Research not only plays an important part in many of the activities which influence our day‐to‐day life, but it can readily be seen to do so. Why then, it might be asked, do…
Abstract
Research not only plays an important part in many of the activities which influence our day‐to‐day life, but it can readily be seen to do so. Why then, it might be asked, do teachers and administrators tend to regard educational research as something that bears little or no relation to the problems which they face? Three years ago, the Society for Research into Higher Education was set up to make research findings more widely available and to promote their more effective use. In this article, Dr Oxtoby reports on the Society's Third Annual Conference and gives his own views on the need to look more closely at the relationship between research and educational practice.
Dr Robert Oxtoby writes: Speaking at a one‐day Conference organized jointly by the Midlands Group of the Society for Research into Higher Education and the South Birmingham…
Abstract
Dr Robert Oxtoby writes: Speaking at a one‐day Conference organized jointly by the Midlands Group of the Society for Research into Higher Education and the South Birmingham Technical College and held at the College in July, Dr Michael Bassey (Nottingham Regional College of Technology) described lecturing as the equivalent of throwing mud at a wall: some never reaches it, some sticks and some sticks but later drops off. Dr Bassey was talking about effective study methods or, in other words, how to ensure that as much mud as possible sticks.
Barrie Oxtoby, Tony McGuinness and Robert E. Morgan
Presents a case analysis of Thorn Lighting Limited. The focus of discussion is the Spennymoor operations plant in the UK, whose mission is: “To supply the products required by the…
Abstract
Presents a case analysis of Thorn Lighting Limited. The focus of discussion is the Spennymoor operations plant in the UK, whose mission is: “To supply the products required by the market, at the lowest possible cost, consistent with meeting our customers’ expectations on quality and delivery”. The plant employs just over 1,000 personnel and, since 1989, has undergone major organizational and cultural change enabling its market share to approximately double. Much of this has been attributed specifically to the close alignment of Thorn’s HR strategy and its overall business strategy, in particular to a cultural shift based on self‐managed teamworking and decentralized line management. The sustained business success being enjoyed by Thorn Lighting at Spennymoor is a powerful indicator of the company’s ability to create conditions for motivating and aligning people behind commercial goals. It has taken a decade, in a competitive market place, for such a strategy to mature.
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Tony McGuinness and Robert E. Morgan
The purpose of this research paper is to define a new construct, organisational change capability, which determines an organisation's effectiveness in implementing marketing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research paper is to define a new construct, organisational change capability, which determines an organisation's effectiveness in implementing marketing strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
A framework is constructed based on a dynamic concept of strategy, implying that strategy implementation is a process of effectively leading and managing incessant organisational change. The new construct is defined by analysis and synthesis of key sources in prior literature on leading and managing organisational change.
Findings
The paper identifies organisational change capability as a distinctive new construct that integrates stages in leading and managing organisational change. The framework shows how the new construct relates to market orientation and learning orientation in jointly influencing the success of dynamic strategy outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is conceptual, and requires empirical development.
Practical implications
The paper helps an organisation to understand the nature of change capability, and its role in effectively implementing marketing strategy.
Originality/value
The value of the paper lies in defining a new, distinctive construct that can be developed as an operational measure of an organisation's capability of effectively implementing marketing strategy.
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For decades, organizations have based their marketing efforts to the 65 and older market on traditional stereotypes. This is surprising given the size, growth, and spending power…
Abstract
For decades, organizations have based their marketing efforts to the 65 and older market on traditional stereotypes. This is surprising given the size, growth, and spending power of this market. It is also inconsistent with the marketing concept. This article identifies a number of dimensions which highlight the diversity of the so‐called senior citizen market. The diversity of this market involves a complex set of factors involving age, health, income, education, retirement, information processing, the self‐concept, reference groups, and cohort membership. The marketing implications of these dimensions are illustrated through examples of current marketing practice.