bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a comprehensive model for construction project success evaluation by contractors
Authors: Heravi Gholamreza , Ilbeigi Mohammad 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a quantitative comprehensive model for construction project success evaluation, from the viewpoint of a contractor company.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors used a comprehensive definition of project success consisting of two components: Product success, which deals with the effect of the project's final product; and Project Management success, which focuses upon the project process. The research methodology includes five steps: identification of the critical performance indices for the two above mentioned components; quantification of the performance indices; normalization of the indices; integration of the various performance indices to develop an overall project performance function; and applying the model on a real project in Iran and analyzing the results.FindingsThis paper introduces a novel model to evaluate and measure the construction project success from the viewpoint of a contractor company. The results show that this model can be used as a reliable tool to measure the project performance of contractors and their points of strength and weakness can be determined precisely.Practical implicationsAnalyzing the results of the case study shows that the evaluation model is absolutely applicable. All necessary elements to quantify the critical performance indices and overall project success can be recorded precisely and easily. Thus, this model can be used in every contractor company concerned about its projects’ performance.Originality/valueThe evaluation model proposed in this paper is a unique and comprehensive quantified model which considers difference between project success and project management success and all critical indices which can affect them.
Analysis of a knowledge‐management‐based process of transferring project management skills
Authors: Ioi Toshihiro , Ono Masakazu , Ishii Kota , Kato Kazuhiko 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a method for the transfer of knowledge and skills in project management (PM) based on techniques in knowledge management (KM).Design/methodology/approachThe literature contains studies on methods to extract experiential knowledge in PM, but few studies exist that focus on methods to convert extracted knowledge into practical knowledge and transfer it to learners. This research proposes a model of PM skills transfer management, which consists of a PM knowledge extraction phase, PM knowledge recognition phase, practical knowledge transfer phase, and practical knowledge evaluation phase, and examines the model's effectiveness.FindingsThrough multi‐agent simulation (MAS), expert communities for knowledge extraction can be vitalized. A PM skills transfer management maturity model (PMST3M) was proposed that is capable of evaluating PM skills transfer management.Research limitations/implicationsThe present work could have considered KSM in‐depth with a view to adding value to the virtualization of community of PM experts.Originality/valueThe paper presents a detailed critique of a knowledge‐management‐based process of transferring PM skills.
Notes about COOL: analysis and highlights of complex view in education
Authors: de Oliveira C.A. 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present principles from the complex approach in education and describe some practical pedagogic experiences enhancing how “real world” perspectives have influenced and contributed to curriculum development.Design/methodology/approachNecessity of integration in terms of knowledge modeling is an historical trend in Engineering and Computer Sciences curricula. Integration of particular technical aspects with wide global aspects is a response to globalization demands. Globalization demands require new approaches, at both educational and teaching levels. Also, educational level embeds a wide range of pedagogical proposals or teaching proposals. Since the 1990s, Engineering and Computer Sciences curricula have emphasized, increasingly, the project‐oriented approach in the Engineering field of knowledge and software engineering contents has migrated to beginners or fresh‐man level in Computer Sciences courses. This approach is called the Complex Approach in education. COOL – “Comprehensive Object‐Oriented Learning” – is an educational project mentored by Emeritus Professor Kristen Nygaard, from the Department of Informatics at Oslo University, which deals with the complex approach in education. Professor Nygaard passed away in 2002. This project was published in 2006 under the title of “Comprehensive Object‐Oriented Learning: the Learner’s Perspective”. This paper analyses theoretical aspects in Nygaard's project and also compares aspects with the author's work teaching Object Oriented Modeling in Computer Sciences and Engineering, at Federal University of Santa Catarina – UFSC, Florianopolis, Brazil. The author's pedagogic proposal, developed on those contexts, since 1997, is supported by Nygaard theory and also by Edgar Morin “Complex Thought” theory adopted by UNESCO, titled Complex Thought cathedra.FindingsInnovation, in terms of Engineering and Computer Sciences curriculum development, is deeply related to the complex approach educational paradigm. Consequently, innovation in terms of pedagogic practices is also deeply related to the complex approach perspective. Complex approach overpasses fragmented view of knowledge towards integrative view concerning curriculum development in technological areas.Research limitations/implicationsThe comprehensive object‐oriented learning presented here is applied to Computer Science and Engineering. However its development and application could impact other disciplines and education, especially in relation to technology integration in education.Originality/valueThe paper presents and discusses COOL as a concept and approach for enhanced learning, in a novel manner, taking account of theoretical underpinnings developed aligned to modern thinking.
