On 4 April 2002 the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) officially took over from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). This historic symbolic change of name arose from the…
Abstract
On 4 April 2002 the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) officially took over from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). This historic symbolic change of name arose from the Belfast Agreement, the subsequent Patten Commission and a long period of consultation and persuasion. Like so many UK police organisations the RUC had exhibited evidence that it recognised the need to address the issue of internal communications but had not been involved in any in‐depth assessment of its internal communications, nor did it have a written internal communications strategy. The use of communication audits had also been limited. By applying a validated audit methodology, this paper examines the position internal communications had within the RUC. Using a triangulation approach, the research encompassed structured interviews, the international communication audit questionnaire, and a critical incident approach. The results showed a general dissatisfaction in respect of communication and specific dissatisfaction in relation to particular areas of the organisation. The implications of the findings for the fledgling PSNI and other police organisations are discussed in the context of the role of communication strategies.
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The conclusion of the Cold War rivalry between the United States and former Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s created new areas of opportunity and concern for U.S…
Abstract
The conclusion of the Cold War rivalry between the United States and former Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s created new areas of opportunity and concern for U.S. national security policy. No longer menaced by the threat of nuclear war from Soviet military might, the United States emerged from the Cold War as the world's preeminent military power. Successful developments such as this often produce elation in the pronouncements of U.S. officials as a recent Clinton administration declaration demonstrates:
This study compares the use of enhanced TV features and TV commerce features on the Web sites of cable and broadcast TV networks. Both the quantitative analysis of the specific…
Abstract
This study compares the use of enhanced TV features and TV commerce features on the Web sites of cable and broadcast TV networks. Both the quantitative analysis of the specific programs featured on the Web sites and the qualitative analysis of the overall Web sites show some differences in their strategies and site usability. Some program genres could develop TV commerce opportunities more easily than others. Different program genres emphases on the Web site were found between broadcast TV networks and cable TV networks. Three enhanced TV strategy models are proposed as a result of the analysis: welcome all model; fans‐friendly model; and hello model. The managerial implications of these models on TV revenue and viewership are discussed.
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Fatma Pakdil and Karen Moustafa Leonard
Lean systems thinking was widely studied using relevant variables, but there is a dearth of published theoretical or empirical evidence about the cultural aspects of lean…
Abstract
Purpose
Lean systems thinking was widely studied using relevant variables, but there is a dearth of published theoretical or empirical evidence about the cultural aspects of lean processes. The lack of conceptual development is one of the motivations for this study. Do organizational cultural variations correlate with the success and effectiveness of lean processes? What organizational infrastructures are required for effective lean implementation and continuation? The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Examining literature in the area of lean production and lean management, the authors sought current literature at the intersection of organizational culture and lean processes, particularly implementation and sustainability, but found little relating to the topic. Therefore, using the Competing Values Framework taxonomy, the authors examine this intersection, relying on related research in the areas.
Findings
In this paper, a brief discussion of lean processes in relation to organizational culture leads to propositions that identify the various cultural dimensions and their purported effect on lean implementation and sustainability. A model of this interaction is developed. Those quadrants of the Competing Values Framework that might be useful in developing research directions for the future are identified.
Research limitations/implications
Future research directions include the measurement of organizational culture in firms that have implemented lean processes. This would be a step toward looking at the effect that the different quadrants in the Competing Values Framework have on various elements of lean efforts. This would take a significant amount of work, because the manufacturing industry, the leader in implementing and sustaining lean processes, may have institutionalized particular organizational cultures. It would be an interesting step forward in the understanding of how lean processes are operationalized across different firms and industries. However, there are multiple ways to examine culture; the authors believe this method allows the capture of the entire spectrum.
Practical implications
Knowing which dimensions influence lean effectiveness and the way that they wield that influence allows managers to develop the firm’s organizational culture to one that will support implementing and sustaining lean efforts. The challenge to implement and sustain lean processes lies in the need to identify the organizational culture infrastructure that will allow this system that was first used by Japanese firms to operate well in other organizational contexts. The values and norms that underlie lean processes may create conflict with the culture that already exists within the organization; such divergence retards adoption and performance.
Originality/value
There is a lack of research at the critical intersection of organizational culture and lean implementation/sustainability. Culture is key to making the changes required of lean implementation and in sustaining the drive toward lean production and management. The paper begins to fill that gap.
