bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
On establishing the core competency identifying model
Authors: Yang Bai‐Chuan , Wu Bing‐Eng , Shu Pei‐Gi , Yang Ming‐Hsien 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThis research intends to establish a model integrating the related theories in strategy management and competency in the HRM field, and to develop a systematic tool that can help a company quickly and precisely identify its core competency.Design/methodology/approachAn internal value activity chain is obtained through analyzing customers' needs. The priority of the activities is then determined via examining external factors. The critical competency needed by the activity is abstracted from a process and operation analysis. Standardized procedures and tools for applying the Process Oriented Core Competency Identification (POCCI) model are sequentially deployed.FindingsAn empirical case was illustrated that the POCCI model not only helps a company identify the core competency that prevails over alternative approaches but also draws more recognition from the raters. The linkage between individual competency and organizational competitive advantage was solidified by the POCCI model and evidenced by an empirical case.Research limitations/implicationsMisunderstanding over competency items might impede the consensus formation. A handbook of standardized procedures with unified definition is strongly suggested to facilitate the progression of competency identification.Practical implicationsThe model, procedures and tools proposed in this paper can help most companies quickly and precisely identify their specific core competencies.Originality/valueThe POCCI model that emphasizes interdisciplinary integration and practical usage has never been thoroughly investigated in the previous literature and could serve as a prototype for further explorations.
Enhancing business networks using social network based virtual communities
Authors: Lea Bih‐Ru , Yu Wen‐Bin , Maguluru Nisha , Nichols Michael 
Published: June 2006

