IF I had to choose a text under which to write this article it would be “A board is not a necessity for management”. I will come back to this point at the end.
WHEN delivering his Elbourne lecture Sir Geoffrey Vickers related the following incident. ‘As a very inexperienced subaltern in the old war, my company commander once said to me…
Abstract
WHEN delivering his Elbourne lecture Sir Geoffrey Vickers related the following incident. ‘As a very inexperienced subaltern in the old war, my company commander once said to me: “Vickers, the company will bathe this afternoon. Arrange.” In the Flemish hamlet where we were billeted the only bath of any kind was in the local nunnery. The nuns were charity itself but I couldn't ask them to bathe a hundred men. I reviewed other fluid‐containing objects which might be potential baths—cattle drinking troughs, empty beer barrels—and found practical or ethical objections to them all. At that point I had the misfortune to meet my company commander again and was forced to confess that I had not yet solved my problem. He was annoyed. “Whatever have you been doing all this time?” he said. Then, turning his own mind to the problem, apparently for the first time, he added: “Take the company limbers off their wheels, put the tilts inside and the cookers beside them for the hot water; four baths each four feet square, four men to a bath, do the whole job in an hour. Why don't you use your brains?”’
WE live at the present time under a constant bombardment of exhortation from governments, industrial leaders, trade associations and publicists. They regularly stress the hazards…
Abstract
WE live at the present time under a constant bombardment of exhortation from governments, industrial leaders, trade associations and publicists. They regularly stress the hazards of the competitive world around us. Through all the warnings of this chorus of Cassandras runs a uniform theme. It is that unless we increase productivity the economic future of this country is precarious.
THE centripetal forces at work in the world seem to draw all human associations into larger groups. Work Study has been no exception to this, as the formation of a European…
Abstract
THE centripetal forces at work in the world seem to draw all human associations into larger groups. Work Study has been no exception to this, as the formation of a European Federation six months ago indicates. Another manifestation of the same tendency is the letter we print from a correspondent suggesting that there is only room for one professional organisation for Work Study in this country.
LIGHT rarely comes to people as swiftly as it did to Paul on the Damascus road. More often it is the slow accretion of knowledge through education and persuasion, the steady…
Abstract
LIGHT rarely comes to people as swiftly as it did to Paul on the Damascus road. More often it is the slow accretion of knowledge through education and persuasion, the steady pressure of convinced advocates and the relentless force of events that opens their minds to new ideas.
Matteo Cristofaro, Pier Luigi Giardino, Riccardo Camilli and Ivo Hristov
This article aims to trace the historical development of the behavioral strategy (BS) field, which implements psychology in strategic management. Mainly, it provides a contextual…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to trace the historical development of the behavioral strategy (BS) field, which implements psychology in strategic management. Mainly, it provides a contextual understanding of how this stream of research has historically evolved and what relevant future trajectories are. This work is part of the “over half a century of Management Decision” celebrative and informal Journal section.
Design/methodology/approach
We consider BS literature produced in management decision (MD), the oldest and longest-running scholarly publication in management, as a proxy for the evolution of management thought. Through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) process, we collected – via the MD website and Scopus – a sample of 97 BS articles published in MD from its foundation (1967) until today (2024). Regarding the analysis, we adopted a Reflexive Thematic Analysis approach to synthesize the main BS topics, then read from a historical perspective regarding three “eras” over which the literature developed. Selected international literature outside the Journal’s boundaries was considered to complement this historical analysis.
Findings
Historically, within the BS field, the interest passed from the rules to rationally govern strategic decision-making processes, to studying what causes cognitive errors, to understanding how to avoid biases and to being prepared for dramatic changes. The article also identifies six future research trajectories, namely “positive heuristics,” “context-embedded mental processes,” “non-conventional thinking,” “cognitive evolutionary triggers,” “debiasing strategies” and “behavioral theories for new strategic challenges” that future research could investigate.
Research limitations/implications
The limitation of the study lies in its exclusive focus on MD for investigating the historical evolution of BS, thereby overlooking critical contributions from other journals. Therefore, MD’s editorial preferences have influenced results. A comprehensive SLR on the BS field is still needed, requiring broader journal coverage to mitigate selection biases and enhance field appraisal.
