The purpose of this paper is to review the content and contributions of the book by Sayles and Chandler entitled Managing Large Systems: Organizations for the Future. The paper…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the content and contributions of the book by Sayles and Chandler entitled Managing Large Systems: Organizations for the Future. The paper seeks to uncover the elements of the nature and elements of project organizing presented in the book.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents the main ideas in the book, along with a few important issues to organization theory, including interdependence, timing, and the role of project management.
Findings
The paper demonstrates that the book by Sayles and Chandler presents an early attempt of formulating a theory of project organization. The embryonic theory is based on insights about the importance of interdependence and time in understanding different forms of project organizing and the role of project management.
Originality/value
The present paper is especially concerned with the ideas presented in the book that relate to time and timing in project organization. Although these issues are well addressed in the book by Sayles and Chandler, they are currently pressing, yet typically ignored in much project management research. Previous research has given limited attention to the insights presented in this book published more than 40 years ago. In that respect, the ideas presented in the book by Sayles and Chandler seems to have had more impact on organization theory than on project management, although, the book as such is undoubtedly a study of project organizing and the management of projects. This observation thus sheds some new light on the conventional thinking, and somewhat simplified idea, about the unidirectional relationship between organization theory and project management.
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BISRA's Corrosion Advice Bureau has been called upon to examine many corrosion failures and in this article, which is based on a lecture the authors gave to the British…
Abstract
BISRA's Corrosion Advice Bureau has been called upon to examine many corrosion failures and in this article, which is based on a lecture the authors gave to the British Association of Corrosion Engineers, North‐Eastern Section, a few of them are discussed in practical terms with particular reference to their underlying causes. The discussion is grouped under three headings: 1. Geometrical design. 2. Materials selection. 3. Protective coatings.
A SPECIFICATION is essentially a method of ensuring that a purchaser obtains a product made and finished to his requirements. Any individual or group can prepare a specification…
Abstract
A SPECIFICATION is essentially a method of ensuring that a purchaser obtains a product made and finished to his requirements. Any individual or group can prepare a specification but it must be technically feasible if it is to be accepted by the contractor. The preparation of a good specification is a skilled undertaking. It must cover all points that may give rise to disputes but it should not insist on a standard well above that actually required, as this will result in an unnecessarily expensive product. A specification may contain both aims and methods to be employed in achieving the aims, e.g. ‘ … remove all rust and scale by blast cleaning’. Clearly, the method specified must be capable of achieving the aim or disputes will inevitably arise. In the above phrase the substitution of ‘wire brushing’ for ‘blast cleaning’ would almost certainly lead to problems because generally all rust and scale cannot be removed by wire‐brushing. If the phrase were altered to ‘ … remove rust and scale by wire brushing’ this would be acceptable in that some rust and scale can be removed by wire brushing, but it is too vague for a specification.
The history of economics has often been described as the “history of economic thought.” In this essay, I explore an alternative perspective that builds on the French tradition of…
Abstract
The history of economics has often been described as the “history of economic thought.” In this essay, I explore an alternative perspective that builds on the French tradition of historical epistemology and treats economics as a social practice. I argue that a practice-based view provides a more philosophically robust conception of historiography and a richer field of investigation for historians of economics.
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In this chapter, I will outline the labels of giftedness and underachievement and present the theoretical debates surrounding these labels. A historicist examination of these…
Abstract
In this chapter, I will outline the labels of giftedness and underachievement and present the theoretical debates surrounding these labels. A historicist examination of these labels follows, highlighting how the gifted underachievement (GUA) label emerges through the negation of “giftedness.” Subsequently, I explore the concept of GUA and its negative connotations, stemming from the positive valuation inherent in the term “giftedness” and its implications for what is considered “normal.” This chapter also reviews perspectives on shifting the focus away from the individual within the current paradigm of labeling giftedness and explores insights from systemic thinking and symbolic interactionism (SI). The conclusion underscores the necessity of a symbolic interactionist perspective to address the gaps in research on the labeling of giftedness and underachievement. Finally, I propose a generic definition that can be used in GUA research in the light of SI.
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Existing models of gift applied to religious charities are either abstract or sometimes very limited in their applicability to understand the reciprocal relationships throughout…
Abstract
Existing models of gift applied to religious charities are either abstract or sometimes very limited in their applicability to understand the reciprocal relationships throughout the interconnected chain of giving and receiving charities. The paper contributes to this debate by asking: How gift economy explains the circulation of charities across interconnected spheres of local governance? And what are the implications of these inter-linkages for social welfare provisions where states are ineffective in the provision of these services? To answer these questions, the study presents the case of Zakat in Islam and Dasvandh in Sikhism in the northwest of Pakistan. In both the cases, charity is an important element of the social welfare provision within local governance structure. The findings suggest that conceptualizations of the religious charities as a triad including God, the rich and the poor are unsuitable gift models for grasping the role of charities in the local governance of social welfare provision.
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Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez, Katelyn K. Jetelina and Wesley G. Jennings
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of school safety measures, including SROs and safety personnel, on school-related delinquency and perceived safety.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of school safety measures, including SROs and safety personnel, on school-related delinquency and perceived safety.
Design/methodology/approach
Specifically, a comprehensive search of the literature was performed to identify studies published between January 1, 1998 and July 1, 2016 that focussed on structural school safety measures such as metal detectors, cameras, closed circuit television systems, and access control measures and/or school resource officers in primary and secondary schools. Only studies that relied on randomized controlled trials and pre-test/post-test designs evaluating the impact of at least one school safety measure in reference to a control condition were eligible for inclusion.
Findings
The results of this exhaustive search revealed 32 unique study samples that met the inclusion criteria. Results from the studies suggest that implementation of more security measures may not be an effective policy. More safety measures often result in a decline of student-perceived safety. Study limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.
Originality/value
Results from this meta-review can provide educational administrators, superintendents, and school safety policymakers with a synthesis of only the most rigorous and valid studies that evaluate the impact of school safety measures on both actual and perceived school-related delinquency and safety. This information will provide school safety decision makers with a state-of-the-art synthesis of how school safety measures impact school-related delinquency problems and safety, and which measures appear to be most effective for informing the allocation of scarce resources.
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A tour of the stands on the last day of the exhibition showed that the general consensus of opinion was that the show had brought in the ‘quality’ visitors, as a result of which…
Abstract
A tour of the stands on the last day of the exhibition showed that the general consensus of opinion was that the show had brought in the ‘quality’ visitors, as a result of which the inquiry books had a ‘very healthy look’. In particular, mention was made of the fact that it had introduced a number of southern‐based companies to many new potential customers from northern areas. Another important feature was the presence of northern firms who find it inconvenient to exhibit in London.
Surface Films in View. Studying surface films on metals optically, as the subject of a lecture, might at first seem of academic interest, but its origin is well rooted in good…
Abstract
Surface Films in View. Studying surface films on metals optically, as the subject of a lecture, might at first seem of academic interest, but its origin is well rooted in good craftsmanship; the old‐time blacksmith or toolmaker judged the heat treatment temperature of his products by the rate of spread of interference colours across a freshly filed surface. Between the visual assessment of colours and the modern use of a polarising spectrometer lies a mass of optical theory which has deterred many a research chemist. However, Prof. A. B. Winter‐bottom of the Technical University, Trondheim, Norway, was not deterred from covering this subject in the eagerly awaited spring lecture of the S.C.I. Corrosion Group.