THE increased mobility of modern warfare, combined with the rapid advance in the destructive power of the weapons available, requires that military aircraft should become…
Abstract
THE increased mobility of modern warfare, combined with the rapid advance in the destructive power of the weapons available, requires that military aircraft should become increasingly independent of conventional bases with their ‘Maginot Line’ vulnerability. Therefore, the ability to operate from any surface anywhere, be it jungle clearing or city out‐skirts, must be an essential feature of future tactical strike reconnaissance aircraft. This can be provided by the incorporation of a V/S.T.O.L. capability. In addition, simplicity and general robustness arc essential, since the present trend for increasingly sophisticated systems, requiring highly trained specialists and complicated servicing equipment, imposes an. unacceptable restriction when operating in a fluid battle area.
THE power plant for the Concord supersonic transport has evolved from an optimization study which showed that a medium‐pressure ratio turbojet would be the best compromise for a…
Abstract
THE power plant for the Concord supersonic transport has evolved from an optimization study which showed that a medium‐pressure ratio turbojet would be the best compromise for a transatlantic M=2•2 civil aircraft. The detail design of the engine intake and nozzle systems is currently proceeding in the Design Offices of British Aircraft Corporation and Bristol Siddeley Engines in England and S.N.E.C.M.A. in France.
Tanya Bondarouk and Christina-Maria Friebe
The purpose of this study is to offer an integrated literature review of shared services’ organizational structures by specifically focusing on centralization, specialization…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to offer an integrated literature review of shared services’ organizational structures by specifically focusing on centralization, specialization, control, and formalization mechanisms.
Methodology/approach
A sample consisting of 103 empirical and conceptual articles, identified in a structured literature search in Science Direct and Scopus, was analyzed. The focus was on exploring the structural dimensions of shared services in various fields: Supply Chains, Finance, Human Resource Management, and Information Technologies. Findings from the selected articles were codified alongside the structural dimensions drawn from contingency theory.
Findings
Most of the papers identified were concerned with the Human Resource function or with Accounting and Finance in the private sector. Purchasing was only mentioned in a few general articles and Marketing not represented at all, even though the literature suggests that shared services do exist in this field. This uneven distribution across fields, as well as the reality that many articles fail to make clear divisions between disciplines, is hardly conducive to identifying trends for individual disciplines, and only general trends for each dimension could be identified. Although centralization was one of the most discussed dimensions, there was no consensus as to whether shared services should be centralized or decentralized. Standardization and formalization were both found to be highly important, although a need for customization was also emphasized.
Implications
Future research should be oriented toward the structural dimensions of shared services in a broader range of fields as current findings are dominated by the Human Resource function. Another implication of our findings is that scholars could usefully test empirically the dimensions, especially those where opinions differed the most: centralization and specialization.
Originality/value
Earlier conceptualizations noted that the mixed shared service outcomes stem from the diversity in governance and several contingency factors. This work continues the exploration of the contingency factors and mechanisms that, through integration, allow shared services to respond to the environmental uncertainty. The value of this chapter is in examining the structures of different functional types of shared services that are reported as successful in the literature, thus offering an overview of best practices in organizing shared services.
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This chapter begins with a reflection on the call for investigating how entrepreneurial competencies are developed (Bird, 1995) in the context of university-based entrepreneurship…
Abstract
This chapter begins with a reflection on the call for investigating how entrepreneurial competencies are developed (Bird, 1995) in the context of university-based entrepreneurship centers. Through clarifying the nature of entrepreneurial competencies and applying a social constructivist perspective of learning, it is proposed that effective nurturing of entrepreneurial competencies for university students through entrepreneurship centers shall be based on five key characteristics; namely, active experimentation, authenticity, social interaction, sense of ownership, and scaffolding support. The chapter contributes to the literature through establishing a link between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial competencies in the context of university-based entrepreneurship centers, which have become an increasingly popular way for promoting entrepreneurial development. The practical implications on nurturing entrepreneurs through entrepreneurship centers are discussed, together with the directions for further research. This chapter is designed as a refection upon Bird’s original article articulating the concept of entrepreneurial competencies. In this chapter, the author outlines how entrepreneurial competencies can be developed through education programs, specifically via entrepreneurship centers.