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Alireza Nazarian, Peter Atkinson, Pantea Foroudi and Karen Dennis
This study aims to identify factors that managers can influence to improve effectiveness by examining the relationship between leadership and effectiveness in small and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify factors that managers can influence to improve effectiveness by examining the relationship between leadership and effectiveness in small and medium-sized independent hotels.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 272 valid questionnaires were collected from managers of 83 small and medium-sized independent hotels in the Netherlands by using selective and snowball sampling techniques. A two-stage structural equation modelling approach was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Surprisingly, in contradiction to previous studies, neither transactional nor transformational leadership had a direct effect on organisational effectiveness. Instead, the effect was through the intervening variables of ability to acquire resources and reward mechanisms.
Research limitations/implications
The contradiction between this and previous studies may be due to the fact that constructs used in this study do not have the universal applicability that is customarily assumed and further investigation is needed.
Practical implications
This study suggests that managers in this type of hotel, first, should be adaptable in their leadership style and not rely on transactional leadership alone; second, managers must pay attention to resource acquisition; and third, managers must retain staff by using the right reward mechanism.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature of leadership and effectiveness in small and medium-sized independent hotels by being the first to focus on the impact of ability to acquire resources and reward mechanism. It also makes an important contribution to the growing body of hospitality literature that probes the supposed universal validity of organisational studies’ constructs.
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Henri Irrthum, Du Pont de Nemours International S.A., Geneva, has been named director of titanium dioxide (TiO2) operations for Du Pont's White Pigments and Mineral Products…
Abstract
Henri Irrthum, Du Pont de Nemours International S.A., Geneva, has been named director of titanium dioxide (TiO2) operations for Du Pont's White Pigments and Mineral Products businesses with E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Delaware, U.SA He succeeds Dennis H. Reilley, who was recently promoted to vice president and general manager — White Pigment and Mineral Products.
Linda K. Stroh, Leslie E. Dennis and Tim C. Cramer
This study used a sample of 190 expatriates who worked for five multi‐national corporations to test part of a model of adjustment developed by Black, Mendenhall, and Oddou. The…
Abstract
This study used a sample of 190 expatriates who worked for five multi‐national corporations to test part of a model of adjustment developed by Black, Mendenhall, and Oddou. The model is based on the theory that high levels of uncertainty lead to lower levels of adjustment. The study found that several variables—premove attitudes toward an international move, job satisfaction, role novelty, management's views on the effect of an international assignment on one's career, assurance of a job upon return, the cultural toughness of the host country, and the spouses' adjustment—were significant predictors of the expatriates' general adjustment, showing support for Black, Mendenhall, and Oddou's model. Findings from the study suggest that organizations could have a positive impact on assignment completion and expatriates' adjustment by assessing their organizations' positions and policies related to these variables.
Over time, interest in servant leadership has increased manifold both in academic research and the popular press. These rampant developments have set the stage for addressing the…
Abstract
Purpose
Over time, interest in servant leadership has increased manifold both in academic research and the popular press. These rampant developments have set the stage for addressing the worthiness of servant leadership’s theory. Empirical studies undertaken by numerous scholars (Farling et al., 1999; Bass, 2000; Page and Wong, 2000; Russell and Stone, 2002; Sendjaya and Serros, 2002; Dennis and Winston, 2003; Smith et al., 2004; Stone et al., 2004; Dennis and Bocarnea, 2005; Humphreys, 2005) have surfaced significant findings supporting relevance of servant leadership in organizational context; however, an absence of universal definition and its measures impinges on this concept. Noticeably missing from research attention has been the effect of servant leadership in promoting positive organizational behaviour among organizational employees. Thus, this paper aims to explore the available literature on servant leadership with a view to establish a servant leader’s role in instilling and facilitating positive organizational behaviour in the workplace. Moreover, the purpose is also to determine whether the positive organizational behaviour inculcated among the employees through a servant leader helps in reducing their turnover intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Using different keywords, relevant research papers on Google Scholar were selected. Also, several online databases like Emerald Management, Elseiver, EBSCO Host, etc., were accessed for conducting this exploratory study.
Findings
To examine the various convergent and divergent dimensions of the major constructs, numerous definitions and scholarly work of renowned practitioners have been collated through an extensive literature review. To put forth a comprehensive picture encompassing the noteworthy findings of the studies pertaining to the major construct, a tabular representation has been made.
Originality/value
This is the first study wherein the linkage about servant leadership and positive organizational behaviour in organizational context has been talked about. The paper carries value as the literature pertaining to servant leadership in published domain is still in its nascent stage. The repertoire of literature, presented here, will provide a clear direction to the future researchers who wish to pursue their study in this area.