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Article
Publication date: 20 February 2009

Gary Miles

91

Abstract

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Strategic HR Review, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1475-4398

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 March 2006

115

Abstract

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Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 53 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

William E. Halal

To examine and discuss the central features of institutional change and to compare it with organizational change.

2852

Abstract

Purpose

To examine and discuss the central features of institutional change and to compare it with organizational change.

Design/methodology/approach

Use interviews with managers to highlight key issues.

Findings

Results are presented of interviews with managers exploring changes that have for decades been transforming business, government, and other institutions into “organic” systems for the knowledge age. Institutional change differs from organizational change by focusing on the higher‐order unspoken social rules that govern the structure of institutions in common. The study evaluated trends driving this transformation, the obstacles blocking it, and the likely timetable of implementation.

Originality/value

Concludes that three central features mark the general direction of institutional evolution: “e‐organizations” operating in real time, “self‐organizing systems” of self‐managed teams, and “stakeholder collaboration” to unify diverse interests into a more powerful enterprise.

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On the Horizon, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1074-8121

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Publication date: 26 August 2019

Lars Nyström

Why did peasants in old-regime Europe scatter their land in small strips within open fields? According to an influential theory advocated by Deirdre McCloskey, the system’s main…

Abstract

Why did peasants in old-regime Europe scatter their land in small strips within open fields? According to an influential theory advocated by Deirdre McCloskey, the system’s main aim was risk reduction. By spreading out land, peasants were less exposed to the caprices of nature: heavy rains, droughts, frost, or hailstorms. In a time when other insurance institutions were lacking, this approach could be a rational solution, even if, as McCloskey suggests, it could be achieved only at the expense of overall agricultural productivity.

Over the years, McCloskey’s theory has repeatedly been debated. Still, it has never been empirically established to what extent the open fields actually reduced risk. McCloskey offered only indirect evidence, based on hypothetical calculations from short series demesne level yields. Risks on enclosed and open-field land farms were thus never compared.

This chapter presents farm-level harvest variation series, including observations from both types of land. It is based on tithe records of 1,700 farms in Southern Sweden from 1715–1860. Results show that scattering had a limited effect on agricultural risk. The system did protect against small-scale local crop failures. It was less efficient, however, when it came to the large-scale regional harvest disasters that constituted a much more serious threat to peasants of the time. From this perspective, the inner logic of the open-field system is taken up for renewed consideration.

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Research in Economic History
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-303-7

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Article
Publication date: 31 October 2022

Edward Gamble and Gary Caton

This paper aims to explore the important role boundaries play in back-office framing of environmental engagement. This is of particular interest because it is not clear how…

452

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the important role boundaries play in back-office framing of environmental engagement. This is of particular interest because it is not clear how organizations in an industry without standardized environmental reporting navigate their boundaries behind the scenes and why they engage with the environment the way they do. This element of their environmental identity offers important insights into the emergence of sustainability reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

Guided by Miles and Ringham (2019) the authors conduct an ethnography of the Montana ski industry. The ethnography includes extensive on-site observations at nine Montana ski areas and interviews with 16 ski area executives, two regulators and a land development executive.

Findings

The authors find three key boundaries – accountability structure, degree of regulatory burden and impact measurement approach – that shape the back-office economic and environmental framing of ski executives (Goffman, 1959, 1974). From these back-office frames the authors identify four front-office cultural performances – community ecosystem, quantitative ownership, approval seeking and advocacy platform – that represent the environmental engagement strategies at these resorts.

Practical implications

Understanding the relationships between boundaries and environmental engagement is an important step in developing appropriate industry-wide environmental accountability and sustainability expectations. The study’s findings extend to other industries that are both highly dependent on the environment and are in the early stages of developing environmental reporting standards.

Originality/value

Ski resorts operate in an industry that is impacted by changes in the natural environment. The authors chronicle the process by which boundaries lead to framing which leads to environmental engagement in this weather-dependent industry. The authors explain the process of environmental identity building, the result of which both precedes environmental reporting and puts such reporting into context. In this sense, the authors show how boundaries are set and maintained in the ski resort industry, and how fundamental these boundaries are to the development of individual companies' environmental engagement strategies.

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Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 36 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

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Book part
Publication date: 1 January 2008

Nicholas O’Regan, Abby Ghobadian and S. Jaseem Ahmad

Previous studies have shown that small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms make a substantial contribution to national economies in terms of job and wealth creation (Daly &

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms make a substantial contribution to national economies in terms of job and wealth creation (Daly & McCann, 1992; Schreyer, 1996). However, many smaller firms face unprecedented change arising from the increasingly competitive and changing environment in which they operate (Coopers and Lybrand, 1997; D’Aveni, 1994). Much of this competition often emanates from larger firms with greater resource capabilities. Firms of all sizes are increasingly turning to strategy as a means of achieving competitive advantage. Strategy research is mainly directed towards examining why firms differ in performance (Barnett & Burgelman, 1996; Schendel, 1996). Strategy has ‘undergone, in the 1990s, a major shift in focus regarding the sources of sustainable competitive advantage: from industry to firm specific effects’ (Spanos & Lioukas, 2001). This involves more than strategy formulation — it is about making choices based on competing alternatives and implementing the chosen direction using the organisational processes and systems (Shaw, Gupta, & Delery, 2002; Stopford, 2001). Other writers, such as Pettigrew and Fenton (2000), acknowledge that ‘soft’ aspects are an integral part of the evolutionary nature of strategy, and include cultural influences (Chakravarthy & Doz, 1992) and leadership (McNulty & Pettigrew, 1999).

