bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural elaboration and institutional isomorphism: the case of crime analysis units
Authors: Giblin Matthew J. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeStudies of police organizations typically involve examining predictors consistent with structural contingency theory while comparatively fewer have examined the applicability of institutional theory. The purpose of the current study is to examine the influence of institutional factors on the elaboration of organizational structure, specifically the incorporation of a crime analysis unit into a police organization's structure.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained using a 2002 mail survey of law enforcement agencies focusing on the crime analysis function and environmental factors influencing the organization of that function. Additional information complementing the survey data was obtained through telephone interviews with representatives from 12 of the surveyed departments.FindingsMultivariate results show that, consistent with contingency theory, size is an important predictor of structural elaboration. Analyses and interview responses suggest that institutional factors, particularly accreditation standards, may play some role in shaping organizational structures.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey was returned by 160 agencies for a response rate of 56 percent but analyses were based on relatively small samples of 67‐77 agencies. Telephone interviews were conducted using a purposive, non‐probability sampling method.Practical implicationsThe results of this exploratory study provide insight into factors contributing to the adoption of structures and strategies in policing.Originality/valueThe research is one of only a small number of studies in policing to explicitly test propositions derived from institutional theory, particularly the concept of institutional isomorphism.
When police go shopping
Authors: Ayling Julie , Grabosky Peter 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThis article aims to alert readers to the procurement and acquisition activities of police agencies, to the risks that these entail, and to mechanisms for their effective management.Design/methodology/approachThe article explores the ways in which acquisition by police is conducted and regulated. It examines these relationships between police and the private sector from the perspective of their benefits, such as costs and efficiency gains, and the risks they entail, including overdependency, corruption and lack of accountability.FindingsShopping by the public police is on the increase. Through procurement and outsourcing, police harness resources needed to cope with increasing demands on their services. Increased police activity in the marketplace, driven by changing ideological, economic and pragmatic considerations, represents a fundamental structural shift in policing. The article identifies appropriate institutional and procedural safeguards, and raises questions about the implications of commercial relationships for the future of public policing.Originality/valueThis article makes a contribution by flagging the increased reliance of police on externally provided goods and services, and by suggesting ways in which the procurement process can be managed to ensure both accountability and value for money.
Learning to organize: US unions, work, and learning
Authors: Scully‐Russ Ellen 
Published: January 2007

PurposeResponding to the recent split in the US labor movement, this paper aims to argue that learning must become an integral part of a progressive union devoted to organizing.Design/methodology/approachThis paper traces the evolution of vocational education in US industrial unions and critiques it in light of the challenges facing labor today.FindingsThe paper finds that vocational education in US industrial unions is a negotiated benefit aimed at meeting the instrumental needs of individual union members. The evolution of this model was inevitable given the US labor relations context within which it emerged. However, significant changes in US political economy call for a new model of vocational education in unions. Rather than learning as a service, Learning to Organize challenges unions to put learning in service of the broader, collective aim of renewed labor power.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that union leaders need to reframe their views of vocational learning and its role in unions. Union vocational and labor educators can help leaders to both broaden the vocational learning agenda and link worker engagement in vocational learning to strategic planning, policy development, and everyday operations inside unions.Originality/valueThe paper offers ideas on how to mobilize unions' extensive vocational education resources in support of broader worker engagement and a new strategic agenda inside of US unions.
Competence development of entrepreneurs in innovative horticulture
Authors: Mulder Martin , Lans Thomas , Verstegen Jos , Biemans Harm , Meijer Ypie 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the learning of entrepreneurs in authentic learning environments. The research questions are: How do entrepreneurs assess their compentencies, and how do employees and external consultants assess the compentencies of these entrepreneurs? What are the competence strengths and weaknesses of entrepreneurs? What are the learning activities that entrepreneurs perform?Design/methodology/approachTen small business owners participated in a self‐assessment and an assessment by employees and external consultants. Follow‐up interviews elicited work‐related learning activities. The interviews were transcribed. Descriptive statistics,t‐tests and correlation tests, and a qualitative analysis of interview transcriptions were performed.FindingsCompetencies are being rated differently. Competence assessment is a potentially powerful learning source. The top competence strength is having a learning orientation. A total of 99 learning activities were found embedded in the innovative work processes of the entrepreneurs. The top three learning activities were reflection, observation and experimentation.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based on only ten entrepreneurs. Research is planned with a larger numbers of subjects.Practical implicationsCompetence assessment needs to be provided for entrepreneurs in the sector as a tool for deeper self‐reflection, and further performance improvement.Originality/valueMuch research on skills development and workplace learning is about employees in large organisations. However, employers in small and medium‐sized companies are also an interesting professional group to study, since they create working and learning places for employees. Not much is know about their competence development. This study addresses that target group.
