bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Community preparedness for tsunami disaster: a case study
Authors: Mat Said Aini , Ahmadun Fakhru'l‐Razi , Rodzi Mahmud Ahmad , Abas Fuad 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to develop a tsunami emergency response plan for a coastal community by adopting a community‐based disaster preparedness approach.Design/methodology/approachA multi‐strategy research design utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods was used. The weaknesses and strengths of the different agencies involved in responding to the 2004 tsunami disaster were identified through a focus group discussion. A survey was used to assess the preparedness of the community. Tsunami awareness and education were imparted through lectures, sermons, radio talk shows, informal briefings, workshops and printed materials. Tsunami evacuation routes, safe zones, warning protocols and evacuation plans were finalized through a consultation process with the community. A tsunami evacuation plan was verified during a table‐top exercise and was tested through a drill.FindingsIt is evident from the study that a community‐based approach (where the local community is taken as the primary focus of attention in disaster reduction) to tsunami mitigation and preparedness is viable. This process has provided an opportunity for tapping traditional organizational structures and mechanisms (including formal and informal community leaders) and capability‐building activities with the community disaster committees and volunteers.Originality/valueTsunami 2004 is the first ever tsunami disaster experienced in the country and thus the study provides significant lessons learned from the event. The community‐based approach to disaster preparedness is not the current practice in the country. Thus, the study demonstrates that the approach is a viable tool to enhance community preparedness to tsunami and other types of disasters as well.
Understanding and reducing vulnerability: from the approach of liabilities and capabilities
Authors: McEntire David 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to expand comprehension of the concept of vulnerability in order to promote further scholarship in this area and provide policy guidance for practitioners.Design/methodology/approachVarious findings from the academic literature pertaining to vulnerability are discussed in order to generate a more holistic understanding of this key factor of disaster.FindingsThis exposition defines vulnerability, illustrates the causes of vulnerability, identifies those who may be vulnerable to disasters, and suggests ways to reduce vulnerability.Research limitations/implicationsBecause this paper offers a preliminary view that both includes and goes beyond the traditional social vulnerability school, additional research on this matter will undoubtedly be required. However, it is hoped that the breadth and complexity of challenges being faced currently will be made manifest in this discussion.Originality/valueThis paper extends the author's prior work in this area and reinforces the need to give greater priority to the concept of vulnerability in disaster research and emergency management.
Using training and development to recover failing projects
Authors: Kilkelly Eddie 
Published: July 2011

PurposeDemonstrates that skill gaps play a critical role in the failure of projects and provides HR specialists, consultants, management‐development specialists and trainers with guidance on how to identify and close such gaps.Design/methodology/approachDraws upon personal experience of planning and delivering projects, delivering generic and tailored project‐management training programs and knowledge of the leading best‐practice methods in program and project management. Identifies common problems and outlines how these should be addressed through the involvement of HR and the provision of targeted training and development.FindingsReveals that, despite the availability and uptake of project‐management training courses, fundamental skill gaps remain. Argues that these generally take two forms – technical skills and interpersonal or soft skills – and that they are common at every level, from the project sponsor to the project manager, through to the project‐team members.Practical implicationsExplains that: generic training does not help employees to understand how projects should be run within their specific organization; project‐management skills are context‐specific and need to be assessed in relation to the project at hand; and HR has much to offer project managers in helping to deliver project success through people.Social implicationsIndicates how the cost of failed projects – which research puts at billions of dollars a year – could be cut.Originality/valueDraws on the author's breadth of skill and experience to demonstrate key strategies that can help to reduce project failure and the associated costs.
Chocolate‐making melts away the inhibitions at Takeda
Authors: Whitehead Timmon 
Published: July 2011

PurposeDescribes a team‐building training session for ten members of the UK medical affairs and regional medical advisors division of international pharmaceutical company Takeda.Design/methodology/approachExplains the reasons for the session, the form it took and the results it achieved.FindingsDetails two activities – sculpting a horse's head from a block of ice and designing, making and branding chocolates – which formed the basis of the session.Practical implicationsReveals that team members learned a lot about themselves and each other during the activities. Participants reported feeling closer as a team and communication within the group is now more relaxed.Social implicationsHighlights the importance of teams “getting away from the work environment” for a while to carry out team‐building activities.Originality/valueDescribes a successful team‐building event carried out in a small division of an international pharmaceutical company.
