bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainability and energy efficiency
Authors: van Hoek Remko , Johnson Mark
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to answer the questions posed by the special issue editors using insights from leading academics in the field and case examples drawn from two renowned global companies. It also aims to define potential avenues for further research in the thematic areas covered.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a roundtable discussion with the Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals's Education Strategy Committee and case materials and presentations from Cisco Systems and Walmart to generate the insights.

Findings

The existing cost/lead‐time trade‐off model still applies yet changes in fuel prices and the importance of sustainability initiatives (also from a marketing point of view) lead to different equilibrium points.

Research limitations/implications

Based on insight from leading academics and case examples, the paper suggests that the trade‐offs are made more intricate and require the more accurate addition of new factors such as social costs as today most of the decision making tends to be traditional economic and not yet include social and environmental as much. Nuances need to be added to avoid marketing skewing the trade‐off away from sustainability over time if it turns out that sustainability is a marketing/public relations fad that might go away. And the length of time for sustainable initiatives to have an impact needs to be considered, if it turns out the marketing advantage does not have staying power as long as investment write off periods. These suggest potentially fruitful avenues for further research. The cases also offer practical guidance as to how leading companies green their supply chains.

Originality/value

This paper specifically addresses the call for papers questions of the special issue editors through the synthesis of insights from leading academics and companies.
Environmental impacts as buying criteria for third party logistical services
Authors: Wolf Christina , Seuring Stefan
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to analyse whether environmental issues form a supplier selection criteria of companies when sourcing third party logistics (3PL) services.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a total of nine cases, where six buyers and three 3PL are analysed in depth so that data are collected for both parties involved in related dyadic relationships.

Findings

While 3PL reports an increasing interest in environmental issues, buying decisions are still made on “traditional” performance objectives, such as price, quality and timely delivery. Environmental concerns have not been incorporated and at best form a kind of minimum requirement. Related cooperation, as asked for when taking a wider supply chain management perspective, could not be identified.

Research limitations/implications

The paper has the limitation that only a total of nine companies are analysed. Yet, these companies can be seen as being good representatives of the overall industry. Further, detailed information is collected on all companies, it permitted the understanding of related corporate action. One implication would be conducting, e.g. a survey for collecting data on a larger number of cases.

Practical implications

Buyers of 3PL services and companies are challenged towards rethinking their strategies.

Originality/value

So far, there is very little research on how buyers and 3PL jointly manage environmental issues. The paper addresses environmental issues as a buying criteria and places this into the wider literature on logistics and sustainable supply chain management.
Quality in group service encounters
Authors: Finsterwalder Jörg , Tuzovic Sven
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of service quality for settings where several customers are involved in the joint creation and consumption of a service. The approach is to provide first insights into the implications of a simultaneous multi‐customer integration on service quality.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper undertakes a thorough review of the relevant literature before developing a conceptual model regarding service co‐creation and service quality in customer groups.

Findings

Group service encounters must be set up carefully to account for the dynamics (social activity) in a customer group and skill set and capabilities (task activity) of each of the individual participants involved in a group service experience.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should undertake empirical studies to validate and/or modify the suggested model presented in this contribution.

Practical implications

Managers of service firms should be made aware of the implications and the underlying factors of group services in order to create and manage a group experience successfully. Particular attention should be given to those factors that can be influenced by service providers in managing encounters with multiple customers.

Originality/value

This article introduces a new conceptual approach for service encounters with groups of customers in a proposed service quality model. In particular, the paper focuses on integrating the impact of customers' co‐creation activities on service quality in a multiple‐actor model.
Service business development in small and medium capital goods manufacturing companies
Authors: Gebauer Heiko , Paiola Marco , Edvardsson Bo
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on how small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) from the capital goods manufacturing sector develop the service business. Assuming the service business development depends on contingency factors, the paper aims to explore how SMEs align external environment, strategy and organizational design.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi‐case study design on capital goods manufacturers from Italy, Sweden and Switzerland was employed.