Knowledge identification and management in product design
Authors: Yuan Fu Qiu , Ping Chui Yoon , Helander Martin G. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe paper seeks to improve the understanding of knowledge identification and management in product design by studying designers' cognition and behavior.Design/methodology/approachKnowledge management becomes an essential process in product design. However, most organizations and designers do not understand what knowledge should and can be managed. Little research is focused on studying the cognitive and social psychological factors within knowledge activities. This paper is mainly focused on knowledge issues in product design. This study focuses on the internal human activities and explores knowledge management research utilizing a human factors perspective.FindingsIn this paper knowledge in product design is defined; knowledge in product design is identified and classified based on design decision‐making processes. Furthermore, how to improve the knowledge management process in collaborative decision making is presented.Research limitations/implicationsThis study uses an experimental approach and hopefully the research can therefore be generalized to other situations.Practical implicationsThis study provides guidelines for information technology support for knowledge management in product design.Originality/valueKnowledge used in product design is identified and classified. The paper explores knowledge management research by analyzing human activity, in combination with the study of management and engineering technologies.
MaKE: a knowledge management method
Authors: Sharp Peter 
Published: January 2007

PurposeWithin knowledge management (KM) there is a need to develop KM methods that help prioritise requirements and assist in information systems (IS) development strategy. This paper aims to present MaKE™, a KM method that is designed to address this need.Design/methodology/approachMaKE was developed using an action research approach.FindingsOrganisations face a number of challenges in KM. MaKE addresses a number of them, including how to: align organisational performance and IT expenditure; adopt a sensible balance between IT and human involvement; address problems that stem from top‐down models of information strategy; assist in business innovation; address redefined value chain issues in the web technology world; realise the significance of the virtual and intangible as well as the physical; create and apply new knowledge as well as be effective in the ongoing renewal of existing knowledge; engage people in the paradigm shift away from industrial‐economic thinking and towards a knowledge perspective; link business objectives with knowledge‐sharing initiatives and technologies available to address them within a framework; and apply people‐centred KM tools to a whole organisation or across organisations.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation is the amount of testing that has occurred to test the contribution of MaKE in relation to each of the challenges referred to above.Originality/valueThere are many original concepts within MaKE. For example MaKE First Steps is the first KM process devised to assist in collaboratively defining knowledge in organisations.
High performance work systems: the sum really is greater than its parts
Authors: Denton Keith 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThis article seeks to highlight the importance of creating a systematic approach to work measurement and performance improvements. It is not the people or innovative practices that are most critical to success but rather how they are connected.Design/methodology/approachThe paper looks at some of the components of high performance work systems and examples of organizations that are employing a systematic approach to performance improvement.Practical implicationsThe paper shows why consistency is more important than the tool or innovative practice one employs. If one wants long‐term performance improvements one must connect all the dots. One must make sure there is a consistent theme or thread that draws all the pieces together. Employing innovative work practices will not succeed unless one “bundles” one's work practices together under a cohesive theme.Originality/valueEveryone knows one has to approach problems systematically to be consistently successful. This article cites research and practical examples of how one can improve organizational performance by bundling innovative practices. The whole is greater than the parts.
