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Alistair George Tough and Paul Lihoma
The purpose of this research is to identify ways in which medical record keeping systems and health information systems might be integrated effectively and sustainably. The aims…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to identify ways in which medical record keeping systems and health information systems might be integrated effectively and sustainably. The aims include minimising the workload of busy frontline health professionals and radically improving data quality.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a qualitative research project, grounded in the theoretical stance that information systems are sociotechnical systems. The primary focus of this research is on real-life custom and practice. The study population consisted of participants in information systems. As is common in qualitative research, sampling was purposive rather than statistically representative.
Findings
This research suggests one unconventional conclusion. New approaches that use intermediate and hybrid technologies may have a better prospect of delivering satisfactory, realistic and affordable medium- to long-term solutions than strategies predicated on the assumption that only systems that are wholly electronic are worth considering.
Originality/value
This research is original in the sense that it investigated records rather than information technology systems. The findings are likely to be of applicability in other developing countries, especially those that share legacy systems with Malawi, such as Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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Manny Maceda, Alistair Corbett and Vernon Altman
Examines the strategies of 30 companies that managed to substantially improve margins, and notes that some are achieving remarkable results. Looks at three companies which looked…
Abstract
Examines the strategies of 30 companies that managed to substantially improve margins, and notes that some are achieving remarkable results. Looks at three companies which looked beyond internal cost cuts and found dramatic profit improvements and these were: Starbucks, Kroger and Nexfar. These are recommended as they have dug deeper for today’s “hidden” treasure, which has improved long‐term business prospects.
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Umi Asma' Mokhtar and Zawiyah Mohammad Yusof
The existence of policy serves as a guideline to facilitate actions and decisions to be taken. Electronic records management should be driven and guided by clear, comprehensive…
Abstract
Purpose
The existence of policy serves as a guideline to facilitate actions and decisions to be taken. Electronic records management should be driven and guided by clear, comprehensive, understandable policy, to direct the organization and ascertain the effectiveness of functions implemented. The purpose of this paper is to find out whether government agencies in Malaysia do possess such a policy for electronic records management. In addition, the aim is to identify the responsible party for the policy besides investigating the sources referred to in developing the policy.
Design/methodology/research
The survey employs a questionnaire to gather the data from 25 selected government departments in Klang Valley and Putrajaya, Malaysia.
Findings
As anticipated, not all government departments possess electronic records management policy far from complete, clear, and easy to implement. Most surveyed samples are executing policy provided by Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) and National Archive of Malaysia (NAM) with some modifications to suit their needs. On the other hand, the number of organization carrying out electronic records management without any policy in place is alarming.
Practical implications
Electronic records management is carried out in some organisations merely based on their instinct and initiatives, far from complying with international standards of best practice.
Originality value
This paper provides evidence from an original study.
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This chapter examines narratives and representations of rural Australia deployed by political actors. At both federal and state levels in Australia, political parties tend to…
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This chapter examines narratives and representations of rural Australia deployed by political actors. At both federal and state levels in Australia, political parties tend to focus their attention on metropolitan electorates in their public discussions, particularly during election campaigns. This has led to accusations from minor parties and independents that rural areas are ignored by governments based in capital cities. The Nationals, for example, presents itself as the party whose primary motivation is to protect the interests of rural voters. Rural sites are political spaces shaped by particular types of narrative and rhetoric. Engaging with how the ‘rural’ is represented through rhetoric and image is useful for understanding how crime is positioned. This chapter uses rhetorical political analysis and representation to understand how political ideas about rurality are expressed through language and imagery. The political context outlined in this chapter is one factor that affects the nature and complexities of rural crime and responses to it. Rural Australia is at its own political crossroad, reflected in the emergence of competing narratives for the bush, defined here as a contest between ‘rural centrism’ and ‘rural populism’.
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The purpose of this paper is to re‐visit debates around accountability, openness and record keeping and to suggest that existing assumptions need to be challenged.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to re‐visit debates around accountability, openness and record keeping and to suggest that existing assumptions need to be challenged.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a scholarly essay based on published and unpublished works. The focus is on parliamentary democracies where the Queen or a titular president is head of state.
Findings
The primary role of records managers as active citizens should be to provide systems that will enable others to discharge their duties. The primary role of archivists in a plural democracy should be to secure the record for the future. The notion that archivists need to protect the record from political pressure should be re‐considered. A more pressing need is for political pressure to be applied at the highest level, to ensure that there is a record.
Research limitations/implications
The research has been limited by the fact that the author has not had access to the Cabinet Office.
Social implications
If the upper echelons of the British Government are to function effectively then the collapse of proper procedures and proper record keeping described by Tony Blair needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Originality/value
This article is original in so far as it offers a new perspective on issues concerning accountability, openness and records and it challenges existing orthodoxies.
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Alistair Davidson and Brian Leavy
Creating a fundamentally different business in the shadow of the old one – while its assembly lines continue to roll – is a daunting challenge. Bain consultant Chris Zook recently…
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Purpose
Creating a fundamentally different business in the shadow of the old one – while its assembly lines continue to roll – is a daunting challenge. Bain consultant Chris Zook recently published the last book in a trilogy which addresses the question of how to make “fundamental change in your business model, while still running your business.”. This paper aims to explores his views on this subject.
Design/methodology/approach
For this interview, two Strategy & Leadership senior editor's – one a Silicon Valley consultant and former CEO and the other an academic – – asked Zook to take them on a guided tour of his reinvention process.
Findings
The paper finds that the underlying thesis in each of the three books is that companies need to master all phases of a strategic life cycle: from extracting the full potential from their core business, to expanding their business successfully, to redefining themselves For most companies and in more industries, the strategy cycle – from Focus, to Expand, to Redefine – has become shorter, and therefore companies frequently confront moments of redefinition of their core.
Practical implications
In this interview, Zook's how‐to advice for managers covers: the role of hidden assets, the “state of the core diagnostic” tool, the “shrink to grow” strategy, how to test “the waters,” and the FER (focus‐expand‐redefine) cycle.
Originality/value
Because the interview considers the whole trilogy the reader gets a unique view of how Zook's ideas fit together and build a cogent thesis.
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Alistair Tough and Michael Moss
The authors argue that the development and use of elaborate embedded directory structures or file plans, derived from functional analysis, should be a key component in the future…
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The authors argue that the development and use of elaborate embedded directory structures or file plans, derived from functional analysis, should be a key component in the future development of the discipline of records management. Directory structures thus conceptualised are explicitly intellectual constructs and their construction will require considerable effort, particularly if they are to be portable. Their greatest advantage is that they provide a coherent schema from which to derive folder/file names that can be embedded in metadata. One of the major challenges is to design systems that derive metadata from the directory structure or file plan and attach them automatically to documents at the point of creation, thereby minimising the need for human intervention and opportunities for human error.