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Article
Publication date: 27 April 2010

Chris Storey and Frank M. Hull

Contingency theory suggests that effective strategies and structures are not universal but dependant upon situational factors. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the way…

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Abstract

Purpose

Contingency theory suggests that effective strategies and structures are not universal but dependant upon situational factors. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the way service firms compete acts as a strategic contingency, moderating the effect of a new service development (NSD) system on innovation performance. Two knowledge‐based strategies are tested as contingency factors. One strategy adds value for customers via the delivery of personalized knowledge‐based services; the other strategy adds value by services exploiting codified knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 70 large service enterprises is used to test a contingency model of service innovation. The NSD system is a synergistic meld of basic building blocks of NSD systems: people organized cross‐functionally, the discipline of formal processes for guiding development activities, and the deployment of enabling tools/technologies. Regression analysis is used to test the relative impact of these three elements on innovation performance contingent on the type of knowledge strategy employed.

Findings

While each element of the NSD system has an effect on performance, the optimal design is contingent on the strategy the firm employs. If firms enact a personalization strategy, NSD systems that score high in the deployment of cross‐functional organization and disciplined processes are higher performers. If firms emphasize a codification strategy, NSD systems that score high in the deployment of tools/technologies are higher performers. Combinations of the two kinds of strategy permit the construction of a four‐cell classification of service firms. This typology is used to further explore the implications for how managers design NSD systems to optimize performance.

Originality/value

This paper uses a contingency approach to demonstrate that an optimal NSD system is dependent upon the type of knowledge strategy firms deploy. The impact on performance of three components of NSD depends on the degree of either codification and/or personalization in the service offering. A novel approach based on the knowledge management literature is employed creating a typology of service firm strategies. This is the first time such a typology has been postulated.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 6 June 2022

Paige M. Hulls, Frank de Vocht, Richard M. Martin and Rebecca M. Langford

Around 400,000 working days per year are lost in the construction industry due to stress, depression or anxiety, but a large proportion of the industry – those primarily not based…

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Abstract

Purpose

Around 400,000 working days per year are lost in the construction industry due to stress, depression or anxiety, but a large proportion of the industry – those primarily not based “on-site” – is not included in these statistics. Little research has been conducted in this group about their experiences of occupational stress. The authors explored how stress was experienced and managed by construction professionals and its perceived impact on health.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors interviewed 32 construction professionals in a British construction company, with varying levels of seniority and years in the industry. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed thematically.

Findings

Stress was viewed an inevitable and increasing part of the construction industry, exacerbated by recent economic challenges. Participants talked about a culture of stress and overwork but often felt unable to challenge it due to job insecurity. Senior management acknowledged stress was a problem within the industry and something that potentially threatened company productivity. Company-wide initiatives had been implemented to address stress levels (e.g. Mental Health First Aiders), but were criticised for ignoring underlying issues. Informal means of managing stress were identified, such as careful consideration of team dynamics, which allowed employees to form close bonds and using “banter” and camaraderie to relieve stress. However, the persistence of a macho male image meant some participants were reluctant to talk about their feelings at work. Participants described individual coping strategies, such as exercise, but these were hard to prioritise in challenging times.

Originality/value

There is growing recognition that health and well-being must be given greater priority in the construction industry. Industry pressures and competitive practices undermine efforts to improve staff well-being. Action must be taken at senior levels to address this conflict, while building on existing informal mechanisms of support and stress relief.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 1938

IT is a curious fact that, except for a few comparatively isolated instances, the amphibian aeroplane has been singularly neglected. Although in the early days of aviation its…

24

Abstract

IT is a curious fact that, except for a few comparatively isolated instances, the amphibian aeroplane has been singularly neglected. Although in the early days of aviation its worth was realised the complication of a retractable undercarriage stilted the development of the type. However, it is certainly strange that the practical development of the retractable undercarriage in the last five or six years has not led designers to produce what is, after all, in many ways the most practical form of aeroplane from the operator's viewpoint. The recent return to favour of the tricycle undercarriage is yet another refinement ideally suited to amphibian application. In this connexion it is worth remembering that in 1933, Mr. Frank Courtney designed just such a machine. It is arguable that the disadvantages of reduced speed caused by the aerodynamic resistance of a planing bottom affects a commercial operator; but for the private owner and for certain aspects of military communication the amphibian would appear to be ideal. The Sikorsky S.43 should have done much to refute the belief that an amphibian must, of necessity, be slow, while the work of the R.C.A.F. and the R.A.A.F. have more than proved its utility.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 10 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-2667

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 1954

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

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Abstract

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

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Article
Publication date: 1 August 2008

Leslie S. Oakes and Joni J. Young

The purpose of this paper is to re‐examine accountability in a concrete historical context from the perspective of pragmatism and feminist theory.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to re‐examine accountability in a concrete historical context from the perspective of pragmatism and feminist theory.

