bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stakeholder inclusivity in social and environmental report assurance
Authors: Rhianon Edgley Carla , Jones Michael John , Solomon Jill Frances 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of the research was to discover the process of social and environmental report assurance (SERA) and thereby evaluate the benefits, extent of stakeholder inclusivity and/or managerial capture of SERA processes and the dynamics of SERA as it matures.Design/methodology/approachThis paper used semi‐structured interviews with 20 accountant and consultant assurors to derive data, which were then coded and analysed, resulting in the identification of four themes.FindingsThis paper provides interview evidence on the process of SERA, suggesting that, although there is still managerial capture of SERA, stakeholders are being increasingly included in the process as it matures. SERA is beginning to provide dual‐pronged benefits, adding value to management and stakeholders simultaneously. Through the lens of Freirian dialogic theory, it is found that SERA is starting to display some characteristics of a dialogical process, being stakeholder inclusive, demythologising and transformative, with assurors perceiving themselves as a “voice” for stakeholders. Consequently, SERA is becoming an important mechanism for driving forward more stakeholder‐inclusive SER, with the SERA process beginning to transform attitudes of management towards their stakeholders through more stakeholder‐led SER. However, there remain significant obstacles to dialogic SERA. The paper suggests these could be removed through educative and transformative processes driven by assurors.Originality/valuePrevious work on SERA has involved predominantly content‐based analysis on assurance statements. However, this paper investigates the details of the SERA process, for the first time using qualitative interview data.
Musings
Authors: Parker Lee 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to convey the experience of writer's block.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a poetic exposition.FindingsThe paper exemplifies the mental struggle of diagnosing causes and envisaging escape routes for rescuing creativity and writing ability.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper suggests the commonly experienced dilemmas of both researchers and practising professionals and the thinking patterns that beset them.Originality/valueThe paper offers a window into the soul of the afflicted professional report writer and research author.
Patients' complaints at a large psychiatric hospital: can they lead to better patient services?
Authors: Haw Camilla , Collyer Jeanette , Sugarman Philip 
Published: May 2010

PurposeLittle is known about complaints made by psychiatric patients. The aim of this study is to analyse complaints made by, or behalf of, inpatients at a large independent psychiatric hospital.Design/methodology/approachThe hospital's complaints register was used to identify and study complaints made during 2006. A descriptive analysis was performed.FindingsOf the 392 complaints, 39 per cent related to staff behaviour, 26 per cent to clinical matters, 18 per cent to the behaviour of other patients and the remaining 16 per cent to the physical environment and facilities. Action as a result of complaints was mainly taken at unit level but in 9 per cent of cases organisation‐wide improvements were made, for example to enrich patient treatment programmes, rectify staff shortages and improve the quality of meals.Research limitations/implicationsThe study took place in a specialist hospital and so the findings cannot be generalised to the wider NHS. Important differences exist between complaints made in psychiatric as opposed to general hospital settings.Practical implicationsComplaints are a valuable source of organisational learning for mental health services.Originality/valueGiven the paucity of literature on complaints in psychiatry, this study describes some in detail the nature of patients' complaints and one organisation's actions to improve patient services as a result of these complaints.
An evaluation of near‐patient testing of anticoagulant control in general practice
Authors: Edgeworth Amanda , Coles Edward C. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to compare anticoagulant management in secondary care for the year prior to the introduction of near‐patient testing in a general practice, and in the subsequent year after it was introduced.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a retrospective, paired before‐after study. Details of test results in the two‐year‐long periods on the 46 patients who met the inclusion criteria were collected and analysed pairwise.FindingsDespite an increase in the frequency of testing this set of patients were controlled as well in general practice as they had been with a secondary‐care service, and better that in a number of studies in the literature.Research limitations/implicationsThis research reviews a recently introduced service at a single centre. Further research of patient satisfaction and adverse events in a multi‐centre longer‐term trial are desirable.Practical implicationsTechnology now allows the increasing amount of individuals on anticoagualtion to be controlled with near‐patient testing in general practice. This study shows that satisfactory control can be maintained in patients who transfer from a secondary care‐based to a primary care‐based service.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that a single general practice can provide a high quality anticoagulant service using near‐patient testing and computer‐based decision support. This adds to the already available evidence and will hopefully encourage other practices to adopt the same.