Findings

Service strategy formation and implementation in SMEs depend on their value chain position and the business environment. Suppliers with few customers selling directly to customers increasingly offer logistic and repair services as well as R&D‐oriented services. In contrast, OEMs selling through distributors do not primarily extend the services offered, but rather reconsider service process configuration together with distributors. Altogether, the paper describes four different service responses to specific combinations of value chain position and business environment.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are limited to the capital goods manufacturing industry.

Originality/value

Whereas previous research neglects how SMEs develop the service business, this article offers key insights in the interrelationship among the value chain position and the business environment as well as the service strategy formation and implementation.
Why change programs fail
Authors: Eaton Mark
Published: March 2010

Purpose

Focuses on the reasons why the majority of improvement programs stall and fail.

Design/methodology/approach

Explains that many improvement programs could have been shown, before they were launched, to have a low probability of success, while others stall because of people's reactions to problems after the program has been launched. Describes six practical things that organizational leaders can do to reduce the risk of their improvement programs going wrong.

Findings

Highlights the importance of: setting high standards; leading by example; giving the right managers the power to implement the change; focusing on the results rather than the process; changing quickly; and choosing to begin with the areas that matter and teams who want to participate.

Practical implications

Urges the importance of being clear about what the objectives of change are, why they need to be achieved and by when.

Social implications

Reveals ways in which, through improving the performance of individual organizations, it may be possible to improve the functioning of society as a whole.

Originality/value

Shows that many of the issues that ultimately lead to the failure of organizational change can be predicted and even planned for.
Preparation, detection, and analysis: the diagnostic work of IT security incident response
Authors: Werlinger Rodrigo , Muldner Kasia , Hawkey Kirstie , Beznosov Konstantin
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine security incident response practices of information technology (IT) security practitioners as a diagnostic work process, including the preparation phase, detection, and analysis of anomalies.

Design/methodology/approach

The data set consisted of 16 semi‐structured interviews with IT security practitioners from seven organizational types (e.g. academic, government, and private). The interviews were analyzed using qualitative description with constant comparison and inductive analysis of the data to analyze diagnostic work during security incident response.

Findings

The analysis shows that security incident response is a highly collaborative activity, which may involve practitioners developing their own tools to perform specific tasks. The results also show that diagnosis during incident response is complicated by practitioners' need to rely on tacit knowledge, as well as usability issues with security tools.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to the nature of semi‐structured interviews, not all participants discussed security incident response at the same level of detail. More data are required to generalize and refine the findings.

Originality/value

The contribution of the work is twofold. First, using empirical data, the paper analyzes and describes the tasks, skills, strategies, and tools that security practitioners use to diagnose security incidents. The findings enhance the research community's understanding of the diagnostic work during security incident response. Second, the paper identifies opportunities for future research directions related to improving security tools.
SafeLine: reporting illegal internet content
Authors: Christodoulaki Meltini , Fragopoulou Paraskevi
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the operational framework of SafeLine (www.safeline.gr), the Greek Internet Hotline. SafeLine's mission is to eliminate illegal internet content with emphasis on images of child sexual abuse and to combat against users who encroach on children's rights through illegal internet activities like grooming or cyberbullying.

Design/methodology/approach

SafeLine serves as a contact point for those individuals that wish to report illegal internet content or activities that they encounter while surfing the internet. Upon receipt of a report verified as illegal, SafeLine forwards it to the Greek police, to other governmental authorities, or to the hotline of another country.

Findings

An analysis of the reports received by SafeLine indicate a clear shift on the type of reported content. A large number of recent reports concern financial fraud and personal data violation, activity related to the newly emerged social networking sites.

Practical implications

The resulting aim of this paper is to inform internet users about their ability to report illegal internet material.

Social implications

Interesting topics such as internet addiction, illegal activities in the emerging social networking systems and legislation regarding cyber crimes will also be analyzed while trying to give an overall view about internet risks for children. Finally, useful tips for the public are presented as a means of promoting a safer internet for children and adults.

