Steven H. Appelbaum, Barbara T. Shapiro, Helen Danakas, Gino Gualtieri, Lisa Li, David Loo, Patricia Renaud and Nicolas Zampieri
This case study focuses on key personnel leaving an IT firm (TT Inc.) which possesses specialized knowledge and skills that could not be replaced internally. This problem and…
Abstract
This case study focuses on key personnel leaving an IT firm (TT Inc.) which possesses specialized knowledge and skills that could not be replaced internally. This problem and event created a major critical knowledge gap. The individuals who left expressed dissatisfaction with the increasing workload, limited resources, impossible deadlines, and unrealistic expectations from management. The remaining team members in the data networking group also shared their dissatisfaction. The methodology used to collect the data included a survey, interviews with key players, and from exit interviews. Productivity and job satisfaction at TT Inc.'s Telecom Engineering Department have declined. The dependant variables that are being explored are job satisfaction and productivity. Results of the surveys led to recommendations in the form of alternative solutions to the problems.
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David Sammon and Frederic Adam
The need for an integrated enterprise‐wide approach to management information pronounced data warehousing (DW) the “hot topic” of the early‐to‐mid‐1990s. However, it became…
Abstract
Purpose
The need for an integrated enterprise‐wide approach to management information pronounced data warehousing (DW) the “hot topic” of the early‐to‐mid‐1990s. However, it became unfashionable in the late 1990s, with the widespread implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. With ERP managers were led to believe that they would derive informational as well as operational benefits from the introduction of integrated enterprise‐wide systems. However, the recent re‐emergence of DW, to address the limitations and unrealised benefits of ERP systems, provides a new, more complex integration challenge. The main objective of this paper is to present the concept of organisational prerequisites for enterprise‐wide integration projects as a means to help managers preparing for and managing their ERP/DW projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on existing literature on ERP and DW implementations. It puts forward a model to be further tested and validated by ERP researchers.
Findings
The proposed model has the potential to solve the problems experienced in ERP implementations and, more generally, in projects leading to large‐scale enterprise integration.
Originality/value
Existing ERP research indicates that the intelligence phase of most ERP projects is ignored both in practice and in research. This paper lays the foundation for a framework that addresses this problem.
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Shirley Ingram and Barkat Khan
The purpose of this paper is to audit the active discharge (DC) planning process in a general cardiology clinic, by pre-assessing patients’ medical notes and highlighting those…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to audit the active discharge (DC) planning process in a general cardiology clinic, by pre-assessing patients’ medical notes and highlighting those suitable for potential DC to the clinic physician.
Design/methodology/approach
The cardiology clinical nurse specialist (CNS) identified patients’ for nine- to 12-month return visits one week prior to attendance. The previous consultation letter was accessed and information was documented by the CNS in the medical record. The key performance indicator (KPI) used was patient DCs for each clinic visit. The process was audited at three separate times to reflect recommended action carried out.
Findings
The CNS pre-assessment and presence at the clinics significantly increased total DCs during the first period compared to usual care, 11 vs 34 per cent (p<0.0001). During the third audit period, DCs fell (9 per cent) with a reduction in CNS pre-assessed DCs (10 per cent). Recommendations were implemented. The process was continued by clinic administration staff, colour coding all nine- to 12-month returns, resulted in a 19 per cent DC rate in 2012.
Practical implications
CNS pre-assessment and highlighting DC suitability increased the number of patient DCs. As the CNS presence at the clinic reduced so did the rate of DC. Specific personnel need to be responsible for monitoring and reminding staff of the process; this does not always have to be medical or nursing.
Originality/value
Implementing positive discharging procedures is aimed at improving quality, increasing efficiency and accessibility of services for patients. This audit describes a process to promote DC planning from cardiology outpatients.
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Adriana Mohd. Rizal, Renne Pramila Punadi, Zarina Binti Sanayan @ Abdul Salam, Maizaitulaidawati Binti Md Husin, Suzilawati Bt. Kamarudin and Musli Sahimi
Social Entrepreneurship, Organizational Behavior.
Abstract
Subject Area
Social Entrepreneurship, Organizational Behavior.
Study Level
This case is suitable to be used in advanced undergraduate and MBA/MSc level.
Case Overview
This case teaches about green organization, its opportunity, challenges, and attitude toward sustainable agriculture. The Babylon Vertical Farms (BVF) is an agricultural and technological company that grew high-quality hydroponic vegetables and herbs with minimum use of sunlight, soil, and pesticides. BVF used recycled water through reverse osmosis process with the target to decrease cultivated time to less than six hours, when compared to the typical 18 hours, apart from minimizing water usage up to 90%. Knowing its potential, Stuart Thomas, the founder and his team planned to increase the farm production to 2,000–3,000 kg a month from 1,000 kg a month. The farm required RM150,000 to acquire resources and to extend its farm infrastructure. Stuart and his team had to make feasible and practical decision in gaining their funds to execute the business to be one that is sustainable and green. As a social entrepreneur, Stuart also wanted to address poverty-related hunger. A group of investors was ready to invest and asked for 30% equity. Stuart was tempted to take the offer. If he rejected the offer, the farm could lose the opportunity to scale-up its operation. At the same time, if he accepted the offer, he might lose control over the business one day.
