, because of the network's requirement to re‐form itself to the needs of each unique incoming project, SMEs have the ability to rapidly develop and enhance their internal production capabilities. Each new incoming project offers the chance to reaffirm those processes that are highly effective while discarding those that are deemed ill‐suited. The DNM world is still in its infancy and many interesting and challenging questions have yet to be investigated empirically or otherwise.

Practical implications

The new production system discussed in this paper argues for a completely different form of SME collaboration from those already discussed in the literature.

Originality/value

DNM and DMN are new concepts that are evolving into an innovative production paradigm. It is likely that many companies and many managers have some intuitive grasp of the DNM world and the opportunities provided by forming a DMN. Few, however, might understand them thoroughly. This research provides further knowledge on SMEs DNM.
A model for managing the transition to a global engineering network spanning industrialized and emerging economies
Authors: Karandikar Harshavardhan , Nidamarthi Srinivas
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Product development in most industries is often done today in a global engineering network (GEN). More recently, there has been a clear shift to using development resources from the so‐called “emerging countries” (ECs) that have growing domestic market, highly skilled workforce, and low labor cost base. The integration of resources from ECs, whether from the company's own businesses there or from external suppliers, poses a new challenge for collaborative work in a GEN. This paper aims to describe these challenges. Further, the process of transition to the use of resources from ECs is fraught with business risks. Further, seeks to discuss these risks and how they can be mitigated and to propose a model, derived from practice, to manage the transition process. The model comprises a set of foundation elements and location‐dependent transformation processes.

Design/methodology/approach

Product development teams in three businesses were studied – an automotive supplier, a manufacturer of made‐to‐order electrical equipment and a developer of automation software – over three years. These businesses were in the process of relocating some development activities to ECs. Two of the teams were assisted in this transition and the third observed and the model presented is an outcome of this involvement.

Findings

Successfully starting a global development team strategy requires clarity and transparency of strategy, good communication, proper organization of effort and focus on product and process standardization. Further, a set of change management processes needs to be launched at participating locations for competence build‐up and team building.

Practical implications

This model can be used by organizations setting up such EC‐IC teams to avoid the possibility of failure of such critical collaborative efforts.

Originality/value

There is considerable literature on distributed product development and virtual teams. The coverage includes management challenges, technology enablers and organizational and multi‐cultural challenges. However, the specific challenge of teams comprising membership from advanced and ECs is not covered. Further, while the literature deals with the operation of such teams it does not cover the sensitive transition or start‐up phase. This paper deals with this issue.
A web‐based logistics management system for agile supply demand network design
Authors: Helo Petri , Xiao You , Roger Jiao Jianxin
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Online, on‐demand and real‐time availability of information to all members of a manufacturing system enables them to be agile and in the best position to react quickly, efficiently, synchronously, and collectively to the changing market. This paper proposes an integrated web‐based logistics management system for agile supply demand network design (ASDN).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a software system, which is distributed as open source. A case study of ABB Company in Finland has been undertaken and this demonstrates the validity of ASDN in designing and managing supply demand networks.

Findings

Current software applications, such as ERP, WMS and EAI do not support a higher‐level decision making. There are several performance measures, which are directly connected to structure of the network.

Practical implications

The presented software supports modeling, analyzing and limited optimizing of supply demand networks. Also discussed is the network level logistics analysis that is behind the modeling tool.

Originality/value

The paper introduces the ASDN software, which is freely available for research and commercial uses. The case example shows how this type of network architecture‐related decisions can be analyzed.
Achieving agility in supply chain through simultaneous “design of” and “design for” supply chain
Authors: Sharifi H. , Ismail H.S. , Reid I.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The two main constituting elements of the supply chains are “product” and “supply chain operations”, which are highly inter‐related across more than one dimension. Many of the drawbacks in the success and sustainability of supply chains often relate to the segregation of these dimensions. This paper seeks to examine the ideas and to propose an integrated approach to facilitate the dynamic and simultaneous design and development of products and supply chains, thus contributing to the notion of agile supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

Two critical areas of product design and development, and supply chain design and management have been studied, leading to the conceptual development of practical models for approaching the subject. The proposed framework then is examined in a field case study in which a number of issues raised in this paper are validated through observing these supply chains.

Findings

A detailed view of the model of simultaneous approach to “design of” and “design for” supply chain is developed and proposed.

Practical implications

The proposition made by this research work can lead to reconsideration of existing practices in design of products as well as management of supply chain where the decisions at each dimension could be impacted by the circumstances in the other and continued in a dynamic way.