How successful organizations strategically manage their analytic talent
Authors: Harris Jeanne , Craig Elizabeth , Egan Henry 
Published: May 2010

PurposeBecause analytics are increasingly becoming a key source of competitive advantage, attracting, engaging and retaining analytical talent and building an organizations' analytical capability is now a key skill top management needs to learn. This paper aims to investigate this issue.Design/methodology/approachGiven that analytics is a relatively new management discipline and that only a few leading companies manage the talent it requires as a strategic resource, the authors collected their best practices.FindingsThe paper specifies the four main practices that top executives need to follow to create and develop a talent‐powered analytical organization.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors offer anecdotal research on leading companies.Practical implicationsWhat distinguishes talent‐powered analytical organizations is their ability to unleash their analysts' talents to maximize and continually expand the company's analytical capabilities.Originality/valueBy building and aligning the four key talent management capabilities revealed in this paper, organizations can maximize the strategic impact of their analytical talent and continually expand the organization's collective analytical capabilities.
Drucker's strategic thinking process: three key techniques
Authors: Zand Dale E. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe astute observations of Peter Drucker – seminal management thinker, author and consultant who died in 2005–have influenced the strategic thinking of managers for decades. The author, a former colleague of Drucker's, believes that his meta‐thinking – that is, his pattern of thinking –offers executives especially valuable insights for improving the process of strategic analysis. The paper aims to look at several modern case studies using Drucker's favorite analysis techniques.Design/methodology/approachThe paper looks at three case studies that use Drucker's favorite analysis techniques.FindingsBuilt into his pattern of thinking are three techniques that Drucker used to consider almost every problem. Learning to apply these techniques can be extremely helpful to senior managers. Drucker was the alpha knowledge worker. His influence was global – altering the mindset of managers around the world. His lessons in strategic thinking are a model for all who practice strategic management or advise others on how to do so.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is based on personal recollection and a review of literature.Practical implicationsThree techniques that Drucker often employed are: ask penetrating questions of people who understand current and future realities so they can generate and evaluate a creative set of strategic options; reframe the prevailing view of the situation in simple, understandable terms that enable a review of priorities and adjustment of actions to better adapt to the competitive environment; and question the assumptions underlying current views – consider alternative assumptions and diligently probe their context and strategic implications.Originality/valueThe paper provides useful insight into Drucker's brilliant intuitive analysis process.
IBM 2000 to 2010: continuously transforming the corporation while delivering performance
Authors: Bramante Jim , Frank Ron , Dolan Jim 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe strategic initiative IBM undertook to resurrect itself after the dot.com era of a decade ago provides meaningful lessons for other multinational corporations looking to pursue higher margins, globalize their operations, and change and reduce their cost structures. This paper aims to look at these lessons.Design/methodology/approachThis case describes how IBM executed a number of strategic shifts – from investing billions of US dollars in strategic acquisitions and new markets, such as India, China and Brazil, to aggressively driving costs out of selling, general and administrative expense (SG&A) – to create a stronger portfolio of offerings and a more efficient operating model.FindingsIBM achieved success by executing toward four strategic goals: Capture higher value: migrate to more attractive customer segments as well as higher‐value products and service offerings; invest for growth: take advantage of the global footprint to benefit from global growth, as well as invest in new market offerings; shift the operating model to drive productivity: improve operating performance by globally integrating, while pushing decisions further down into the organization; and apply shared values and performance managementResearch limitations/implicationsThis is an internal case analysis.Practical implicationsIBM has shifted substantial focus and investments to growth markets in recent years and created an operating unit dedicated to the world's growth markets in 2008. The newly established growth markets unit generated more than twice the revenue growth of IBM major markets operations in 2008.Originality/valueEnabled by global integration, supported by increased visibility and driven by an integrated management team, the IBM operating model investigated here provides the capability to understand and balance not only what is needed to perform today, but also to meet the needs of the future. It creates a dynamic that gives managers and senior leaders the ability to both lead and follow the enterprise's aspirations and each other.