PurposeTo enhance an entrepreneur's business network through the integration of the social network concepts and design principles of virtual communities.Design/methodology/approachThis study documents the design and initial deployment of a virtual community case, Innovation Information Infrastructure, based on social network concepts.FindingsBasic design principles, deployment strategy, and future directions for social network‐based virtual communities are presented.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of resource and time constraints, only basic content service, communication tools, and transaction functions were implemented in the initial deployment. Future extensions of this study may include development of a personalized and intelligent information retrieval system utilizing data mining techniques, development of advanced communication features to promote active participation, and creation of automatic social network‐tracking tools to monitor an individual's network evolution.Practical implicationsSample designs are provided for researchers who are interested in conducting a similar study.Originality/valueThis study serves as a starting‐point for how theories from social network and virtual community research streams can be applied in creating a virtual community that facilitates transformation of knowledge into products and services, which in turn lead to greater economic prosperity.
Legitimising quality principles through critical incidents in organisational development
Authors: McAdam Rodney , Hazlett Shirley‐Ann , Henderson Joan 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyse how critical incidents or organisational crises can be used to check and legitimise quality management change efforts in relation to the fundamental principles of quality.Design/methodology/approachMultiple case studies analyse critical incidents that demonstrate the importance of legitimisation, normative evaluation and conflict constructs in this process. A theoretical framework composed of these constructs is used to guide the analysis.FindingsThe cases show that the critical incidents leading to the legitimisation of continuous improvement (CI) were diverse. However all resulted in the need for significant ongoing cost reduction to achieve or retain competitiveness. In addition, attempts at legitimising CI were coupled with attempts at destabilising the existing normative practice. This destabilisation process, in some cases, advocated supplementing the existing approaches and in others replacing them. In all cases, significant conflict arose in these legitimising and normative evaluation processes.Research limitations/implicationsIt is suggested that further research could involve a critical analysis of existing quality models, tools and techniques in relation to how they incorporate, and are built upon, fundamental quality management principles. Furthermore, such studies could probe the dangers of quality curriculum becoming divorced from business and market reality and thus creating a parallel existence.Practical implicationsAs demonstrated by the case studies, models, tools and techniques are not valued for their intrinsic value but rather for what they will contribute to addressing the business needs. Thus, in addition to being an opportunity for quality management, critical incidents present a challenge to the field. Quality management must be shown to make a contribution in these circumstances.Originality/valueThis paper is of value to both academics and practitioners.
Using a knowledge management approach to support quality costing
Authors: Eldridge Steve , Balubaid Mohammed , Barber Kevin D. 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to examine the difficulties associated with quality costing and propose a solution based upon the use of knowledge management techniques.Design/methodology/approachA widely available software tool is used to create a quality costing ontology based upon the prevention appraisal failure classification of quality costs. This ontology is used for the collection, processing, sharing and use of quality cost‐related knowledge. The ontology was evaluated using case study data and compared with conventional approaches to quality costing.FindingsThe quality costing ontology is easier and more efficient than conventional quality costing methods. It has greater capability in terms of the analysis and use of quality costing knowledge and overcomes the barriers to quality costing due to poor understanding and awareness.Research limitations/implicationsThe quality costing ontology provides a platform for researchers to investigate quality cost behaviour within a well‐structured environment. The use of alternative classifications to prevention appraisal failure in the ontology need to be investigated further.Practical implicationsTraditionally, training and education have been used to rectify poor understanding and awareness of quality costs but with limited success. The quality cost ontology provides an alternative solution that uses knowledge management (KM) technology and is based on information systems.Originality/valueThe authors could find no research or published paper that has discussed the role of KM in quality costing.
The view from the trenches: an interview with Harvey Seifter and Tim Stockil
Authors: Bartelme Lois 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the viewpoints of two leaders in bridging the world of the arts and the world of business in order to enhance organizational success. Harvey Seifter from the Arts and Business Council and Tim Stockil, formerly a director of Creative Development for Arts & Business in the UK, discuss the history, development and current status of the relationships between businesspeople and artists.Design/methodology/approachThe author conducted separate interviews with Seifter and Stockil and summarizes their perspectives.FindingsThe relationship between business and arts has changed from business sponsorship of the arts to include the application of knowledge and expertise in the creative process to the solutions of business problems. The scope of artistic skills and arts‐based applications is wide ranging and impacts culture change in organizations. The interviewees explain how skills utilized by artists such as team building, feedback and rehearsing contribute to success. They examine the barriers, such as concern for ROI and risk avoidance, impacting the transference of artistic knowledge to business endeavors. Stockil and Seifter conclude by examining the role of creativity in shaping the future of business.Practical implicationsThe paper should be of interest to corporate executives, organizational development professionals and human performance improvement specialists who are seeking new approaches to solving workplace issues.Originality/valueThis paper describes insights from two of the primary leaders in building bridges between business and the arts. It provides descriptions and case studies that illustrate the creative application of artistic skills and processes to solving organizational problems.
Mapping and assessing the key management issues influencing UK public healthcare purchaser‐provider cooperation
Authors: Carruthers Janet , Ashill Nicholas J. , Rod Michel 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe purpose is to examine the bases of positive relations between suppliers and purchasers of healthcare services. In doing so, the paper examines the nature of cooperation between the providers of healthcare services (hospitals) and those who commission and purchase healthcare on behalf of patients (regional health authorities).Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a qualitative interview approach for gathering and analysing major stakeholder (provider and purchaser) perceptions of their interorganisational relations and how these interactions impact on the quest of the healthcare provider to meet the needs of the community they serve.FindingsThe paper identifies group relevant variables into four major themes or “core categories” that characterise purchaser‐provider stakeholder cooperation. These themes represent provider and purchaser views on those factors characterising stakeholder relationships within the purchaser‐provider dyad.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests that extending practitioners' understanding of the nature of these interrelated factors may lead to better insights of how interorganisational relations and partnerships might be managed more proactively throughout the healthcare value chain.Originality/valueIn the extant literature, there is a paucity of research that has illustrated multi‐stakeholder perspectives in the public sector. This paper explores the perceptions of two main stakeholders in public healthcare to map and assess management issues influencing purchaser‐provider cooperation.
How do we count our chickens? Or do citation counts count?
Authors: Gorman G.E. 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThis issue aims to look into the subject of citation counts and whether they have an impact on the articles being cited.Design/methodology/approachUses Selgens list of citations that have been counted within such areas as: review articles, long articles, short publications and research fields as an example.FindingsFinds that citation counts and impact factors can be easily manipulated.Originality/valueGives a strong view to a controversial subject.
E‐mentoring: solving the issue of mentoring across distances
Authors: Hunt Kevin 
Published: June 2006

PurposeTo show how e mentoring can be used.DesignThe article quotes case evidence on the value of e mentoring.FindingsE mentoring can be an effective mode and does not suffer from as many problems as some would imaginePractical implicationsE mentoring can be used in organizations as an effective development approachOriginality/valueVery little has been written about e mentoring and this article is a useful addition to the literature.
IT excellence starts with governance
Authors: Robinson Nick 
Published: June 2006

