Om P. Kharbanda and Ernest A. Stallworthy
In the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better management,experience plays a crucial role. We learn from success, but we can learnmuch more from failure. Further, it is…
Abstract
In the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better management, experience plays a crucial role. We learn from success, but we can learn much more from failure. Further, it is far better and cheaper when we learn from other people′s failures rather than our own. This monograph assesses the requirements of project management in relation to industrial projects, illustrating the factors that can result in failure by means of a series of case studies of completed and abandoned projects worldwide that have failed in one way or another. The key roles played by project planning and project cost control in meeting and overcoming the practical problems in the management of industrial projects are examined in detail. In conclusion the lessons that can be learned are evaluated and presented, so that we may listen and learn – if only we will.
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Ernest A. Stallworthy and Om P. Kharbanda
In the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better management, the project manager has a crucial role to play. This monograph assesses the requirements of project management…
Abstract
In the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better management, the project manager has a crucial role to play. This monograph assesses the requirements of project management in terms of training and experience, demonstrates what sort of person the project manager should be, and also the role that should be played by the project team. In order to illustrate the manner in which the essential qualities in both the project manager and his team are displayed in action a number of completed projects worldwide are reviewed. Both successful projects and disastrous projects are used to demonstrate the way in which the problems encountered in real life can be met and overcome. In conclusion both the prospects and the problems that the future may hold for the project manager are assessed.
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Om P. Kharbanda and Ernest A. Stallworthy
In the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better management,the engineering manager has a crucial role to play. The history of theengineer is reviewed and his/her possible…
Abstract
In the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better management, the engineering manager has a crucial role to play. The history of the engineer is reviewed and his/her possible present role in management is considered. Management objectives are outlined and defined and the specific role of the engineer emphasised. The best managers are leaders, in particular effective leaders of teams, and this is a management task well within the grasp of the engineer. The engineer′s specific training and initial experience give him/her special qualifications in this area. Indeed, there seems to be no reason why the engineer should not climb the management ladder right to the top, especially these days when technology is continually growing in importance. The demands made on the effective chief executive are outlined. It would seem that engineering management has come of age and that with the appropriate management training the engineer should be well capable of filling a senior management role.
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Om P. Kharbanda and Ernest A. Stallworthy
The concept of company culture is now playingan ever‐increasing role in the continuing endeavourto work towards ever better companymanagement, particularly in the industrial…
Abstract
The concept of company culture is now playing an ever‐increasing role in the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better company management, particularly in the industrial field. This monograph reviews the history and development of both national and company cultures, and then goes on to demonstrate the significance of a culture to proper company management. Well‐managed companies will have both a “quality culture” and a “safety culture” as well as a cultural history. However, it has to be recognised that the company culture is subject to change, and effecting this can be very difficult. Of the many national cultures, that of Japan is considered to be the most effective, as is demonstrated by the present dominance of Japan on the industrial scene. Many industrialised nations now seek to emulate the Japanese style of management, but it is not possible to copy or acquire Japan′s cultural heritage. The text is illustrated by a large number of practical examples from real life, illustrating the way in which the company culture works and can be used by management to improve company performance.
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Om P. Kharbanda and Ernest A. Stallworthy
We are negotiating all the time: with customers, suppliers, tradeunions, our family ‐ indeed, all with whom we come into contact. Inbusiness, in particular, negotiation needs…
Abstract
We are negotiating all the time: with customers, suppliers, trade unions, our family ‐ indeed, all with whom we come into contact. In business, in particular, negotiation needs management. There are said to be eight stages in negotiation: prepare, argue, signal, propose, present the package, bargain, close and agree. At the proposal stage one must be clear about what one must achieve, what one intends to achieve, and what one would like to achieve. The approach to constructive and competitive negotiation, the role of consultation, how to cope with deadlock and conflict, cross‐cultural negotiation, and the art of compromise are reviewed. The development and use of teams in negotiation is also an important factor, needing careful assessment. Negotiation will nearly always involve conflict, but steps must be taken to ensure that the participants remain on friendly terms.
