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1 – 10 of 11Gerald Vinten and Steve Alcock
Encouraging entrepreneurship has become an accepted wisdom in economic management and government policy. It could only be a matter of time before the world of education was…
Abstract
Encouraging entrepreneurship has become an accepted wisdom in economic management and government policy. It could only be a matter of time before the world of education was invoked as a means of furthering this end. Business schools have not made the most incisive contribution possible, and there is a significant expectations gap. So as we cascade down to the secondary level, efforts are being made to improve matters. The initiative of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship is outlined, and research results relating to impact are provided. This is a systematic and comprehensive approach, which started in the USA and has currently spread abroad. It has been well received, and is a suitable means of planting seeds that may come to fruition in later life. It is an action learning approach, which is an excellent vehicle for teaching business studies. It has proved itself in widening access to under‐privileged groups.
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This paper revisits the claim of Vinten (1993) in this journal that whistleblowing is achieving prominence as a question of social policy.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper revisits the claim of Vinten (1993) in this journal that whistleblowing is achieving prominence as a question of social policy.
Design/methodology/approach
It examines literature from social and health policy to focus on the importance of whistleblowing and the policies that may encourage whistleblowing. However, it finds little extant academic literature in social policy, and so it turns to examine documents on whistleblowing in the British National Health Service such as NHS Inquiries, Parliamentary Debates, Parliamentary Committee Reports and government documents.
Findings
It is found that whistleblowing has not achieved prominence as a question of social policy in nearly 30 years since Vinten's argument. However, it argues that whistleblowing should be an issue for social policy as it is clear that whistleblowing can save lives.
Practical implications
It supports the growing Parliamentary agenda for legislative change for whistleblowers.
Originality/value
This is one of the first articles on whistleblowing in a Social Policy journal for nearly 30 years and provides an argument that the discipline should pay more attention to a topic that can save lives.
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Ai Qiang Li, Nicholas Rich, Pauline Found, Maneesh Kumar and Steve Brown
In the age of Industry 4.0, digital advancement is reshaping manufacturing models towards product–service systems (PSS). The drivers, readiness and challenges to move to a PSS…
Abstract
Purpose
In the age of Industry 4.0, digital advancement is reshaping manufacturing models towards product–service systems (PSS). The drivers, readiness and challenges to move to a PSS model are not well understood, and the exploitation of the digital era presents the gap of this research.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was conducted using semi-structured interviews in six manufacturers. Two forum debates were also conducted to supplement and validate the findings.
Findings
Social and economic motivations rather than environmental considerations were driving the change to PSS. Digital technologies could be an important driver if manufacturers reached a certain PSS maturity level. A high level of technical readiness was offset by a low level of social investments and the strategic development of human resources. Value co-creation was a main challenge though manufacturers had the advantage of digital connectivity, which indicated new human requirements; the greater the enabling power of digital technologies, the greater the need for advanced human skills.
Practical implications
Human resource management has underpinned lean models; yet, the role of employees within PSS is underdeveloped despite the impact of staff in exploiting digitalisation and value co-creation. A “learning organisation” and socio-technical fit are required for the “diffusion of innovation” of PSS.
Originality/value
This research attempted to explore drivers, readiness and challenges for PSS from a socio-technical systems (STS) perspective. Three levels of PSS maturity with STS features were derived from the research, providing guidance for manufacturers.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore from an employer’s perspective the skills, attributes and capabilities required of a sports graduate, whilst also discovering how a student…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore from an employer’s perspective the skills, attributes and capabilities required of a sports graduate, whilst also discovering how a student is expected to demonstrate these skills in the context of a sports organisation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a qualitative interpretive case study approach through the use of face-to-face interviews with six employers from sports organisations involved in the delivery of sport. Interviews lasted between 30 and 42 minutes and were recorded. This was followed by a thematic review to allow for common themes to be selected and represented. The results were then reviewed and evaluated by a further 15 industry professionals and sports educators.
Findings
The results suggest employers seek skills that are characteristically enterprise/entrepreneurship skills, together with an articulation of a “sports graduate” mindset. This mindset is described by the employers as being something which is demonstrated through a combination of behaviours and attributes. The paper concluded that in the classroom, the use of case studies and challenges, where students have to respond to and solve problems by the very nature of the activity, is optimal.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper lies in both the context of study and the integration of enterprise and entrepreneurship skills that are needed for the changing world of work in sport. The value of the papers is in both the employer’s description of the graduate mindset and also examples of how the skills can be applied in the context of sport.
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An odd‐sounding expression recently introduced into the language, derived from the passage of events, Privatization, introduced as a rescue operation for sections of public and…
Abstract
An odd‐sounding expression recently introduced into the language, derived from the passage of events, Privatization, introduced as a rescue operation for sections of public and nationalised industry to hand them over to private enterprise to avoid their destruction and smothering by the unholy wedlock of trade unionism and weak, inefficient management. It frequently met with the opposition of unions and sections of staff. Efforts have been made to sabotage the take‐over and operation of the services by private firms, occasionally making them impossible to operate. This elementary operation was expected to achieve even greater success in the sections taken over and reduced the room for destructive manoeuvring by ajitator, much of which was caused independent of the unions. In the public services some of the antics between rival factions bordered on the ludicrous.