Originality/value

The paper reports on the latest trends in illegal internet content based upon an analysis of the reports received by SafeLine. A clear shift to illegal activity in social networking sites clearly emerges.
An empirical examination of the relationship between information technology (IT) infrastructure, customer focus, and business advantages
Authors: Bhatt Ganesh D. , Emdad Ali F.
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a model that tests the relationship between information technology (IT) infrastructure, customer focus, and business advantages.

Design/methodology/approach

Customer focus is categorized into: customer responsiveness and product/service innovation. The data for the study are obtained from 116 executives from a number of business organizations.

Findings

IT infrastructure is found to have a significant effect on customer responsiveness, but does not show any significant relationship with product/service innovation. IT infrastructure, customer responsiveness, and product/service innovation are found to be significantly related business advantages.

Research limitations/implications

The research is useful for academic scholars and managers as the results of the study show the value of firm‐specific resources such as IT infrastructure in business advantages. The research is also useful as it finds support for the resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm.

Originality/value

The paper exemplifies how IT infrastructure can influence customer focus and thus affects directly and indirectly business advantages.
Information technology evaluation: issues and challenges
Authors: Marthandan Govindan , Meng Tang Chun
Published: March 2010

Purpose

To justify an increase in information technology (IT) spending and to understand utilization of limited organizational resources on IT, the correlation between IT and business performance has been of great interest to business managers. However, business managers face issues and challenges in finding out how and to what extent IT is able to deliver the intended benefits. The purpose of this paper is to examine IT evaluation issues and challenges faced by information systems (IS) researchers, IS specialists, and business managers.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper begins by reviewing the disparate discussions in past literature on IT evaluation issues and challenges. It then provides a synthesis of the disparate discussions by identifying eight issues and challenges in IT evaluation.

Findings

The eight issues and challenges identified are: evaluation scope, evaluation timing, unit of analysis, level of analysis, different perspectives, different dimensions, different measures, and underpinning theoretical frameworks. It concludes with some suggestions on ways to improve IT evaluation practices.

Originality/value

This paper posits that before a pragmatic IT evaluation approach can be developed, it is necessary to first understand the issues and challenges faced by IS researchers, IS specialists, and business managers in IT evaluation. Having identified the eight issues and challenges, this paper provides pointers on what needs to be considered when conducting IT evaluation.
Drivers of information technology use in the supply chain
Authors: Nath Tanmoy , Standing Craig
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers of information technology (IT) use in the supply chain. Given that the use of IT in the supply chain has been a popular topic of research it is timely to analyse the literature to identify patterns and key factors for success.

Design/methodology/approach

A grounded theory approach is used to build a conceptual model using peer‐reviewed journal articles. The selection criteria are derived from the literature review and these are used to extract suitable articles from the online databases. The term “supply chain” is used with all the selection key words to make the search more specific and relevant to the expected search outcome.

Findings

The drivers of IT use in the supply chain are related to three levels of complexity and organisational change. The first level (low) involves a less complex use of IT that is driven through a desire to reduce costs. The drivers are cost reduction, reduced lead and cycle times, increased operational capability and information quality improvement. The second level (medium) involves a medium level of complexity that is characterised by networking and collaboration. The drivers are better relationships and information accessibility. Level two requires the drivers for level one. The most complex level is aimed at organisational transformation. The drivers are market sharing expansion, risk sharing and reduction, high quality service and better decision making. Level three also requires the drivers for levels one and two.

Research limitations/implications

The study identified that many organisations use IT in the supply chain (SC) without understanding the drivers of IT use and this impacted on their success. In addition, it found that drivers can be classified into a hierarchy of benefits.

Practical implications

A lack of understanding of the drivers of IT use in the SC can be overcome by using the list of specific drivers and how these relate to organisational change. The manager's increased understanding of these factors should improve the success rate of IT investment in the SC by being more aware of how requirements relate to benefits and improvement.

