Tsung‐Ming Yang and Chao‐Ton Su
The planning approach used is issue‐based planning or formal strategic planning, leading to local optimization and duplicated redundancy. An approach is presented in the rapid…
Abstract
Purpose
The planning approach used is issue‐based planning or formal strategic planning, leading to local optimization and duplicated redundancy. An approach is presented in the rapid growth of the business scale which emphasizes both customization and effectiveness, not only operation efficiency. The paper addresses these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
A two‐phase approach is applied to obtain a smooth implementation. A lean operation concept is executed in the first phase to reduce the engineer's workload, and the business process re‐engineering (BPR) technique is used in phase two to transform the working model.
Findings
This paper presents an extension model of hoshin kanri to translate strategies into achievable policies and actions to fulfil the objectives of the enterprise. This model not only comprises a complete plan and executive structure which is simple and effective, but also conducts complicated communication processes at different levels to achieve the common goals as envisioned by the executive management.
Practical implications
A case study is introduced to show the complete policy deployment process and realize the actual “vital few”. This study has been successfully implemented in the case company, and the labor productivity was improved by 6 percent over a two‐year period.
Originality/value
The paper presents a successful application of hoshin kanri for a semiconductor manufacturing company within a rapid growth environment.
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The study discovers a crisis of authority and administration in Catholic mission of Taiwan during 1910 and 1920s. It aims to discover the reasons and the significance of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The study discovers a crisis of authority and administration in Catholic mission of Taiwan during 1910 and 1920s. It aims to discover the reasons and the significance of the problem.
Design/methodology/approach
The author works on the reports and correspondence of Jean de Guébriant, apostolic visitor of China missions in 1919–1920. He received some reports from the Dominican Prefect Apostolic of Formosa, Clemente Fernandez.
Findings
The author discovers a severe problem of authority brought about some conflicts between the Prefect Apostolic Clemente Fernandez, o.p. and some Dominican missionaries in the mission, conflicts reflecting ambiguous status of this prefecture apostolic with regard to not only the Dominican Provincia del Santo Rosario, headquarters of Dominican missions in East Asia, but also the Dominican apostolic vicariate of Southern Fujian in China, and even the Japanese Catholic church, because Taiwan had been conceded to the Japanese empire since 1895 until 1945.
Research limitations/implications
The author has not yet consulted the archives in Propaganda Fide in Vatican circle and in Dominican archives. Still, some questions remain unanswered for lack of related archives. This study calls for further works in the future.
Originality/value
Very few relevant studies are found on the Dominican mission in Taiwan during 1860–1949. This study reveals a serious problem on the structure of Catholic mission due to an unclear status of Taiwan. It reflects, in fact, the delicate situation in ecclesial and political aspects between China, Japan and Spanish missions in Manila, Philippines.
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Tai-Yi Yu, Jeou-Shyan Horng, Chih-Hsing Liu, Sheng-Fang Chou, Ming-Tsung Lee, Yung-Chuan Huang and Maria Carmen B. Lapuz
This study attempts to fill the research gap by extending sustainability literature and providing empirical evidence that considers sustainability marketing commitment (SMC) as a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study attempts to fill the research gap by extending sustainability literature and providing empirical evidence that considers sustainability marketing commitment (SMC) as a fundamental attribute of effective marketing strategy that consequently improves tourism service quality, as represented by service attractiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
In the current study, data was collected from 313 tourism and hospitality firms. To test the model, this study applied structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the relationships among environmental strategy, SMC, supplier trust and service attractiveness in a mediation-moderation setting.
Findings
The results indicate that the multiple mediation effects of environmental strategy may indirectly influence tourist attractiveness through SMC and tourism services. The two-way moderating effects reveal that supplier trust and socialization strengthen the service attractiveness development process, while three-way interaction discovered that socialization and supplier trust positively moderate the relationships between tourism services and service attractiveness.
Originality/value
Sustainable strategy is a future trend for tourism business management; however, unknown to most is the role of marketing and environmental strategy in tourism business due to lack of integration with concepts in marketing strategy, with the multidimensionality of tourism services, and with the function of trust and socialization, critically undermining analyses of service attractiveness. This paper combines corporate sustainability and sustainability marketing methods to explore how an environmental strategy can improve tourism services and enhance a destination's attractiveness based on a mediation-moderation mechanism.
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Even though there is a vast body of research on the performance of mergers in the developed markets, many issues are still unresolved. There is almost negligible research in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Even though there is a vast body of research on the performance of mergers in the developed markets, many issues are still unresolved. There is almost negligible research in the form of published papers on the performance of merged firms and the strategic factors impacting this performance, in the context of Indian industry. This study aims to address this gap in knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a quantitative method and statistically analyses secondary data.
Findings
The study finds that merged firms demonstrate better operating performance as compared to both their industries and their pre‐merger performance. Merging firms belonging to unrelated industries appear to be performing better in the long‐term as compared to the related firms. Mergers which witness transfer of corporate control demonstrate a better performance than the ones that do not. Sick acquired firms negatively impact long‐term performance.
Research limitations/implications
The first limitation of the study is that the financial sector has not been included since it follows different accounting norms. The second limitation is that the findings apply broadly across Indian industry and the limited sample size does not facilitate an industry‐specific focus. The study points towards further research using a longer time frame that might help understand longitudinal variations in merged firm performance. It also encourages future finer‐grained studies on each of the factors which impact merged firm performance.
Practical implications
Managers can prudently utilize mergers to improve firm performance in Indian industry. It appears that firms belonging to unrelated industries bestow better long‐term post‐merger cash flow returns. Managers in India do not thus have to constrain themselves to only horizontal mergers. Managers would be well‐advised to improve on their managerial capabilities since this study points towards a developing market for corporate control in the Indian context.
Originality/value
This is probably the first paper of its kind on research on the performance of merged firms in India.
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Investigating the beginning of project management (app. 30 BC) with a focus on business models similar to the “PDCA” cycle, the purpose of this paper is to find an approach which…
Abstract
Purpose
Investigating the beginning of project management (app. 30 BC) with a focus on business models similar to the “PDCA” cycle, the purpose of this paper is to find an approach which could be used as a new standard procedure for the eradication of projects in Lean project management.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on literature research of models similar to Walter A. Shehwart’s three-step and Edward W. Deming’s four-step (PDC(A)) wheel, the investigated models are interconnected to form a new concept which represents an innovative cycle logic proposed to be applied in Lean project management. This new cycle logic is rolled out on three different levels, which are transferred from the Lean management hoshin kanri model to Lean project management. In addition to literature research, semi-structured interviews were performed to get an indication as to the integration of Lean management (with a focus on PDCA) in project management today.
Findings
It was found that the “Check Plan Do” cycle is a Lean variant of the “Plan Do Check Act” model that is already used in consulting projects in practice, partially appears in project management standards, in governance models of ambulance, fire services, human aid and military forces and in quality management models of Six Sigma, design for Six Sigma and an excellence model of the European Foundation for Quality Management. To ensure continuous improvement it was found that the new CPD cycle can be used on different “planning” levels in analogy to the hoshin kanri logic.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, a discussion as to how the PDCA cycle can be adapted to Lean project management, considering the implication of business models similar to the PDCA wheel, has not yet been conducted within the field of project management.