Mark Bromley, Robin Cuthbertson, Veronica Martinez and Mike Kennerley
Survey research suggests that 85 per cent of companies world‐wide have performance management systems. Of that number, many adopt such systems with the ultimate objective of…
Abstract
Purpose
Survey research suggests that 85 per cent of companies world‐wide have performance management systems. Of that number, many adopt such systems with the ultimate objective of increasing productivity and profitability. The purpose of this paper is to show how EDF Energy decided to adapt existing theory to create an in‐house version of the balanced scorecard, with the objective of creating and sustaining a continuous improvement culture.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper outlines the integration of fundamental principles of performance management systems in the context of a large UK energy company. It highlights good practices in the design, alignment, implementation and communication of such systems.
Findings
The key findings of this paper are the importance of the use of goal‐setting theories, particularly in the design and alignment of company ambitions and objectives. In doing so, value‐mapping provides the mechanism to align individual performance with company strategy. This case also highlights the importance of a “performance dialogue” to support the strategic alignment of organisational goals and build a culture of continuous improvement.
Practical implications
Organisations that are planning to review or implement performance management systems should first, consider the alignment of company ambitions and goals with the operational and individual objectives and second, build structured but adaptable communications channels to convey and reinforce the ambitions, objectives and values of the organisation.
Originality/value
The paper provides insight into the way in which standard and accepted approaches to performance management, based around the Balanced Scorecard framework, can be modified to reflect the context of a specific organisation, and the lessons that have been learned along the way.
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Matthew J. Spaniol and Nicholas J. Rowland
Scenarios are cognitive aids for thinking about the future in a sustained and disciplined manner. Because scenarios must be facilitated, scenarios must be considered in the…
Abstract
Scenarios are cognitive aids for thinking about the future in a sustained and disciplined manner. Because scenarios must be facilitated, scenarios must be considered in the context of their practice. In the strategic management literature, there has been a considerable conversation on the practical difference between “hot” and “cold” cognition. Thinking in this conventional literature demonstrates how the facilitators of scenario planning workshops establish and channel the productive cognition of their clients away from hot cognition and toward cold cognition. But how? As a thought experiment, we examine whether the sociological concept of “emotional labor” helps explain the cognition management of clients by facilitators during scenario planning. We end by considering how a deeper practical understanding of emotional labor might help facilitators identify mechanisms and adapt their tools to better manage the cognitive-affective dimensions of scenario planning in practice.
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Antonella Capriello and Sabina Riboldazzi
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how customer engagement technologies impact service innovation in a network of travel agencies, analyzing the effects on sales…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how customer engagement technologies impact service innovation in a network of travel agencies, analyzing the effects on sales channels, customer relationships and retail marketing policies.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative single case study approach and triangulating the data from different sources (documents, semi-structured interviews and in-store observations), this paper investigates the Robintur Group, a large Italian network of travel agencies operating in the leisure travel, business travel and organized tourism segments.
Findings
This study highlights three core areas of service innovation that have interrelated effects on travel agency management in coherence with the omni-channel strategy: synergetic channel integration, dynamic customer relationships and dynamic retail marketing.
Research limitations/implications
This study is based on a single case study in Italy. Future research could extend the framework to other travel agencies and foreign markets where the diversification process of large grocery retailers is more diffused, and investigate the omni-channel approach in relation to other information and communication technologies and the implications on travel agency management.
Originality/value
Presenting a conceptual framework to exploit new technologies and revitalize the scope and functions of travel agencies, the case study offers insights contributing to the literature on service innovation in travel agencies. The data highlight the adoption of an omni-channel approach to facilitate the customer experience. This case study is also one of the first to empirically investigate the challenges of a large-scale retail group when diversifying to the travel industry and adopting an omni-channel strategy.