Originality/value

The study is the first of its kind to analyse a large number of research articles to determine the drivers of IT use in the supply chain.
Learning to work with interdependencies effectively: the case of the HRM forum of the suppliers teams at Volvo Cars Gent
Authors: Lambrechts Frank , Taillieu Tharsi , Sips Koen
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to profile the way in which Volvo Cars Gent (VCG) Belgium and its suppliers succeed in managing their interdependencies on HRM issues through a shared HRM collaborative, called the Suppliers Team Volvo Cars HRM forum (STVC‐HRM).

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach is used to develop understanding of the critical factors that contribute to the forum's success.

Findings

It was found that the critical success factors concern the way STVC‐HRM members enacted trust, common ground, leadership, shared responsibility, and representative‐constituency dynamics.

Research limitations/implications

To understand the Toyota system of successful collaboration and learning with suppliers, it is necessary to look into the actual assembler‐supplier relationships and practices developed.

Practical implications

Building lasting manufacturer‐supplier relationships is considered to be one of the elements that contribute to Toyota's competitive advantage in supply chain management. However, other organisations struggle to improve manufacturer‐supplier relationships despite applying seemingly similar principles. The paper helps in recognising and managing the main collaboration issues at hand.

Originality/value

The work suggests how to build and maintain deep mutually beneficial manufacturer‐supplier relationships through the VCG‐suppliers case. Other organisations that want to develop those much‐needed relationships may learn from the successful VCG‐suppliers way of doing things.
Inter‐organizational governance, learning and performance in supply chains
Authors: Hernández‐Espallardo Miguel , Rodríguez‐Orejuela Augusto , Sánchez‐Pérez Manuel
Published: March 2010

Purpose

Inter‐firm knowledge sharing and learning constitute one of the main avenues to improve supply chains' performance in today's business environment. This paper aims to examine how effective different governance mechanisms are in promoting knowledge transfer, learning and performance in supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

Following on from the literature in inter‐organizational learning, transaction costs economics, business‐to‐business relational marketing, and supply chain management, a model is presented and tested using structural equations modeling. Data were collected from 219 Colombian apparel manufacturers.

Findings

This paper finds that from more influential to less, social mechanisms of governance, hostages and behavioral control favor knowledge sharing, learning and performance in supply chains. Output control exerts a negative influence on learning in supply chains.

Research limitations/implications

Governance has a key role in promoting transparency and learning in supply chains. Future research should analyze whether it impacts on the firms' learning intent.

Practical implications

Knowledge sharing and learning have a positive influence on the supply chain's performance. Results of the study suggest that the supply chain's competitiveness lies in the adequate governance of the interfirm relationships, i.e. by using trust, hostages and behavioral control to support knowledge exchange.

Originality/value

Compared with studies that limit their analysis to the impact of one specific type of governance mechanism, generally trust, the paper for the first time jointly examines the role of several types of governance on knowledge‐sharing in supply chains, on learning and on performance. This allows a comparison of the different mechanisms in terms of their safeguarding and coordination role.
A framework for the alignment of new product development and supply chains
Authors: Pero Margherita , Abdelkafi Nizar , Sianesi Andrea , Blecker Thorsten
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that explains how new product development and supply chain variables are related to one another and how they affect performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The insights from literature and an exploratory case study are combined to develop an alignment framework, which is then tested using a multiple case study design.

Findings

Variety, modularity, and innovativeness are the product features that are taken into account when studying alignment. From the supply chain viewpoint, configuration, collaboration, and coordination complexities are the variables that matter. Innovativeness is found to have a stronger effect than variety on supply chain complexity. In addition, there is evidence that matching product features with supply chains improves performance.

Originality/value

The paper provides empirical support to the relationships among the variables within the alignment framework. There is evidence that product innovativeness, a variable so far neglected in the alignment literature, can have a critical impact on the supply chain. Furthermore, supply chain complexity must be adequately adapted, depending on the product features.
Effective supply value chain based on competence success
Authors: Kayakutlu Gülgün , Büyüközkan Gülçin
Published: March 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to propose a managerial decision framework for different levels of supply chain, by addressing the strategic importance of competence values in supply chain effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual framework for supply chain effectiveness is defined in levels of supply chain targets, knowledge management dynamics, competence levels and competence success attributes. Analysis of literature in the areas of competence management, knowledge management, supply chain and value chain management resulted in defining the factors of the model. Surveys of industrial practices were used to validate the choice of factors. The analytical network process (ANP) is used to determine the most beneficial competence success attributes in a case study performed for three companies that participate in different stages of the textile supply chain.