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Robert Wareing and Janet Stockdale
The reliability and validity of decisions on selection, placement,appraisal and promotion made in employment interviews are questioned.The article concludes that a bias is…
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The reliability and validity of decisions on selection, placement, appraisal and promotion made in employment interviews are questioned. The article concludes that a bias is established early on in interviews and this is followed by a favourable or an unfavourable decision. Unfavourable information has a greater influence on interviewers. They seek information to support or refute their hypotheses whereby information that contradicts a hypothesis is ignored.
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Private companies go public for a variety of reasons. Whatever themotive, shareholders and directors should have a clear understanding ofthe implications and responsibilities…
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Private companies go public for a variety of reasons. Whatever the motive, shareholders and directors should have a clear understanding of the implications and responsibilities arising from this change of status. The author examines every aspect of public company status and presents an analysis of the feasibility of a stock market flotation by his company. This article provides valuable insight for companies considering a stock market flotation.
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James Margol and Brian H. Kleiner
Executives must develop skills to manage management time as well asconventional time. Methods which improve skills include understandingtime‐space structures, using methods…
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Executives must develop skills to manage management time as well as conventional time. Methods which improve skills include understanding time‐space structures, using methods proposed by Peter F. Drucker, and managing one′s immediate management molecule as proposed by William Oncken. Unconventional time management techniques used by Harold Geneen, Ex‐CEO of International Telephone and Telegraph are also explored.
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Matthias Holweg and Harvey Maylor
The purpose of this paper is to understand the context of major projects and their management from an OM perspective; the authors provide a foundation for exploring how the body…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the context of major projects and their management from an OM perspective; the authors provide a foundation for exploring how the body of work on lean production (the “old” theory) can contribute to the development of major projects (the “new” context). In doing so, it extends the prevailing economic approach to major projects (best described as “predict and provide”) and posits the development of an alternative approach based on extending the lean production logic to this new context (referred to as “predict and prevent”).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper investigates the scope for adopting lean practices in context of major project. To this effect the authors review the current state of both lean thinking and major project management, and use “Universal Credit” as an exploratory case study to illustrate and verify the arguments in practice.
Findings
Two main findings are proposed: first, the authors demonstrate the inherent performance challenge of major projects in OM terms, which the authors argue presents significant scope for the application of OM concepts to improve major project performance. Second, using lean thinking as framing, the authors identify three distinct process levels and common wastes in major projects, and identify five principles how lean could improve the delivery of major projects.
Research limitations/implications
Major projects present an untapped area for OM research; based on the exploratory case the authors propose ways how OM concepts can be applied to this new context. Further research will be needed to validate and generalise.
Practical implications
Major projects, including organisational transformations, IT-enabled change, major events and large infrastructure projects, constitute a large proportion of economic activity. Despite their prominence, however, they are also commonly associated with low success rates. This paper provides one route for exploring how a successful set of principles could be applied to improving their performance.
Originality/value
This work translates a popular set of ideas from OM to strengthening a relatively neglected context within OM. An agenda for further research is suggested to support the development of this application.
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Peerzada Munaqib, Sheikh Basharul Islam, Mushtaq Ahmad Darzi, Mohd Abass Bhat, Essam Hussain Al Lawati and Shagufta Tariq Khan
This research aims to examine how health consciousness, social identity, self-identity, trust and willingness to pay premium impact individuals’ intention to make green purchases…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to examine how health consciousness, social identity, self-identity, trust and willingness to pay premium impact individuals’ intention to make green purchases, which in turn influences organic purchasing behavior. Additionally, the study tried to examine the moderating effect of willingness to pay premium.
Design/methodology/approach
Utilizing a purposive sampling approach, a questionnaire survey was used to gather information from 452 customers in India. The conceptual model was assessed, and the research hypotheses were examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results of this study showed that the intention to make green purchases is strongly influenced by consumers health consciousness, social identity and trust. However, self-identity did not influence consumers green purchase intention. Furthermore, the moderating effect of willingness to pay premium was significant, except for self-identity, in the relationship of health consciousness, willingness to pay premium social identity and trust with green purchase intention.
Practical implications
The research will help producers and marketers refine food and marketing tactics to promote a favorable perception of organic food products.
Originality/value
This study is pioneering in (1) investigating the moderating impact of willingness to pay premium (WLPP) in the relationship of health consciousness, social identity, self-identity and trust with green purchase intention and (2) investigating the influence of consumer identities on green purchase intention in the Indian context.