This paper aims to examine the suitability of a social enterprise model for community health promotion organisations working in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It focuses on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the suitability of a social enterprise model for community health promotion organisations working in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It focuses on organisational culture, social resources and capacity as pre-requisites for entrepreneurial activities.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on ethnographic case studies in England, including semi-structured interviews with the organisations’ staff, trustees and external stakeholders; participant observation; creative method workshops with staff; and feedback meetings with staff and trustees.
Findings
The paper provides empirical insights into the potential for, and the consequences of, introducing entrepreneurial ways of working to community health promotion organisations. It suggests that pre-existing capacity, competencies and skills, as well as the ability to manage cultural hybridity, are key factors.
Research limitations/implications
Studying three organisations allowed comparative analysis, but time constraints limited access to some stakeholders and meant that the researcher could not be continuously present. Fieldwork generated a series of “snapshots” of each organisation at several time points.
Practical/implications
Community health promotion organisations should be mindful of the social and cultural implications of following the entrepreneurial route to income generation. Policymakers need to be more aware of the challenges community health promotion organisations face in taking on entrepreneurial ways of working.
Originality/value
This paper contributes new empirical insights into the process of community health promotion organisations adopting entrepreneurial ways of working. This is underpinned by Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, which provides a new theoretical lens for examining the social and cultural aspects of this transition.
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Marko Bastl, Mark Johnson, Howard Lightfoot and Steve Evans
The purpose of this study is to examine a buyer's adoption of servitization and the associated implications for the relationships with its suppliers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine a buyer's adoption of servitization and the associated implications for the relationships with its suppliers.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use the case study approach to examine the tripartite relationship between a manufacturing company and two of its two suppliers. The paper explores the perspectives of employees on multiple organisational levels, and collects evidence on both sides of a relationship. The authors use template analysis utilising Cannon and Perreault's relationship connectors framework to analyse the data.
Findings
There are overarching implications of servitization adoption for buyer‐supplier relationships. The implications are notable in all five relationship connectors. Parties expected more open exchange of information, operational linkages were strengthened and changes in the structural arrangements of relationships were witnessed. Legal contracts are complemented by relational norms. The authors also observed a departure away from a win‐lose mentality and increased levels of supplier adaptation to support the buyer's provision of integrated solutions.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are confined to this tripartite relationship and to an extent are context specific.
Practical implications
The study unveils buyer‐supplier relationships in a servitized context and provides managers with a better understanding of some of the potential implications that the adoption of a servitization strategy may have for managing buyer‐supplier relationships.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical study that explores the implications of servitization on buyer‐supplier relationships. It advances the understanding of the implications that the adoption of servitization has on the manner in which two parties interrelate and conduct commercial exchange.
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Jillian MacBryde, Steve Paton and Ben Clegg
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of high-value manufacturing (HVM) concepts in Scottish SMEs and define how they are being used to gain competitive advantage…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of high-value manufacturing (HVM) concepts in Scottish SMEs and define how they are being used to gain competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross-sectional research carried out using a large-scale survey of 435 SMEs and semi-structured interviews of a subset of 50 SMEs.
Findings
Findings indicate that HVM is not a homogeneous state but an umbrella term for a number of operational models adopted by manufacturers that are progressively moving from simple price-based production; companies must, as a foundation, be operationally excellent in all lifecycle phases before extending their capability by offering a more comprehensive service; HVM is not a static state but a journey that differs in nature for each manufacturer depending on the nature of its market and customer.
Research limitations/implications
The approach to theory must be more integrated combining aspects of marketing, strategic and operational theory. Research must be carried out using the supply chain, rather than the firm, as the unit of analysis.
Practical implications
Manufacturing efficiency has now become an order qualifier and competitive advantage should now be sought through the integration of design, production and service activities from strategic levels down to operational levels across all the functions of a business which link seamlessly to customer and supplier activities.
Originality/value
This paper contains insights into Scottish SMEs and their practice of HVM; defines the activity that makes up HVM at an operational as opposed to an economic or strategic level; proposes a model that characterises the stages of HVM that SMEs transition through.
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Rodrigo Rabetino, Willem Harmsen, Marko Kohtamäki and Jukka Sihvonen
The purpose of this paper is to organize and connect past research from different servitization-related scholarly communities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to organize and connect past research from different servitization-related scholarly communities.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviews more than 1,000 articles by combining author co-citation and qualitative content analyses.
Findings
The structure and boundaries of the field are mapped, and the characteristics of the three identified servitization-related communities are assessed qualitatively. These three communities are product-service systems, solution business, and service science. The findings demonstrate that a narrow range of theories and qualitative methods dominate in existing research.
Originality/value
Through the lens of the sociology of science, this review critically evaluates servitization-related research and offers a list of themes that are considered important to the future development of the field. Regarding future research, the main recommendations are as follows: increasing the use of well-established theories from adjacent mature fields, borrowing ideas from different research communities to stimulate knowledge accumulation within and across communities, and reducing the level of description while increasing the number of confirmatory, quantitative, and longitudinal research designs. Finally, the development of formal structures for socialization (e.g. conferences and special issues) could allow the field to achieve a greater degree of scientific maturity and would influence the direction and pace of the development of servitization-related research.
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