Findings

Individual competence in continuous learning and networking, as well as innovativeness of the team are found to be the three most important competence attributes in supply chain effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

The case study is executed in the regional textile industry. New case studies in other industries will help improve the framework. Further international surveys can improve the detail level of factors used.

Practical implications

The study creates awareness of knowledge management dynamics and competence management for companies which are in need of innovation to improve their supply chain competitiveness.

Originality/value

The proposed decision framework is one of the first efforts to consider the importance of competence in supply chain success. The ANP method is used to offer an accurate analysis of interdependent factors observed in management of knowledge dynamics and competence levels.
An empirical investigation of the relationship between product nature and supply chain strategy
Authors: Lo Sonia M. , Power Damien
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationship between product nature and supply chain strategy, by using Fisher's model as the framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The research collected quantitative data by conducting a questionnaire‐based survey, with a total of 119 respondent organisations (of which 107 were usable), at an adjusted response rate of 8 per cent. The survey results provide the basis for the testing of Fisher's model relating product characteristics to supply chain strategy.

Findings

The results indicate that the association between product nature and supply chain strategy as articulated in Fisher's model is not significant. A hybrid strategy (pursuing both efficiency and responsiveness) is found to be employed by most organisations irrespective of the nature of the primary product they supply.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis is based on survey responses gathered within the Australian manufacturing industry. The findings of the study have implications for understanding the drivers of supply chain strategy, and how other factors, in addition to product type, influence supply chain positioning.

Practical implications

The study identifies additional factors which might be influential in the determination of supply chain strategy. It provides practitioners with guidance in choosing an appropriate strategy to deal with supply chain partners.

Originality/value

The contribution of the study lies in extending the body of knowledge of supply chain strategy. It tests an existing framework which has only very limited empirical validation, and provides a broader understanding of the influence of product nature on the choice of supply chain strategy.
Evaluating logistics network configurations for a global supply chain
Authors: Creazza A. , Dallari F. , Melacini M.
Published: March 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to identify and assess different configurations to design logistics networks in global sourcing contexts. A framework to support the choice of the most suitable logistics network is developed.

Design/methodology/approach

Starting from an overview of previous research on global sourcing and global logistics network design, followed by a series of interviews with international freight forwarders and logistics providers, five main logistics network configurations are identified and the paper proposes a framework to evaluate their cost‐effectiveness, deriving the overall logistics cost by means of simulation.

Findings

On the basis of the analysis of different scenarios the paper develops a taxonomy for selecting the most suitable logistics network configuration, with respect to some key logistics factors and purchasing strategies.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis has been focused on ocean container shipping, the primary transportation mode for world trade.

Practical implications

In a context characterised by the widespread adoption of direct shipment with full container load (FCL) ocean shipping (with implications on inventory levels), the provided taxonomy can represent a useful tool to support companies in choosing the most suitable combination of configurations for setting their global logistics network.

Originality/value

The impact of globalisation on logistics network configuration has received little attention from supply chain researchers to date. The originality of the present paper is twofold. First, a framework to assess the overall logistics costs is developed. Second, the paper presents an original taxonomy for the selection of the most suitable logistics network.
Nestlé Nespresso AAA sustainable quality program: an investigation into the governance dynamics in a multi‐stakeholder supply chain network
Authors: Alvarez Gabriela , Pilbeam Colin , Wilding Richard
Published: March 2010

Purpose

Within the context of a sustainable supply chain, the purpose of this paper is to report on empirical longitudinal research on supply chain network evolution and dynamics of governance in a multi‐stakeholder supply chain sustainability initiative led by Nespresso, the speciality coffee division of Nestlé.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper proposes a framework to study the creation and evolution of governance mechanisms over a five‐year period. Data from 48 semi‐structured interviews and 15 recent and historic documents were also analysed. The interviews were conducted among current and past representatives of all the organisations concerned including coffee traders, NGOs and farmers.