Increasing the visibility of hidden failure costs
Authors: Krishnan Suresh Kumar 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this study, with its central thesis placed on excelling at business measures, is to underscore the need for business entities to understand the significant implication of hidden failure costs and its impact on their business processes. The study also stresses the need for organizations to systematically break the many norms.Design/methodology/approachThis study looked at capturing the often‐overlooked component of poor quality cost via a simple function of measurement which requires an effortless yet painstaking way of collecting data pertaining to intangible wastages in the form of time, service charges and material.FindingsA simple formula is introduced, using three types of indicators that could be used to monitor the level of poor quality costs (PQC), to quantify the total failure costs by accumulating the values of both hidden and visual failure costs.Originality/valueThe study breaks the boundaries of existing methods of understanding and calculating the all‐embracing cost of doing business, hence paving the way to make inroads in business processes improvement, enhanced job‐scope comprehension, agility and performance, further intensification of internal and external customer satisfaction.
Interview with David Norton
Authors: Foster Kim 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo explore some of the theories presented in the latest Kaplan and Norton book Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies.Design/methodology/approachThis interview and transcript is prepared by an independent writer.FindingsPresents David Norton's views on the balanced scorecard, the hall of fame, strategy and his academic life.Practical implicationsProvides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.Originality/valueThis is an independent interview which provides strategic insights into some of the theories of Kaplan & Norton's work on the balanced scorecard.
Money laundering: towards an alternative interpretation – Chapter two
Authors: Bosworth‐Davies Rowan 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe second part of a series that aims to provide an alternative viewpoint about the issues surrounding money laundering.Design/methodology/approachThe paper combines narrative with argument and analysis to look closely at how the present state of the money laundering laws which are currently in force have arisen, to a greater or lesser extent, throughout the world.FindingsNo real understanding of this phenomenon can be achieved without understanding the political conflicts which are identified by the US approach to world affairs, and the part that the US currency plays in them, because it is as much the influence of the ex‐patriot US dollar which plays such a significant part in the world of funny money control, as any other aspect.Originality/valueThis comparative study enables readers to see more clearly the intentions behind the thinking (or lack of it) of those who have implemented the legislative changes, as well as their geo‐political ambitions.
Offshore centres post 9/11: economics and politics
Authors: Masciandaro Donato 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe aim of this research paper is to discuss the crucial difference between financial offshores and fiscal offshores.Design/methodology/approachThe paper combines narrative with argument and analysis.FindingsIt is shown that the decision of a few countries and territories to adopt lax financial regulation do not coincide with those that institute competitive taxation policies. From a methodological point of view, the classic intuition of Becker is intertwined with the new political economy approach, in order to review and comment on empirical tests.Originality/valueThe paper suggests common guidelines for the design of international policy against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
Money laundering laws and regulations: China and Hong Kong
Authors: Sham Alain 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo examine the criminal laws and regulations on money laundering control in China and Hong Kong and to call for legal and institutional reforms in China.Design/methodology/approachThis paper provides a comparative analysis and critically reviews the laws and regulations on money laundering control in China and Hong Kong.FindingsChina has shown a firm determination to combat money laundering since 2002. Reforms on Article 191 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China (1997) and the institutional framework are called for to comply with the international standards of the FATF recommendations, the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000) and the UN Convention against Corruption (2003) to control money laundering.Practical implicationsThis paper highlights the problems and proposes both legal and institutional reforms on money laundering control in China.Originality/valueThis paper initiates the analytical research on the legal and institutional problems of money laundering control in China which had not been adequately explored.
Recovering the proceeds of crime from the correspondent account of a foreign bank
Authors: Cassella Stefan D. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss the issues about the recovery of the proceeds of crime, with emphasis on the USA situation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper first sets forth the rationale for Section 981(k) of the Patriot Act and the requirements the government must satisfy to use it successfully to recover criminal proceeds. It then discusses the facts of a case where the new statute was applied and the legal arguments that were made when a foreign bank challenged the application of the statute in federal court. Finally, it discusses how the court resolved those issues in granting the government's suit for the recovery of the money.FindingsFinds that Section 981(k), while controversial, has proven effective in allowing the Government of the USA to recover property from wrongdoers in the types of cases where it was intended to be applied.Originality/valueShows that Section 981(k) is an innovative and controversial addition to the arsenal of weapons that federal law enforcement authorities in the USA can use to recover the proceeds of crime.
