The trouble shooting approach to industrial training provides trainers with a methodology which enables them to improve departmental performance by: • relating operational…
Abstract
The trouble shooting approach to industrial training provides trainers with a methodology which enables them to improve departmental performance by: • relating operational problems to skill deficiencies; • designing and implementing training programmes to improve the performance of personnel in critical jobs/tasks related to identified operational problems; • forging close links between trainers and line management. Managers and trainers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to train existing personnel in a systematic manner in order to improve the efficiency of the organisation/department. Millions of pounds are being lost, and needless frustration caused, by management's failure to remedy skill deficiencies among personnel occupying critical jobs. For example, in team jobs it is the team leader who has greatest control over the process variables which affect output, quality yield and downtime. Skill deficiencies at this level are usually more serious than at lower levels, the more so because they are passed on from one team member to the next.
Training, it is often said, is the responsibility of management. In 1964, however, it was necessary to introduce the Industrial Training Act in an attempt to remedy the known…
Abstract
Training, it is often said, is the responsibility of management. In 1964, however, it was necessary to introduce the Industrial Training Act in an attempt to remedy the known deficiencies in industrial training. One reason for the Act, and the establishment of the Industrial Training Board system, was that management had failed to accept its responsibility for training. There is a growing awareness of the need to integrate training into the management function in order to create effective learning conditions at all levels and for all personnel. If this aim is to be achieved, it is necessary to have effective management of training. The question to be answered, however, is what does the management of training mean?
Francesco Ciampi, Giacomo Marzi, Stefano Demi and Monica Faraoni
Designing knowledge management (KM) systems capable of transforming big data into information characterised by strategic value is a major challenge faced nowadays by firms in…
Abstract
Purpose
Designing knowledge management (KM) systems capable of transforming big data into information characterised by strategic value is a major challenge faced nowadays by firms in almost all industries. However, in the managerial field, big data is now mainly used to support operational activities while its strategic potential is still largely unexploited. Based on these considerations, this study proposes an overview of the literature regarding the relationship between big data and business strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
A bibliographic coupling method is applied over a dataset of 128 peer-reviewed articles, published from 2013 (first year when articles regarding the big data-business strategy relationship were published) to 2019. Thereafter, a systematic literature review is presented on 116 papers, which were found to be interconnected based on the VOSviewer algorithm.
Findings
This study discovers the existence of four thematic clusters. Three of the clusters relate to the following topics: big data and supply chain strategy; big data, personalisation and co-creation strategies and big data, strategic planning and strategic value creation. The fourth cluster concerns the relationship between big data and KM and represents a ‘bridge’ between the other three clusters.
Research limitations/implications
Based on the bibliometric analysis and the systematic literature review, this study identifies relevant understudied topics and research gaps, which are suggested as future research directions.
Originality/value
This is the first study to systematise and discuss the literature concerning the relationship between big data and firm strategy.
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The strategic management literature emphasizes the concept of business intelligence (BI) as an essential competitive tool. Yet the sustainability of the firms’ competitive…
Abstract
The strategic management literature emphasizes the concept of business intelligence (BI) as an essential competitive tool. Yet the sustainability of the firms’ competitive advantage provided by BI capability is not well researched. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for successful BI deployment and empirically examines the association between BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage. Taking the telecommunications industry in Malaysia as a case example, the research particularly focuses on the influencing perceptions held by telecommunications decision makers and executives on factors that impact successful BI deployment. The research further investigates the relationship between successful BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage of the telecommunications organizations. Another important aim of this study is to determine the effect of moderating factors such as organization culture, business strategy, and use of BI tools on BI deployment and the sustainability of firm’s competitive advantage.
This research uses combination of resource-based theory and diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory to examine BI success and its relationship with firm’s sustainability. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and a two-phase sequential mixed method consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches are employed. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. The chapter presents a qualitative field study to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. The study includes a survey study with sample of business analysts and decision makers in telecommunications firms and is analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling.
The findings reveal that some internal resources of the organizations such as BI governance and the perceptions of BI’s characteristics influence the successful deployment of BI. Organizations that practice good BI governance with strong moral and financial support from upper management have an opportunity to realize the dream of having successful BI initiatives in place. The scope of BI governance includes providing sufficient support and commitment in BI funding and implementation, laying out proper BI infrastructure and staffing and establishing a corporate-wide policy and procedures regarding BI. The perceptions about the characteristics of BI such as its relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, and observability are also significant in ensuring BI success. The most important results of this study indicated that with BI successfully deployed, executives would use the knowledge provided for their necessary actions in sustaining the organizations’ competitive advantage in terms of economics, social, and environmental issues.
