The spin-off of Iridium, a global telecommunications system, represented a significant business risk for Motorola, as many talented Motorola executives joined the venture in the…
Abstract
The spin-off of Iridium, a global telecommunications system, represented a significant business risk for Motorola, as many talented Motorola executives joined the venture in the late 1990s. This bold technology gamble suffered from numerous marketing missteps, which led to Iridium's bankruptcy in August 1999.
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In this second cover story the author explores the pitfalls of not understanding the difference in corporate culture between merging parties. Highlights a number of examples of…
Abstract
In this second cover story the author explores the pitfalls of not understanding the difference in corporate culture between merging parties. Highlights a number of examples of failure, and this compliments our first story perfectly.
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Maneesh Kumar, Jiju Antony, Christian N. Madu, Douglas C. Montgomery and Sung H. Park
Six Sigma has been part of our business lexicon for more than a decade. Debates on its emergence as a strategic initiative have created critics who consider it as an old wine in a…
Abstract
Purpose
Six Sigma has been part of our business lexicon for more than a decade. Debates on its emergence as a strategic initiative have created critics who consider it as an old wine in a new bottle. Is Six Sigma a management fad? This article presents some common myths and realities of Six Sigma business strategy. The paper provides an excellent resource for those people who would like to know whether Six Sigma is just a management fad or fact.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses some common myths and realities of Six Sigma by critically reviewing the existing literature on Six Sigma and also provides a greater insight into the viewpoints of leading academics and practitioners.
Findings
Six Sigma is neither a fad nor just another quality initiative. It relies on factual data coupled with hard work and is a disciplined and structured problem‐solving methodology. The authors strongly argue its integration with other continuous/breakthrough improvement initiatives for sustaining the merits of Six Sigma in the twenty‐first century. The paper also elucidates the role of academia in further developing and establishing the best practices of Six Sigma management strategy. Six Sigma will evolve over time like many other initiatives – however, the key concepts, the principles of statistical thinking, tools and techniques of Six Sigma, will stay for many years, irrespective of whatever the “next big thing” will be.
Practical implications
In the authors' opinion, Six Sigma will continue to grow as a powerful management initiative for achieving and sustaining operational and service excellence. However, what will eventually determine whether Six Sigma is viewed by businesses as just a passing management fad or not, largely depends on the leadership and success of its execution. The authors believe that organisations developing and implementing Six Sigma should not view it as an advertising banner for promotional purposes.
Originality/value
The paper yields a great value to both researchers and practitioners of Six Sigma in dispelling the myths of Six Sigma, which have been quite prevalent in the business fraternity.
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Chris Griffiths, Ksenija da Silva, Harmony Jiang, Kate Walker, David Smart, Azhar Zafar, Sarah Deeks, Sinead Galvin and Taz Shah
This study aims to evaluate the effect of Alpha-Stim Anxiety, Insomnia and Depression (AID) cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) on anxiety, depression and health-related…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the effect of Alpha-Stim Anxiety, Insomnia and Depression (AID) cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) on anxiety, depression and health-related quality of life for primary care social prescribing service patients with anxiety symptoms.
Design/methodology/approach
Open-label patient cohort design with no control group. A total of 33 adult patients (average age 42 years) completed six weeks of Alpha-Stim AID use. Pre- and post-intervention assessment with participant self-report measures: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and European Quality of Life Five Dimension (EQ-5D-5L).
Findings
Reliable improvement and remission rates, respectively, were 53.39% and 33.3% for GAD-7; 46.7% and 29.5% for PHQ-9. There was a significant improvement in GAD-7 and PHQ-9 with large effect sizes. EQ-5D-5L results showed significant improvements in health-related quality of life. Perceived quality of life increased by 0.17 on the health index score, with the intervention adding 1.68 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).
Practical implications
Alpha-Stim AID can be delivered through a primary health-care social prescribing service and most patients will use as prescribed and complete treatment course. Alpha-Stim AID CES may be an effective anxiety and depression treatment for people with anxiety symptoms. The widespread roll-out of Alpha-Stim AID in health-care systems should be considered.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to respond to the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care (NICE) request for the collection of real-world data to understand better Alpha-Stim AID in relation to people’s treatment uptake, response rates and treatment completion rates (NICE, 2021).
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Innovation has been considered necessary for solving every problem today. In any business meeting, conference or media innovation is discussed and desired. However, key challenges…
Abstract
Innovation has been considered necessary for solving every problem today. In any business meeting, conference or media innovation is discussed and desired. However, key challenges in realizing innovation are a well understood framework and an infrastructure for its successful deployment. Current frameworks including Open Innovation, Crowd Sourcing and many others do not address corporate needs in terms of credibility and for its body of knowledge for developing competency. Having established a credible and teachable framework for innovation, the author realized that organization leadership is unable to drive innovation due to misunderstanding of innovation principles and change management at the leadership level. Recognizing success of Prof. Kotter's Leading Change model, the author adapts the model to managing the innovation change [1]. This paper presents application of the Leading Change to innovation management and providing guidance to organization leadership for innovation deployment. Innovation deployment has become a necessity for organizations in knowledge age for achieving competitive edge and sustaining profitable growth.
The slogan “because you’re worth it”, used by the international cosmetics group L’Oréal, is instantly recognizable. It is a friendly phrase, which seeks to persuade people to buy…
Abstract
The slogan “because you’re worth it”, used by the international cosmetics group L’Oréal, is instantly recognizable. It is a friendly phrase, which seeks to persuade people to buy the company’s hair or skin care products, not primarily because they need such treatments, but because they deserve them. Focusing on people’s self esteem to manipulate behavior is not exactly new; in fact it is tried and tested and certainly works for L’Oréal. So it is no surprise to learn that the company tells employees, and those thinking of applying for a job, that, because people are important and they are worth it, the corporate culture encourages learning on a daily basis, and that they will benefit from worldwide training networks which promote both personal and professional development.