Christopher E. Bogan and Michael J. English
Benchmarking the best practices of other firms can create a mandate for change by corporate boards of directors, and senior management. It can help the leadership identify what in…
Abstract
Benchmarking the best practices of other firms can create a mandate for change by corporate boards of directors, and senior management. It can help the leadership identify what in the firm must change, and can provide them with a vivid picture of the end point after change.
Togar M. Simatupang and Ramaswami Sridharan
Intense competition forces companies to become involved in supply chain collaboration with their upstream and downstream partners. The key to ensuring that the participating…
Abstract
Intense competition forces companies to become involved in supply chain collaboration with their upstream and downstream partners. The key to ensuring that the participating members are progressing on the right track of creating the best‐in‐class practice is to conduct benchmarking. Benchmarking stimulates collective learning for performance improvement that brings benefits to all participating members. However, previous research has focused mainly on supply chain benchmarking at the intra‐company ‐‐ rather than the inter‐company ‐‐ level. Inter‐company benchmarking requires a new perspective for understanding collaborative learning amongst the participating members that encourages them to improve supply chain performance as a whole. This research aims to develop a benchmarking scheme for supply chain collaboration that links collaborative performance metrics and collaborative enablers. The proposed benchmarking scheme can be used to examine the current status of supply chain collaboration among the participating members, identify performance gaps and systematize improvement initiatives.
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James M. Kauffman, Shanna Eisner Hirsch, Jeanmarie Badar, Andrew L. Wiley and Brian R. Barber
Special education in the USA is, in most respects, a 20th century phenomenon and is now governed primarily by federal legislation first enacted in 1975. The federal law in its…
Abstract
Special education in the USA is, in most respects, a 20th century phenomenon and is now governed primarily by federal legislation first enacted in 1975. The federal law in its most recent reauthorization (2004) continues to require a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all students with disabilities, a full continuum of alternative placements (CAP) ranging from residential or hospital care to inclusion in general education, an individual education plan or program (IEP) for each student identified as needing special education, and placement in the least restrictive environment (LRE) that is thought best for implementing the IEP. Parents must be involved in the special education process. Approximately 14 percent of public school students were identified for special education in 2004–2005, but the number and percentage of students identified in most high-incidence categories as needing special education have declined in recent years (the total for all categories was about 8.5 percent of public school students in 2010). A variety of evidence-based interventions can be used to address the wide range of instructional and behavioral needs of students with disabilities and their families, including transition to further education or work, family services, and teacher education. Special education in the USA may find new sources of support and thrive or may become less common or be abandoned entirely due to criticism and withdrawal of support for social welfare programs of government.
Frederick J. Brigham, Christopher Claude, John William McKenna and Larissa Lemp
In this chapter, we examine the current research on how technology is applied to benefit students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD). First, we describe the…
Abstract
In this chapter, we examine the current research on how technology is applied to benefit students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD). First, we describe the iterative yet unpredictable nature of technological innovation to suggest that incremental successes are qualified by the creation of often unforeseen consequences. We then identify commonly used nonelectronic technologies in education to emphasize that the hoped-for advances in electronic technology have failed to deliver on their decades-old promise of educational revolution. We continue with our review of the literature on empirical studies examining how technology is used to support students with EBD. These findings indicate that the research design primarily employed in this field is single-subject. Examples of specific findings include web-based graphic organizers for student writing, virtual self-modeling for targeting student behaviors, and virtual coaching for teachers of students with EBD. We conclude by reviewing how leaders in the field of special education predict the field will change in the future. Overall, with an increased emphasis on research accessibility and practitioner-validated knowledge, and advances in neuroscience and artificial technologies, practitioners may hold a more central role to the creation and dissemination of knowledge.
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Frederick J. Brigham, Christopher Claude, Jason Chow, Colleen Lloyd Eddy, Nicholas Gage and John William McKenna
Four reputed leaders for the coming years in the field of special education for individuals with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) each with a slightly different…
Abstract
Four reputed leaders for the coming years in the field of special education for individuals with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) each with a slightly different perspective on the field were asked to respond independently to a prompt asking what does special education mean for students with EBD and what is being done and how do we maintain tradition? The contributors' responses to the prompt are presented and then summarized across the essays. A remarkable consistency emerges across the independent essays. In addition to the tradition of providing a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment, the contributors identify needs to support teachers serving this population. Needs in teacher training and the expertise required to meet the needs of individuals with EBD are outlined as well as potential contributions of technology to carry out specific tasks. We conclude with a call for increased advocacy for use of the knowledge that we currently possess and that which will soon be discovered to support students with EBD as well as their teachers. We also note that the contributors' names are listed alphabetically to acknowledge the equality of each person to the final product.