Yakuza – organized crime in Japan
Authors: Shikata Ko 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce some facts about Yakuza and countermeasures by the Japanese police.Design/methodology/approachThis paper provides some statistics and descriptive explanation about Yakuza and countermeasures by the Japanese police.FindingsIn Japan, there are more than 80,000 regular or associate Yakuza gang members. Yakuza groups are changing their styles and behaviors and adjusting to a changing society. The Japanese government has been tackling organized crime. The two main measures against organized crime are new legislations and “strategic investigation.”Originality/valueThis paper is one of limited literatures written in English which explains the facts about Japanese Yakuza.
Money laundering – chapter three
Authors: Bosworth‐Davies Rowan 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe paper seeks to provide an alternative and possibly controversial examination of the contemporary anti‐money laundering regulatory phenomenon. It is intended to challenge existing givens and to pose an alternative and challenging view of the reasons and the motives behind the imposition of the international laws and regulations dealing with money laundering.Design/methodology/approachThe paper contains the views of one man who has spent most of his working life examining the money laundering question and it is a single alternative view based upon personal experience.FindingsThe findings are not enunciated in the sense that there are research outcomes. It is a question for the reader to interpret and accept or reject the writer's viewpoint.Practical implicationsThe paper seeks to encourage a more questioning and agnostic view of current anti‐money laundering practice, with the aim of stimulating more debate on a topic which has for too long been the captive of a small coterie of government agencies.Originality/valueThe paper is challenging in that it represents a complete counter‐blast to every accepted conventional wisdom on money laundering. It is a viewpoint piece.
The value of job security: a lower‐bound estimate from a human capital perspective
Authors: Gélinas Patrice 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an approach to quantify the monetary value of job security.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is theoretical and based on a financial economics human capital model. Empirical estimates of the annualized value of job security at three large corporations and at the government of the USA are also developed for an illustrative employee profile.FindingsA financial economics human capital model can be used to derive a lower‐bound estimate for the monetary value of job security and empirical estimates can be calculated straightforwardly to help managers who allocate economic resources to fulfill organizational labor requirements or negotiate labor agreements.Research limitations/implicationsThe model presented provides a lower‐bound estimate only. Future research could suggest approaches to calculate more precise estimates.Practical implicationsThis paper provides a tool for managers and workers who wish to include the monetary value of relative job security in the definition of total compensation during the negotiation of employment conditions or while benchmarking total compensation.Originality/valueThis paper is a pioneer contribution in the field of quantifying the monetary value of job security.
Reporting organisational performance in managing human resources
Authors: Cuganesan Suresh 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo examine how the performance of organisations in managing and utilising their human resources is disclosed through key performance indicator (KPI) reporting.Design/methodology/approachUtilises intellectual capital (IC) and corporate social responsibility (CSR)/stakeholder perspectives in performing a content analysis of KPIs reported by Australian banks.FindingsExamining KPI reporting in relation to human resources across the sample of Australian banks indicates significant differences in the amount of KPIs reported and the focus of the KPIs reported, with the emphasis varying from disclosing the value derived from human capital to the value provided to employees and the broader society. Overall, the findings suggest the popularity of a stakeholder perspective in reporting on the management of human resources.Practical implicationsPolicy formulators and researchers need to investigate the benefits and cost of mandating or providing further guidance for extended performance reporting, the need for integration and convergence in IC and CSR‐stakeholder reporting and how reporting practices align to internal measurement and management of organizational sustainability.Originality/valueThis paper integrates IC and CSR perspectives to examine which approach better explains observed KPI reporting patterns in relation to human resources. Thus, far, both disciplines have advanced in isolation despite both being concerned with sustainability issues. In classifying disclosed KPIs for human resources within four alternative reporting frameworks (two from the IC literature and two from the CSR‐stakeholder literature), it determines whether IC (with its focus on how value is derived from human capital) or CSR‐stakeholder (with its emphasis on the delivery of value to employees as stakeholders) has garnered more traction in both influencing reporting practices and mitigating the limitations of financial reporting practices.