Making sense of context
Authors: Doolin Bill 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory analysis of how key actors in three New Zealand regional tourism organizations interpret various local and general contextual conditions in accounting for website development, and how such sense‐making is likely to have shaped the configuration of generic web technology in each organization.Design/methodology/approachNarrative analysis of accounts provided by key actors involved in website development planning and decision‐making in three small tourism organizations is used. Where possible, the narrative analysis was supplemented by document review and interviews with other organizational stakeholders.FindingsDespite their ostensibly similar roles, the three organizations developed websites that exhibited significant variation in scope, functionality and sophistication. The analysis suggests that much of this local variation in website form and function was the result of how the general managers (GMs) in these organizations, acting as “configurational intrapreneurs” in website development, interpreted contextual “conditions of possibility” in which their organizations were situated.Research limitations/implicationsAs analysis occurred after website development, recourse is made to development narratives authored in an interview setting by the GMs of the three organizations studied. It is argued that the sense‐making occurring in these situated narratives reflects the sense‐giving performed by these key actors during the website development process.Originality/valueThe study suggests that how specific conditions of possibility are perceived and mobilized by influential actors plays an important role in shaping the technological outcome of website development, particularly in small organizations. It demonstrates the utility of analysing the sense‐making processes inherent in narratives of information systems development as a way of understanding the strategic development and use of such systems.
The architecture and industry applications of web security in static and dynamic analysis
Authors: Wu Raymond , Hisada Masayuki 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a metadata‐driven approach and the associated technologies to deal with ever‐rising web security issue. The approach applies metadata techniques to envision semantic validation for new types of vulnerability.Design/methodology/approachToken decomposition design was applied to move analysis work into abstract level. This novel approach can solve the issues by using a dual control method to perform vulnerability validation.FindingsCurrent analysis has been lack in metadata foundation, the vulnerability is invisible due to semantic obfuscation. This paper reflects the limitation of existing methods. It applies metadata‐driven approach to move physical and syntax analysis into semantic validation.Research limitations/implicationsCurrently, certain difficulties may be encountered in preparing benchmarking for dual control process before completing development work. However, this paper tries to create scenarios which can be a reference, to evaluate the semantic validation.Practical implicationsIn consideration of the optimized control and vulnerability rate, Structural Query Language (SQL) injection is taken as an example in demonstration. This approach targets large enterprise and high complexity, and the research intends to impact industry to generate common practices such as metadata standards and development tools.Originality/valueThis paper contributes originality in applying metadata strategy to envision semantic structure. It further favours the service industry in building up portfolio foundation in component‐based technologies. As the new type of vulnerability can be precisely specified, it can minimize business impact and achieve efficient vulnerability detection.
Combining experimental and inquiry methods in software usability evaluation
Authors: Kostaras Nektarios , Stavrinoudis Dimitris , Sokoli Stavroula , Xenos Michalis 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a methodology combining experimental and inquiry methods used for software usability evaluation. The software product of LeViS project funded by the European Commission (Socrates/Lingua II) is used as an evaluation paradigm. The aim of the paper is twofold: to present the results of the usability evaluation using this software as an example and to suggest a number of improvements for the next version of the software tool; and to portray the advantages of combining methods from different evaluation approaches and the experiences from their application.Design/methodology/approachThe evaluation for this experiment combined different usability methods, both experimental and inquiry ones. More specifically, the methods employed were the Thinking Aloud Protocol and the User Logging, which were performed in a usability evaluation laboratory, as well as the inquiry methods of Interview and Focus Group.FindingsIn this study, usability problems regarding the Learning via Subtitling (LvS) educational software were revealed as well as issues regarding the use of Thinking Aloud Protocol method and involving users with a specific profile. The research findings presented in this paper constitute an innovative and effective methodology for software usability evaluation and are useful for laboratories aiming to conduct similar evaluations.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this methodology has been successfully applied for over 20 software products, due to practical purposes related to this paper's extent, only one software is used as an example.Originality/valueThrough the evaluation process, apart from discovering certain usability problems related to the software, there are a number of important conclusions drawn, regarding the methods used and the methodology followed in software usability evaluation.
Supporting knowledge transfer in web‐based managed IT support
Authors: Cooper Vanessa A. , Lichtenstein Sharman 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance and complexities of the knowledge transfer process in the provision of effective managed after‐sales IT support, when the web is used for service delivery.Design/methodology/approachThe paper features an interpretive case study of a multi‐national Managed Service Provider (MSP) and a focus group of representatives from five comparable MSPs.FindingsThe paper finds that MSPs that use web‐based channels for the provision of after‐sales IT support services need to address a range of important social and organisational issues in order to realise cost and efficiency‐based benefits.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides a four stage processual model of knowledge transfer in the provision of web‐based managed after‐sales IT support services. The barriers and enablers of knowledge transfer at each stage are identified. The paper adopts a MSP perspective and suggests that further research from the customer perspective is required.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights some important social and organisational enablers and barriers, which will guide MSPs when providing managed after‐sales IT support using web‐based channels.Originality/valueThe paper provides the first staged model of inter‐organisational knowledge transfer in a complex multi‐organisational and multi‐channel web‐based context.