Originality/value

It is expected that the research results will contribute to existing practices and approaches in product development as well as in supply chain development and management.
Whiteboard‐based interface for collaboration in e‐manufacturing environment
Authors: Ito Teruaki
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop an environment where participants share a virtual workspace, which allows the participants to collaborate on a physical model as well as a digital model in a natural manner as if they were in a face‐to‐face meeting.

Design/methodology/approach

The idea of this study was designed and implemented as BOCOLLA system based on CELAVIS system. BOCOLLA system enables users to manipulate computer software on a conventional whiteboard using a marker pen during video conference with CELAVIS system.

Findings

BOCOLLA system shows the feasibility of the non‐IT interface with a conventional whiteboard as an IT‐based interface which enables telematic operation for video conferences.

Research limitations/implications

Digital models plays a critical role in e‐manufacturing, but their physical models would enhance the collaboration in e‐manufacturing if it could be shared among the collaboration members over the network.

Practical implications

The study identifies the potential of conventional tools as an interface to the innovative technologies.

Originality/value

Using a physical model sharing example, this paper shows the feasibility of BOCOLLA to the application of e‐manufacturing.
EJB‐MVC oriented supplier selection system for mass customization
Authors: Hou Jiachen , Su Daizhong
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to develop a distributed system with an innovative supplier selection approach within a mass customization (MC) environment. The aim is to help manufacturers to identify appropriate suppliers for the components, materials and services required within the procedure of product design and manufacture.

Design/methodology/approach

To identify the barriers for the supplier selection issues, current researches regarding the issues of supplier selection and MC have been reviewed. Based on the findings, the new supplier selection approach has been developed.

Findings

Within the global manufacturing environment, conventional way of appraising suppliers cannot enhance manufacturers' competitiveness advantage over their rivals. It is inevitable for manufacturers to identify appropriate competitive priorities for each of their potential market segments when designing products. Selecting appropriate suppliers is a fundamental issue to fulfill manufacturers' development strategy. The approach will enhance supplier selection efficiency and flexibility under the MC environment, enabling manufactures to avoid or minimize risks when external conditions change.

Research limitations/implications

The case study is limited to selecting suppliers of two components for an ink cartridge, however, the general approach is applicable to other type of products.

Practical implications

The whole concept of this selection system is to provide a supplier selection approach for MC environment by utilizing the web‐based technologies to deliver a means which enables geographically dispersed functions making supplier selection more efficiently. Manufacturers can utilize this approach to evaluate and to find most appropriate suppliers based on various situations.

Originality/value

The supplier selection approach focuses on the general supplier selection issues incorporating with product market position and development directions issues for MC, which provides a more dynamic and robust method to select and evaluate potential suppliers according to a range of conditions.
CRM collaboration in financial services networks: a multi‐case analysis
Authors: Geib Malte , Kolbe Lutz M. , Brenner Walter
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to identify key issues and successful patterns of collaborative customer relationship management (CRM) in financial services networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The study takes the form of a multi‐case analysis.

Findings

The paper finds that key issues of CRM in financial services networks are redundant competencies of partnering companies, privacy constraints, CRM process integration, customer information exchange, and CRM systems integration. To address these issues, partnering companies have to agree on clear responsibilities in collaborative processes. Data privacy protection laws require that customer data transfer between partnering companies has the explicit approval of customers. For process integration, companies have to agree on process standards and a joint integration architecture. Web services and internet‐based standards can be used for inter‐organizational systems integration. Data integration requires the development of a joint data model. Either a unique customer identification number or a matching algorithm must be used to consolidate customer data records of partnering companies.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the limited number of case studies, generalizability is limited. The findings can serve as a starting point for researchers seeking to further explore the topic with quantitative methods.

Practical implications

The findings can be used by financial services networks to improve their collaborative CRM approaches.

Originality/value

The importance of collaborative CRM in business networks is likely to increase due to the continuing deconstruction of value chains not only in the financial services industry, but in other industries as well. Nevertheless, the topic has not received much attention in research.
International case studies
Authors: Fink Dieter , Disterer Georg
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to overcome previous research limitations by examining both macro (industry, country) and micro (functions, enterprise) level phenomena within the information communication technologies (ICT) use of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Australia and Germany were chosen because both recognise the importance of SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted an interpretivist philosophy and a qualitative case study method that enables gathering data which are rich in detail. Semi‐structured, on‐site interviews were carried out in eight firms of various classifications.

