bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a design performance measurement matrix for improving collaborative design during a design process
Authors: Yin Yuanyuan , Qin Shengfeng , Holland Ray 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how to measure collaborative design performance and, in turn, improve the final design output during a design process, with a clear objective to develop a design performance measurement (DPM) matrix to measure design project team members' design collaboration performances.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted in this research uses critical literature reviews, in‐depth focus group interviews and a questionnaire survey.FindingsThe main finding of this study is a DPM matrix that addresses five DPM indicators: efficiency, effectiveness, collaboration, management skill, and innovation, and 25 detailed DPM criteria. It was found that decision‐making efficiency is the most important DPM criterion for collaborative design efficiency; plus delivering to the brief for effectiveness; clear team goal/objectives for collaboration; decision‐making ability for management skill; and competitive advantage for innovation.Research limitations/implicationsAs the present study was focused on exploring DPM during a design process, some key DPM criteria which are not measurable during a design development process were not included in this study. The proposed multi‐feedback approach for DPM matrix implementation needs to be validated in future research.Practical implicationsThe DPM matrix can be applied to support a design manager in measuring and improving collaborative design performance during a design process, by reviewing and modifying collaborative design development, identifying the design team strengths and weaknesses, improving team communication, and suggesting suitable responsive actions.Originality/valueThe major contribution of this study is the investigation and development of a DPM matrix to measure collaborative design performance during a design process.
Six Sigma vs Lean
Authors: Antony Jiju 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the fundamental and critical differences between two of the most powerful methodologies in a process excellence initiative in any organisation.Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken was to collate opinions from a number of leading academics and practitioners from five different countries. It was also important to ensure that all participants have a good knowledge and expertise in the field of both Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.FindingsAlthough both methodologies are focused on process and quality improvement, Lean is formalisation and codification of experience and judgement which is not a feature of Six Sigma. Lean emphasises speed and waste, however Six Sigma emphasises variation, defects and process evaluation.Research limitations/implicationsThe viewpoints expressed in the article are those of a few academics and practitioners. It is important to capture the viewpoints of more academics and practitioners to arrive at sound and valid conclusions.Originality/valueThe paper provides an excellent resource for many researchers and for practitioners who are engaged in research and applications of the most two powerful methodologies for achieving and sustaining operational excellence. It is also critical to understand the fundamental differences between these two methodologies.
Becoming “world‐class”? Reputation‐building in a university merger
Authors: Aula Hanna‐Mari , Tienari Janne 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThis study of a university merger seeks to shed new light on reputation‐building, which has remained unexplored in the mergers and acquisitions (M&As) literature. It aims to study how key actors seek to build the reputation of the new university and how issues related to reputation become (re)constructed in different forums andvis‐à‐visdifferent stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachThe paper offers a longitudinal critical discourse analysis of a merger of three universities in Finland. The qualitative empirical material comprises university communications materials and media texts.FindingsThe study illustrates dynamics of reputation‐building in a university merger. It shows how the need to become an innovative “world‐class” university acts as an imaginary incentive, and predictions of an inevitable future are used to legitimize radical actions. The study also highlights the contradictions and controversies involved.Originality/valueThe study complements extant M&As literature by offering a unique focus on reputation‐building. More broadly, it offers an empirically‐based critical analysis of university reform in the global economy. It suggests that the ways in which reputation‐building activities impact on the (dis‐)identification of academic staff in higher education reforms needs to be studied further.
Subsidiary power in multinational corporations: the subtle role of micro‐political bargaining power
Authors: Dörrenbächer Christoph , Gammelgaard Jens 
Published: January 2011

PurposeAs subsidiary power has received relatively little attention in existing research, this paper aims to enhance the understanding of genuine sources of subsidiary power and how they work in headquarters‐subsidiary relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a review of the relevant literature and four illustrative case studies, which are written on the basis of secondary sources. Each case was selected because it adequately represents a particular type of power. This allows for cross‐case comparisons of the strengths and sustainability of different types of power, and facilitates the exploration of the application of subsidiary power in headquarters‐subsidiary relationships.FindingsFour genuine types of subsidiary power are identified. One of these – micro‐political bargaining power – plays a subtle but crucial role, as it is important in the enactment of the three other types of power, i.e. systemic, resource‐dependency, and institutional.Practical implicationsAs headquarters have unlimited access to formal power, subsidiaries find it necessary to constantly apply micro‐political bargaining power. The empirical material suggests that the effectiveness of micro‐political bargaining power for subsidiary actors is based on two factors: information retrieval from headquarters and the leveraging of such information in issue‐selling or conflict‐handling processes.Originality/valueThe paper contributes by theoretically delineating genuine types of subsidiary power and by illustrating the strength, sustainability and interaction of these types of power in headquarters‐subsidiary relationships.
