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1 – 10 of 413John Rice, Nigel Martin, Muhammad Mustafa Raziq and Peter Fieger
In this paper, the authors will examine Welch's legacy and aftermaths, both for GE and more broadly within management practice and academic thought. As a complex character, indeed…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, the authors will examine Welch's legacy and aftermaths, both for GE and more broadly within management practice and academic thought. As a complex character, indeed a person of many contradictions, the authors try to avoid polemics in this, instead focusing on his accomplishments and the unanswered questions about his impact.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a historical case using secondary and published materials to assess the case of Jack Welch's leadership of General Electric over the period 1981–2001.
Findings
Welch's proponents suggest he emphasized controlling corporate destiny, being open to new ideas, pursuing quality and low cost, having confidence, a vision founded on reality, a global focus and possessing energy and enthusiasm. However, his short-termist perspective undermined the long-term success of the company and his “win at any cost” mantra predisposed some employees to cutting ethical or environmental corners. As the market capitalization gains evaporated that had been used to justify the “end justifies the means” rationale, little is left of his legacy.
Research limitations/implications
The paper discusses the implications of the GE case for issues associated with corporate governance, financialization and human resource management.
Originality/value
This is a timely reconsideration of the Jack Welch legacy two years after his death. In avoiding polemics and seeking a considered assessment of his positive and negative outcomes, the paper is an important addition to the research on Welch and American management thought.
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Bridget Rice, Kathy Knox, John Rice, Nigel Martin, Peter Fieger and Anneke Fitzgerald
Employee loyalty is generally a very positive trait. However, when loyal employees are confronted with dysfunctionality in the workplace the impact on their well-being can be…
Abstract
Purpose
Employee loyalty is generally a very positive trait. However, when loyal employees are confronted with dysfunctionality in the workplace the impact on their well-being can be significant. The purpose of this paper is to assess the interaction of employee loyalty and employee experience of inter-professional dysfunction in a hospital setting to predict employee job tension.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on the analysis of a cross-sectional attitudinal survey of employees within a hospital setting in Australia. The authors use OLS regression and an SPSS macro (by Hayes, 2013) to assess the regions of significance of the interaction effects.
Findings
The authors find, as anticipated, significant direct effects for employee loyalty and inter-professional dysfunction on employee job stress. The authors further find significant interaction effects that suggest that highly loyal employees who experience inter-professional dysfunction also experience disproportionately high levels of job tension.
Research limitations/implications
The main research implication of this research relates to the confirmation of the presence of an interaction effect between loyalty and inter-professional dysfunction in predicting employee job stress. Further, the zone of significance analysis (following Johnson and Neyman) suggests that this effect is evident at even low levels of inter-professional dysfunction.
Practical implications
Organisations should appreciate employee loyalty but should also be aware that loyal employees are more vulnerable to the negative consequences of organisational dysfunction than are employees with limited organisational loyalty.
Social implications
The paper confirms the importance of managing organisational cooperation between groups in organisations as a precursor to positive employee outcomes.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to investigate this interaction and to apply Johnson-Neyman analysis to confirm the regions of significance for the interaction effects noted.
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Bridget Rice, Peter Fieger, John Rice, Nigel Martin and Kathy Knox
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the manner in which employees’ experience of distributive justice (DJ) moderates the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic values on role…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the manner in which employees’ experience of distributive justice (DJ) moderates the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic values on role engagement (RE). RE is especially important in the healthcare setting (examined here) due to the sector’s complexity, changeability and emotionally challenging nature.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data collected from a survey of employees from a large government health district in Southeast Queensland (Australia), this study examined the determinants of RE among a group of employees working across three hospital locations.
Findings
The focus of the study was on the impact, both directly and in combination, of espoused extrinsic and intrinsic values and perceived DJ on RE. The authors identify strong direct effects from DJ on RE, and complex third-order effects for the combinations of intrinsic (IM) and extrinsic motivation and DJ in predicting RE.
Research limitations/implications
As a cross-sectional and attitudinal survey, care must be taken in relation to common-method variance. Post hoc controls were performed in relation to this.
Practical implications
DJ is important for all, and is a powerful motivator for engagement of employees reporting highly on IM. There is evidence that the most engaged employees are not those most motivated by extrinsic rewards alone, although employees who are motivated primarily by extrinsic rewards alone can be highly engaged when they experience high levels of DJ.
