title: The significance of communicating in enacting decisions

authors: Huebner, Hartmut

subjects: corporate communications

abstract: Purpose – Rational modes of decision-making, followed by communication of the decision to stakeholders, leading to implementation of the decision is taken as a given in most management theories. The role of corporate communication managers in many cases is to support this process via standard communication tools. This study aims to challenge the efficacy of this model by drawing on discourse and strategy-as-practice perspectives in order to explain the link between managed communication and performance in terms of enacting decisions.

Design/methodology/approach – Following an ethnographic case study approach, the research analyses communication discourse at Intech, a major international conglomerate based in Germany. Data was collected over a period of 15 months, structured and thematic analysis conducted, supported by ATLAS.ti computer-aided qualitative data analysis software. Methods of discourse analysis were applied in order to explain concrete practices.

Findings – A key contribution is to provide a framework that enables researchers and practitioners to understand in-depth the setting in which decision-related communication takes place, as recently demanded by Suchan and Charles (2006). Three critical fields of action for effective communication and strategy implementation are identified: giving decisions voice; facilitating the legitimisation process for decisions; and developing alternatives to cascading as a mode of decision implementation.

Research implications/limitations – Researchers may adopt the alternative view of corporate communication proposed and test or apply it in further case studies or in more large-scale, perhaps quantitatively oriented research projects across companies and cultural boundaries.

Practical implications – For practitioners, a key challenge lies in implementing modes of legitimisation into managed communication.

Originality/value – This paper makes the case for an alternative approach to enacting decisions via practices of managed communication, based on the insights gained from the Intech case.

text: The significance of communicating in enacting decisions Purpose – Rational modes of decision-making, followed by communication of the decision to stakeholders, leading to implementation of the decision is taken as a given in most management theories. The role of corporate communication managers in many cases is to support this process via standard communication tools. This study aims to challenge the efficacy of this model by drawing on discourse and strategy-as-practice perspectives in order to explain the link between managed communication and performance in terms of enacting decisions.

Design/methodology/approach – Following an ethnographic case study approach, the research analyses communication discourse at Intech, a major international conglomerate based in Germany. Data was collected over a period of 15 months, structured and thematic analysis conducted, supported by ATLAS.ti computer-aided qualitative data analysis software. Methods of discourse analysis were applied in order to explain concrete practices.

Findings – A key contribution is to provide a framework that enables researchers and practitioners to understand in-depth the setting in which decision-related communication takes place, as recently demanded by Suchan and Charles (2006). Three critical fields of action for effective communication and strategy implementation are identified: giving decisions voice; facilitating the legitimisation process for decisions; and developing alternatives to cascading as a mode of decision implementation.

Research implications/limitations – Researchers may adopt the alternative view of corporate communication proposed and test or apply it in further case studies or in more large-scale, perhaps quantitatively oriented research projects across companies and cultural boundaries.

Practical implications – For practitioners, a key challenge lies in implementing modes of legitimisation into managed communication.

Originality/value – This paper makes the case for an alternative approach to enacting decisions via practices of managed communication, based on the insights gained from the Intech case.

year: 2008

title: Retail value stream management

authors: Powell, Mark

subjects: retail industry

abstract: In this paper the authors translate, integrate and synthesise supply chain management concepts for application in the retail sector. Although a number of best practice retail supply chains have been well popularised, the majority of retailers are struggling with applying the traditionally manufacturing-focussed concepts of supply chain management. This paper provides a comprehensive toolkit, comprising seven retail value stream principles specifically aimed at translating supply chain management for retailers. These seven principles are focus on the customers' perception of value; engineer value streams to match customer requirements; remove non-value adding waste; maximise customer pull; optimise the total supply chain; develop win-win supply chain relationships; and continuously review and improve, striving for perfection. Case applications of these principles clearly highlight the significant improvements possible in retail supply chain competence and the resultant competitiveness.

text: Retail value stream management In this paper the authors translate, integrate and synthesise supply chain management concepts for application in the retail sector. Although a number of best practice retail supply chains have been well popularised, the majority of retailers are struggling with applying the traditionally manufacturing-focussed concepts of supply chain management. This paper provides a comprehensive toolkit, comprising seven retail value stream principles specifically aimed at translating supply chain management for retailers. These seven principles are focus on the customers' perception of value; engineer value streams to match customer requirements; remove non-value adding waste; maximise customer pull; optimise the total supply chain; develop win-win supply chain relationships; and continuously review and improve, striving for perfection. Case applications of these principles clearly highlight the significant improvements possible in retail supply chain competence and the resultant competitiveness.

year: 2010

title: Recognising the negative impacts of aquatic weed management: Okawa Bay, Lake Rotoiti case study

authors: Scholes, Paul

abstract: The Te Arawa Rotorua Lakes Programme continues to implement measures to maintain and restore lake water quality in line with trophic level indices (TLI’s) for respective lakes. In Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti this has also meant not only reducing nutrients to and in the lakes but also managing periodic cyano-bacterial (blue-green) algal blooms.
Restoration measures in the Rotorua and Rotoiti catchments have included land use management efforts to arrest nutrient inputs; diversion of Lake Rotorua waters from entering Rotoiti; sewage reticulation of lakeside communities; and treatment of inflows
with aluminium sulphate (alum). While restoration efforts have produced water quality gains in both lakes, in recent years, cyano-bacterial blooms have occurred in the shallow embayment of Lake Rotoiti, known as Okawa Bay.
These water quality gains have not come without a cost. Submerged aquatic weeds such as Hornwort are an increasing problem in the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes and significant resources are needed to manage infestations primarily for aesthetic and recreational
amenity. Control of exotic aquatic weed is mostly with application of herbicide. Herbicide treatment leaves a decomposing biomass in the waterbody, potentially increasing the nutrient status.
We examine the impact aquatic weed decomposition has had on Okawa Bay’s nutrient status and the cyano-bacterial blooms over recent summers, and Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s response to reduce localised bloom development.

text: Recognising the negative impacts of aquatic weed management: Okawa Bay, Lake Rotoiti case study The Te Arawa Rotorua Lakes Programme continues to implement measures to maintain and restore lake water quality in line with trophic level indices (TLI’s) for respective lakes. In Lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti this has also meant not only reducing nutrients to and in the lakes but also managing periodic cyano-bacterial (blue-green) algal blooms.
Restoration measures in the Rotorua and Rotoiti catchments have included land use management efforts to arrest nutrient inputs; diversion of Lake Rotorua waters from entering Rotoiti; sewage reticulation of lakeside communities; and treatment of inflows
with aluminium sulphate (alum). While restoration efforts have produced water quality gains in both lakes, in recent years, cyano-bacterial blooms have occurred in the shallow embayment of Lake Rotoiti, known as Okawa Bay.
These water quality gains have not come without a cost. Submerged aquatic weeds such as Hornwort are an increasing problem in the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes and significant resources are needed to manage infestations primarily for aesthetic and recreational
amenity. Control of exotic aquatic weed is mostly with application of herbicide. Herbicide treatment leaves a decomposing biomass in the waterbody, potentially increasing the nutrient status.
We examine the impact aquatic weed decomposition has had on Okawa Bay’s nutrient status and the cyano-bacterial blooms over recent summers, and Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s response to reduce localised bloom development.

year: 2015