Design/methodology/approach

An archival case study of Hull House.

Findings

Both pragmatism and feminist theory of Benhabib provide new insight into alternative conceptions of accountability, conceptions at odds with the prevailing and dominant emphasis on quantitative measures of performance. Further, this paper suggests that this limited view severely narrows the understanding of organizational “success.”

Research limitations/implications

While this research serves to problematize notions of accountability further, it leaves the task of developing alternative practices to future researchers.

Originality/value

This paper contributes in two ways: first, there is a paucity of research linking pragmatism to the actual workings of concrete organizations. This paper begins to fill that gap. Second, this work draws the attention of accounting and other organizational researchers to the important role played by the settlement movement, and particularly Hull House, in the development of contemporary organizations.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 21 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 16 January 2017

Renwei Liu, Zhiyuan Wang, Todd Sparks, Frank Liou and Cedo Nedic

This paper aims to investigate a stereo vision-based hybrid (additive and subtractive) manufacturing process using direct laser metal deposition, computer numerical control (CNC…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate a stereo vision-based hybrid (additive and subtractive) manufacturing process using direct laser metal deposition, computer numerical control (CNC) machining and in-process scanning to repair metallic components automatically. The focus of this work was to realize automated alignment and adaptive tool path generation that can repair metallic components after a single setup.

Design/methodology/approach

Stereo vision was used to detect the defect area for automated alignment. After the defect is located, a laser displacement sensor is used to scan the defect area before and after laser metal deposition. The scan is then processed by an adaptive algorithm to generate a tool path for repairing the defect.

Findings

The hybrid manufacturing processes for repairing metallic component combine the advantages of free-form fabrication from additive manufacturing with the high-accuracy offered by CNC machining. A Ti-6Al-4V component with a manufacturing defect was repaired by the proposed process. Compared to previous research on repairing worn components, introducing stereo vision and laser scanning dramatically simplifies the manual labor required to extract and reconstruct the defect area’s geometry.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates an automated metallic component repair process by integrating stereo vision and a laser displacement sensor into a hybrid manufacturing system. Experimental results and microstructure analysis shows that the defect area could be repaired feasibly and efficiently with acceptable heat affected zone using the proposed approach.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 December 2001

343

Abstract

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 10 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 1975

Knight's Industrial Law Reports goes into a new style and format as Managerial Law This issue of KILR is restyled Managerial Law and it now appears on a continuous updating basis…

837

Abstract

Knight's Industrial Law Reports goes into a new style and format as Managerial Law This issue of KILR is restyled Managerial Law and it now appears on a continuous updating basis rather than as a monthly routine affair.

Details

Managerial Law, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0558

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Book part
Publication date: 10 June 2009

Luca Fiorito and Sebastiano Nerozzi

According to what is reported by the North America Oral History Association, oral history was established in 1948 as a modern technique for historical documentation when Columbia…

Abstract

According to what is reported by the North America Oral History Association, oral history was established in 1948 as a modern technique for historical documentation when Columbia University historian Allan Nevins began recording the memoirs of people who had played a significant role in American public life. While working on a biography of President Grover Cleveland, Nevins found that Cleveland's associates left few of the kinds of personal records – private correspondences, diaries, and memoirs – that biographers generally rely on for their historical reconstructions. Nevins thus came up then with the idea of filling the gaps in the official records with narratives and anecdotes from living memory. Accordingly, he conducted his first interview in 1948 with New York civic leader George McAneny, and both the Columbia Oral History Research Office – the largest archival collection of oral history interviews in the world – and the contemporary oral history movement were born (Thomson, 1998).

Details

A Research Annual
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84855-656-0

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Article
Publication date: 3 January 2023

Emily K. Talley and R. Bruce Hull

This paper aims to offer a case study for teaching specific systems thinking competencies that promote leadership for systems change. It uses leadership as a novel way to identify…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a case study for teaching specific systems thinking competencies that promote leadership for systems change. It uses leadership as a novel way to identify and organize systems thinking competencies that are important for successful multistakeholder collaboration.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to assess learning outcomes across four cohorts of graduate students – with approximately 30 students per cohort – from 2017 to 2020 in the USA. The study examined a one-month-long assignment, out of a year-long program, that focuses on systems leadership for climate change.

Findings

Our findings demonstrate that higher education programs can successfully build these competencies in sustainability students and professionals. Our pedagogical approach enhances students’ systems thinking and leadership competencies.

Originality/value

We advance the understanding and teaching of systems thinking by integrating it with the direction, alignment and commitment model of leadership. Reframing systems thinking through the lens of leadership offers an important innovation and focus to the theory of systems thinking, and the pedagogy of building competencies sustainability professionals need.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

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