Originality/value
This contribution is the first to offer a historical evolutionary view of the BS field, complementing the few other reviews on this stream of research. This fills a gap in the study of the evolution of management thought.
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Air Commodore F. R. Banks, C. B., O.B.E., C.Eng., C.G.I.A., F.R.Ae.S., Hon. F.A.I.A.A., F.Inst.Pet., M.S.A.E., Commander of the Legion of Honour (France), Commander of the Legion…
Abstract
Air Commodore F. R. Banks, C. B., O.B.E., C.Eng., C.G.I.A., F.R.Ae.S., Hon. F.A.I.A.A., F.Inst.Pet., M.S.A.E., Commander of the Legion of Honour (France), Commander of the Legion of Merit (U.S.A.), R.A.F. (retd.), has taken office as President of the Royal Aeronautical Society succeeding Prof. D. Keith‐Lucas, M.A., C.Eng., F.R.Ae.S., (Professor of Aircraft Design, College of Aeronautics, Cranfield).
THE Electronic Computer Exhibition and the B.I.M. conference have provided material for serious contemplation. Sir Harold Gillett, Lord Mayor of London, opening the Exhibition…
Abstract
THE Electronic Computer Exhibition and the B.I.M. conference have provided material for serious contemplation. Sir Harold Gillett, Lord Mayor of London, opening the Exhibition suggested that we are living in the age of the second industrial revolution. There are some who share the Lord Mayor's view and others who take the whole matter in their stride. One thing is certain, we shall be able to do more—and do it more efficiently.
Simona Andreea Apostu, Maria Denisa Vasilescu and Kiran Sood
Introduction: One of the main goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to represent gender equality due to its essential role in sustainable progress. At the same…
Abstract
Introduction: One of the main goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to represent gender equality due to its essential role in sustainable progress. At the same time, the balance between women and men in management is explicitly mentioned as a desideratum, given that more women in leadership roles positively impact business performance and sustainability.
Purpose: The study investigates the dynamic relationship between gender inequalities in management positions and sustainable competitiveness. Our contribution is twofold: we examine this interrelationship and its causality.
Methodology: We used panel data of 350 observations for 2012–2021, and we employ a Vector Auto-Regression model and Granger causality method to examine the relationship between the gender gap in management and sustainable competitiveness. The panel VAR for analysing the impulse response function was enriched using Monte Carlo simulations with 5% and 95%.
Findings: The results highlighted that a bidirectional causality between the gender gap in management and sustainable competitiveness is manifested in the European countries. Our results are similar to other studies found in the literature, with gender equality and sustainability positively associated. As an element of originality, our study demonstrates that gender equality in management contributes to sustainable performance, and, on the other hand, a more competitive and sustainable environment contributes to eliminating the gap between men and women in management.
Details
Keywords
Ilya Ryakhovskikh, Roman Kashkovskiy, Aleksandr Kaverin, Vladimir Stolov and Sergey Zhedulov
The paper is devoted to the phenomenon of stress corrosion cracking (SCC), which is an urgent problem for major operator companies that use large-diameter gas transport systems…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper is devoted to the phenomenon of stress corrosion cracking (SCC), which is an urgent problem for major operator companies that use large-diameter gas transport systems built in the second half of the last century. The aim of the study is to predict the operability of gas pipelines with SCC and ensure their safe operation.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology of the article mainly consisted of strength calculations, mathematical and analytical approaches.
Findings
The paper describes practical methods of assessing the residual service life and operability of pipes with SCC defects as part of gas pipelines, the developed approaches to assessing the point of failure of pipes, provides recommendations for developing requirements to ILI smart tools in order to detect cracks and the methods of pipe repair depending on the SCC defect parameters.
Originality/value
The originality of the study consists in the analytical description of the point of destruction of gas pipelines with SCC, assessment of their performance, as well as the definition of modern requirements for the accuracy of in-line inspection to ensure the detection of potentially dangerous SCC defects.