A case study of efforts by one company in the food industry totransform itself into a “learning organization” in the faceof a rapidly changing and challenging competitive…
Abstract
A case study of efforts by one company in the food industry to transform itself into a “learning organization” in the face of a rapidly changing and challenging competitive environment. Develops a rationale for the “learning organization” in terms of the need for a new type of personnel (higher education, able to learn, to work without supervision, to solve problems and with good interpersonal skills) and a new type of leadership. A second part (next issue of this journal) will detail the actual training interventions.
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The concluding article of two parts, which observes a culturechange project – The Learning Edge – developed at GrandMetropolitan Foods Europe and discusses the training…
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The concluding article of two parts, which observes a culture change project – The Learning Edge – developed at Grand Metropolitan Foods Europe and discusses the training interventions involved. Describes the Learning Wheel – which allows employees to enter at any particular stage – and also the courses which involve line managers. The latter have four different courses; Leadership and Counselling Skills being the last two, preceded by Development Workshop and Manager as Coach, which develop complementary effects from differing skills and qualifications. Women in clerical grades were introduced to the “Springboard” programme to give impetus to self‐development and to enable full potential to be acquired. The benefits are starting to accrue in various areas, though only time will tell (three to five years is the prediction). Concludes that only with change from knowledge, constant reviews and flexibility can organizations continue to prosper and grow.
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Posits that every enterprise must institutionalize its workplacelearning systems and opportunities in such a way that it radiates whatit has already achieved and from this moves…
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Posits that every enterprise must institutionalize its workplace learning systems and opportunities in such a way that it radiates what it has already achieved and from this moves on to realize its full potential – in short, the enterprise itself is the key. Examines in successive chapters: the individual manager and questioning insights (Q); the major systems which the enterprise uses to capture and structure its learning; a SWOT analysis of the enterprise′s total learning; action learning, its contribution to the achievement of enterprise growth, and the role of programmed knowledge (P); the Enterprise School of Management (ESM) as a phoenix of enlightenment and effectiveness rising from the ashes of traditional, less effective management training initiatives; and, finally, the practical realization of the action learning dream, as evidenced by emerging examples of successful and profitable implementation worldwide. Concludes with a selection of pertinent abstracts.
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This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of Personnel Review is split into 8 sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Career/Manpower Planning and Recruitment; Health…
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This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of Personnel Review is split into 8 sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Career/Manpower Planning and Recruitment; Health and Safety; Industrial Relations and Participation; Pay, Incentives and Pensions; Performance, Productivity and Motivation; Redundancy and Dismissal; Work Patterns; and Training and Development.
In this special abtracts edition of the Journal of European Industrial Training, material has been selected from a wide range of international journals which form part of the…
Abstract
In this special abtracts edition of the Journal of European Industrial Training, material has been selected from a wide range of international journals which form part of the Andar coverage list. Such an editon provides an ideal forum to expose industrial trainers to a wide variety of relevant articles, some from journals with which there may be familiarity, others, the RSA Journal for example, which may be less well known, but on occasion provide quality, pertinent information, of interest to those involed in industrial training.
Michael J. Morley and Thomas N. Garavan
Examines current themes in organizational design which permeate theextant literature and highlights possible implications for humanresource development (HRD). Highlights key…
Abstract
Examines current themes in organizational design which permeate the extant literature and highlights possible implications for human resource development (HRD). Highlights key factors forcing change and innovation in organization design, namely competition, the need for flexibility and the ability to meet the demands of the new knowledge workforce. Presents and evaluates organizational responses in the form of TQM, employee empowerment, structural de‐layering, competitive cultures and high performance work design. Finally, discusses possible implications for HRD and the HRD specialist, emphasizing the need for a rethink of the nature of learning in organizations.
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Nawel Lafioune, Erik Andrew Poirier and Michèle St-Jacques
The purpose of this study is to frame digital transformation (DT) within municipalities to improve the life cycles of urban infrastructure.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to frame digital transformation (DT) within municipalities to improve the life cycles of urban infrastructure.
Design/methodology/approach
The study provides the results from a systematic review of the literature on concepts of DT and its implications for municipalities, barriers and challenges to DT, as well existing DT frameworks for municipalities and their built assets. This literature review leads to the development of a DT framework to help cities conduct a planned and federated DT beforehand. Then, workshops are conducted with two major Canadian municipalities.
Findings
The results of these studies point to the need for a dedicated DT framework for municipalities because of their particular context and their role and proximity to citizens. The theoretical framework develops 22 elements, which are divided among 6 categories. Through its application, the framework helps to identify and target the predominant issues hindering the DT of municipalities, specifically “legacy practices” and “data management.”
Research limitations/implications
Limitations include limited experimental conditions and small sample size. Further work is needed to validate the framework. Other approaches are advocated to complement the data collection and analysis to generate more convincing results.
Practical implications
The theoretical framework was validated through two case studies on two large Canadian municipalities.
Social implications
Municipalities maximize the value they provide to citizens and to be at the forefront of resilience and sustainability concerns. The use of technology, digital processes and initiatives helps cities to improve planning, optimize works and provide better services to citizens.
Originality/value
The framework is original in that it specifically aligns assets management with DT in a municipal context.