This study contributes significantly to the existing literature that will assist future BI researchers especially in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. In particular, the model will help practitioners to consider the resources that they are likely to consider when deploying BI. Finally, the applications of this study can be extended through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.
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Gabriel Eweje, Aymen Sajjad, Shobod Deba Nath and Kazunori Kobayashi
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the concept of multi-stakeholder partnerships in relation to the United Nations' sustainable development goals and propose a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the concept of multi-stakeholder partnerships in relation to the United Nations' sustainable development goals and propose a renewed multi-stakeholder partnerships framework that enables the implementation of the sustainable development goals.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employs an integrative review methodology to assess, critique and synthesize the extant literature on the multi-stakeholder partnerships and sustainable development goals.
Findings
We propose a conceptual framework of multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the sustainable development goals implementation. Thus, this paper contributes to the conceptual understanding of the multi-stakeholder partnerships mechanism that enhances the sustainable development goals implementation.
Research limitations/implications
We propose a conceptual framework of multi-stakeholder partnerships to support the sustainable development goals implementation. Thus, this paper contributes to the conceptual understanding of the multi-stakeholder partnerships mechanism that enhances the sustainable development goals implementation.
Originality/value
We contend that this is one of the few early papers that contributes to the conceptual development of a collaborative multi-stakeholder partnerships paradigm by which such partnerships are formed and institutionalized among multiple interacting sectors to achieve the sustainable development goals.
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The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry…
Abstract
The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.
This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.
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This paper examines the consequences of the overlap between punishment and rehabilitation practices, and inquires into the implications for individuals who assess and treat…
Abstract
This paper examines the consequences of the overlap between punishment and rehabilitation practices, and inquires into the implications for individuals who assess and treat offenders. More specifically, I make three claims concerning the relationship between offender rehabilitation and punishment. First, rehabilitation as it is commonly understood in the offending arena contains some components that meet the criteria for punishment, in the ethical sense of that term. It is also true that there are aspects of rehabilitation that are focused directly on assisting offenders to live better lives (higher levels of well‐being) and therefore which do not meet the criteria for punishment. Second, there are a number of significant practice implications that follow from the hybrid nature of offender rehabilitation. Third, Duff's communicative theory of punishment (Duff, 2001) offers clinicians a stronger justification for the punishment aspects of rehabilitation than its retributive and consequential rivals.
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Evanthia Zervoudi and Spyros Spyrou
– The purpose of this paper is to report new original evidence on optimal holding periods and optimal asset allocations (Benartzi and Thaler, 1995).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report new original evidence on optimal holding periods and optimal asset allocations (Benartzi and Thaler, 1995).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors employ a number of different value functions, a recent dataset, different markets, and varying investment horizons.
Findings
The authors report original evidence across markets and over-time, employing different value functions and varying investment horizons. The results results indicate that, during the past decades, the optimal holding period (seven months during the whole period and four/five months during crises) is not affected by the value function employed, is in accordance with the Myopic Loss Aversion hypothesis, is consistent across markets, but is sensitive to economic crises and shorter to that reported in Benartzi and Thaler (12 months). The optimal asset allocation is also different to that of Benartzi and Thaler during crises periods and/or assuming value functions with probability distortion.
Originality/value
The paper employs a number of different value functions, with and without probability distortion; it compares investor behavior in three important international markets (USA, UK, Germany); as a further robustness test the authors use various investment horizons.
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Yi‐Ying Chang, Mathew Hughes and Sabine Hotho
Prior studies have suggested that organizational and environmental antecedents are influential to the development of a balance dimension of innovation ambidexterity, which are…
Abstract
Purpose
Prior studies have suggested that organizational and environmental antecedents are influential to the development of a balance dimension of innovation ambidexterity, which are proposed to be central to superior firm performance. However, little is known about how such antecedents affect the shaping of innovation ambidexterity in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and how these innovations go on to shape firm performance. This paper aims to examine internal and external antecedents of SMEs' innovation ambidexterity outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
The research used a survey method to investigate the 1,000 small‐and medium sized enterprises in Scotland. Firms were randomly selected from the FAME database. Of this sample, 265 firms (26.5 percent) responded to the survey.
Findings
The data analysis reveals that internal organizational structures in a highly dynamic environment stimulate the appearance of innovation ambidexterity. Moreover, it is found that the relationship between organizational and environmental forces and firm performance is partially mediated by a balance dimension of innovation ambidexterity.
Practical implications
The results show how dangerous the lack of adequate research of these issues at the SME level is. By contrast to larger firms, the results show how internal organizational structures and external environmental conditions affect SMEs to pursue a balance dimension of innovation ambidexterity.
Originality/value
Prior studies have paid little attention to the effects of internal organizational structures and external environmental conditions on the appearance of a balance dimension of innovation ambidexterity within SMEs. This paper fills some of the gaps.