Findings

In contrast with literature on the subject, governance mechanisms initially relied mostly on informal mechanisms. Formal governance mechanisms were incorporated into the relationships to enable the supply chain network to grow and to provide clarity to all actors. Relational quality processes that increased trust were critical elements in the early phase, and were explicitly built into a second phase of development.

Research limitations/implications

Being a single case study, some caution needs to be applied to generalise findings beyond the specific context studied. An additional methodological limitation is the limited number of actors involved in the overall supply chain network.

Practical implications

The paper shows the importance of treating governance mechanisms within the supply chain not as a fixed variable to be determined once and for all in the beginning of a relationship, but rather to adapt the coordination mechanisms of the relationships.

Originality/value

The evolution of relationships over time has been “often called for but rarely chosen”. The case highlights the potential benefits of this type of research to develop an understanding of the evolution of relationships in a supply chain network.
Beyond words: testing alignment among inter‐organizational performance measures
Authors: Rey‐Marston Maria , Neely Andy
Published: March 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to measure in a quantitative way the degree of alignment among a set of performance measures between two organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper extends Venkatraman's test of coalignment to assess the alignment of a set of performance measures governing a contractual inter‐organizational relationship. The authors applied the test and present coefficients of misalignment across three sets of measures: those used by a service provider involved in the research, those used by customers contracting the services, and those documented in 11 contracts studied.

Findings

Results confirmed a high degree of alignment between target and actual operational performance in the contracts. The alignment of customers' financial objectives and contracts' operational metrics was low. Calculations show poor alignment between the objectives of the provider and the contribution received from the contracts.

Research limitations/implications

Some limitations of the conclusions include the small sample of contracts used in the calculations. Further research should include not only actual contracts, but also failed ones.

Practical implications

It is possible that misaligned goals, represented in misaligned performance measures, lead to tensions in intra‐firm relationships. If these tensions are not addressed properly the relationship could be unstable or terminated prematurely. This method of measuring alignment could detect early potential dangers in intra‐firm relationships.

Originality/value

This paper extends Venkatraman's test of coalignment to assess the alignment of a set of performance measures governing a contractual inter‐organizational relationship. Management researchers and business professionals may use this methodology when exploring degrees of alignment of performance measures in intra‐functional and inter‐firm relationships.
Managing for performance in New Zealand's public service – a loosely coupled framework?
Authors: Dormer Rodney , Gill Derek
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the institutional factors that impact on the integration of the formal model of performance management in New Zealand's public service and the model, or models, in use within different agencies and at different levels within those agencies.

Design/methodology/approach

The research involved semi‐structured interviews with managers within three agencies of New Zealand's central government as well as a review of their external accountability documents and internal management reports. These data were then interpreted in the context of new institutional sociology. In particular, the institutional carriers identified by Scott (2001) Scott were used to map the characteristics within each agency that support more or less integration, and common use, of performance measures.

Findings

It is concluded that an integrated framework of performance objectives, that drops down from the Government's priorities, to Ministers' purchase of goods and services, to managers' objectives at each layer of the agency, does not always exist. Institutional arrangements that emphasise regulative controls are more likely to result in the decoupling of nationally defined frameworks from those used locally by operational managers. Conversely, institutional arrangements that emphasise culturally and cognitively based controls are more likely to support tight coupling of performance management frameworks and practices.

Originality/value

While much has been written about public sector management and what has been referred to as “the New Zealand model”, this has largely been concerned with the management of the public sector as a whole. This research provides an empirical insight on management practices within individual public sector agencies.
Internal performance management with UK higher education: an amorphous system?
Authors: Broad Martin , Goddard Andrew
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the internal performance management of UK universities.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with numerous staff within each university, attendance at key meetings and reviews of documentation. Grounded Theory was adopted to analyse the information obtained to understand how the strategy and accounting interacted with performance systems in the universities studied.