Expected Learning Outcomes
The learning outcomes are as follows:
to expose students to the various forms of urban farming that a social entrepreneur can venture into;
to expose students to the benefits of green business;
to evaluate potential opportunities and threats of a green organization using SWOT analysis; and
to recommend a possible strategy to build a sustainable agriculture farm that is economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible.
to expose students to the various forms of urban farming that a social entrepreneur can venture into;
to expose students to the benefits of green business;
to evaluate potential opportunities and threats of a green organization using SWOT analysis; and
to recommend a possible strategy to build a sustainable agriculture farm that is economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible.
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David P. Spicer and Eugene Sadler‐Smith
To examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the general decision making style (GDMS) questionnaire in two UK samples.Design/methodology/approach – The GDMS…
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the general decision making style (GDMS) questionnaire in two UK samples.Design/methodology/approach – The GDMS takes the form of a self‐report questionnaire which identifies five decision making styles: rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant, and spontaneous. It was administered to samples of business studies undergraduates in two UK business schools. Analyses included scale reliabilities, test‐re‐test reliability, and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.Findings – The instrument's internal and temporal consistencies were generally sound. Consistent with earlier studies, analyses undertaken on the two samples independently were generally supportive of a five factor model of decision making style. No relationships with gender or year of study were observed.Research limitations/implications – Whilst generally supportive of the GDMS, results suggest that further validation work is required. This could include consideration of the relationships between the GDMS and other measures of cognitive/personality style.Practical implications – The managerial implications of the strengths of and relationships between the different decision making styles observed are discussed.Originality/value – The paper fulfils a stated requirement for further validation study of the GDMS instrument.
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Tjandra Börner and Bernard Verstegen
In accounting literature, there is a strand of thought that is founded on the old institutional economics. One of the problems is that institutional theory can demonstrate…
Abstract
Purpose
In accounting literature, there is a strand of thought that is founded on the old institutional economics. One of the problems is that institutional theory can demonstrate resistance to change, not the formation of change. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to theory formation, in particular to enrich the institutional framework for understanding change, by showing how medical specialists in hospitals, in particular urologists, shape change processes in organizations as reflected in behavioral routines. The results will also contribute to the empirical understanding of medical specialists' behavior. This could generate dynamic accounts of organizational change and help to find a way towards an enhanced framework.
Design/methodology/approach
In Dutch hospitals a new management control tool is implemented, which is the diagnose treatment combinations (DTC) system. A DTC is a way to describe the required medical procedures for a specific illness in a hospital. Here, an investigation is carried out on how and if the behavior of medical specialists changes because of this introduction.
Findings
After analyzing interviews with urologists, four common themes are distinguished and scripted behavior is described. The individual tracks in scripts can be distinguished, but there is more. This is the story that gives coherence to the various behaviors and shows how the arrangement of behavioral routines in an organizational context forms organizational change through time.
Research limitations/implications
This research was based on the institutional perspective. Another view on management control would emphasize other aspects of behavior. In addition, this was only based on one specialism in three hospitals, so generalizability of the results will be low.
Practical implications
The results contribute to empirical understanding of medical specialists' behavior.
Originality/value
The results will contribute to the empirical understanding of medical specialists' behavior and it will contribute to theory formation in management control literature, in particular by enriching the institutional framework for understanding change.
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David Yates and Muhammad Al Mahameed
Through this reflexive, theoretically informed polemical piece, this paper aims to seek to reflect on the role of accounting education in United Kingdom Higher Education (UKHE)…
Abstract
Purpose
Through this reflexive, theoretically informed polemical piece, this paper aims to seek to reflect on the role of accounting education in United Kingdom Higher Education (UKHE). The authors reignite an old, but pertinent debate, whether accounting graduates should be educated to be accountants or receive a holistic, critical education.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt a theoretical position drawing on the work of Slavoj Žižek and Mark Fisher, and their fusion of Lacanian psychoanalysis and Marxism, in particular Fisher’s (2009) conceptualisation of “capitalist realism” to take a critical standpoint on the effects that UKHE marketisation is having on the teaching of accounting and other business-related disciplines.
Findings
The authors outline four key aspects of where accounting education in UKHE is influenced by capitalist realism, as a result of the marketisation of UKHE.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is a reflexive polemic and so is limited by this written style and presentation.
Social implications
The authors argue that capitalist realism is a dominant theme that influences accounting education. They propose that universities now, more than ever, must focus on their societal duty to foster critical viewpoints in their graduates and dispose of a model that is subject to capitalist realism ontology.
Originality/value
The theoretical stance allows for a potentially deeper consideration of issues surrounding marketisation of higher education, from the micro level of social interaction (that of the accounting academic and their impact/perceptions of the reality).
