Outlines the evolution of facilities design to the point where it is capable of supporting an organisation’s strategic content. Explains the key principles of strategic facility…
Abstract
Outlines the evolution of facilities design to the point where it is capable of supporting an organisation’s strategic content. Explains the key principles of strategic facility planning (SFP) and details the key stages of the design process. Outlines seven steps including elements such as determining space requirements and generating macro layouts. Concludes that SFP can provide the process to turn a facility into a facilitator of competitive advantage and customer perceived added value.
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Christopher S. Chapman, Anja Kern, Aziza Laguecir, Gerardine Doyle, Nathalie Angelé-Halgand, Allan Hansen, Frank G.H. Hartmann, Céu Mateus, Paolo Perego, Vera Winter and Wilm Quentin
The purpose is to assess the impact of clinical costing approaches on the quality of cost information in seven countries (Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose is to assess the impact of clinical costing approaches on the quality of cost information in seven countries (Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal).
Design/methodology/approach
Costing practices in seven countries were analysed via questionnaires, interviews and relevant published material.
Findings
Although clinical costing is intended to support a similar range of purposes, countries display considerable diversity in their approaches to costing in terms of the level of detail contained in regulatory guidance and the percentage of providers subject to such guidance for tariff setting. Guidance in all countries involves a mix of costing methods.
Research limitations/implications
The authors propose a two-dimensional Materiality and Quality Score (2D MAQS) of costing systems that can support the complex trade-offs in managing the quality of cost information at both policy and provider level, and between financial and clinical concerns.
Originality/value
The authors explore the trade-offs between different dimensions of the quality (accuracy, decision relevance and standardization) and the cost of collecting and analysing cost information for disparate purposes.
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A curious and unexpected thing has happened to personal computing typography: it's gotten cheaper and much more interesting, thanks to TrueType, a new digital typography standard…
Abstract
A curious and unexpected thing has happened to personal computing typography: it's gotten cheaper and much more interesting, thanks to TrueType, a new digital typography standard that nobody (including the author) took seriously when it was first proposed. The author evaluates eight TrueType type collections costing from 10 cents to $1.25 per typeface. This article discusses that evaluation, and also evaluates a $19 CD‐ROM with more than 400 typefaces. The results may surprise you. They certainly surprised the author, when a company perhaps best known for selling cheap software in Canadian convenience stores proved to have not only the cheapest (per typeface) but also the best all‐around inexpensive typeface collection. The author also provides notes on the literature for April‐June 1993, including the last issues of PC Sources.
Cheng-Kui Huang, Kwo-Whei Lee and Chien-Huei Chou
Since business competition has become more intense throughout the world, most enterprises are seeking to engage in business cooperation with other partners in order to enhance…
Abstract
Purpose
Since business competition has become more intense throughout the world, most enterprises are seeking to engage in business cooperation with other partners in order to enhance their competitive strengths. However, they do not necessarily develop mature information technologies’ (ITs) capabilities and skills internally but rather outsource them to IT providers. Therefore, the benefits received by firms which adopt the approach of business cooperation with IT providers have become an interesting issue for managers and shareholders.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted an event study methodology for apprising the short-term business value from the stock market. The authors predicted that investors will react as they receive news coverage about the strategy of business cooperation between outsourcing firms and an IT provider, International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation. The authors then collected all news coverage regarding the firms which had announced business cooperation with IBM and observed different types of abnormal returns.
Findings
On analyzing 53 announcements of cooperation with IBM from 2008 to 2016, the authors found that the announcement of business cooperation had a significantly positive influence on companies' market value.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the issue for market reaction to the announcement of business cooperation with IBM.
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Although risks and client‐vendor relationships in IT outsourcing have been studied in prior research, there is a paucity of studies providing insights on the mitigation of client…
Abstract
Purpose
Although risks and client‐vendor relationships in IT outsourcing have been studied in prior research, there is a paucity of studies providing insights on the mitigation of client risks through the relationship. This research aims to focus on mitigation of the ex post risks of firms engaged in offshore software development (OSD). Client risks due to service provider behavior are identified first. Further, this work seeks to identify relationship variables that could reduce the impact of determinants of risk on a risk category.
Design/methodology/approach
This research followed a multiple case study method aiming to build insights and directions that would facilitate further research. The paper's goal of sampling was to choose cases which were likely to extend the emergent theory pertaining to risks and their mitigation through relationships.
Findings
Findings from this study show that shirking, loss of control over information assets, and service provider lock‐in are the three categories of ex post risks. A relationship management strategy ensuring reasonable profits to the vendor could mitigate shirking risk. Trustworthiness of vendors established through credibility and benevolence in prior engagements could mitigate the risk of loss of control over information assets. Further, dependence balancing through a multi‐vendor offshoring strategy and joint investments in relationship‐specific assets could mitigate the risk of service provider lock‐in.
Practical implications
The findings from this research provide useful insights in vendor selection and management process.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the growing body of literature in offshore IT outsourcing and makes two significant contributions: identification and categorization of risks due to vendor behavior and their determinants in OSD; and understanding the role of relationship dimension in mitigating such risks in OSD.
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Barrie Kempthorne, Norman Roberts, Stephen Curtis and Ruth Kerns
From delightful Aberystwyth word trickles through the Libraryland grapevine that Frank Hogg, Principal of College of Librarianship Wales, will retire shortly. Prompts a thought or…
Frank Lindberg and Sabrina Seeler
The growing tensions related to overtourism and its influences, such as environmental harm to nature and residents' well-being, loss of authenticity and visitors' satisfaction…
Abstract
The growing tensions related to overtourism and its influences, such as environmental harm to nature and residents' well-being, loss of authenticity and visitors' satisfaction, have triggered a rethinking of destination marketing strategies. Many destinations consider stricter measures to cope with this situation. Among others, demarketing initiatives, which aim at discouraging demand, are discussed as an alternative strategic orientation. Demarketing is not a new concept, but in complex tourism destinations with many attractions, stakeholders and tourists, its potential remains mostly unexplored. This chapter presents findings from two tourism destinations: one on a national scale, New Zealand, and one on a regional scale, the Lofoten Islands, Norway. Our results show that destination demarketing mix strategies are emphasised by both destinations. In an overtourism situation, it is surprising that general demarketing has limited relevance. Instead, we find evidence for a mix of mainly selective demarketing, but also synchromarketing initiatives (redistributing demand spatially and temporally) and counter-marketing efforts (tourists' code of conduct). Decisions related to the implementation of a demarketing mix depend not only on destination management in general, but also on long-term, sustainability-oriented and dynamic processes where stakeholders negotiate how they can adjust visitor demands. We refer to such strategic work as ‘Stakeholder Integrated Demarketing Approach’ (SIDA). The chapter provides an original contribution to tourism academia and practices while opening avenues for future research, particularly with reference to a demarketing mix strategy and the feasibility of SIDA in times when demarketing could develop as a tool to mitigate overtourism.