Getting to grips with stress in the workplace
Authors: Carr Jolynn , Kelley Becky , Keaton Rhett , Albrecht Chad 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to describes the causes of stress, how it is manifested in the workplace and strategies for reducing it.Design/methodology/approachExplains what stress is, how to recognize it and how to incorporate programs in order to reduce its negative impact.FindingsReveals that the main areas that influence the level of chronic stress felt in the workplace are perception of job demands, individual differences and social demands. Although stress management is often considered important by businesses, action is rarely taken until the damage has been done.Practical implicationsAdvances the view that management needs to carefully and regularly monitor stress levels in the workplace, identify what is causing unnecessary stress and implement policies and procedures that will help to both manage and reduce stress.Social implicationsClaims that, while social demands can be psychologically distressing, social support from friends, colleagues and family tends to benefit psychological well‐being.Originality/valueReveals how reducing stress in the workplace will contribute to the quality of work life and help to move the company forward.
The future of the employment tribunal?
Authors: James Sarah 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the Employment Tribunal.Design/methodology/approachDiscusses the Employment Tribunal.FindingsThe Employment Tribunal (known as the Industrial Tribunal until 1998) began life in 1964 as a specialist forum to determine disputes about pay, and has grown, both in terms of the number of cases it handles, and the subject areas covered, until in the period 2009‐2010 it dealt with 236,100 claims. This represented an increase of 56 percent on 2008‐2009, mainly as a result of the rise in multiple equal pay claims in the public sector (which rose by nearly 90 percent on 2008‐2009), but also partly as a result of the changing economic climate. It is now the main forum for dealing with employment disputes, and given the background of current economic pressure on employers, the future direction of the tribunal has become a political “hot potato”.Originality/valueDiscusses the Employment Tribunal.
Interview with Mark Batey, R&D Director of E‐Metrixx and Joint Chairman of the Psychometrics at Work Research Group at Manchester Business School
Authors: by Juliet Harrison Interview 
Published: July 2011

PurposeTo provide an interview with Mark Batey, R&D Director of E‐Metrixx & Joint Chairman of the Psychometrics at Work Research Group at Manchester Business School.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent interviewer.FindingsDr Batey is an international authority on the Psychology of Creativity. In 2009, he was ranked second in the world for published research into creativity and in 2010, appeared with Lord Robert Winston on BBC's Child of Our Time. He presented at the 2010 HR Conference on the topic of “Addressing the Creativity Crisis,” looking at what we should be doing to develop creativity within ourselves and our organizations.Practical implicationsProvides guidance on how to change the culture of an organization to encourage creativity and how creativity can help businesses to survive turbulent markets.Originality/valueDr Batey draws on his experiences as a Psychologist and Chair of the Psychometrics at Work Research Group to offer businesses a new model for working. His research and training covers areas including: creativity, personality, financial behaviour, risk behaviour; attitudes towards fraud, emotional intelligence, and a whole different range of things related to how individuals can be different from one another. Through his interview, Dr Batey highlights how we can use this knowledge to work more effectively.
Ownership structure, corporate governance and dividend performance on the Ghana Stock Exchange
Authors: Bokpin Godfred A. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to document the interaction between ownership structure, corporate governance and dividend performance on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE).Design/methodology/approachPanel data covering a period from 2002 to 2007 for 23 firms were analyzed within the framework of fixed effects techniques.FindingsThe paper reports that foreign share ownership significantly, positively, influences dividend payment among firms on the GSE. It found board size to have a statistically positive effect on dividend payment among the corporate governance variables. It did not, however, find a significant relationship between inside ownership, board independence, board intensity, CEO duality and dividend performance. The results also indicate that highly leveraged firms will significantly reduce dividend payments. Finally, age and income volatility were found to be significant determinants of dividend performance on the GSE.Originality/valueThe paper considers a much broader approach to investigating the impact of ownership structure and corporate governance on dividend performance on the GSE, a marked departure from other studies conducted on the GSE.