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New Technology-Based Firms in the New Millennium
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-0805-5448-8

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Article
Publication date: 3 June 2019

Antje Hargarter and Gary Van Vuuren

This paper aims to examine the problem of conduct-risk measurement for banks, using South Africa as an example of a developing market. Conduct risk is a new and complex phenomenon…

541

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the problem of conduct-risk measurement for banks, using South Africa as an example of a developing market. Conduct risk is a new and complex phenomenon in global financial services and could negatively impact various stakeholders. There are concerns about new regulations and potential misconduct fines affecting profitability and sustainability for banks. While presenting a serious problem, especially in developing markets, with the added challenge of financial inclusion, conduct risk and its measurement have not been researched sufficiently. If the measurement problem could be solved, the management could be facilitated.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature review, existing surveys and new interviews, a best-practice proposal for measuring conduct risk was developed. The approach was exploratory and inductive and added primary insights.

Findings

Measuring concepts like conduct is a global challenge. This aside, South African banking customers are concerned about fraud and safety and administrative service hassles, rather than conduct in the regulatory sense. Best-practice measurement must account for these findings by working with a scoring for behavioural, organisational/procedural and perception indicators and with suggestions for specific surveys.

Research limitations/implications

Analysing the data measured and deciding what action should be taken if conduct risk is detected could be considered for additional research.

Practical implications

South African banks are guided in measuring a difficult and unique concept at a time of regulatory change, stakeholder pressures and limited existing knowledge.

Originality/value

The authors believe this is the first study on a critical and new challenge in banking risk measurement in a developing market.

Details

Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-4179

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Article
Publication date: 19 June 2007

Anthony S. Humphrey, G. Don Taylor, John S. Usher and Gary L. Whicker

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not driver life, carrier performance, and customer service can be improved as a result of the use of a technique called…

1400

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not driver life, carrier performance, and customer service can be improved as a result of the use of a technique called yard‐stacking in the truckload trucking industry. The technique seeks to find ways to provide level freight availability during normal weekly cycles in an effort to seek improvement relative to all constituencies.

Design/methodology/approach

Simulation is used to examine the use of yard‐stacking on Fridays to provide additional freight on weekends, which is generally much less available than on weekdays. In this technique, before being dispatched on Friday for a long‐haul, a driver initially picks up a load to make a short “dray” move from the customer site to the carrier's closest terminal yard. During the weekend, another driver picks up the drayed load. In this research, we evaluate the potential of weekend yard‐stacking under a variety of scenarios.

Findings

The paper shows that a carrier's adaptation of weekend freight leveling can be beneficial to both trucking companies and their customers, while remaining relatively neutral to drivers.

Research limitations/implications

Carriers may be able to utilize Friday yard‐stacking to improve their cost efficiency, driver satisfaction and customer performance.

Originality/value

This research extends the knowledge base of truckload freight imbalance problems. It was industrially motivated by J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., one of the world's largest truckload carriers, who provided freight data and conceptual guidance.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 37 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

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Article
Publication date: 13 July 2010

G. Don Taylor and Gary L. Whicker

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not driver job satisfaction, carrier performance, and customer service can be improved as a result of the use of uniquely…

1712

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not driver job satisfaction, carrier performance, and customer service can be improved as a result of the use of uniquely constructed, extended regional dispatching systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Simulation is used to examine regional dispatching systems that are extended in scope of dispatch by using integrated freight lanes. The results of extended regional dispatching systems are compared to traditional dispatching methods and previous experimentation with stand‐alone regional and lane dispatching.

Findings

It is shown that a carrier's adoption of extended regional dispatching can be beneficial to both trucking companies and drivers, while remaining relatively neutral to customers. Additionally, it is shown that this improvement can be obtained without significant degradation of the driving jobs that remain outside the regional dispatching network.

Research limitations/implications

A new method of dispatching has been developed in such a way that very attractive regional driving jobs can be extended to a much larger percentage of drivers than in more established regional alternatives. This reduces reliance on the less effective random, over‐the‐road dispatching systems that are typically utilized in the truckload trucking industry.

Practical implications

Carriers may be able to utilize extended regional dispatching systems as a means of improving driver satisfaction and retention.

Originality/value

This research extends knowledge in the area of alternative dispatching methods for truckload carriers in a way that drastically improves the quality of life for professional drivers.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 40 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

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Article
Publication date: 1 August 2005

Gary Hayes

36

Abstract

Details

Drugs and Alcohol Today, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1745-9265

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