Social implications
For managers seeking to engage their employees, an understanding of the different motivators for intrinsically vs extrinsically inclined employees is important. Taken together, these results suggest that employee RE is driven by a complex set of factors that differ between employees. Managing this complexity is an important consideration for managers.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical study to show these interaction effects using these measures. The healthcare context, generally under researched, also features in this study.
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Bridget Rice, Nigel Martin, Peter Fieger and Taiba Hussain
Demographic changes involving a worldwide ageing population and later retirements produce a gradual ageing of the workforce and major concerns about how ageing may influence the…
Abstract
Purpose
Demographic changes involving a worldwide ageing population and later retirements produce a gradual ageing of the workforce and major concerns about how ageing may influence the workplace. This paper aims to provide evidence relating to older workers in healthcare settings in Australia.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a secondary quantitative dataset, the authors sub-sampled a group of workers in the healthcare sector. We used linear regression arrangement with hypotheses focused on the assessment of the significance of interaction or moderation effects relating to job characteristics and age on employee satisfaction.
Findings
The authors note that older workers' job satisfaction is negatively influenced by poor perceptions of job security and autonomy in how their work is carried out. Ensuring that older workers stay in the healthcare workforce is imperative as the work force ages. This paper shows that managing their job security and offering them work autonomy enhance their job satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
The use of a secondary and cross-sectional dataset has some limitations relating to endogeneity, although these have been managed and assessed. The paper is based on a representative sample of Australian workers, and is thus generalisable within the Australian context, and will be informative elsewhere.
Practical implications
The focus on elements of flexibility for older workers (enhanced autonomy) and clearer job security elements is of practical relevance in the management of older workers.
Social implications
As the overall population ages, supporting older workers in their careers will be of increasing importance. In sectors with a disproportionate share of older workers, like health care, this imperative will come sooner, and the benefits of getting arrangements right be will higher.
Originality/value
No other paper has explored these specific relationships empirically that the authors are aware of. This work is original in terms of its assessment of questions of what second-order effects exist in predicting employee satisfaction among older workers.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges of managing transnational education (TNE) partnerships from the perspective of the home university managers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges of managing transnational education (TNE) partnerships from the perspective of the home university managers.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a qualitative, “insider researcher” methodology’. It uses a sample set of eight mangers who operate from the home university and 13 “in-country” managers who are seconded to head up the overseas TNE partnerships. The samples are all drawn from UK universities to standardise for other variables (e.g. legislative framework).
Findings
It finds that the managers based at the home campus report a generally negative attitude, emphasising the riskiness and the lack of scalability, sustainably and profitability, as well as the general resistance to TNE from staff on the home campus. The in-country managers, in contrast, experience the same lack of empathy from their peers at home, but this group tends to more closely associate themselves with their local colleagues and to be drawn into building relationships with local stakeholders.
Research limitations/implications
The limitation of this research is that it is based on a sample of managers from the same country.
Practical implications
In practical terms, the findings suggest that universities need to do more to increase awareness and commitment to their TNE partnerships amongst staff at the home campus, while providing better professional development and more frequent rotations for their in-country managers.
Originality/value
This paper extends the very limited literature on the management of TNE partnerships.
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Bridget Rice, Muhammad Mustafa Raziq, Nigel Martin, John Lewis Rice, Mumtaz Memon and Peter Fieger
This paper investigates the moderating role of values congruence, an element of person–organisation (P–O) fit, on the relationship between intrinsic work satisfaction and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the moderating role of values congruence, an element of person–organisation (P–O) fit, on the relationship between intrinsic work satisfaction and anticipated employee turnover. The model uses data from employees of the Australian Public Service (APS).
Design/methodology/approach
The study draws upon data from the APS’s annual Employee Census for 2018. We first use principal component analysis (PCA) to derive measures of collegial values congruence, managerial values congruence, intrinsic satisfaction and extrinsic satisfaction. The study then uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis to examine the main effects of intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction, collegial and managerial values congruence as well as their interaction effects on anticipated future employee tenure.
