Clare F. Harvey, Peter Smith and Peter Lund
InfoVine is a software prototype which has been developed to enhance corporate memory and corporate consciousness. It has been implemented in the context of paint technology…
Abstract
InfoVine is a software prototype which has been developed to enhance corporate memory and corporate consciousness. It has been implemented in the context of paint technology laboratory notebooks at Courtaulds Coatings Holdings Ltd. However, its possible business and industrial applications are far wider. InfoVine is designed to perform a task whose importance is only just beginning to be recognised: that of replicating the information roles of middle managers, and providing a dynamic record of organisational knowledge. The system collects, stores and makes available information about which personnel have expertise in which technical areas. This paper examines the evaluation process that InfoVine underwent at Courtaulds Coatings Holdings Ltd. The process was considered as an exercise in technology transfer and in promoting the use of the software within the organisation. The evaluation of InfoVine is considered in the light of proven criteria for good technology transfer. The methods used for system evaluation and the results of the evaluation are considered. The work on InfoVine has now moved into an exciting new phase. The closing section of this paper is concerned with new directions for InfoVine. These include abstracting the InfoVine principles to produce a generic system for enhancing corporate memory and corporate consciousness. New contexts for the development of InfoVine are also discussed.
Peter E. Smith, John M. Barnard and Geoffrey Smith
Mergers, takeovers and changes in products or markets confront managers with major cultural change in their organisations. This article looks specifically at British Telecom, the…
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Mergers, takeovers and changes in products or markets confront managers with major cultural change in their organisations. This article looks specifically at British Telecom, the different demands made on managers pre‐ and post‐privatisation and describes now management development programmes helped managers to change their style.
Peter A.C. Smith and John Peters
Presents a methodology for the design of a learning approach to service quality improvement. Considers the strengths of “action learning”, noting some of the major companies which…
Abstract
Presents a methodology for the design of a learning approach to service quality improvement. Considers the strengths of “action learning”, noting some of the major companies which have utilized this approach, including the British Airports Authority and AT&T. Looks at a typical action learning program which involves aspects such as tackling real problems and working in small groups or “sets”, and notes benefits such as the fact that the programs can be designed to suit the organization and that the brightest people in the company can be challenged to solve critical problems.
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Peter E. Smith, John M. Barnard and Geoffrey Smith
The privatisation and reorganisation of British Telecom (BT) presented its various divisions with the problem of transferring commercial awareness at the top management level to…
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The privatisation and reorganisation of British Telecom (BT) presented its various divisions with the problem of transferring commercial awareness at the top management level to middle management level. A management development programme was designed which combined computer‐based business strategy modelling and “best practice” modelling in human relations. These areas were previously treated separately. The greatest problem for senior managers was modifying their values. For middle managers the problem was that their values were overturned and themselves threatened. The one‐week courses allowed fears and confusions to be aired and examined. By exposing managers to “best practice” procedures they were given frameworks to help them determine how to forge a relationship between a sensible economic strategy and a complementary culture. The programme has been very successful and is to be implemented in other BT businesses.
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Cross‐cultural studies show that most, but not all, human societies engage in warfare. Some non‐warring societies cluster as peace systems. The existence of peace systems, and…
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Cross‐cultural studies show that most, but not all, human societies engage in warfare. Some non‐warring societies cluster as peace systems. The existence of peace systems, and non‐warring societies more generally, shows that warfare is not an inevitable feature of human social life. This article considers three peace systems in some detail: Brazil's Upper Xingu River basin tribes, Aboriginal Australians, and the European Union. A primary goal is to explore features that contribute to peace in each of the three non‐warring systems. What do these peace systems suggest about how to prevent war? Provisionally, key elements would seem to be the promotion of interdependence among the units of the peace system, creation of cross‐cutting links among them, the existence of conflict resolution procedures, and belief systems (including attitudes and values) that are anti‐war and pro‐peace.
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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…
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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 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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Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely…
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Nobody concerned with political economy can neglect the history of economic doctrines. Structural changes in the economy and society influence economic thinking and, conversely, innovative thought structures and attitudes have almost always forced economic institutions and modes of behaviour to adjust. We learn from the history of economic doctrines how a particular theory emerged and whether, and in which environment, it could take root. We can see how a school evolves out of a common methodological perception and similar techniques of analysis, and how it has to establish itself. The interaction between unresolved problems on the one hand, and the search for better solutions or explanations on the other, leads to a change in paradigma and to the formation of new lines of reasoning. As long as the real world is subject to progress and change scientific search for explanation must out of necessity continue.
In 1996, the Strategic Leadership Forum inaugurated the Peter F. Drucker Strategic Leadership Award, presenting the first award to Mr. Drucker himself in honor of his life‐time…
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In 1996, the Strategic Leadership Forum inaugurated the Peter F. Drucker Strategic Leadership Award, presenting the first award to Mr. Drucker himself in honor of his life‐time contribution to strategic management and strategic thinking in business and education. At that time, we announced that an annual award would be given to business leaders who have created strategic competitive advantage in their organizations or have reached a level of unprecedented achievement using Peter Drucker's principles. It was with intense pride that the 1997 award was presented to Frederick W. Smith, chief executive officer of the Federal Express Corporation, at SLF's International Conference in Washington, D.C.
Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and…
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Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and shows that these are in many, differing, areas across management research from: retail finance; precarious jobs and decisions; methodological lessons from feminism; call centre experience and disability discrimination. These and all points east and west are covered and laid out in a simple, abstract style, including, where applicable, references, endnotes and bibliography in an easy‐to‐follow manner. Summarizes each paper and also gives conclusions where needed, in a comfortable modern format.
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Barrie O. Pettman and Richard Dobbins
This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.
Abstract
This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.