This monograph gives an insight into the evolution of materials management as a form of organisation. Under the question “What is materials management?”, the contents, tasks and…
Abstract
This monograph gives an insight into the evolution of materials management as a form of organisation. Under the question “What is materials management?”, the contents, tasks and relations are described. The advantages of applying the concept of materials management are handled as answers to the question “Why materials management?”. To conclude the article provides an answer to the question “How does one implement materials management?”. This monograph summarises an expanded version published in February 1978 by Martinus Nijhoff, Holland in their series on Applied Business Logistics.]
This paper explores the evidence on risk and vulnerability to depression of older people, looking at the complex interplay between physical ill health, disability, loss of…
Abstract
This paper explores the evidence on risk and vulnerability to depression of older people, looking at the complex interplay between physical ill health, disability, loss of intimates and social relationships, loneliness and depression, and the resources and protective factors at individual, social and community level that either buffer risk or promote psychological well‐being. It concludes, with Blazer (2000), that effective strategies for the prevention, treatment and management of depression must ‘proceed across multiple domains simultaneously’, and address social, environmental and economic as well as medico‐biological factors if interventions are to prove effective in this greatly neglected field. Action at government level to address social inequalities throughout the life course would also have a significant protective impact on mental well‐being in old age.
Stacy A. Mastrolia and Stephen D. Willits
While there are many articles in the popular press and practitioner journals concerning the Millennials (i.e., who they are and what we need to do about them), the academic…
Abstract
While there are many articles in the popular press and practitioner journals concerning the Millennials (i.e., who they are and what we need to do about them), the academic literature on the subject is more limited. This chapter (1) extensively reviews this literature as published in practitioner, popular press, and academic journals across disciplines including psychology, sociology, management, human resources, and accounting education, and (2) surveys the generational study literature to determine what, if any, rigorous empirical studies exist to support (or refute) the existence of a distinct Millennial generational cohort. While the popular press is voluminous when it comes to avowed generational differences between Millennials and their predecessors, there is a paucity of peer-reviewed, academic, empirical work in the area and most of the latter suffers in some way from the overarching problem with generational research: the linear relationship between age, period, and generation that results in these variables being inherently entwined. However, even absent strong empirical evidence of a unique generational cohort, the literature offers extensive suggestions about what to do about the Millennials in our classrooms and work places. This chapter better informs accounting faculty about the traits of the current generation of accounting students that are supported by empirical research versus claims made in the popular press. It argues for a more reasoned “continuous improvement” approach to Millennials while offering some classroom suggestions for accounting faculty members.
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As the Dutch East India Company expanded its presence in Asia during the seventeenth century, discovery of new products and medical materials was central to its continued success…
Abstract
As the Dutch East India Company expanded its presence in Asia during the seventeenth century, discovery of new products and medical materials was central to its continued success and survival. This new product innovation was difficult to manage directly however because the routine-driven, efficiency-focused organization was ill-suited to research and discovery required for bioprospecting and innovation. Instead, the Company tacitly allowed its employees in Asia to conduct this research on their own. Scientists became free riders, exploiting their administrative authority and corporate resources to further their private research projects. This symbiotic public–private partnership enabled employees to use Company resources to undertake large-scale economic and scientific surveys of its Asian domains. These decentralized, entrepreneurial projects cut across the boundaries of caste, language, religion, and theoretical orientation to assemble new, systematic views of Asian knowledge. While not centrally planned (nor always officially condoned), these surveying efforts had all of the hallmarks of a systematic colonial project to map out the sources of value in foreign colonies.
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Martin Dörnhöfer and Willibald A. Günthner
The purpose of this paper is to assess the current state of performance measurement (PM) in academic literature and in the automotive supply chain (SC). The research question is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the current state of performance measurement (PM) in academic literature and in the automotive supply chain (SC). The research question is to what extent PM systems (PMS) in academic literature and in industry are applicable in automotive logistics.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a combination of a systematic literature review (SLR) and an industry survey. The SLR is used to identify literature on design aspects for PMS and current PMS reported in academic literature. The survey adds an industry perspective and is used to validate the design aspects found in literature. The synthesis aims to deliver both, current research gaps and needs in industry.
Findings
The findings from SLR indicate, there is a broad base of literature regarding design aspects for PMS. Literature on PMS in context of automotive logistics is nevertheless rare. The industry survey leads to the conclusion that conformity with design aspects from literature increases added value of PMS. Nevertheless, current PMS show improvement needs in automotive context. Academic literature lacks detailed process orientation, transparency and is seen as too high level to be helpful for practitioners. For systems in industry, the SC perspective can be improved. In addition, applicability for continuous improvement is identified as research need in industry and literature.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the selected survey approach, additional research is required to obtain more generalizable results. To increase reliability and validity, a selection of the findings should be further analyzed, e.g. by focusing on regions outside Western Europe or a more in depth analysis of selected aspects. In addition insights into selected research topics highlighted in the paper should be assessed in detail by applying different methodologies (e.g. case studies) to validate the findings.
Originality/value
The findings add to the research on PMS. Latest academic literature is reviewed. The findings are combined with an industry perspective. The combination of SLR and a broad survey enables us to draw conclusions which are relevant for researchers and practitioners alike. Where academic research should focus more on the practical applicability, industry can benefit from the findings by integrating a more holistic perspective into their PMS, especially with a SC wide evaluation.
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Critically reviews and compares the concepts of business process re‐engineering (BPR), which has recently addressed the issue of changing organizations through the use of…
Abstract
Critically reviews and compares the concepts of business process re‐engineering (BPR), which has recently addressed the issue of changing organizations through the use of information technology (IT) and socio‐technical design (STD), which has traditionally been concerned with the matching of social and technical systems, seen as fundamental to the design of computer systems in organizations. Challenges the notion that STD can humanize BPR and argues that, by promoting this association, STD experts isolate such techniques as employee participation and teamwork from wider issues related to changing managerial discourses and economic contexts. BPR is remarkable in that it goes beyond previous managerial discourses such as total quality management, particularly in how it combines IT‐induced change with “soft” ideas such as empowerment and teamwork, therefore reinforcing management control and diluting issues of power relationships. STD specialists have traditionally been dedicated to promoting emancipation and socially responsible choices, and should therefore seriously examine BPR in terms of its theoretical and ethical assumptions and its practical implications.
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The purpose of this paper is to outline the historical and political broadcasting conditions that hindered the success of British professional wrestling and allowed the rise to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline the historical and political broadcasting conditions that hindered the success of British professional wrestling and allowed the rise to dominance of the American World Wrestling Federation.
Design/methodology/approach
Because of the nature of professional wrestling, the paper utilises a range of secondary sources (audience research conducted by the Independent Broadcasting Authority, and interviews with retired wrestlers) and primary research (government papers, magazines, newspapers).
Findings
The paper finds that the World Wrestling Federation benefited from neo‐liberal television policies, but also created a product that attracted a new generation of fans.
Originality/value
The paper examines an under‐researched area of study (British professional wrestling) to explore and complicate existing debates about sports marketing and British media institutions in the 1980s and 1990s.
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Michael L. Harris, William C. McDowell and Shanan G. Gibson
This study examines the performance between operational variables for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) within the context of interorganizational relationships…
Abstract
This study examines the performance between operational variables for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) within the context of interorganizational relationships. Specifically, it investigates the role of information quality and continuous quality improvement and the varying importance that SMEs place on each of these constructs. The sample consists of 134 vendors of a large university in the southwestern region of the United States.The results indicate that there is a positive relationship between information quality and continuous quality improvement with performance in SMEs. Implications for both research and practice, as well as ideas for future research, are discussed.