Findings

An amorphous, decoupled system was identified with poor feedback loops resulting in a lack of accountability and ownership of the system.

Research limitations/implications

The research reported on the experiences of two universities through case study analysis. Further research is required to understand the extent to which the issues reported here are more widespread and the implications of such.

Practical implications

The paper suggests that the challenge for policy makers/university management is to facilitate a change in the managerial weltanshauung to one where the environment is more conducive to performance management in a constructive manner

Originality/value

The notion of managerial weltanshauung in universities is developed and discussed in relation to nurturing performance management. The paper will be of interest to university managers and policy makers.
An engagement framework for managing the Crown's ownership interests in the New Zealand tertiary education sector
Authors: Galwey Doug , Ogilvie Barry
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the theoretical foundations and lessons learned in the development and implementation of an institutional engagement framework for monitoring and managing the Crown's ownership interests in the New Zealand tertiary education sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The core analytics and tasks comprise financial stress testing, the Baldrige assessment approach and capability benchmarking, integrated into an overall risk management system using many of the elements of Robert Simons' “Levers of Control”.

Findings

The approach has been useful in identifying institutions most at risk and requiring higher levels of direct engagement, including statutory management intervention by the Crown.

Practical implications

It is considered there are ample performance measurement tools available and that ultimately success is through system design and management of the performance management process itself, with the capability of those undertaking the activity being as equally important as those whose capability is being assessed.

Originality/value

This paper shares insights on framework design and deployment with fellow practitioners.
Synthesizing management control frameworks
Authors: O'Grady Winnie , Rouse Paul , Gunn Cathy
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the holistic nature of control systems to understand how they operate across organizational levels and manage change.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes an analytical approach using the viable system model (VSM) to assess the two main frameworks of control reported in the accounting literature.

Findings

The VSM provides an elegant framework for management control systems with explicit consideration of: multiple levels of control, communication channels, interactions with the environment, and the mechanisms for attaining balance between stability and change.

Practical implications

The evaluation of current management control systems produces specific suggestions for improving the levers of control framework

Originality/value

The VSM has not previously been aligned with management control frameworks.
Rediscovering performance management: systems, learning and integration
Authors: Brudan Aurel
Published: March 2010

Purpose

This paper sets out to explore performance management as a discipline and propose an integrated performance management model.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper aims to clarify what performance management is and how it emerged as a discipline by tracking its evolution at strategic, operational and individual levels. Structured as a review, it enables the rediscovery of performance management and the identification of several key dichotomies, brought together under an integrated performance management model.

Findings

Three emerging approaches to performance management are presented as potential catalysts to accelerate the evolution of this discipline: systems thinking, learning and integration. An integrated performance management model is also proposed.

Research limitations/implications

The paper draws on the consultancy and research experience of the author. The generated model is conceptual in essence and needs to be tested. Further research on the history of performance management as a discipline and the integration approach between organisational levels is needed.

Practical implications

The paper makes suggestions for improving performance management governance – the introduction of the Performance Management Office. It also suggests a higher emphasis on learning and integration during the implementation and usage of performance management systems.

Social implications

By outlining the importance of systems thinking in managing organisational performance, this paper highlights the need for encouraging its applicability and implementation through systemic thinking. A higher emphasis on including elements of systems thinking in educational curricula may be a possible step forward.

Originality/value

The paper is relevant to both practitioners and academics, as it clarifies the existing body of knowledge and provides a platform for future research
Strategic planning for management of technology of China's high technology enterprises
Authors: Wu Wei‐wei , Liang Da‐peng , Yu Bo , Yang Ying
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to explore, describe, and explicate the processes which are related to the strategic planning for technology management, and to provide beneficial suggestions for China's high technology enterprises to promote technology management capability.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a model for strategic planning for management of technology is developed, which is expected to be used to provide effective processes of articulating strategic planning. The model involves several key points including defining the current situations of technology management, determining the objectives of managing technology, and designing the approaches for the promotion of technology management capability. Capability maturity model (CMM) and fitness landscape theory are applied in this model to construct useful analysis tools. The model is used to make the strategic planning for management of technology of China's high technology enterprises. A survey of 43 high technology companies in China is conducted. Technology management maturity model (TMMM) is employed to assess the technology management maturity level, and fitness landscape of technology management is developed to explore the routines of promoting technology management capability.