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Law requires translations in order to make the mundane world legible to the legal sphere. This translation requires transposing an infinite landscape of ethical possibilities into…
Abstract
Law requires translations in order to make the mundane world legible to the legal sphere. This translation requires transposing an infinite landscape of ethical possibilities into a set number of categories, modes of speech, reasoning, and histories. The body represents both a challenge to this translation while illuminating the historical contingency of the contaminants that ineluctably shape law’s responsiveness. This chapter is concerned with the way the figure of the body in law acts as a kind of absent presence through the writ of habeas corpus, what Roberto Esposito (2015) calls ‘the silent mechanism that facilitates the passage from one mechanism to another through the chain of symbols engendered by its very presence’. The author would like to trace this chain of symbols which permits the passage from differing legal mechanisms through the history of the writ of habeas corpus to examine how it served as one vehicle through which law established predominance in Colonial British Columbia. Through British Columbia colonial legal history, this chapter will examine how Habeas corpus was used to more than merely seize jurisdiction but, more pointedly, to mobilise images of sovereignty to bolster local, contingent, and contextual forms of authority and sovereignty. In the end, the author’s argument will contribute to an understanding of the various mechanisms and discourses that sought to envelope the differing peoples, landscapes, and topographies of British Columbia into a single normative and affective legal atmosphere, as lawmakers sought to distinguish themselves from their southern neighbour’s colonial experience.
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Qile He, Abby Ghobadian, David Gallear, Loo-See Beh and Nicholas O'Regan
– Recognizing the heterogeneity of services, this paper aims to clarify the characteristics of forward and the corresponding reverse supply chains of different services.
Abstract
Purpose
Recognizing the heterogeneity of services, this paper aims to clarify the characteristics of forward and the corresponding reverse supply chains of different services.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper develops a two-dimensional typology matrix, representing four main clusters of services according to the degree of input standardization and the degree of output tangibility. Based on this matrix, this paper develops a typology and parsimonious conceptual models illustrating the characteristics of forward and the corresponding reverse supply chains of each cluster of services.
Findings
The four main clusters of service supply chains have different characteristics. This provides the basis for the identification, presentation and explanation of the different characteristics of their corresponding reverse service supply chains.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of this research can help future researchers to analyse, map and model forward and reverse service supply chains, and to identify potential research gaps in the area.
Practical/implications
The findings of the research can help managers of service firms to gain better visibility of their forward and reverse supply chains, and refine their business models to help extend their reverse/closed-loop activities. Furthermore, the findings can help managers to better optimize their service operations to reduce service gaps and potentially secure new value-adding opportunities.
Originality/value
This paper is the first, to the authors ' knowledge, to conceptualize the basic structure of the forward and reverse service supply chains while dealing with the high level of heterogeneity of services.
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Fredrick Muyia Nafukho, Mary Alfred, Misha Chakraborty, Michelle Johnson and Catherine A. Cherrstrom
The primary purpose of this study was to predict transfer of learning to workplace among adult learners enrolled in a continuing professional education (CPE) training program…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose of this study was to predict transfer of learning to workplace among adult learners enrolled in a continuing professional education (CPE) training program, specifically training courses offered through face-to-face, blended and online instruction formats. The study examined the predictive capacity of trainee characteristics, training design and work environment on transfer of learning among the study respondents.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional online survey design was used to collect data from the study respondents, three months after CPE training. Two hundred ninety-seven trainees participated in this study. Data from 46 participants were incomplete and therefore excluded in the preliminary analysis, resulting in 251 valid responses and participants for the data analysis, 43 males (17.1 per cent), 201 females (80.1 per cent) and 7 (2.8 per cent) who did not indicate their gender. To answer the study’s research questions, factor analysis and multiple hierarchical regressions were performed.
Findings
The results of the study revealed training efficiency and relevance were critical in the transfer of learning among the study participants. The findings of the study showed combined training efficiency and training relevance enabled training participants to acquire knowledge and skills for application in the workplace and had significantly positive influence in transfer of learning. The work environment, measured by work variability (or flexibility) and work complexity, and the trainee motivation to participate, measured by learning-conducive workplace features, had a positive influence in transfer of learning.
Research limitations/implications
Because the majority of participants were females (80.1 per cent), this could be one of the limitations to this study. Research has identified that, because of the broad expectations based on sex and different family and occupational roles, men and women differ in their social network communication, participation in CPE, personality traits, gender-related occupational preferences, learning preference and methods of handling workplace conflict. The second limitation is related to the study design. The researchers did not have a control group because of practicality issues. This being a cross-sectional online survey study, all extraneous variables were not controlled such as in the case of a true randomized control study. This study is relying on the information obtained from a self-report training transfer instrument completed by the study participants. The accuracy of the obtained data is dependent on the honesty of the participants and their commitment in providing correct responses.
Originality/value
This study provides empirical evidence pertaining to the transfer of learning among adult learners engaged in a continuing professional development training program. The study examines factors related to training design, training delivery, trainee motivation and the workplace environment and how these factors determine transfer of learning among trainee respondents who participated in the study. The findings of the study have practical implications for the design and successful delivery of continuing professional training among adult learners. The study could be replicated at a national level and in international settings.