Findings

The study found that, for micro enterprises, ICT is only emerging in the form of systems that have the potential to facilitate the interactions with the outside. Small enterprises rely heavily on personal interactions, which they supplement with the use of ICT. In medium enterprises, ICT is more extensively used in interactions, both internally and with the environment. The differences between Australian and German firms do not significantly affect the extent to which ICT is infused into observed SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

The study used the interpretivist research paradigm which is based on the assumption that reality is socially constructed. Findings indicated the need for increased organisational competencies and greater scope to use ICT to facilitate interaction with the external environment, especially customers and suppliers and forming alliances.

Originality/value

The case studies provided rich stories of ICT infusion in the important SME sector on an international scale and produced context‐aware institutionalised expectations that can help other SMEs understand ICT use. They can use the findings as benchmarks against which to measure their own endeavours.
Uncertainty and contingency plans in ERP‐controlled manufacturing environments
Authors: Koh S.C.L. , Simpson M. , Lin Y.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This research aims to determine to what extent uncertainties affected manufacturing enterprises' delivery performance, to analyse the performance of their contingency plans in dealing with uncertainties and to explore what technical and organisational factors affected managers' decisions to implement an uncertainty‐diagnosing model.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology included a literature review, postal questionnaire survey and telephone interviews.

Findings

A total of 30 companies responded to the questionnaire, 56 per cent of which thought their systems worked well and 80 per cent reported that material shortages were responsible for tardy delivery performance. Tardy delivery was directly or indirectly caused by poor supplier delivery performance in the opinion of 92 per cent of respondents. Seven companies had developed an uncertainty‐diagnosing model. Not all companies needed to adopt the model.

Research limitations/implications

Uncertainty and contingency plans were investigated in UK and Chinese organisations using MRP/MRPII/ERP systems. Therefore, the findings will be directly relevant to the organisations, but may be adapted to other similar organisations.

Practical implications

A detection method was proposed to determine the steps required for organisations to adopt the uncertainty‐diagnosing model.

Originality/value

The paper provides some empirical data on uncertainty and the contingency plans used in ERP‐controlled manufacturing environments in organisations in the UK and China. Data on uncertainty are scarce and this research gives further insights into the ways managers perceive and handle uncertainty.
Levels of abstraction in human supervisory control teams
Authors: Stanton N.A. , Ashleigh M.J. , Roberts A.D. , Xu F.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to report a study into the levels of abstraction hierarchy (LOAH) in two energy distribution teams. The original proposition for the LOAH was that it depicted five levels of system representation, working from functional purpose through to physical form to determine causes of a malfunction, or from physical form to functional purpose to determine the purpose of system function. The LOAH has been widely used throughout human supervisory control research to explain individual behaviour. The research seeks to focus on the application the LOAH to human supervisory control teams in semi‐automated “intelligent” systems.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of interviews were conducted in two energy distribution companies.

Findings

The results of the study suggest that people in the teams are predominantly operating at different levels of system representation, depending on their role. Managerial personnel work at functional purpose and abstract function levels, whereas operational personnel work at physical function and physical form levels. It is argued that both types of personnel are part of the wider distributed problem‐solving system, which includes both people and technology.

Originality/value

The research provides useful information on the application of the LOAH to human supervisory control teams in semi‐automated “intelligent” systems.
The critical need for coverage of quality decision making in professional and management education
Authors: Rausch Erwin
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to explain the need for inclusion of a segment on criteria for decision quality in management and leadership education and in management development programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a conceptual base for the use of criteria to achieve high‐quality decisions. It explains the two aspects of all decisions (technical and leadership/management) and discusses some examples of research into a limited set of criteria and then offers an overview of a comprehensive set of criteria.

Findings

The paper expands on conclusions from previous work by providing solid reasons for the use of decision criteria.

Research limitations/implications

The paper points to the need for extensive research to validate the criteria and offers specific suggestions on research objectives.

Practical implications

The use of comprehensive criteria for the management/leadership aspects of decisions can significantly improve the quality of decisions in work situations, and also in many family and other private life situations.

Originality/value

In addition to the criteria themselves, a major value of the paper is the emphasis on the importance of recognizing that there are two aspects to all decisions and that comprehensive criteria for the technical decisions are provided by education and training in all fields and disciplines, while none are provided in management and leadership programs.
EAI and SOA: factors and methods influencing the integration of multiple ERP systems (in an SAP environment) to comply with the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act
Authors: Maurizio Amelia , Girolami Louis , Jones Peter
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to review the factors and methods used to integrate multiple ERP systems to comply with the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (SOA) in an EAI environment focusing on the SAP business warehouse application.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines earlier research, surveys, actual processes and documentation defined in the SAP system as well as information gathered from developers, auditors and compliance experts.