PurposeTo explain how information technology (IT) governance enables an organization to achieve three vital objectives: regulatory and legal compliance, operational excellence, and optimal risk management.Design/methodology/approachDescribes the role in IT governance of functions such as value creation (distilling company's mission and strategic direction into business needs for IT applications), value delivery (formal project management methodology and system development life cycle), value preservation (integrated control and risk management program), resource management, performance management (capability maturity model, balanced scorecard, Six Sigma), and oversight. Describes governance frameworks such as COBIT, ITIL, and ISO/IEC 17799: 2000. Offers advice on getting started.FindingsWhen governance is effective, IT becomes a valued asset, inseparable from the business and regarded as an asset, not a cost.Originality/valueHelps a compliance officer think about the connection between effective IT and compliance systems.
State of New York versus ten investment banks
Authors: Ng Chee 
Published: June 2006

PurposeTo test and compare how the value of ten major investment banking firms was affected by the announcement in April 2002 of an investigation by the New York State Attorney General's office and by the announcement of a settlement between the Attorney‐General's office and the indicted firms in December 2002.Design/methodology/approachPresents a hypothesis that the defendant firms would experience greater negative returns on the announcement day than on the settlement day, describes method of data collection and analysis, and draws conclusions from the results.FindingsAnnouncement of the anti‐fraud investigation was more value‐depleting than announcement of the punitive settlement. The decline in the defendant banks’ share prices over the following year was correlated with the amounts of their punitive settlements.Originality/valueWhile primarily a corporate finance study comparing the effects of the announcement of the investigation and of the final settlement on the securities firms’ share prices, also shows how the alleged infractions affected the firms’ shareholder values.
Low cost compliance technology being used to implement new SEC and FSA regulations governing “soft dollars”
Authors: Saluzzi Joseph 
Published: June 2006

PurposeTo explain that, unlike with Sarbanes‐Oxley, relatively low‐cost technologies and procedures are becoming widely accepted for helping institutional money managers and hedge funds to comply with reforms to increase the transparency, documentation, and justification of “soft dollars”. Soft dollars are commissions that money managers pay to brokerage firms above and beyond actual trading execution costs.Design/methodology/approachThe article examines two such technologies by surveying different offerings and reviewing in detail market‐leading systems. The first technology examined is trade‐idea communication and management systems, which capture and analyze quantitative information about equity‐trade ideas. The second technology is broker review systems, which capture and analyze qualitative information on proprietary brokerage and research services. Both trade ideas and proprietary brokerage services are paid for through soft dollars and generate approximately 50 percent of an estimated $18 billion in annual brokerage commissions for Wall Street.FindingsThere are three primary reasons why these technologies and procedures cost much less than those used to enforce Sarbanes‐Oxley. Technologically, they have features that keep costs low, encourage use, facilitate customization and leverage existing data. Operationally, they automate practices already in place, capturing lost value and generating important management information. From a regulatory point of view, they do not require the documentation and testing of controls in advance, as Sarbanes‐Oxley does – procedures that can only be defensively accomplished by outside auditors and attorneys. Instead, money managers are being asked to capture and evaluate management information, which, in turn, they are using to increase productivity.Originality/valueRather than avoiding soft dollars for fear of the regulatory overhead, or developing complicated and expensive legalistic procedures, institutional money managers and hedge funds are using relatively low cost technology to enforce “soft dollar” compliance. At the same time, they are generating valuable management information that is helping them to become more productive.
The impact of ERP systems on firm and business process performance
Authors: Wieder Bernhard , Booth Peter , Matolcsy Zoltan P. , Ossimitz Maria‐Luise 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to provide further insights into the adoption of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and the impacts on organisational performance. It aims at challenging existing claims of ERP vendors with regard to the benefits of their products and at providing evidence of the benefits of bundling ERPS with supply chain management systems.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to collect data on several aspects of organisational performance in companies that adopted ERPS and/or SCMS and the respective control groups. Financial key performance indicators were used to measure overall firm performance and the supply‐chain operations reference model to operationalise performance at the business process (supply chain) level.FindingsThe key results contradict the claims of ERPS vendors insofar as no significant performance differences were found between ERPS adopters and non‐adopters, either at the business process level, or at the overall firm level. While it could be confirmed that the longer the experience of firms with ERPS, the higher their overall performance, no evidence was found of a similar effect on business process (supply chain) performance. Only those ERPS adopters that also adopted SCMS achieved significantly higher performance at the business process level.Originality/valueDespite the small size of the SCMS user sample, the results do provide some important insights into the relationships between ERPS, SCMS and performance which might encourage both researchers and practitioners in that field to critically reflect on the “optimal” mix of modules and software packages within increasingly diverse forms of enterprise systems.
Enterprise resource planning systems, strategic enterprise management systems and management accounting
Authors: Rom Anders , Rohde Carsten 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge about to what extent integrated information systems, such as ERP and SEM systems, affect the ability to solve different management accounting tasks.Design/methodology/approachThe relationship between IIS and management accounting practices was investigated quantitatively. A total of 349 responses were collected using a survey, and the data were analysed using linear regression models.FindingsAnalyses indicate that ERP systems support the data collection and the organisational breadth of management accounting better than SEM systems. SEM systems, on the other hand, seem to be better at supporting reporting and analysis. In addition, modern management accounting techniques involving the use of non‐financial data are better supported by an SEM system. This indicates that different management accounting tasks are supported by different parts of the IIS.Research limitations/implicationsThe study applies the methods of quantitative research. Thus, the internal validity is threatened. Conducting in‐depth studies might be able to reduce this possible shortcoming.Practical implicationsOn the basis of the findings, there is a need to consider the potential of closer integration of ERP and SEM systems in order to solve management accounting tasks.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the limited body of knowledge about the relationship between IIS and management accounting practices.
Enterprise systems implementation and accounting benefits
Authors: Spathis Charalambos 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine the accounting benefits involved in adopting enterprise systems, but also to comprehend the underlying causes that motivate their adoption.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents evidence from a survey of 73 companies which implemented ES on the related benefits to their accounting information provision and practices.FindingsEmpirical evidence confirms a number of benefits derived from the application of ES that focus on the following dimensions: organisation, operations, management and IT infrastructure. These benefits are related both to the reasons leading to the implementation of ES and to the relevant selection of ES modules.Originality/valueThe corresponding results from this survey can then be used as a basis for establishing the best approach in order to fully exploit the potential of future ES applications in accounting practice.
How technological capability influences business performance
Authors: Wang Yonggui , Lo Hing‐Po , Zhang Quan , Xue Youzhi 
Published: June 2006