Qualitative findings on marketing management practices from Greek ski centers
Authors: Priporas Constantinos‐Vasilios , Vassiliadis Chris A. , Stylos Nikolaos D. 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to discover the extent to which the marketing practices of Greek ski centers take into consideration visitors' preferences and the interests of other stakeholders in order to improve their tourism product. The existing ski centers and destinations are crucial for the ongoing development of winter tourism in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThe study is exploratory in nature and data were collected by carrying out semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with key managers in 14 ski centers in Greece.FindingsThe results revealed that the majority of ski centers do not have a marketing department and only a few receive consultation from consultants. Additionally many ski centers do not use specific planning or strategic tools, and about 20 percent of their directors are not in a position to identify and measure customer segments. Individuals who pursue recreation, skiers, and various associations are ski centers' most frequent customers. Finally, respondents have defined customer satisfaction to be of a high level in those ski centers that conduct customer research.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a limited exploratory study restricted to one country. Suggestions are presented for future studies and especially for generalization of the findings.Practical implicationsToday's business environment requires the application of a robust, enterprise‐wide plan at Greek ski centers and particular management practices should be explored as possible causes of the inadequate advancement of the tourism product at Greek ski centers.Originality/valueThis study offers empirical findings from ski centers in Greece, where studies are limited. It also broadly creates the need for future research about this particular area and in areas with similar tourism characteristics in the Mediterranean.
Transcending innovativeness towards strategic reflexivity
Authors: Vrontis Demetris , Thrassou Alkis , Chebbi Hela , Yahiaoui Dorra 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of the research is to utilize and expand on existing knowledge on organizational value‐based innovativeness, towards the development of the “strategic reflexivity” concept, for businesses competing in the contemporary ever‐modulating business environments.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based partly on primary qualitative research and partly on theoretical research. The former consists of a six month long in‐house observation and data gathering of a large company (OPERACOM Group) innovation process and on 45 semi‐directive interviews of practitioners and experts.FindingsThe findings descriptively portray the varying competitive conditions as intolerant of conventional strategic marketing planning; and unable to sustain any lasting competitive advantage. Prescriptively, the research proposes a change of strategic philosophy and practice, through a shift from orthodox planning to the design of value‐based reflexive mechanisms that automatically adapt to change. The paper finally presents a preliminary model for the proposed strategic reflexivity process.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper, though scientific, it is in parallel a conceptual one. The “strategic reflexivity” concept and its consequent model therefore, are presented, not as a definitive answer to the concerns of contemporary businesses; but rather as a scientifically‐based proposition towards further practical and scholarly development.Originality/valueThe research value rests on a tripod of original contributions: it adds to the voices calling executives to give up on conventional tactical strategic means, counter‐proposing strategic redevelopment that is explicitly value‐based; it identifies the value‐based innovational elements deemed critical in the strategic redevelopment of businesses in hypercompetitive environments; and it develops the “strategic reflexivity” concept and process within the above context towards theoretical development and practical implementation.
Individualising maintenance management: a proposed framework and case study
Authors: Daragh Naughton Michael , Tiernan Peter 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the advancements made in the area of contemporary maintenance management individualisation, to identify the difficulties in strategy design and to document the implementation of such a strategy in a maintenance intense organisation.Design/methodology/approachA contemporary nine‐step framework for designing and implementing an individualised maintenance strategy is proposed. Individualising your maintenance strategy offers tangible benefits compared to the commercially available generic models, although the research highlights complexities in its conception and integration.FindingsThe proposed nine‐step framework was successfully integrated in a maintenance intense organisation and it had an immediate effect on all agreed performance indicators, from failure rates to overall maintenance costs.Research limitations/implicationsThe work to date in this field falls short of a complete solution and while the current research illustrates the viability of such an approach, much more work is required in the area of optimisation within each of the iterative nine steps.Originality/valueThis research is of interest to maintenance managers and front‐line maintenance practitioners. This framework is predicated upon practical experiences gathered by the authors within varying maintenance intense organisations and fully referenced published work by other authors.