Findings

To comply with the SOA, it is advisable to look to the area of EAI for assistance. The challenge of configuring a landscape to comply with the SOA without EAI means that most of the links for data transfer would be interfaces versus integration, which is not acceptable to compliance groups. For SOA requirements, including internal controls, testing, security, authorisations and consistency and speeds, there are tools to help successfully achieve the goal of IT compliance in the SAP environment.

Research limitations/implications

As SOA continues to take shape, further review and investigation of how these changes will affect the EAI environment must be undertaken.

Practical implications

The paper provides the realisation that achieving SOA compliance is not an easy task, and that the available technology must be used to complete this task. IT must structure a governing organisation similar to that found on the applications side of the system to comply with the SOA.

Originality/value

With the passing and implementation of the SOA, companies are experiencing additional pressure to develop the means to constantly audit themselves internally. As technology is the key to achieving this goal, organisations must prepare their IT infrastructures to support compliance and the IT departments to develop strategy.
A change management approach to evaluating ICT investment initiatives
Authors: Williams Michael D. , Williams Janet
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Despite the availability of methods and techniques designed to assist with predictive and retrospective evaluation of ICT initiatives, management continues to struggle to perform meaningful evaluations, and the measurement of ICT investment payoff remains a challenge. A recurring problem associated with failed ICT‐based investment is poor change management. This paper aims to focus on the value of understanding the change management aspects of ICT investments.

Design/methodology/approach

A framework was developed from a study of the change management literature. An empirical investigation involving a qualitative case study approach was then conducted in order to assess the efficacy of the framework during the evaluation process.

Findings

Business benefit from ICT is likely only when ICT investment is accompanied by appropriate change management skills. The study highlights the particular importance of communication, championing and change agency, resources, and the project timescale.

Research limitations/implications

Results were generated from a single case study. It is also acknowledged that it is unclear what impact (if any) a parallel project had on the project under investigation.

Practical implications

The paper highlights the value of effective change management, placing particular emphasis on effective communication during all stages of a project.

Originality/value

The paper explicitly employs change management techniques in order to identify potential problem areas. It recommends longitudinal research be conducted in order to employ the framework during both ex ante and ex post evaluation for a single initiative.
Knowledge sharing in Asian public administration sector: the case of Hong Kong
Authors: Yao L.J. , Kam T.H.Y. , Chan S.H.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to investigate how culture, attitudes and barriers affect knowledge sharing in a Hong Kong government department.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews and survey instruments were used to collect data for qualitative analysis.

Findings

Knowledge management and knowledge sharing were welcome ideas in the Hong Kong government department. Informal and tacit knowledge sharing took place but the Chinese culture remained as a barrier to knowledge sharing.

Research limitations/implications

As this is a study of one government department in one particular country, the findings may not be sufficiently generalizable.

Practical implications

Senior management in the public administration sector should be made more aware of what knowledge management can do to help improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

Originality/value

The study is an in‐depth analysis of one large government department's use of knowledge management, which has not been studied before. This study and its findings contribute significantly to the knowledge of how culture will affect knowledge management in the public administration sector.
Software development as a design or a production project
Authors: McBride Tom , Henderson‐Sellers Brian , Zowghi Didar
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to investigate whether project managers regard software development projects as design problems or production problems.

Design/methodology/approach

Project management literature was examined to determine what evidence there should be to indicate whether a software development project was regarded as a problem to be solved or a product to be produced. Data were then collected through structured interview of project managers currently engaged in managing software development projects. The data were analysed to determine how project managers regarded their projects and whether this matched a theoretical expectation.

Findings

The empirical data indicated that most project managers regard their projects as production problems, where it is assumed that the underlying problem is largely understood, the project encapsulated in a planned schedule of activities and there will be an emphasis on monitoring the project against the planned progress.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to the small sample size of fewer than 30 project managers, external validity is weak. More research is needed to confirm these results over a larger sample and to probe more subtle orientation to production or design projects.

Practical implications

The research developed a simple test to indicate the degree of novelty of the application to be developed. The test indicates whether the application is novel and should be treated as a design problem, or well known and therefore should be treated as a production problem.