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Organizations, especially youth organizations, often use media and communication tools to engage participants and achieve their goals. While these tools have the potential to…
Abstract
Organizations, especially youth organizations, often use media and communication tools to engage participants and achieve their goals. While these tools have the potential to benefit organizations, it is unclear whether using media tools influences effectiveness and how their use compares to traditional engagement practices. In this chapter, I examine the impact of both media tools and participant inclusion on organizational efficacy, controlling for various organizational characteristics. I use originally collected survey data from paid staff youth nonprofit civic organizations in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. I find that using Twitter increases organizational efficacy, but the effect is ameliorated by the inclusion of organizational characteristics. I also find that media tools tend to be used by organizations in a one-directional manner, which may help explain their limited impact. Using media tools is not sufficient to increase efficacy since the way they are used also matters. Including youth in daily decision-making processes, however, increases organizational efficacy and the relationship is robust to including organizational characteristics.
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Michelle Lynn Kaarst‐Brown and Daniel Robey
Much research on information technology (IT) emphasizes the rational aspects of IT use. However, cultural analyses have considered IT as a symbolic artifact open to social…
Abstract
Much research on information technology (IT) emphasizes the rational aspects of IT use. However, cultural analyses have considered IT as a symbolic artifact open to social interpretation. This article presents findings from ethnographic studies of two large insurance organizations to illustrate how cultural assumptions about IT are implicated in IT management. We employ the metaphor of magic as an interpretive lens to generate five archetypes of IT culture: the revered, controlled, demystified, integrated, and fearful IT cultures. Each of these archetypal cultural patterns reflects different assumptions about the “magic” of IT and the “wizards” who control its powers. These patterns are similar to social responses to the unknown that have been found in human cultures for hundreds of years. The metaphor itself was drawn from the language of the two organizations. All five archetypes were manifest in both of the companies studied, suggesting that organizations do not necessarily develop unified symbolic meanings of IT. Although separately each archetype invites novel insights into the management of IT in organizations, together they reveal even deeper interpretations consistent with contemporary theories of cultural differentiation and fragmentation.
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A.A. Lombard and A.J. Heyworth
THE Society of Automotive Engineers' paper, upon which this article is based, followed very closely along the lines of an article entitled ‘Composite Power Plant System for V/S.T…
Abstract
THE Society of Automotive Engineers' paper, upon which this article is based, followed very closely along the lines of an article entitled ‘Composite Power Plant System for V/S.T.O.L. Aircraft’ published in the December, 1962, issue of AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING [see Ref. (4)]—although the latter paper concentrated upon a description of the RB. 162 and the use of lightweight lift engines for a V/S.T.O.L. low‐level strike fighter. The S.A.E. paper has therefore been slightly condensed here, to avoid unnecessary duplication and a number of illustrations have been omitted. Throughout this paper there are references to the advantages of a multi‐engined aircraft for the V/S.T.O.L. fighter application in preference to the single‐engined type. These passages must be read in the light of the recent statement to the effect that Rolls‐Royce have submitted to the Ministry of Aviation design proposals for a version of the Hawker PA 154 V.T.O.L. aircraft powered by two lift/thrust engines based upon the Spey by‐pass engine. These two lift (thrust engines would replace the single Bristol Siddeley BS.100 vectored thrust engine which is believed to have a thrust (with plenum chamber burning) of about 30,000 lb. Apart from the more obvious advantage of having two engines, i.e. safety, and the ability of the aircraft to complete the mission as a conventional aircraft if one engine fails, there is also the additional and attractive proposition that the Rolls‐Royce Spey engine is already in quantity production for a number of civil and military aircraft and could presumably be readily adapted to a lift/thrust configuration with front nozzle incorporating plenum chamber burning and rear nozzle. Finally, the reader is recommended to study in full the articles referred to in Refs. (2), (3), (4) and (5), in addition to this paper, since these provide a comprehensive survey of the jet lift field and in particular the application of jet lift to V/S.T.O.L. fighters. The six references listed on this page did not, of course, form part of the original S.A.E. paper—Editor.