PurposeThis study seeks to address three research questions: how technology capability impact business performance? Does the linkage between technology capability and business performance depend on specific contexts? Why do some high‐tech firms of strong technological capability fail?Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on various theoretical perspectives to develop hypotheses that propose a direct relationship between technological capability and business performance (both new product development and overall business performance), the mediating role of customer value, the possible moderating effects of business environment and other important contingent factors such as learning orientation. A conceptual framework is devised and tested that examines these relationships in general and in various contexts, which is believed more important and useful for firms to manage their technological capability more effectively.FindingsFindings from high‐tech firms in China confirm the validity of the framework and afford various insights on the role of various contingent factors in the proposed relationships.Originality/valueThe paper provides a framework that examines companies' technological capability relationships.
Inhibition of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma activity in esophageal carcinoma cells results in a drastic decrease of invasive properties
Authors: Takahashi Hirokazu , Fujita Kouji , Fujisawa Toshio , Yonemitsu Kyoko , Tomimoto Ayako , Ikeda Ikuko , Yoneda Masato , Masuda Tomotaka , Schaefer Katherine , Saubermann Lawrence J , Shimamura Takeshi , Saitoh Satoru , Tachibana Masashi , Wada Koichiro , Nakagama Hitoshi , Nakajima Atsushi 
Published: June 2006

Esophageal cancer is difficult to treat because of its rapid progression, and more effective therapeutic approaches are needed. The PPARγ is a nuclear receptor superfamily member that is expressed in many cancers. PPARγ expression is a feature of esophageal cancer cell lines, and in the present investigation, the PPARγ antagonists T0070907 and GW9662 could induce loss of invasion but could not induce growth reduction or apoptosis at low concentrations (<10 mM). A high concentration of antagonists (50 µM) inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis, but these effects did not explain our result at the low concentration. Morphological change, decreased expression of the cell signaling pathway and inhibition of cancer cell invasion were observed in the low concentration. This suggested that PPARγ antagonists inhibited esophageal cancer cell invasion as well as cell adherence, most likely due to alteration in the FAK–MAPK pathway, and this was independent of apoptosis. These results suggested that PPARγ plays an important role in cancer cell invasion and that it might be a novel target for therapy of esophageal cancer. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 854–860)