Beyond duty‐free access: export readiness assessment for Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) apparel companies
Authors: Awni Ali , Shafei Karim 
Published: August 2012

PurposeA project was launched in December 2005 to assess the export readiness of Egyptian apparel companies registered for the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) protocol, a market access agreement between Egypt, the USA and Israel. The main objective of the project is to gain a better understanding of those companies, their nature, their capabilities and their potential to export.Design/methodology/approachAn export readiness score is introduced to determine the export maturity of the QIZ apparel companies. A structure questionnaire was designed to measure the company's ability to address the various requirements of exporting. Furthermore, a brief tour of the facilities was used to assess health and safety measures, and to validate the data.FindingsThe export maturity is classified into four stages, and it was found that on average companies in the same export readiness maturity stage exhibit similar strengths and weaknesses.Practical implicationsThis finding enables the development of upgrading policies to improve the export capabilities of companies according to their stage of maturity.Originality/valueThe paper presents an export readiness score that enables top management of each company and upgrading organizations to target the areas that will result in improving the score, and thus the export capability of the companies.
Developing and using a performance management framework: a case study
Authors: Atkinson Maurice 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to define corporate performance management, provide an overview of the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority's performance management framework (PMF) and explain how the PMF might be used to enhance organisational effectiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a case study.FindingsThis paper describes the performance management framework developed by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority in Northern Ireland, and identifies how such a framework may be proactively used to enhance organisational effectiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are limited to the analysis of the development and use of a performance management framework within a single organisation.Originality/valueThis paper has contributed to the debate on performance management by outlining a mechanism by which a performance management framework can be utilised in practice to fundamentally challenge the organisation and provide a platform for action and improvement.
Benchmarking open and cluster innovation: case of Korea
Authors: Won Park Young , Amano Tomofumi , Moon Gyewan 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine a development model of the Korean IT industry based on the concept of open and cluster innovation and reveal the synergistic effects between the textile and electronic industries.Design/methodology/approachThe analytical data on the Gumi Cluster are panel data mostly from the 1970s‐2000s. The specific case studies are based on the field research and in‐depth executive interviews for four firms.FindingsThrough analysis of the innovation structure of the Gumi Cluster, the paper found that the Korean electronics industry has successfully caught up with first movers like the Japanese and US electronics industries. In this catch‐up process, industrial clusters of the Korean electronic industry took on an open cluster and sought open and cluster innovation through collaborating with foreign firms and the other industries like the textile industry for making a rapid catch‐up.Research limitations/implicationsThe contribution of this study is to highlight the essential characteristics of cluster innovation and the practical growth patterns in the context of Korea which has achieved rapid technological catch‐up. Future studies may involve the innovation patterns of other industries.Originality/valuePrior cluster research does not necessarily integrate the two streams of research: development of national industries; open innovation processes within the clusters. This paper represents a unique approach to integrate two streams through analyzing the electronic industry.
Benchmarking business unit governance in turbulent times: the case of Japanese firms
Authors: Aoki Hidetaka , Miyajima Hideaki 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how corporate headquarters control business units, the governing of which has emerged as a vital issue as business portfolios have grown increasingly complex due to diversification, globalization, and corporate group expansion via spinoffs and mergers and acquisitions.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilized questionnaire survey data from 251 firms listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The authors approached the issue of business unit governance by measuring the degree of decentralization and the intensity of monitoring, and compared the governance of internal business units with that of subsidiaries, and analyzed the impact of corporate governance characteristics on business unit governance.FindingsComparing in‐house business units and subsidiaries, the authors found a significant difference in their governance. The degree of decentralization toward subsidiaries was higher for strategic and personnel decision‐making. However, the complementarity of decentralization and monitoring was not observed for subsidiaries, whereas it was for in‐house business units. Subsidiary monitoring corresponding to decentralization was inadequate. Examining the relationship between corporate governance and business unit governance, the paper found that firms with reformed boards of directors and under a greater degree of pressure from capital markets monitored their business units more strictly.Originality/valueThe paper shows how the business portfolios and governance arrangements of Japanese firms have changed since the 1990s, and analyzes business unit governance based on valuable data obtained from a questionnaire survey.
