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Article
Publication date: 14 October 2013

Ian Hipkin

The literature on sustainable business development in emerging economies deals predominantly with the entry modes of multinationals and how they adapt to local conditions. Little

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Abstract

Purpose

The literature on sustainable business development in emerging economies deals predominantly with the entry modes of multinationals and how they adapt to local conditions. Little has been written on how organisations in developing countries innovate and employ innovations in a sustainable manner. This paper presents a case study of an innovation business in a partially developed country, but which was taken over by a South African organisation. The purpose of this paper is to study why the venture failed and what lessons this case study offers to future developing country innovators.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper refers to the literature that addresses business projects in emerging countries and analyses the actions of a South African company that set out to develop commercial nuclear electricity generation using the pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) technology. The approach adopted in the paper is an assessment of the events and actions that led to the project's failure.

Findings

The management of the project was flawed from the start because of a lack of measurable milestones and budgetary constraints. The South African government continued to fund the project while not controlling it. Technically, the project was too ambitious and it is not certain whether the project could ever have come to fruition.

Research limitations/implications

The generalisability of results from case study research needs to be treated with some caution, but similar findings in different contexts may strengthen internal validity, and in turn lead to wider generalisability.

Practical implications

The paper reinforces the challenges faced by businesses in emerging countries when developing innovative products. The need for financial control and technical milestones is emphasised even though innovations are by definition uncertain.

Social implications

The benefits from the PBMR could have been significant, but the project failed at a cost of $1bn, which a country such as South Africa could ill afford. The knowledge gained during the duration of the project will be of little benefit to the country, particularly as the knowledge context was extremely narrow.

Originality/value

The paper addresses a topic that has not been dealt with before in the academic literature. It highlights a number of shortcomings in the way in which a developing country embarked on an innovative project.

Details

Corporate Governance, vol. 13 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 26 August 2014

Ian Hipkin

Catastrophic failures in high-reliability installations result from technical and human factors. The purpose of this paper is to use reports of the BP Texas refinery accident and…

391

Abstract

Purpose

Catastrophic failures in high-reliability installations result from technical and human factors. The purpose of this paper is to use reports of the BP Texas refinery accident and the UK Buncefield oil storage explosions as the basis for exploring how protection and safety are managed in high-reliability manufacturing organisations in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 21 high-reliability firms was undertaken to establish how firms perceived their safety and protection systems in relation to the findings of the Buncefield and BP Texas accidents. Interviews were held with staff in two firms.

Findings

The study identifies technical and behavioural shortcomings in managing safety and protective systems in manufacturing organisations. There are profound differences in perceptions of managers, supervisors and operators regarding a number of safety-related factors. Firms fail to identify all protective systems. Essential failure data for determining appropriate policies for failure finding are not collected.

Research limitations/implications

Quantitative results are based on a relatively small sample and qualitative perspectives derive from two case studies.

Practical implications

Managers are unsure how protective devices should be managed. The paper highlights areas where significant improvements are essential if the South African firms are to meet developed world standards.

Social implications

High-reliability organisations are obliged to minimise the possibility of serious incidents whose consequences may extend far beyond the physical bounds of the organisation.

Originality/value

Limited research has been published on the management of protective systems. This paper highlights a number of technical and behavioural issues that should be addressed for safe operation of high-reliability manufacturing organisations.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 25 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2001

Ian Hipkin

Information systems (IS) may be seen as a repository for knowledge. The challenge to practitioners is to use such technological developments as the basis for new working practices…

1882

Abstract

Information systems (IS) may be seen as a repository for knowledge. The challenge to practitioners is to use such technological developments as the basis for new working practices that lead to competitive success and growth. Knowledge, as a factor of production, is increasingly recognised for its relatively untapped contribution to more effective performance. IS developments and implementation are evaluated with great difficulty. The study looks to a new method of evaluating the effects of knowledge acquisition in physical asset management: through the benefits achieved from a maintenance management information system (MMIS). The experiences of four case organizations that had recently introduced an MMIS are studied. The knowledge acquired was categorised according to a structure by Bohn, and the benefits which accrued from the MMIS were classified using a benefits ladder developed by Farbey et al. The study suggests that where greater levels of knowledge resulted from the MMIS, higher level benefits were achieved.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 21 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 30 September 2014

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Abstract

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Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 25 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 26 October 2010

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Abstract

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 21 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 28 January 2014

185

Abstract

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Available. Content available

Abstract

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 21 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2013

1376

Abstract

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1949

It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields…

259

Abstract

It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields but who have a common interest in the means by which information may be collected and disseminated to the greatest advantage. Lists of its members have, therefore, a more than ordinary value since they present, in miniature, a cross‐section of institutions and individuals who share this special interest.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 1 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

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Book part
Publication date: 2 December 2024

Julie Spray

Managing public ‘affect’ was a critical component of Aotearoa New Zealand's COVID-19 policy approach, which was predicated on collective emotional feelings of calmness, compassion…

Abstract

Managing public ‘affect’ was a critical component of Aotearoa New Zealand's COVID-19 policy approach, which was predicated on collective emotional feelings of calmness, compassion and trust. A long history of health promotion efforts have involved co-opting children as tools to manipulate (adult) public affect towards motivating behavioural change or accepting health interventions. Little research has yet considered the consequences of objectifying children for affect management in the name of public health. The Pandemic Generation study compared the perspectives of Auckland children aged 7–11, generated through co-drawing comics about their pandemic experience, with a critical discourse analysis of children's representation in New Zealand COVID-19 public health messaging. In this chapter, I argue that by leveraging performative care for children to manipulate an adult public affect, the New Zealand government erased children's subjectivities, their care-giving roles and contributions, further disenfranchising children as members of the ‘public’ in public health.

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