Introduction to the special issue
Authors: Goodman Michael B. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the future of corporate communication professionals and researchers; to present the findings of the Corporate Communication International (CCI) Corporate Communication Practices and Trends Study 2009; and to introduce the issues presented in the papers from the CCI Conference on Corporate Communication 2009 published in this special issue.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a discussion of the future of the corporate communication and the findings of the CCI Corporate Communication Practices and Trends Study 2009.FindingsThe paper implies strategic knowledge of business processes and practice for effective corporate communication.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper implies several areas for further research.Originality/valueThe paper articulates complex challenges facing corporate communicators.
New media: a new medium in escalating crises?
Authors: Siah Ann Mei Joanna , Bansal Namrata , Pang Augustine 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe use of new media in crisis is a double‐edged sword. On one hand, its pivotal role in online monitoring and dissemination of information can help an organisation manage crisis. On the other hand, it can also create organisational crisis. The purpose of this paper is to examine how new media can be used to escalate crisis.Design/methodology/approachFour crises were examined: the 2008 Edison Chen sex scandal in Hong Kong; and in the USA, New York Taco Bell‐KFC rats infestation crisis in 2007; JetBlue Airways crisis in 2007, and the Kryptonite locks crisis in 2004.FindingsThe very characteristics that make new media unique, such as user interactivity and integration of multimedia effects, are also its Achilles heel.Research limitations/implicationsResearch has revolved around new media as a tool, a useful aid in times of need. The paper presents an emerging and under‐explored side of new media of how it is used as an accessory in escalating crises.Practical implicationsPractitioners can be equipped to better prepare themselves against the threats posed by new media.Originality/valueThe paper has developed a new model on how organisations could harness new media to their advantage while implementing safeguards against possible threats posed by the medium. This model, called the new media crisis communication model, is an integration of the crisis management model posited by Gonzelez‐Herrero and Smith and the contingency theory of strategic conflict management.
The persuasive strength of values, reputation, and interest arguments for promoting ethical behavior in a global corporate setting
Authors: Leila Trapp N. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to question the appropriateness of approaching business ethics communication from within a corporate communication or intercultural management framework as the normative stances of these two frameworks are seen to differ with regard to how global companies should communicate with a culturally diverse staff.Design/methodology/approachSurvey results regarding staff evaluations of various company‐issued arguments used to promote ethical behavior in a global corporate setting are examined. The respondents are staff from the Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, and the USA affiliates of the global health care company, Novo Nordisk.FindingsSurvey results reveal that although there are some important differences between country affiliates, there is also an impressive degree of agreement that corporate identity, values, and reputation are important sources of motivation for ethical behavior.Practical implicationsThe findings provide practical guidance for the development of persuasive business ethics programs in global, values‐based companies.Originality/valueThe paper provides support for the corporate communication stance that shared corporate identity, values, and reputation do indeed motivate staff to behave ethically. It also demonstrates the international applicability of this stance.
Identifying and mapping stakeholders: an industry case study
Authors: Hutt Roger W. 
Published: May 2010

PurposeThe paper seeks to identify and map groups, organizations, and individuals chief executive officers refer to in annual report letters, and propose a method for identifying those appearing to be stakeholders. Identifying who those stakeholders are could provide clues to competitors' corporate strategies or other issues drawing the attention of executive managers.Design/methodology/approachAnnual report letters of all 19 public restaurant franchisors on the 2007 Franchise Times top 200 list were analyzed with concordance software. Stakeholders were identified and mapped according to their linkages with franchisors.FindingsSignificant differences were found between international and domestic franchisors. An industry‐specific approach was used.Research limitations/implicationsA small sample, focused on a single industry, was used. The study could be replicated using the procedures discussed.Practical implicationsGroups, organizations, and individuals referred to in annual reports are identified and mapped.Originality/valueA method for determining which groups, organizations, and individuals are stakeholders is presented.