Sandra Rolim Ensslin, Leonardo Ensslin, Lucas dos Santos Matos, Ademar Dutra and Vicente Mateo Ripoll-Feliu
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method to choose a set of scientific articles about performance measurement in public utilities regulation. The method is designed to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a method to choose a set of scientific articles about performance measurement in public utilities regulation. The method is designed to identify references with high academic relevance in databases accessed via the internet, and, through these articles, to perform a mapping of these publications and conduct a systemic analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is characterized as exploratory and descriptive with a qualitative and quantitative approach. Incorporates an inductive logic, and draws on primary and secondary data sources. The research involves the application of a technical procedure for selection and study of selected articles. To this end, the process selected was the Knowledge Development Process – Constructivist (ProKnow-C).
Findings
The result was a set of 16 renowned scientific articles and, for these papers, the main periodicals, papers, authors and keywords of the topic stood out. The content analysis allowed the identification of highlights and opportunities for future research.
Originality/value
The originality of the paper lies in presenting a structured process for identifying relevant academic articles relating to the research context and, for these articles, find prominences and opportunities for a research theme without similar papers.
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This paper aims to ask how much forced labor and trafficking have changed since the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and whether businesses and governments are taking…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to ask how much forced labor and trafficking have changed since the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and whether businesses and governments are taking adequate measures to remove slavery from international supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach
It looks at three of the most high-profile slavery cases in the past four years and asks whether modern manifestations of slavery are any different from the traditional forms we associate with the colonial governments of the eighteenth century. It sets out the latest theories behind the unexpected increase in forced labor. It also addresses the scope, successes and shortfalls of three anti-slavery enactments proposed in the past four years, to ask how much is being done to fully update international labor laws and why certain efforts could prove insufficient.
Practical implications
It points out that the government of California and the International Labor Organization have successfully implemented rigorous and savvy anti-slavery laws, but the UK has yet to produce a draft Bill that would put British anti-slavery efforts in the appropriate international context.
Social implications
It argues that international corporations must acknowledge that many of the countries in which they operate lack the institutional capacity to enforce the rule of law, so the responsibility to uphold modern-day standards often rests with the businesses themselves.
Originality/value
It argues that existing international anti-slavery conventions have failed to suppress the slave-trade boom because they do not reflect the shift in economic control from governments to the private sector and its trans-national network of supply chains.
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This paper aims to describe an award‐winning training program at Fujitsu Telecommunications, which enabled the 55 employees at Fujitsu's Antrim plant in Northern Ireland to move…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe an award‐winning training program at Fujitsu Telecommunications, which enabled the 55 employees at Fujitsu's Antrim plant in Northern Ireland to move from their traditional concentration on mending telecommunications equipment to repairing and recycling warn or damaged point‐of‐sale and information‐technology equipment for resale across Europe.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explains the reasons for the program, the form it took and the results it achieved.
Findings
The paper reveals how the training not only protected existing jobs but also paved the way 55 percent growth of the business in 2010 and a further 32 percent in 2011 and 2012.
Practical implications
The paper recounts how the training focused on building a core team with the practical experience, skills and confidence to deliver on‐the‐job training to smaller groups in a familiar environment.
Social implications
The paper explains how Fujitsu Telecom protected its workforce in its entirety while it conducted the reskilling process.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the sense of mutual ownership of the training achieved by engaging the whole team in group discussion
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This paper aims to describe an online inclusiveness-training initiative launched at global financial-services company State Street Corporation, which helped the company to earn a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe an online inclusiveness-training initiative launched at global financial-services company State Street Corporation, which helped the company to earn a place among The Times Top 50 Employers for Women.
Design/methodology/approach
It explains the reasons for the program, the form it took and the results it achieved.
Findings
It reveals that State Street decided to include employees from every level of the company in the design, development and implementation of the training. Details how an Intranet site provides employees with additional learning resources and opportunities for discussion. It illustrates how management-level accountability for the up-take of the program helped to identify areas where further promotion was needed and instilled a sense of competition among team-leaders.
Practical implications
It highlights how female representation on the executive board of State Street, UK, has risen to 36 from 11 per cent and how, since the training began, 75 per cent of senior UK recruits have been women.
Social implications
It outlines how the company has maintained its commitment to improving workplace gender equality and reducing the gender wage gap.
Originality/value
It describes how managers from the company’s various international offices were logged into a “virtual classroom” in groups of 50, where they watched the training modules delivered live and conferred online with their “classmates” around the world.
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Abstract
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This paper seeks to describe an award‐winning training program at Irish fork‐lift truck supplier NACCO Materials Handling Ltd, which enabled the company to halt redundancies and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to describe an award‐winning training program at Irish fork‐lift truck supplier NACCO Materials Handling Ltd, which enabled the company to halt redundancies and so retain the workforce required to exploit an eventual economic recovery.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explains the reasons for the program, the form it took and the results it achieved.
Findings
The paper reveals that the company decided on a mixed approach of workshops for practical tasks and team activities; projects to consolidate theoretical knowledge in a practical environment; accreditation of internal trainers and the verification and certification of an external trainer. More than 350 employees took part in the program. Seven managers were trained in leadership and 70 in problem solving. Some 42 employees gained National Vocational Qualifications and 22 employees completed Institute of Leadership and Management qualifications.
Practical implications
The paper details how the company saw improvements in cost, quality, process, safety and punctuality. Absenteeism fell, key skills in management and engineering were protected and enhanced and an environment of trust was created.
Social implications
The paper recounts how the training program helped to preserve jobs at one of County Armagh's largest employers.
Originality/value
The paper provides the inside story of a training program that formed a strategic, rather than impulsive, response to economic downturn.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe an award winning training program at international market‐research company Synovate.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe an award winning training program at international market‐research company Synovate.
Design/methodology/approach
The reasons for the program, the form it took and the results it has achieved are explained.
Findings
The paper details how the Train Trainers to Train Trainers (5T) program taught an international pool of 16 Synovate trainers, across 11 countries, to train the company's remaining 334 trainers, leading to a sustainable in‐house trainer‐development process.
Practical implications
Training has become more integrated across the company, leading to a consistent approach, with colleagues sharing innovation and best practice regularly. Staff report a significant increase in knowledge and training scores increased across the board in the latest employee‐satisfaction survey. The paper highlights the international scope of the training, which spanned 16 people in 11 countries.
Originality/value
The paper estimates that the training has brought a return of 15 times the amount invested.
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The purpose of this paper is to describe an award‐winning training program at Scottish building contractor Lakesmere.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe an award‐winning training program at Scottish building contractor Lakesmere.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explores the reasons for the program, the form it takes and the results it has achieved.
Findings
The paper explains that the company constructed its own purpose‐built training center as a base for much of the so‐called Team Lakesmere training, which aims to boost quality practice among the labor force, reduce annual costs resulting from remedial work, improve health and safety and provide the labor force with recognized qualifications and transferable skills.
Practical implications
The paper highlights a 50 percent improvement in health and safety and 66 percent fall in reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences.
Social implications
The paper reveals that the company has kept up its commitment to training despite the recession.
Originality/value
The paper describes how, unusually for this type of program, a number of the firm's subcontractors were invited to take part in the training.