The impact of ERP implementation on organizational capabilities and firm performance
Authors: HassabElnaby Hassan R. , Hwang Woosang , Vonderembse Mark A. 
Published: August 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether the implementation of ERP impacts both business strategy and organizational capabilities which in turn enhance firm performance. Specifically, the paper investigates the mediating effect of business strategy and organizational capabilities on the relationship between ERP implementation and firm performance.Design/methodology/approachUsing secondary data collected from more than 400 firms, this study tests the relationships among these variables.FindingsERP implementation has a positive impact when a firm employs a prospector business strategy. A prospector business strategy enhances the firm's ability to achieve organizational capabilities and enables the firm to achieve higher levels of financial performance.Practical implicationsERP implementation encourages and supports a prospector strategy. ERP not only supports cost control, but also supports new product development and introductions. The prospector firm seeks better information to support decision making, develop new and innovative products that drive revenue growth, and build efficient and effective operations that enhance return on assets.Originality/valueThis paper reports the mediating effect of business strategy and organizational capabilities on the relationship between ERP implementation and firm performance. This study uses cybernetic control, resource‐based view of firm, and dynamic capabilities theories to develop and integrate this research.
Revisiting corporate reputation and firm performance link
Authors: Lee Jooh , Jungbae Roh James 
Published: August 2012

PurposeCorporate reputation is regarded as an intangible asset which differentiates a firm from others and attracts customers to repurchase and willingly pay a premium price for products. However, despite the perceptive association between reputation and financial performance, empirical studies report inconclusive results. The purpose of this study is to investigate this link more comprehensively using four different reputation attributes and firm characteristics in the context of high‐ vs low‐tech companies.Design/methodology/approachThis study operationalizes the corporate reputation as the four measures of Fortune's “America's Most Admired Companies” of 2008 and matched the companies with financial performance and firm characteristics measures from COMPUSTAT Research Insight for the period between 2001 and 2005. A total of 230 firms (108 in high‐tech vs 122 in low‐tech) over the same period were selected and stepwise multiple regression analysis probed the relationship between the corporate reputation and performance.FindingsThe key finding of this study is that such variables as corporate reputation are significantly and positively related with most indices of corporate performance measures while debt leverage affects profitability negatively. It was surprising to find that innovativeness turned out to have no impact on financial performance in both high‐ and low‐tech firms. The positive association between social responsibility and firm performance appeared to be partially supported because it showed significant impact on market‐based performance, but not on accounting‐based performance.Originality/valueThis study confirms the resource‐based view that a valuable, inimitable, and non‐substitutable asset such as corporate reputation leads firms to enhance financial and market performance. However, the effect is contingent on firm characteristics such as firm size, R&D intensity, debt leverage ratio, and capital intensity. Corporate reputation appears to emerge as a critical dimension of benchmarking of a firm performance.
SCRIS
Authors: Kayis Berman , Dana Karningsih Putu 
Published: August 2012

PurposeRisk identification is the first and crucial step in supply chain risk management process. Due to the nature and complexity of supply chain networks of manufacturing organizations, risk identification nowadays has become more challenging. The purpose of this paper to present the development of a tool, called Supply Chain Risk Identification System (SCRIS), for assisting decision makers in identifying existing risks, and the interrelationship of risks in supply chain (SC) network, by considering different process strategies, namely make to stock (MTS), make to order (MTO) and engineering to order (ETO).Design/methodology/approachSCRIS is developed using a knowledge‐based system (KBS) approach. The knowledge is represented in ruled based form and written using CLIPS expert system language program. To ensure its feasibility, SCRIS is validated using real case studies in several manufacturing industries.FindingsFeedback gathered from organizations involved in validations processes imply the benefit of using SCRIS as a decision support tool in identifying SC risks. SCRIS also has additional positive role in supply chain risk management (SCRM) by promoting communication and collaboration between SC partners.Originality/valueSCRIS provides an extensive tool using KBS approach which covers hundreds of SC risk sub‐factors, risk factors, and risk events, as well as mapping the interactions and considering different process strategies which have not been developed to date. A novel SC risks taxonomy is also proposed which encompasses broader issues in the SC network.