A Description of the Development of the Bristol Siddeley Pegasus and Plenum Chamber Burning for the BS.100 and an Outline of the Performance of a V/S.T.O.L Subsonic Strike Fighter…
Abstract
A Description of the Development of the Bristol Siddeley Pegasus and Plenum Chamber Burning for the BS.100 and an Outline of the Performance of a V/S.T.O.L Subsonic Strike Fighter Utilizing a Vectored Thrust Engine with PCB as Compared with a Composite Power Plant Fighter and a Vectored Thrust Type without PCB. The Bristol Siddeley Pegasus vectored‐thrust turbo‐Tan has now been in operation for six years, and during that time has been developed to a fully operational stan‐dard in the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel V/S.T.O.L. sub‐sonic strike fighter. Initial development of a second‐generation V/ S.T.O.L. strike fighter for supersonic flight necessitated thrust augmentation by combustion in the normally cold by‐pass flow. This gave rise to the design and development of a suitable combustion system, now known as ‘Plenum Chamber Burning’, or ‘PCB’. This paper summarizes the satisfactory development of the Pegasus vectored‐thrust turbofan, gives some description of the PCB system development, and shows how the application of this system to a V/S.T.O.L. subsonic strike fighter vectored‐thrust power plant gives the latter considerable superiority when compared with an equivalent composite power plant configuration.
Looks at the experience of action learning based on the words of those who have participated in such courses. From the responses of the participants a pattern of feelings emerged…
Abstract
Looks at the experience of action learning based on the words of those who have participated in such courses. From the responses of the participants a pattern of feelings emerged: the importance attached at the outset to being with the “right” people in a set, the camaraderie that develops within the set, the positive anticipation before a set meeting and the feelings of loss at the erosion or break‐up of an action learning set. Again from the responses, an action learning set within a course of higher education can be described as: a personal “think‐tank”; a place of much mutual support; a safe place to explore project and self; a place where friendships are formed; a place to be challenged; a place to get feedback (both positive and negative); and a group of people to keep you moving and keep you on the right track. Continues with a look at what the participants actually learned through their membership of an action learning set.
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The purpose of this paper is to challenge the notion that culture change programmes will inevitably gain support from employees by exploring ways in which policy implementation is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to challenge the notion that culture change programmes will inevitably gain support from employees by exploring ways in which policy implementation is affected by and provokes shifts in organizational cultures.
Design/methodology/approach
Case studies investigated aspects of cultural change post‐implementation of family‐friendly policies. A grounded theory approach was adopted in the collection and analysis of the data, largely but not exclusively obtained through three sets of interviews, giving a limited longitudinal dimension to the study.
Findings
As both organizations had been sated with change, the idea that further adjustment was necessary to facilitate better work‐life balance for employees was potentially alienating to the very members most needing to be “brought on board”. Harnessing widely esteemed values and adopting the language of “cultural revitalisation” rather than cultural change appeared more effective in securing broader support of employees.
Research limitations/implications
Studies began after policy implementation so there was significant dependence on participant recall to access perceptions of any shifts and HR managers determined sample composition. Both necessitated the use of a wide range of supplementary evidence (as befits case study research) and the latter the development of an “informal track” of participants.
Practical implications
Cultural change programmes must appreciate the importance of enduring values, correctly identifying those which appear most resonant for employees, ensuring that these feature prominently when promoting a “work‐life balance” agenda.
Originality/value
It is unusual for case studies to look in detail at processes of change. This paper refines notions of organizational culture change and considers how best to include employees most likely to be resistant to a “work‐life balance” agenda.