研究目的
本论文旨在探究顾客参与技术(CETs)如何在旅游社网络中影响服务创新, 并分析其对于销售渠道、顾客关系、以及零售营销政策的影响。
研究设计/方法/途径
本论文采用定性分析方法, 单一案例样本源, 并合多种采样渠道(文本、半结构化访问、和店内观察)来丰富样本数据。本论文研究了Robintur集团, 一家意大利大型旅行社网路, 主要经营休闲旅游、商务旅行、以及组织型旅游产品模块。
研究结果
本论文结果强调了服务创新的三大核心:协同渠道整合、多样化顾客关系、和多样化零售营销, 其三大核心对旅行社管理有着紧密联系, 符合全渠道战略的主体思想。
研究原创性/价值
本案例分析展示了一个探索新科技和复兴旅行社范围和功能的理论模型, 对旅行社服务创新有着重大理论贡献。样本数据强调了采取全渠道战略以增强顾客体验。同时, 本论文也是首个实际检测了大型零售集团在面对旅行市场多样化和全渠道战略的挑战。
研究理论限制
本论文仅取样了意大利的单一案例。未来研究应该拓宽模型到其他旅行产业以及国际市场, 其对大型零售厂商的多样化进程更加深入, 同时, 未来研究应该讲全渠道战略与其他信息与通信技术结合来研究, 对旅行社管理有深入的启示。
关键词
关键词 旅行社 服务创新 全渠道 CET ICT 意大利
论文类型
研究型论文
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Colm Kearney and Ronald MacDonald
This article formulates, estimates and simulates a structural model of the sterling‐dollar exchange rate over the floating rate period. A critique of existing empirical…
Abstract
This article formulates, estimates and simulates a structural model of the sterling‐dollar exchange rate over the floating rate period. A critique of existing empirical implementations of the asset‐market approach is followed by formulating a small structural model which augments a carefully specified asset sector with a real sector so that output and prices are determined endogenously along with interest rates, foreign reserves and the exchange rate. The model is estimated on quarterly data using Two Stage Least Squares and Zellner's Seemingly Unrelated Regression Procedure. Some policy simulations illustrate the response of the sterling‐dollar rate to various shocks.
The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains…
Abstract
The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.
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ManMohan S. Sodhi and Ekaterina Yatskovskaya
The purpose of this paper is to investigate an initial set of formative indicators to measure the level of efforts on sustainable use of water by companies from different sectors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate an initial set of formative indicators to measure the level of efforts on sustainable use of water by companies from different sectors to eventually generate an index with a ranking of such companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors started with unstructured data from an open-ended survey conducted by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) on over 300 global companies. Using data from 158 of the companies in that survey from 27 different two-digit UK SIC codes, the authors devised the indicators, translated these into questions requiring response on a seven-point Likert scale, and then coded the companies’ response in the CDP survey for the questionnaire.
Findings
First, all the questions were valid in that responses could be provided. Second, in open-ended surveys like CDP's survey, companies provided information only on selected dimensions and not on others. Third, across sectors, companies are putting more effort on usage efficiency relative to where the water comes from or where it goes after use.
Research limitations/implications
The questions still require field-testing for validation and user acceptance.
Practical implications
The proposed questions could become part of a survey for companies to self-assess or to disclose information on the sustainable use of water. An index created using disclosed data would motivate companies to make more effort towards sustainable use of water.
Originality/value
The authors believe this to be the first effort towards formulating a sustainability index of companies’ use of water.
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HIS holidays over, before the individual and strenuous winter work of his library begins, the wise librarian concentrates for a few weeks on the Annual Meeting of the Library…
Abstract
HIS holidays over, before the individual and strenuous winter work of his library begins, the wise librarian concentrates for a few weeks on the Annual Meeting of the Library Association. This year the event is of unusual character and of great interest. Fifty years of public service on the part of devoted workers are to be commemorated, and there could be no more fitting place for the commemoration than Edinburgh. It is a special meeting, too, in that for the first time for many years the Library Association gathering will take a really international complexion. If some too exacting critics are forward to say that we have invited a very large number of foreign guests to come to hear themselves talk, we may reply that we want to hear them. There is a higher significance in the occasion than may appear on the surface—for an effort is to be made in the direction of international co‐operation. In spite of the excellent work of the various international schools, we are still insular. Now that the seas are open and a trip to America costs little more than one to (say) Italy, we hope that the way grows clearer to an almost universal co‐working amongst libraries. It is overdue. May our overseas guests find a real atmosphere of welcome, hospitality and friendship amongst us this memorable September!
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.
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This paper presents an analytical framework for modeling and measuring strategic alignment. The resource-product-market (RPM) model is introduced as a means of representing the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents an analytical framework for modeling and measuring strategic alignment. The resource-product-market (RPM) model is introduced as a means of representing the alignment of the firm's internal resources with its product lines and external markets. A strategic alignment index is defined to measure the degree of alignment represented by a model.
Design/methodology/approach
The RPM model is derived as an extension of prior research on diversification indexes. The strategic alignment index is mathematically defined and the properties of the model are characterized using graph theory. The approach is illustrated for two example firms.
Findings
The RPM model is flexible and can be used with different types and measures of resources, products and markets. The model represents strategy in a structural manner addressing a vertical type of alignment. The index ranges continuously from 0 to 1.0, providing a useful scale for measurement and comparison.
Practical implications
Practitioners may use RPM modeling to assess the current alignment of their respective firms and to identify strategic alternatives which increase alignment through a taxonomy of 13 strategic moves. The results of applying the model to ten firms are summarized.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the literature by providing a new method for modeling firm strategy which integrates resource and industry views, thereby enabling a measurement of their alignment. The paper is also novel in the application of graph theory to management.