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This chapter uncovers the destabilizing and transformative dimensions of a legal process commonly described as assimilation. Lawyers working on behalf of a marginalized group…
Abstract
This chapter uncovers the destabilizing and transformative dimensions of a legal process commonly described as assimilation. Lawyers working on behalf of a marginalized group often argue that the group merits inclusion in dominant institutions, and they do so by casting the group as like the majority. Scholars have criticized claims of this kind for affirming the status quo and muting significant differences of the excluded group. Yet, this chapter shows how these claims may also disrupt the status quo, transform dominant institutions, and convert distinctive features of the excluded group into more widely shared legal norms. This dynamic is observed in the context of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, and specifically through attention to three phases of LGBT advocacy: (1) claims to parental recognition of unmarried same-sex parents, (2) claims to marriage, and (3) claims regarding the consequences of marriage for same-sex parents. The analysis shows how claims that appeared assimilationist – demanding inclusion in marriage and parenthood by arguing that same-sex couples are similarly situated to their different-sex counterparts – subtly challenged and reshaped legal norms governing parenthood, including marital parenthood. While this chapter focuses on LGBT claims, it uncovers a dynamic that may exist in other settings.
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Wai Peng Wong and Kuan Yew Wong
The purpose of this paper is to redress the imbalances in the past literature of supply chain benchmarking and enhance data envelopment analysis (DEA) modeling approach in supply…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to redress the imbalances in the past literature of supply chain benchmarking and enhance data envelopment analysis (DEA) modeling approach in supply chain benchmarking.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is sorted into sections: benchmarking, definitions, concepts and literature survey, supply chain benchmarking, problems in supply chain benchmarking, existing tools used in benchmarking, problems in existing tools and motivation of using DEA as a supply chain benchmarking tool. A range of recently published (1995‐2004) works is referred and aims to provide insights into possible new research focus in supply chain benchmarking.
Findings
Provides information about new trends in supply chain benchmarking and what are the existing problems. Recognizes the lack of mathematical modeling tool in addressing this issue.
Research limitations/implications
Supply chain benchmarking is gearing towards a holistic approach. DEA is deemed to be an appropriate benchmarking tool with modifications in existing model.
Practical implications
Provide insights to managers on the use of DEA in decision making at strategic level.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified information/resources need and offers insights to the future research focus in supply chain benchmarking.
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Mai Thi Thanh Thai and Ekaterina Turkina
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue on “Entrepreneurial migration: characteristics, causes and effects”.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue on “Entrepreneurial migration: characteristics, causes and effects”.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature review.
Findings
Studies on immigrant entrepreneurship have become increasingly popular and the importance of social context and social connections has been recognized by scholars. However, research on their effects on immigrant entrepreneurship has been rather limited. This special issue explains the essential steps of the entrepreneurial process by immigrants (i.e. host country choice, entrepreneurial engagement, new venture creation, business network development and corporate political activities) and discusses the effects of immigrant entrepreneurs on their host countries.
Originality/value
The paper presents a review of literature on entrepreneurial migration and social impacts.
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Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are…
Abstract
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Tenn. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.
Drawing on the concepts of benchmarking and of fit as profile deviation, the purpose of this paper is to identify the critical dimensions of usage of internet based…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the concepts of benchmarking and of fit as profile deviation, the purpose of this paper is to identify the critical dimensions of usage of internet based interorganizational systems (IOISs) of the best performing firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical evidence is gathered through an electronic survey conducted with 228 manufacturers in the computer and electronic product manufacturing sector.
Findings
Data collected demonstrates that: volume of use and depth of use are the two critical dimensions of internet based IOISs usage on the supplier side; volume of use, level of integration, diversity of types and depth of use are the four critical dimensions of internet based IOISs usage on the customer side; and a deviation from these patterns of internet based IOISs usage should result in poorer operational performance. Statistical analyses also show the relative importance of each of the critical dimensions of internet based IOISs usage on both the supplier and customer sides of the supply chain.
Practical implications
The paper findings indicate that manufacturers in the computer and electronic product manufacturing sector should not approach their supply chain management and eBusiness strategies from a single business network perspective; rather, they must take into account the specificities of their downstream supply chain to implement an internet based IOIS strategy that will satisfy the diversified needs of their customer base.
Originality/value
This paper is the only one to date that draws on both a benchmarking approach and contingency theory to assess the impact of internet based IOISs usage on a firm's operational performance.