It is more important for an organization to be cross‐functionally excellent than functionally excellent. If an organization wants to implement strategy, it must examine the…
Abstract
It is more important for an organization to be cross‐functionally excellent than functionally excellent. If an organization wants to implement strategy, it must examine the cross‐functional processes by which work gets done. Many key transactions are actually between departments, where batons are being passed from one runner to the next.
Varinder M. Sharma, Vincent P. Taiani and Arif A. Sariteke
The impact of e‐business on export management companies (EMCs) has been debated for some time and several reasons for their survival have been forwarded. Based upon the…
Abstract
The impact of e‐business on export management companies (EMCs) has been debated for some time and several reasons for their survival have been forwarded. Based upon the resource‐based perspective of the firm, this study provides a far more fundamental reason for the survival of the well‐established EMCs‐their market‐based assets. Furthermore, this study analyzes the impact of e‐business proliferation on the well‐established EMCs transaction creating and physical fulfillment exporting services and their efficiency and effectiveness.
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OF old the public library was wont to take its reputation from the character of the newsroom. That room, as everyone knows, attracts every element in the community and it may be…
Abstract
OF old the public library was wont to take its reputation from the character of the newsroom. That room, as everyone knows, attracts every element in the community and it may be it attracts especially the poorer elements;—even at times undesirable ones. These people in some towns, but perhaps not so often now‐a‐days, have been unwashen and often not very attractive in appearance. It was natural, things being as they are, that the room should give a certain tone to the institution, and indeed on occasion cause it to be avoided by those who thought themselves to be superior. The whole level of living has altered, and we think has been raised, since the War. There is poverty and depression in parts of the country, it is true; but there are relief measures now which did not exist before the War. Only those who remember the grinding poverty of the unemployed in the days, especially the winter days, before the War can realise what poverty really means at its worst. This democratic levelling up applies, of course, to the public library as much as to any institution. At present it may be said that the part of the library which is most apparent to the public and by which it is usually judged, is the lending or home‐reading department. It therefore needs no apology if from time to time we give special attention to this department. Even in the great cities, which have always concentrated their chief attention upon their reference library, to‐day there is an attempt to supply a lending library service of adequate character. We recall, for example, that the Leeds Public Library of old was first and foremost a reference library, with a lending library attached; to‐day the lending library is one of the busiest in the kingdom. A similar judgment can be passed upon Sheffield, where quite deliberately the city librarian would restrict the reference library to works that are of real reference character, and would develop more fully the lending library. In Manchester, too, the new “Reference Library”—properly the new Central Library—has a lending library which issues about 1,500 volumes daily. There must be all over the country many libraries issuing up to a thousand volumes each a day from their central lending departments. This being the case the department comes in for very careful scrutiny.
Doris Bühler-Niederberger and Asma Khalid
To contextualise the contributions in this section, we present some data on growing up in South Asian societies. It is important to consider the fundamental diversity of…
Abstract
To contextualise the contributions in this section, we present some data on growing up in South Asian societies. It is important to consider the fundamental diversity of conditions in which children and youth live. We suggest some theoretical terms that are helpful in this regard and preview the contributions against this background. The studies on which the contributions are based impressively document the striking inequality in this region.
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Steven H. Appelbaum and John Gallagher
Aims to understand how training and communication help an organization to learn and gain a competitive advantage. Explores the link between training, communication and measurement…
Abstract
Aims to understand how training and communication help an organization to learn and gain a competitive advantage. Explores the link between training, communication and measurement with individual and organizational learning by conducting a specific qualitative analysis looking for insights into how the concepts sometimes work and how they fail. Also touches on the general themes that have shaken management and employees over the last 15 years as they struggle to survive and prosper in the global village, and compares this concept with ideas that have been prevalent in organizations since the early 1970s. The objective is to understand how organizations can tap their intangible assets and increase their value to the organization, the individual who holds the knowledge and the society that benefits from a healthy economy.
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The aim of this article is to provide health leaders with a clear unambiguous description of a proven modus operandi for analysis, design, planning, implementation, and start‐up…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this article is to provide health leaders with a clear unambiguous description of a proven modus operandi for analysis, design, planning, implementation, and start‐up of effective and efficient healthcare delivery systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper builds on previously published reviews of the successful TV series centred on Rotherham General Hospital. This featured Gerry Robinson (GR), a top executive from the public sector, and his endeavours to interact with, and improve, the NHS. Those reviews covered emergent lessons directed at hospitals and the Department of Health plus the de‐briefing carried out by GR. They also detailed the Healthcare Balanced Scorecard, and emphasised the importance of minimising elapsed time.
Findings
TV programmes inevitably lack description of an infrastructure since “headline metrics” (preferably disputed) make the news and add to the viewing figures. Missing are some important steps along the way, identification of various key factors; resourcing issues; process monitoring; time scales; and team building. By showing that the GR approach can be related to a proven and well‐documented “engineering of change” methodology, a fully integrated approach to healthcare delivery system enhancement is evident.
Research limitations/implications
The comprehensive approach is based on the systems engineering concept of seamless patient flow achieved by eliminating problems rather than finding ad‐hoc ways around them. This requires team‐based activities involving clinicians, nurses, managers, secretaries, and everyone associated with the healthcare process. “No involvement” usually means “no commitment”.
Practical implications
Emphasis is on “institutional change” achieved via a sequence of carefully selected improvement projects in which the first acts as an “exemplar”. This requires a proactive people‐first organisation practising open‐learning and a culture of continuous plan‐do‐check‐act activity. The “seven deadly sins” indicate what may go wrong and why.
Originality/value
This article assists in the exposure and exploitation of TV healthcare narrative and established “engineering of change” practice by carefully relating one to the other.
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The purpose of this paper is to trace the dispersed yet influential presence of the French in the Australian wine industry from the beginning of the industry until the present…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to trace the dispersed yet influential presence of the French in the Australian wine industry from the beginning of the industry until the present day. It looks at the physical presence of the French on Australian soil (e.g. winemakers, companies, vines) and the French cultural influence (e.g. publications, stereotypes, promotion). It aims to provide an historical context in which to place questions concerning contemporary Australian attitudes to French wine and to wine in general.
Design/methodology/approach
Historical review of French presence and influence on the Australian wine industry using historical and contemporary documents and records.
Findings
While the French presence in Australia has always been minimal, it exerts a powerful influence on the Australian wine industry. Throughout the history of the industry, French individuals and culture have maintained the image of “French expertise”, thus French wine is still the point of reference for the Australian wine industry and consumer. The high status enjoyed by French wine can be attributed in part to the historical influence of the French on Australian wine.
Research limitations/implications
Further research into attitudes to French wine in Australia is needed to understand consumer preferences.
Originality/value
The paper represents one of the first attempts to investigate the presence and influence of French wines and winemaking in the Australian wine industry. It presents an historical account of the French in the Australian wine industry and the influence of French culture on Australian wine.