Bringing about positive change in the higher education student experience: a case study
Authors: Brown Sally 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to outline the ways in which staff of a post‐1992 UK university set about enhancing the student experience, at a time when the institution had poor student evaluations as demonstrated by the UK National Student Survey and other indicators. Using a range of interventions led by the PVC (Academic), a concerted effort is made to improve classroom teaching, assessment and feedback, and the ways in which actions taken in response to student feedback were reported back to students.Design/methodology/approachThe article reviews some of the literature available on the NSS and on bringing about changes in universities, and demonstrates how such approaches were put in place.FindingsOver a period of 18 months, it was possible to report significant changes in practice, resulting in demonstrable improvements, both in NSS scores and staff morale.Research limitations/implicationsThe article uses a reportage approach, describing the steps taken as part of an evidence‐informed approach: potential future work will be undertaken by a new team, following a wide‐ranging restructuring of the university.Practical implicationsIt was necessary to recognise that teaching staff felt they were already working very hard, so changes had to be both manageable for staff and demonstrably leading to measurable improvements.Social implicationsThe article argues that a top‐down approach alone is insufficient to bring about rapid changes in a difficult context, and describes how diverse agents' enacted improvements.Originality/valueThe quality enhancement approaches described here are shared by a number of universities with similar aims: the originality of the approach lies in its coherence and collaborative nature, which combined evidence‐led leadership and cross‐institutional commitment.
A new lean paradigm in higher education: a case study
Authors: Doman Mark S. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis case study aims to demonstrate that lean principles and practices utilized in industry can be successfully applied to improve higher education administrative processes through an innovative and engaging learning experience involving undergraduate students.Design/methodology/approachThis is a first‐hand account by the instructor of a small group of undergraduate students in a seminar course working as a team to identify waste and redesign the university's grade change administrative process.FindingsThis case study found that a small group of undergraduate students can quickly learn basic lean principles, tools and practices, and reinforce that learning by applying them in a team effort to significantly improve a university administrative process.Practical implicationsWith the changing higher education environment, where efficiency and effectiveness have become more imperative due to increasing budget constraints and competition for students, this case study shows that students can play a major role in the improvement of university administrative processes while at the same time gaining new knowledge and skills that are highly valued in industry.Originality/valueThis case study confirms an opportunity for universities to create a valuable learning experience for their undergraduate students, by involving them in improving the administrative processes of the university.
Knowledge management in Malaysian school education
Authors: Awang Marinah , Ismail Ramlee , Flett Peter , Curry Adrienne 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on changes in the Malaysian education system, with particular reference to the development of Smart Schools, and to evaluate progress with respect to knowledge management in school education.Design/methodology/approachThe research is designed around questionnaires based on a knowledge management conceptual framework administered to random samples of 50 teachers in 25 Smart Schools and 25 Non‐Smart Schools so as to be able to make comparisons.FindingsThe findings provide evidence relating to a number of factors in knowledge management, its importance, the methods of managing knowledge, knowledge activities, barriers to knowledge management and factors contributing to knowledge management.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper lies in its Malaysian context and the lack of research into knowledge management in the field of education in general.
Security mistakes in information system deployment projects
Authors: Sommestad Teodor , Ekstedt Mathias , Holm Hannes , Afzal Muhammad 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the influence of a set of human and organizational factors in information system deployments on the probability that a number of security‐related mistakes are in the deployment.Design/methodology/approachA Bayesian network (BN) is created and analyzed over the relationship between mistakes and causes. The BN is created by eliciting qualitative and quantitative data from experts of industrial control system deployments in the critical infrastructure domain.FindingsThe data collected in this study show that domain experts have a shared perception of how strong the influence of human and organizational factors are. According to domain experts, this influence is strong. This study also finds that security flaws are common in industrial control systems operating critical infrastructure.Research limitations/implicationsThe model presented in this study is created with the help of a number of domain experts. While they agree on qualitative structure and quantitative parameters, future work should assure that their opinion is generally accurate.Practical implicationsThe influence of a set of important variables related to organizational/human aspects on information security flaws is presented.Social implicationsThe context of this study is deployments of systems that operate nations' critical infrastructure. The findings suggest that initiatives to secure such infrastructures should not be purely technical.Originality/valuePrevious studies have focused on either the causes of security flaws or the actual flaws that can exist in installed information systems. However, little research has been spent on the relationship between them. The model presented in this paper quantifies such relationships.