Findings
Our results show the significant linear effects of intrinsic satisfaction, extrinsic satisfaction and managerial values congruence on anticipated tenure. Collegial values congruence, however, did not show a significant linear effect. Interaction effects were then tested, and both collegial and managerial values congruence were shown to moderate the relationship between intrinsic satisfaction and anticipated tenure. Higher levels of both forms of values congruence buffered the negative impact of lower intrinsic satisfaction on turnover intention.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited by its reliance on cross-sectional self-reported data within a specific and atypical organisational context (the Australian Public Service, or APS). Additionally, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits the establishment of causal inferences. Future research could explore longitudinal data and examine other potential moderators of the turnover intention.
Practical implications
Understanding the moderating role of values congruence, and in particular P–O fit, can develop organisational strategies that aim to reduce turnover by emphasizing the alignment between employee values and organisational, collegial and supervisor culture and values.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the relevant literature by showing the importance of values congruence in partially offsetting the negative effects of low intrinsic satisfaction on anticipated turnover. This is particularly relevant in the public sector context. The examination of both collegial and managerial values congruence provides a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms that drive turnover intention.
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John Rice, Nigel Martin, Muhammad Mustafa Raziq, Mumtaz Ali Memon and Peter Fieger
Growth optimism, which describes the expected future growth of a firm, is an important but underexplored construct in strategy. This paper aims to assess the planning antecedents…
Abstract
Purpose
Growth optimism, which describes the expected future growth of a firm, is an important but underexplored construct in strategy. This paper aims to assess the planning antecedents of such growth optimism by using a large Australian sample of small enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a secondary data set, gathered among Australian small to medium enterprises (SMEs), by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The analysis adopts a regression approach including a mediated and a non-mediated path to explore the direct and indirect effects of strategic planning and budgetary planning and management on expected future revenues.
Findings
This paper assesses the implications of concurrent strategic planning and financial management dynamic capabilities on anticipated future revenue growth, an important predisposition dynamic capability. The authors note that this configuration of actions and predisposition aligns closely with the necessary requirements for growth. The findings suggest that firms that use strategic planning and robust budget planning and monitoring processes exhibit higher optimism about future sales growth and firms that effectively configure these planning activities with market development tend to exhibit higher growth and more growth optimism.
Research limitations/implications
In terms of theoretical contributions, the paper strongly supports the formality view in the formal/informal debates associated with effectuation strategies. The authors suggest that appropriate strategic and budgetary planning and control systems act as a counterbalance to organisational confusion and managerial capriciousness, leading to improved confidence among managers and their employees regarding future resource commitments and plans.
Practical implications
The findings of the paper are potentially important for both managers and policy makers. For managers seeking to grow their future sales, planning is shown to be an important antecedent activity. The presence of financial and strategic planning may predispose firms to make important investment decisions that drive future growth. Also, a better understanding of the firm’s current and future strategic and financial position may be evidence of effective firm management, a situation that, in turn, drives growth.
Social implications
In terms of social and policy implications, the data gathered for the survey by the ABS forms a valuable collection of information in relation to business practices. Australian firms are required by law to regularly report budget plans and outcomes. The research suggests that this data can inform policy initiatives, particularly in relation to programmes that may assist small and young firms to undertake prospective strategic and budgetary planning.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to investigate the particular configuration of strategic and financial planning and anticipated sales growth in the SME context.
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In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…
Abstract
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.
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The introduction of a new computerised order processing system at Glaxo Pharmaceuticals made an enormous amount of production data available to the users of on‐line computer…
Abstract
The introduction of a new computerised order processing system at Glaxo Pharmaceuticals made an enormous amount of production data available to the users of on‐line computer systems. To understand and act on this data effectively, it became increasingly evident that a wider understanding of production processes was needed at both a practical and conceptual level. To meet this training need, the MENTOR game was developed in‐house to train staff in the theory and practice of production planning, stock control and materials explosion in a manufacturing environment. The game has also been run with pre‐university school groups in liaison with local and central government educational agencies.
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Nigel Martin and Deborah Hough
Discusses the implications of the advent of open systems, and theeffect which they are having on the logistics industry. Examines thereasons why open systems are appropriate today…
Abstract
Discusses the implications of the advent of open systems, and the effect which they are having on the logistics industry. Examines the reasons why open systems are appropriate today and the various motivations for moving to them. Describes the effects that open systems will have on the structure of the computing industry through the increased competition they are creating: how they will affect computing architectures; and points to consider in the implementation of open systems.
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