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1 – 10 of 708Richard B. Clark and Brian S. Morgan
The leadership team of Monsanto’s Integrated Financial Services (IFS) unit realized in 1997 that it needed to make changes in order to manage effectively in a time of transition…
Abstract
The leadership team of Monsanto’s Integrated Financial Services (IFS) unit realized in 1997 that it needed to make changes in order to manage effectively in a time of transition for its parent organization. Consequently, it set out to develop a clear vision and to support the vision with metrics. The unit’s story is a lesson in the development and business value of a Measurement‐Managed OrganizationTM (MMO). MMOs distinguish themselves by achieving sustained profitability and agility at lower levels of risk. The authors describe the process used by the Monsanto finance team and the importance of identifying key metrics early in the change initiative.
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D.G. Brian Jones and Alan J. Richardson
The aim of this study is to explore the attempts by early twentieth century cyclecar manufacturers in the UK and USA to segment the personal transportation market and to position…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to explore the attempts by early twentieth century cyclecar manufacturers in the UK and USA to segment the personal transportation market and to position early cyclecars through the development of unique product attributes and advertising. More specifically, the authors speculate about early twentieth century British cyclecar marketing strategies that implicitly recognized a sports car segment and positioned cyclecar brands to meet the needs of that segment.
Design/methodology/approach
The primary source material for this research is a sample of 205 print ads and articles from the early twentieth century (1912-1921) specialty magazines devoted to cyclecars in the UK and USA. We combine the content analysis of the sample of ads with a critical reading and interpretation of a sub-sample of those same ads.
Findings
Between 1910 and 1921, a new form of personal transportation was developed that combined the technology of motorcycles with the utility of automobiles. Known as “cyclecars”, these vehicles were typically constructed from off-the-shelf motorcycle parts and assembled in small batches by a myriad of manufacturers. Current scholarship suggests that the cyclecar craze of the 1910s ended with the introduction of low cost “real” automobiles such as the Ford Model T, Austin 7 and Morris Oxford. We use the content analysis of cyclecar advertisements to construct a brand-positioning map of this emerging segment of the transportation market. We argue that while the core cyclecar positioning was in direct competition with small economically positioned cars such as the Ford Model T, a significant part of the market, primarily centered in the UK, could be considered as for sports cars. That segment of the cyclecar market, along with the development of cyclecars into urban delivery vehicles, continued over time and has re-emerged today in a range of three-wheeled sports cars, including the updating and continuation of the British Morgan 3 Wheeler model which was launched during the heyday of cyclecars.
Research limitations/implications
The authors can only speculate about the impact of the Ford Model T in this study. Further research on that issue is needed.
Originality/value
This is the first historical study of cyclecar marketing. Most of what little has been published about cyclecars focuses on their design and technology.
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In his review of 30 years of research in Prospect Theory, Barberis (2013) notes that support for Prospect Theory had come mainly from the laboratory. In this paper, I write about…
Abstract
In his review of 30 years of research in Prospect Theory, Barberis (2013) notes that support for Prospect Theory had come mainly from the laboratory. In this paper, I write about a recurring phenomenon in real life that is consistent with Prospect Theory predictions in decision-making loss domain. The 60 cases noted in this paper are associated with specific risk seekers that had cost more than $140 billion (an average of $2.33 billion per case). Given space consider– ations, I provide synopses for 14 cases. A few of these cases have been discussed in the extant literature in connection with internal control, but were not considered from the perspective of Prospect Theory. It is striking that these cases are costly, all participants are young men, and almost all had followed the gambler’s martingale strategy – i.e., double down. While these cases are informative about risk-seeking behavior, they are not sufficiently systematic to be subjected to stylized archival research methods.
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The purpose of this article is to analyze the SEC enforcement staff's recent scrutiny of the roles and responsibilities of securities firms for the protection of confidential…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to analyze the SEC enforcement staff's recent scrutiny of the roles and responsibilities of securities firms for the protection of confidential information.
Design/methodology/approach
The article reviews the SEC's implementation and enforcement of section 15(f) of the Exchange Act and section 204A of the Advisers Act. Part I discusses the legislative history of these provisions and reviews SEC and staff pronouncements relating to procedures for the protection of material nonpublic information. Part II discusses the potential consequences, from an enforcement perspective, of a firm's failure to satisfy the requirements of section 15(f) or section 204A. Part III describes the SEC's enforcement program in this area and distills guidance for securities firms from the SEC's actions.
Findings
Sections 15(f) and 204A require brokers, dealers, and investment advisers to “establish, maintain, and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed, taking into consideration the nature of such (broker, dealer, or investment adviser's) business, to prevent the misuse” of material nonpublic information. Thus, the statutory terms frame the issues in any SEC investigation. Does the firm maintain written procedures? Are the written procedures reasonably designed to safeguard material nonpublic information? In particular, are the procedures designed with a view toward the specific structure and business activities of the firm? Has the firm taken reasonable steps to enforce its written procedures?
Practical implications
Given the SEC's current enforcement emphasis in this area, it is essential that brokers, dealers, and investment advisers look critically at whether they are taking adequate steps to protect the confidential information they may handle on a daily basis.
Originality/value
The paper presents a practical guide by an experienced enforcement attorney.
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Patrick Hopkinson, Mats Niklasson, Peter Bryngelsson, Andrew Voyce and Jerome Carson
The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the life of the musician Brian Wilson from five different perspectives.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the life of the musician Brian Wilson from five different perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a mixed method of collaborative autoethnography, psychobiography and digital team ethnography to try and better understand the life and contributions of Brian Wilson.
Findings
Each of the five contributors provides different insights into the life and music of Brian Wilson.
Research limitations/implications
While the focus of this paper is on a single individual, a case study, the long and distinguished life of Brian Wilson provides much material for discussion and theorising.
Practical implications
Each individual presenting to mental health services has a complex biography. The five different contributions articulated in this paper could perhaps be taken as similar to the range of professional opinions seen in mental health teams, with each focusing on unique but overlapping aspects of the person’s story.
Social implications
This account shows the importance of taking a biological-psychological-social-spiritual and cultural perspective on mental illness.
Originality/value
This multi-layered analysis brings a range of perspectives to bear on the life and achievements of Brian Wilson, from developmental, musical, psychological and lived experience standpoints.
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Louise Gillies and Helen M. Burrows
Families conduct their affairs through processes that are built upon those of previous generations and also social capacities such as culture, class, oppression and poverty. The…
Abstract
Families conduct their affairs through processes that are built upon those of previous generations and also social capacities such as culture, class, oppression and poverty. The media has played a part in stereotyping the lower classes through their portrayal on the television programmes such as Benefits Street and Jeremy Kyle and tabloid newspaper stories. This chapter is a case study of two families who are at the opposing ends of the social scale, the Horrobin/Carter and Aldridge families. The two families were chosen due to them being linked by marriage in the younger generation. Through the use of genograms, we explore how the families differ in their attitudes towards relationships within their individual families, and also how they relate to each other as separate family groups. Despite the many differences, there are also a number of key similarities, particularly regarding the key females in the families, in terms of family background and snobbery. We also show that there is little family loyalty in the more privileged family and a power differential between the two families (oppressors vs. oppressed) in terms of the crimes committed.
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