Originality/value

The paper draws attention to the need for project managers to evaluate the type of application to be developed and to adopt an appropriate project management approach. The paper also provides a simple test to achieve that objective.
A process‐stakeholder analysis of B2B industry standardisation
Authors: Rodon Juan , Ramis‐Pujol Juan , Christiaanse Ellen
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Interoperability standards are a crucial aspect in the development of B2B e‐business. The aim of this paper is to understand how standardisation evolves by analysing the interplay between activities and stakeholders within the process. Unlike most of the IS research that focuses on the underlying technologies within standards, this study explores the standardisation processes and the interaction between the different participants.

Design/methodology/approach

This issue was explored with a case study of the standardisation activity in the Port Community of Barcelona. The primary source of data was semi‐structured interviews with members of the standardisation committee, direct observation in meetings and related documentation. Data coding and analysis, using qualitative methods, proceeded in parallel with data collection.

Findings

The analysis reveals critical success factors in the urgency perceived by the dominant stakeholder and the inclusion of a workgroup manager. Also the workgroup manager can have a significant positive impact by focusing on sense‐making activities during the first steps of the process.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on a single organisation and a largely retrospective analysis of two standardisation exercises.

Originality/value

This paper contributes significantly to the literature on vertical B2B standardisation by combining process theories and stakeholder analysis approaches. It demonstrates greater insight into managing successful standards initiatives by taking this holistic approach to the research.
Mastering the art of corroboration
Authors: Ezingeard Jean‐Noël , McFadzean Elspeth , Birchall David
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to investigate how the information assurance (IA) efforts of organisations should be aligned with their business strategy. From this analysis, a conceptual model of alignment is presented. This framework shows several organisational factors that can influence alignment.

Design/methodology/approach

A number of published works on alignment are discussed in order to develop a conceptual model of IA fit. In addition, Venkatraman's six perspectives of alignment are used as a framework to suggest future research in this area.

Findings

The paper presents a definition of information assurance and proposes various reasons why IA is a strategic issue and should be aligned with both IT and corporate strategy. From the literature, a conceptual model illustrating the variables that can influence alignment is presented.

Research limitations/implications

A clear conceptualisation of alignment is needed. Six potential research models and associated research questions are proposed.

Practical implications

The paper concludes with a number of management and research implications. In looking at the implications for managers, it is argued that any alignment framework should include adequate metrics for checking the strategic fit on a continuous basis.

Originality/value

This paper is an initial attempt to fulfil an identified gap in the literature, namely the lack of research undertaken on IA and corporate strategy alignment. It offers practical help for management so that they can improve the fit between IA and business strategy. It also offers several avenues of potential future research using Venkatraman's six perspectives of fit.
Performance management analysis: a case study at a Dutch municipality
Authors: de Waal A.A. , Gerritsen‐Medema G.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Recently a tool called the performance management analysis (PMA) was developed, which can help an organisation evaluate its degree of performance drive. The purpose of this article is to describe the application of this tool at a Dutch municipality.

Design/methodology/approach

This article looks at a study undertaken by the University of Amsterdam which performed a performance management analysis at the city of Lelystad in The Netherlands.

Findings

The results of the analysis offered the municipality a clear insight into the areas that needed attention, which enticed the start of several performance management improvement projects.

Originality/value

Researchers are increasingly interested in the relation between behaviour and the use of performance management systems. It is important to study this relation because the use of performance management improves performance driven behaviour, and consequently the results of an organisation.
Enhancing importance‐performance analysis
Authors: Eskildsen Jacob K. , Kristensen Kai
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The interpretation of the importance/performance map is based on an assumption of independence between importance and performance but many studies question the validity of this assumption. The aim of this research is to develop a new typology for job satisfaction attributes as well as a new importance/performance map that can be an aid for organizations when they prioritize their improvement actions based on a job satisfaction study.

Design/methodology/approach

A typology for possible relationships between importance and performance in job satisfaction studies is developed based on theoretical considerations. This typology is then applied and validated on approximately 10,000 responses from the European Employee Index 2002. Ultimately a new importance/performance map for priority setting in job satisfaction studies is developed based on the new typology for possible relationships between importance and performance.

Findings

The result of this analysis showed that the assumption of independence between the importance and performance is invalid in certain situations.

Research limitations/implications

The subsets in the analysis are not all independent since a respondent may appear in more than one subset. This is a problem with the data generating process that to some extent might influence the analysis.

Practical implications

Profound impact on the way that the importance/performance map should be interpreted since non‐proportional attributes will move both vertically as well as horizontally in the traditional importance/performance map as performance changes.

