Annie Bartoli, Philippe Hermel and Juan Ramis‐Pujol
The assessment of managerial action can be viewed as an information tool for the improvement of management decision‐making processes. Such an assessment might serve to improve…
Abstract
The assessment of managerial action can be viewed as an information tool for the improvement of management decision‐making processes. Such an assessment might serve to improve both the managerial actions directly assessed and other related organizational aspects. This research focuses on what we can call a “specific assessment”, as opposed to a more permanent assessment which is normally facilitated by traditional information systems. From a learning perspective, it is the generation of second‐order learning on management systems that is being considered here. In terms of information flows, we are talking about the creation of information in order to improve management action, and eventually contribute to the excellence of management. The accounting system has been the privileged source of information but how well does this tool address managerial action? How well does this tool address innovation and learning dimensions? A review of the literature shows that the answers to those questions can be disappointing. What is more, the advances brought about by the quality initiatives do not seem yet to greatly improve those aspects. During the last eight years we have been engaged in a broad action‐research program in a large pharmaceutical multinational company. From this rich experience we pick one of the main axes of transformation: a case of multiple process reengineering. An assessment of this organizational innovation allows us to study the questions stated above. We start with a presentation of the particular context of the company. We identify then descriptive and explicative contextual variables concerning success factors and limits of the managerial actions studied. Finally, we present expected results, and other parallel impacts not initially expected.
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Philippe Hermel and Annie Bartoli
When considering the traditional conceptions of strategy and quality, the links between the two concepts appear sketchy. On the other hand, nowadays, the main streams of thought…
Abstract
When considering the traditional conceptions of strategy and quality, the links between the two concepts appear sketchy. On the other hand, nowadays, the main streams of thought lead to a necessary and complementary relationship between total quality and strategic management. The pharmaceutical industry, because of the stakes implied by the activity itself, is particularly concerned with the links between quality and strategy: the example of the large European group Merck‐Lipha appears quite significant.
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Annie Bartoli and Philippe Hermel
After the prophetic messages about the contributions of information technologies (IT) on firms, we face warning signals on the unavoidable need for change management, and the…
Abstract
After the prophetic messages about the contributions of information technologies (IT) on firms, we face warning signals on the unavoidable need for change management, and the perverse side effects of IT improvements when they are not integrated within a strategic and managerial framework. The analysis of practices concerning the introduction of IT in organisations shows that often, the context and the process are neglected; as for the content, it is centred on tools rather than on the needs to be satisfied. A managerial typology of barriers to change that differentiates risks of strategic or structural nature, and cultural or behavioural nature, explains the lack of quality in operations. In order better to manage the implications of IT evolution, i.e. their downstream incidences, it is necessary to have steered upstream in defining the objectives, analysing the needs, taking into account the socio‐ organisational context, and the implication of actors.
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Kimberly Pendell and Annie Armstrong
This study aims to provide an understanding of current practice and informs the further development of guides as key instructional tools. To assess the existing landscape of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide an understanding of current practice and informs the further development of guides as key instructional tools. To assess the existing landscape of research guides as instructional tools, researchers examined the instructional content and associated media formats of online psychology research guides.
Design/methodology/approach
Researchers devised an instrument utilizing Standard Two of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL’s) Psychology Information Literacy Standards and inventoried the instructional content and associated media formats of a sample set of 36 psychology research guides.
Findings
Although online research guides offer a platform for presenting instructional content in myriad formats, it was found that the sample set of psychology research guides rarely incorporated instructional content.
Research limitations/implications
Psychology course guides were not part of the sample set; it is possible that guide authors approach the addition of instructional content in course guides differently than in general psychology subject guides.
Practical implications
This paper provides an overview of how libraries are, or are not, using research guides as part of their instruction program. The researchers propose a framework for adding instructional content to psychology guides using Standard Two.
Originality/value
Considering the ubiquity of online research guides on academic library Web sites, little research on the existing integration of instructional content into guides has been published. This study offers a snapshot of current guide practice and proposes a practical, systematic and unique model for aligning information literacy standards with guide content areas which has not been proposed elsewhere.