Transnational corporations and international law: bringing TNCs out of the accountability vacuum
Authors: de Jonge Alice 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to highlight the disparity between the huge global influence and reach of transnational corporations, on the one hand, and the lack of international legal infrastructure for regulating TNC activity, on the other. Existing avenues for holding TNCs accountable for breaches of international standards are woefully inadequate. After rejecting the idea of subjecting TNCs to potential criminal liability, the paper then proposes a set of principles for international TNC responsibility modelled on the 2001 Draft Articles on State Responsibility. The potential future role of regional human rights courts and the International Labour Organisation in holding TNCs accountable is also explored.Design/methodology/approachA survey of existing legal texts and secondary scholarship was undertaken to determine the existing coverage of the regulatory infrastructure for holding TNCs to account, and to identify gaps in that coverage.FindingsSignificant governance gaps in the existing institutional infrastructure were identified, creating a permissive environment within which blameworthy acts by TNCs may occur without adequate sanctioning or reparation. Potential regulatory and institutional avenues for filling these gaps were identified.Research limitations/implicationsThe author lacks hands‐on experience of the political barriers which may exist and may make the proposed reforms unrealistic. Those in the field are encouraged to consider whether the proposed reforms are feasible/desirable.Practical implicationsThe paper contains implications for the future of international law, the regional human rights courts and the International Labour Organisation.Originality/valueThe paper contains original proposals for the future evolution of international law in its application to TNCs.
Finanzkapital in the twenty‐first century
Authors: Dholakia Nikhilesh 
Published: January 2011

PurposeDrawing inspiration from the 1910 bookFinanzkapitalby Rudolf Hilferding, this paper seeks to explore the nature of financial capital in the early twenty‐first century from a political‐economic and culture theory perspective. It aims to offer suggestions for transcending the crises‐prone contemporary economic systems.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reconceptualises the notions of Finanzkapital in the contemporary context, drawing selective evidence from current and twentieth century economic and business history.FindingsThe nature of contemporaneous Finanzkapital is elaborated by presenting seven “theses” that probe the nature of Finanzkapital prior to, during, and after the Great Recession of 2007‐9.Originality/valueThrough succinct articulation of the major characteristics of contemporary Finanzkapital, the paper suggests some ways to resist and transcend politico‐economic and business systems based on massive but quicksand‐like foundations of financial capital.
Leadership and teams in business: a study of IT projects in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Randeree Kasim , Ninan Mathews 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of leadership and team processes in information technology (IT) projects in business environments. The paper contextualizes the study in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Design/methodology/approachThe paper addresses two central questions: what is the level of IT project team effectiveness in the UAE context? What is the maturity level of leadership in IT project management in the UAE? A tailored instrument, based on Cohen and Bailey's team effectiveness evaluation model, was used in this study of 42 project teams in the UAE across various sectors.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that IT projects in the UAE demonstrate a maturity level that is transactional, with task‐focused teams and people‐oriented leadership styles.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of the paper can facilitate broader contextualized research on leadership and IT project team effectiveness, with particular emphasis on developing economies. This is important in addressing the issue of high failure rates in IT projects in general.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the role of leadership and its responsibility in facilitating teams in technical and high failure environments can impact on productivity and success rates in future projects.Originality/valueThis paper is unique in providing collated opinion about constructs within IT project team processes and leadership effectiveness in the context of businesses in developing economies. The use of a maturity structure addressing leadership, trust, teams and cohesion is distinctive.