Findings

The authors find that there is still much room for China's high technology enterprises to improve their technology management capability, since the average technology management maturity is only in the managed level. And the maturity of quality management is lower than that of organization management and resource management, and so quality management should have more importance attached to it, promoting holistic technology management capability. All such findings imply that our research makes theoretical contributions to technology management and strategy related literature with significant managerial implications.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to technology management literature by constructing the model of strategic planning for technology management, viewing it as the roadmap of the development of technology management, explaining three interrelated points and illustrating three processes. Second, the paper uses fitness landscape and NK model to explore the routines of promoting technology management capability.
A study of the entrepreneurship of Taiwanese youth by the Chinese Entrepreneur Aptitude Scale
Authors: Chen Wan‐Yu , Weng Calvin S. , Hsu Hui‐Ying
Published: March 2010

Purpose

The purposes are as follows. First, this paper aims to explore the reliability and validity of the Chinese Entrepreneur Aptitude Scale (CEAS) and to establish a normative score among surveyed students. Second, this paper seeks to compare the scaling scores differences between the genders, departments, and classes in the sample. Finally, this paper aims to compare the student sample's CEAS results with models of Taiwanese entrepreneurial youth.

Design/methodology/approach

Completed questionnaires from 1,053 students from the Transworld Institute of Technology in Taiwan and the CEAS, constructed by Chen and Wu, formed the basis of the empirical analysis.

Findings

This paper tests the performance of the CEAS for Taiwanese students at a technological institute that puts entrepreneurial education into practice. The results match those of Chen and Wu, which used qualitative methods to conduct a content analysis of the biographies of models of entrepreneurial youth in Taiwan. Both groups rank high in autonomy and self‐discipline, indicating that entrepreneurial models and potential entrepreneurs have a high sense of mission and responsibility to society. And, this paper finds significant differences between the two groups; the entrepreneurial models rate higher overall on CEAS constructs than the institute students. In particular, the sample students score low on social networking, indicating that the undergraduates lack social and networking experience.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper has been to test the applicability of the CEAS in Taiwanese Institute of Technology students, including comparisons between genders, grades, and colleges. The results offer insights for institutes and universities seeking to improve their entrepreneurial education offerings. Moreover, the results offer lessons for fostering entrepreneurial abilities and behavioral traits in undergraduates.
Explaining supervisory support to work‐family conflict
Authors: Hsu Bi‐Fen , Chen Wan‐Yu , Wang Mei‐Ling , Lin Yen‐Yu
Published: March 2010

Purpose

Previous studies of manufacturing management have ignored a critical theme: the relationship between supervisory support and work‐family conflict. This paper aims to explore the link between interpersonal relationships, guanxi, leader‐member exchange (LMX) theory, emotional intelligence (EI), supervisory support, and work‐family conflict.

Design/methodology/approach

The unit of analysis of this research is the dyad; the paper gathered 244 valid questionnaires from workers in traditional industries in Taiwan and China. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data and to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The paper finds that supervisory support for work‐family conflict has faded in traditional industries. And, it finds that leaders with a higher level of LMX and expressive ties to their subordinates tend to offer a higher level of supervisory support, but that leaders with higher level of instrumental ties to their subordinates tend to offer lower levels of support. Finally, the survey results also show that a leader's level of EI is not related to supervisory support.

Originality/value

The research combines Western concepts of relationships with the Eastern concept of guanxi with the goal of clarifying the transfer of management concepts and exploring the explanatory power of guanxi in Chinese society. Although the empirical results of this study do not totally agree with expectations, they treat the benefits of supervisors' EI for organizations from a new point of view.