Originality/value

This paper gives a theoretical explanation for the presence of non‐proportional satisfiers and develops a new importance/performance map that takes the presence of non‐proportional satisfiers into account.
Measuring performance via production management: a pattern analysis
Authors: Chen Liang‐Hsuan , Liaw Shu‐Yi
Published: January 2007

Purpose – To propose a pattern analysis method to help firms rectify weaknesses of production management (PM) and thus promote their business performance. Design/methodology/approach – Total factor productivity and the associated partial productivity indices are defined, and four kinds of production planning ranges, i.e. long‐range planning, medium‐range planning, short‐range planning, and execution, are defined based on 14 PM issues. A fuzzy clustering approach is applied to group the sampled firms into several patterns based on the achievement degrees of production planning in order to investigate the particular characteristics of each pattern. Findings – After analyzing the productivity characteristics of each pattern, the correlation between productivity and production management can be determined. In this study, the business performance seems to be not completely correlated with the achievements of production management, since moderate production planning can provide optimal business performance. Research limitations/implications – The patterns produced from the proposed approaches depend on the sampled data set. A solid sampling method is important to this study. Practical implications – The sampled data are collected from the top 50 large‐scale manufacturing firms in Taiwan. The results obtained from this paper may not be consistent with the situations in the other countries. Originality/value – Referring to the findings from each pattern, a firm can further investigate its position in the industry to find ways of increasing its competitiveness.
A model to identify relevant data for problem tracing and maintenance cost‐effective decisions
Authors: Al‐Najjar Basim , Kans Mirka
Published: January 2007

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to help build up a relevant database for mapping technical and financial effectiveness of production in order to make cost‐effective maintenance decisions. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical model is developed based on past research and experience adopting a holistic systems approach on the production. A case study, which includes databases of two maintenance‐used software programs, verifies the potential of applying the model. Findings – The main result achieved is a model for identifying relevant data required for accurate problem tracing and localisation within maintenance and production processes using a top down approach. The main conclusions are integration of IT and data resources within the enterprise is needed for developing a holistic view of the production process and a well‐formulated and documented procedure of data identification will ensure that the data can be traced back to root sources and in this way we can support the work of continuous cost‐effective improvement by eliminating root causes of problems at an early stage. Research limitations/implications – Further model verification by industrial case studies would be of interest. Practical implications – The holistic approach and the model presented are applicable especially in capital intensive industries, where maintenance budget is not negligible and the amount of data to process is large. By structuring the data need and data identification process relevant performance measures will be monitored and advanced maintenance concepts can be applied. Originality/value – By applying the proposed model in industry, the data identification process itself and not the data contents is necessary to be standardised and structured. It shifts the focus of the quality aspect from just data level to both data and data collection level. The performance measures will therefore not be chosen depending on what the IT applications can provide in first hand, but upon what is needed for cost‐effective mapping, analysis, following up and assessment of maintenance performance.
Reengineering the supply chain in a paint company
Authors: Sehgal Sanjay , Sahay B.S. , Goyal S.K.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline the importance and benefits an organisation can achieve through supply chain integration. These benefits are primarily in the area of achieving superior customer service and operating with lower working capital.

Design/methodology/approach

A three level framework for achieving the integration has been proposed which is in the form of structural integration, process integration and performance integration. The paper also describes in detail the factors influencing an organisations working capital needs and how this integration mechanism allows the organisation to exercise control over these factors. The framework has been described in the form of a case study in a paints company.

Findings

The research findings reveal that most of the Indian organisations have aligned their supply chain objectives with their business objectives. They are now on course for aligning their processes and management focus. Enhanced levels of competitiveness would require Indian organisations to manage the three‐dimensional alignment of achieving the agenda set by the business strategy.

Research limitations/implications

Further research work should focus on assessing the current level of supply chain integration. It is essential that structure and strategy should be aligned to achieve the business objective of providing superior customer service at the lowest cost.

Practical implications

This paper provides a detailed study to help supply chain managers improve supply chain efficiency through reengineering. Dramatic improvements have been achieved with the improvement of service levels (OTIF) by more than 20 per cent across all regions. Planning orientation and organisational integration resulted in process optimisation across the supply chain.

Originality/value

The benefits of re‐engineering have increased company's commitment to the integration of the Supply Chain Organisation and it is driving further business improvement initiatives through this organisation. This framework can also be used as a guiding source to carry out organisational transformation process.