Enabling distributed communication of manual skills
Authors: Fox Stephen , Ehlen Patrick , Purver Matthew 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to inform the development of mixed initiative systems for distributed digital communication of manual skills. In particular, manual skills that are essential in project production paradigms such as engineer‐to‐order.Design/methodology/approachFindings from survey research, which included literature review and interviews with practitioners, are reported. Literature review investigated media, strategies, and computation relevant to distributed digital communication of manual skills. Interviews investigated attitudes among industry practitioners towards distributed digital communication of manual skills.FindingsCommunication media, instructional strategies, and computational semantics techniques are available which can be integrated to address the limitations of human communication of manual skills.Research limitations/implicationsOnly ten organizations were involved in interviews investigating attitudes towards distributed digital communication of manual skills.Practical implicationsManual skills will continue to be important to project businesses involved in the production, refurbishment, and/or maintenance of large engineer‐to‐order products such as public buildings and process plants. The limitations of human communication can be addressed by using a variety media, such as augmented reality headsets, to enable new instructional strategies, such as just‐in‐time training. Further, combinations of media and strategies can be integrated with computational semantics in the development of mixed initiative systems which provide feedback as well as initial instruction.Originality/valueThe originality of the research reported in this paper is that it addresses a full range of enablers for distributed communication of manual skills. Further, an overview of computational semantics is presented which does not rely on prior specialist knowledge. The value of this paper is that it introduces a framework for enabling distributed communication of manual skills. In addition, a preliminary ontology for distributed communication of manual skills is introduced, together with recommendations for implementation.
Paradigms in project management research: examples from 15 years of IRNOP conferences
Authors: Biedenbach Thomas , Müller Ralf 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the philosophical stances and related methodologies used within the last 15 years of project management research using The International Research Network on Organizing by Projects (IRNOP) conference papers.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing a systematic sampling approach, IRNOP conference papers from 1994, 2000 and 2007 were analyzed for prevalent philosophical streams in project management research.FindingsResults show a dominance of ontological subjectivism and epistemological interpretivism, with a preference for case studies and qualitative methods. Trends indicate a growth of positivist studies and, at the same time, an increase in multi‐case studies.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper's contribution to knowledge lies in the identification of predominant research paradigms for research reported at project management conferences using IRNOP as an example. The study shows trends, preferences, and potential differences between published research and conference papers.Originality/valueInformation on the quality, quantity and timely trends of underlying philosophies in project management research are lacking an insightful exploration of the project management research field. This is necessary for a better understanding of the past, present and possible future of research paradigms in project management. The paper's findings can be used to improve the interpretation of the state of knowledge in project management research.
Profiling the context and opportunities for Australian project management research
Authors: Sense Andrew John , Owen Jill , Watt Chivonne 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present and analyse the context, the current issues and the opportunities for project management (PM) research within Australia. The paper contributes to researcher and industry practitioner knowledge and debates on supporting and promoting the development of national PM research agendas.Design/methodology/approachThis is a research paper which draws on and interprets empirical data generated from a comprehensive national survey of Australian PM researchers.FindingsThe paper first profiles the current landscape of Australian PM research. Thereafter, it explores the future opportunities/risks for PM research in this country, as perceived by the researcher community.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was limited to the collection of data from PM researchers across Australia (80 percent response rate to the survey tool). Clearly, this study was confined to one country and to one category of respondent.Practical implicationsThis paper will make contributions to national and international debates and analysis on current research trajectories and future opportunities in the PM field and thereby also aid comparative knowledge development within the researcher community.Originality/valueThis paper represents the first comprehensive national PM researcher study undertaken in Australia. It provides a compelling national insight into the current state of PM research as perceived by PM researchers and illustrates issues concerning their research contexts, their links to industry partners and perceptions of industry and industry representative body engagement in PM research activity.