Impacts of organizational capabilities in information security
Authors: Hall Jacqueline H. , Sarkani Shahram , Mazzuchi Thomas A. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThis research aims to examine the relationship between information security strategy and organization performance, with organizational capabilities as important factors influencing successful implementation of information security strategy and organization performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on existing literature in strategic management and information security, a theoretical model was proposed and validated. A self‐administered survey instrument was developed to collect empirical data. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses and to fit the theoretical model.FindingsEvidence suggests that organizational capabilities, encompassing the ability to develop high‐quality situational awareness of the current and future threat environment, the ability to possess appropriate means, and the ability to orchestrate the means to respond to information security threats, are positively associated with effective implementation of information security strategy, which in turn positively affects organization performance. However, there is no significant relationship between decision making and information security strategy implementation success.Research limitations/implicationsThe study provides a starting point for further research on the role of decision‐making in information security.Practical implicationsFindings are expected to yield practical value for business leaders in understanding the viable predisposition of organizational capabilities in the context of information security, thus enabling firms to focus on acquiring the ones indispensable for improving organization performance.Originality/valueThis study provides the body of knowledge with an empirical analysis of organization's information security capabilities as an aggregation of sense making, decision‐making, asset availability, and operations management constructs.
Boundary breaking in a hospital
Authors: Kajamaa Anu 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe aim of this article is to examine whether the boundary between the separate worlds of evaluation and frontline work in a hospital can be overcome. The study provides an example of a rare, innovative creation process of an assessment tool in which the tool users and the tool producer participated. The article aims to widen the understanding of employee initiated organizational change efforts, co‐creation of boundary objects and organizational boundary breaking, which may lead to expansive learning.Design/methodology/approachThe article takes an activity‐theoretical approach to organizational boundaries, viewing them as tension‐laden triggers for learning and change. The analysis of expansive learning actions is based on longitudinal ethnographic field data on a collaboration effort between nurses and evaluation professionals in a Finnish hospital.FindingsThe collaboration effort between two organizational worlds led to boundary breaking. Initially, expansive learning actions were taken, but then obstacles started to emerge, and the collaboration between the two worlds was not sustained. To be sustainable, the collaboration would have required both a shared assessment tool (i.e. a boundary object) and management support. In this case the latter was missing.Originality/valueThe study analyzes a solid boundary, which delimited organizational learning and development. Rather than boundary crossing, as understood in the current literature, the challenging collaboration effort took the shape of conflictual boundary breaking. The study contributes to the literature on organizational boundaries and learning and has implications on management of employee initiated change efforts, collective tool creation processes and development of quality work in the public sector.
Is learning orientation in manufacturing and service firms different in India?
Authors: Awasthy Richa , Gupta Rajen K. 
Published: July 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to assess employees' perceptions of their organizations' orientation towards learning in manufacturing and service firms.Design/methodology/approachThe Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) developed by Marsick and Watkins, was administered to 235 executives working in the National Capital Region (NCR) in India. Regression analysis with the help of Eviews 5 was utilized to investigate the difference between the dimensions of DLOQ in both the sectors.FindingsResults suggest a significant impact of structural level dimension on a firm's financial and knowledge performance. Furthermore, no difference was observed between manufacturing and service sectors in context of a learning organization (LO).Research limitations/implicationsData were collected only from organizations operating in India's National Capital Region.Originality/valueThis research fulfills the literature gap in the domain of LO. It applies the LO approach and the DLOQ tool to examine the learning orientation of both manufacturing and service organizations in the NCR which has not been done so far in the literature. The results indicated greater impact of the structural level dimension as compared to the people level dimension irrespective of the sector in India.