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Russel Mhundwa and Michael Simon
This paper aims to show that a simplified surface fitting model can be efficient in determining the energy consumption during milk cooling by an on-farm direct expansion bulk milk…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to show that a simplified surface fitting model can be efficient in determining the energy consumption during milk cooling by an on-farm direct expansion bulk milk cooler (DXBMC). The study reveals that milk volume and the temperature gradient between the room and the final milk temperature can effectively be used for predicting the energy consumption within 95% confidence bounds.
Design/methodology/approach
A data acquisition system comprised a Landis and Gyr E650 power meter, TMC6-HE temperature sensors, and HOBO UX120-006M 4-channel analog data logger was designed and built for monitoring of the DXBMC. The room temperature where the DXBMC is housed was measured using a TMC6-HE temperature sensor, connected to a Hobo UX120-006M four-channel analog data logger which was configured to log at one-minute intervals. The electrical energy consumed by the DXBMC was measured using a Landis and Gyr E650 meter while the volume of milk was extracted from on the farm records.
Findings
The results showed that the developed model can predict the electrical energy consumption of the DXBMC within an acceptable accuracy since 80% of the variation in the electrical energy consumption by the DXBMC was explained by the mathematical model. Also, milk volume and the temperature gradient between the room and final milk temperature in the BMC are primary and secondary contributors, respectively, to electrical energy consumption by the DXBMC. Based on the system that has been monitored the findings reveal that the DXBMC was operating within the expected efficiency level as evidenced by the optimized electrical energy consumption (EEC) closely mirroring the modelled EEC with a determination coefficient of 0.95.
Research limitations/implications
Only one system was monitored due to unavailability of funding to deploy several data acquisition systems across the country. The milk blending temperatures, effects of the insulation of the DXBMC, were not taken into account in this study.
Practical implications
The developed model is simple to use, cost effective and can be applied in real-time on the dairy farm which will enable the farmer to quickly identify an increase in the cooling energy per unit of milk cooled.
Social implications
The developed easy to use model can be used by dairy farmers on similar on-farm DXBMC; hence, they can devise ways to manage their energy consumption on the farm during the cooling of milk and foster some energy efficiency initiatives.
Originality/value
The implementation of the developed model can be useful to dairy farmers in South Africa. Through energy optimization, the maintenance of the DXBMC can be determined and scheduled accordingly.
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Titus Ebenezer Kwofie, Michael Nii Addy, Alexander Boakye Marful, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa, Samuel Amos-Abanyie and Ayisha Ida Baffoe-Ashun
The adaptive performance of architects as a key professional in project delivery teams has become important for developing strategies, skills and cognitive behaviours for…
Abstract
Purpose
The adaptive performance of architects as a key professional in project delivery teams has become important for developing strategies, skills and cognitive behaviours for sustainability of working systems. However, the understanding and knowledge of adaptive performance of architects is lacking in the current literature. Thus, this study fills this gap by primarily assessing the adaptive performance of architects in project teams in project delivery.
Design/methodology/approach
By adopting the widely used eight-dimension attributes of adaptive performance, a questionnaire survey was conducted among team participants and stakeholders who directly or indirectly work on projects with architects in the public and private sectors project delivery supply chain in Ghana. A total of 42 responses were subsequently used in a fuzzy set theory analysis being facilitated by a set of linguistic terms.
Findings
From the assessment, the overall adaptive performance of architects from the eight-dimension attributes emerged to be fairly high. Additionally, the architects’ performance in the individual eight-dimensions showed varied results. High performance was registered in architects’ ability to handling work stress and cultural adaptability. Also, architects demonstrated a fairly high performance in dealing with uncertain or unpredictable work situations. However, in the cases of learning work tasks, technologies and procedures, interpersonal adaptability and handling crisis and emergency situations, architects were deemed to have low and fairly low adaptive performance among project teams.
Originality/value
Given the vagueness and complexities in understanding adaptability among teams and its assessment, through the use of fuzzy set theory based on a suitable set of linguistics terms, the study presents a novel understanding of the level of architects’ adaptive performance in project teams in project delivery. The findings are extremely useful in helping architects adapt and cope with changing competitive work environment by developing the right cognitive behaviours for task functions and organizational roles, disruptions and aiding their ability to self-regulate.
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Mehdi Shiva, Hassan Molana and Andrzej Kwiatkowski
While climatic conditions are believed to have some influence on triggering conflicts, the existing empirical results on the nature and statistical significance of their…
Abstract
While climatic conditions are believed to have some influence on triggering conflicts, the existing empirical results on the nature and statistical significance of their explanatory role are not conclusive. We construct a dataset for a sample of 139 countries which records the occurrence of an armed conflict, the annual average temperature and precipitation levels, as well as the relevant socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic measures over the 1961–2011 period. Using this dataset and controlling for the effect of relevant nonclimate variables, our comprehensive econometric analyses support the influencing role of climatic factors. Our results are robust and consistent with the hypothesis that climate warming is instrumental in raising the probability of onset of internal armed conflicts and suggests that, along with regulating population size and promoting political stability, controlling climate change is an effective factor for inducing peace by way of curtailing the onset of armed conflicts.