Improving project learning: a new approach to lessons learnt
Authors: Fuller Paul A. , Dainty Andrew R.J. , Thorpe Tony 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on research which has developed a new approach to capturing project‐based learning.Design/methodology/approachAction research was employed as part of a longitudinal single organization case study.FindingsProject learning processes can be improved by using an event‐based approach to project knowledge integration that propagates duetero‐learning. The approach developed generates outputs that codify lessons learnt and promotes measurement of benefits. The event and the outputs, in effect, take the form of “boundary objects” which act as a bridge or means of translation between the participants, as well as to those who will use the learning to improve their own project practice on other projects.Research limitations/implicationsThe approach has only been applied within a single support services organization, but could provide a way of overcoming the considerable difficulties inherent in capturing lessons learned within project‐based environments.Practical implicationsThe approach helps to overcome the key issues of obtaining management and staff buy‐in, and dealing with the time pressures that exist in project‐based environments. The outputs can be applied to encourage learning across projects and wider communities resulting in improved practice.Originality/valueThe process uses the concept of boundary objects to explain how some of the problems arising when complex abstract concepts are involved can be overcome, particularly in increasing understanding and buy‐in from the actors involved. Viewing learning events as boundary objects sees them as mediating information across project boundaries, between project practitioners and across business units. The event process can be adapted for a variety of scenarios and used by an organization or group of organizations to improve and apply learning more successfully.
Factors in ontological uncertainty related to ICT innovations
Authors: Fox Stephen 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this research note is to provide an overview of factors in ontological uncertainty. Ontological uncertainty exists when individuals have perceptions about the future consequences of an innovation, which are based more on their diverse world views than on the innovation itself.Design/methodology/approachThe research comprised review of the literature relating to factors that contribute to, and factors that mediate, ontological uncertainty.FindingsContributory factors to ontological uncertainty include individuals' genders, personality types, cultures, and experiences. Mediating factors include organizational processes and external influences.Practical implicationsOntological uncertainty is different from truth uncertainty. In particular, it cannot be described in terms of probability distributions. However, it may be more feasible to reduce ontological uncertainty than to reduce truth uncertainty.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper is that it provides descriptions of factors in ontological uncertainty through an example that is very relevant to project business. The value of this paper is that provides a starting point for the reduction of ontological uncertainty in practice.
Ethical considerations in doing and disseminating project management research
Authors: Lundin Rolf A. 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this research note is to provide some guidance on the ethical issues surrounding submitting academic papers for publication.Design/methodology/approachThis is a reflective paper based upon the author's experience as an author, reviewer, journal editor and chair of research tracks in conference proceedings.FindingsThe contention is that there are many temptations and potential pitfalls for researchers in action as well as in publishing. At the same time there are many written and unwritten rules for such instances and the boundaries of the acceptable are not always clear.Research limitations/implicationsThe publish or perish ideology is at the root of many temptations. Without good research results and without publishing there is no way for a researcher to survive in academia and as a researcher. The concerns in project research do not appear too different from any kind of management research, however. Hence, the attempt here is to cover management research in general and to outline what might be specific for project management.Originality/valueThe value of this paper is that it clarifies the “rules of the game” in academic publishing, especially where authors are concerned about the acceptable degree of content overlap and specialization to meet specific themes between similar papers they submit for publication.
Implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in a major construction contracting organization in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Eric , Mills Anthony 
Published: January 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarize the scope, methodology and main findings of a doctoral thesis about the implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in a major construction contracting organization in Hong Kong. This research is taken from a leadership and power and project management (PM) perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe project adopted a case study approach in which the candidate was an employee/observer, who was embedded as a member of the business transformation team taking an action learning approach to study the ERP adoption. The research used the soft system methodology to identify gaps in the observed maturity level which exists in the organization. Data was gathered using public and private documentation, semi‐structured interviews, observation and was validated through review of evidence with participants.FindingsThe results identified the importance of leadership and cultural issues in implementation of the business strategy. This research includes a contribution in two spheres: PM and construction procurement. The first implication for PM theory was to illustrate how knowledge has been efficiently managed within a construction organization by using information communication technology (ICT). It can be represented by the ladder of ICT>ERP>KM>PM. The second implication was to pave the way for the use of partnering strategies in PM practice. It can be represented by the ladder of National Culture>Organizational Culture>Leadership>Partnering Strategy>PM.Practical implicationsThis model could be adapted to other large and complex organisational contexts. The research project also has implications as opening up a PM perspective on business transformation.Originality/valueThe contribution of this research is proving the success of adopting KM in a construction company by using an ERP system. The importance of culture in the traditionally collectivistic construction industry, and the issues senior management should take into account when formulating business strategies.