Nivea Blackburn, Val Hooper, Russell Abratt and Judy Brown
The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which organisations engage with stakeholders about social and environmental issues. The authors establish where the designers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which organisations engage with stakeholders about social and environmental issues. The authors establish where the designers of these reports source the information reported.
Design/methodology/approach
This was an exploratory study that employed a qualitative research design. Interviews with 24 individuals from 15 organisations in New Zealand that are involved with the writing of sustainability reports were conducted. In addition documents were analysed from a number of organisations to allow for triangulation.
Findings
Findings indicate that engagement with stakeholders was important and one of the main purposes was to have a licence to stay in business. It was also found that managers do prioritise the saliency of issues. Generally, stakeholders do not get involved in the decision making pertaining to environmental issues in organisations.
Research limitations/implications
The sample investigated in this study was relatively small so generalisation of the results would be difficult. However, these in depth interviews did provide insights that can be used in further study using large samples and in different countries.
Originality/value
This is the first time that the designers of annual reports were interviewed. They have knowledge of the extent of stakeholder engagement with firms.
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Choo Hong Telvin Goh and Val Hooper
The objectives of this research are to ascertain the current status of, and barriers to, knowledge and information sharing; to elicit suggestions for improvement; and to determine…
Abstract
Purpose
The objectives of this research are to ascertain the current status of, and barriers to, knowledge and information sharing; to elicit suggestions for improvement; and to determine whether the situation is different from that experienced by organizations operating in an average business environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach adopted was a survey conducted within the New Zealand Defence Force, for the purpose of obtaining a deeper understanding.
Findings
It was found that much similarity existed between the two types of organizations except that the organization operating in a closed information environment presented as an extreme example of an average organization. In particular, the requirement to maintain high security yet encourage the free flow of knowledge and information presents a considerable challenge.
Originality/value
The paper presents some insights into an area about which very little is known and which is, by its nature, difficult to research. It shows how closed information environment organizations could provide insights and examples for those operating in the average business environment. When consequences are more critical, practice will become more finely honed.
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Benoit Aubert, Val Hooper and Alexander Schnepel
Communication quality is repeatedly listed among the top success factors to consider when implementing an ERP system. Analysis shows its role is more complex. It helps some aspect…
Abstract
Purpose
Communication quality is repeatedly listed among the top success factors to consider when implementing an ERP system. Analysis shows its role is more complex. It helps some aspect of success but has no influence on others. The aim of this paper is to conduct a case study to determine the role of communication quality in the success of an ERP project implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study was conducted to determine the role of communication quality in the success of an ERP project implementation.
Findings
Results suggest that different aspects of communication quality impact different dimensions of project success. Some dimensions of project success did not seem influenced by communication quality. Results also show that, for the dimensions of project success that are influenced by communication quality, the form might be as important as the content of communication.
Research limitations/implications
The literature may be repeating an “accepted truth” without actually testing it. The evaluation of the regularity of the patterns observed will require additional observations. Also, the reasons behind the association between the communication quality attributes and the different components of success will need to be further investigated.
Practical implications
For managers, the findings highlight that communication is not a silver bullet when conducting ERP projects. Managers should also be aware that the form of the communication efforts will likely have as much impact as the content of the communication process. The results specially emphasized the importance of openness in communication.
Originality/value
The study considers nine dimensions of communication quality. By examining the separate effects of the communication content and form on the components of ERP project success, the paper provides a deeper understanding of the role of communication in the implementation of ERP systems.
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Ankie Visschedijk and Forbes Gibb
This article reviews some of the more unconventional text retrieval systems, emphasising those which have been commercialised. These sophisticated systems improve on conventional…
Abstract
This article reviews some of the more unconventional text retrieval systems, emphasising those which have been commercialised. These sophisticated systems improve on conventional retrieval by using either innovative software or hardware to increase retrieval speed or functionality, precision or recall. The software systems reviewed are: AIDA, CLARIT, Metamorph, SIMPR, STATUS/IQ, TCS, TINA and TOPIC. The hardware systems reviewed are: CAFS‐ISP, the Connection Machine, GESCAN,HSTS,MPP, TEXTRACT, TRW‐FDF and URSA.
Naomi F. Dale, Patrick J. N. L'Espoir Decosta and Lynda Kelly
While it is recognised that the involvement of children in sustainable tourism change and development is crucial the fact remains that information on their worldviews and…
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While it is recognised that the involvement of children in sustainable tourism change and development is crucial the fact remains that information on their worldviews and sustainable tourism behaviour is scarcely available. One long-term empowerment strategy countries and governments around the world can implement is by promoting children's rights through responsible education. This chapter articulates one tactic of that strategy at the local action level of school excursions, which is seen as an instrument that can be made most effective when it is initiated with the assumption that it is needed to help our younger generation acquire an environmental worldview, is harnessed in coalition with collaborators and, applied around the ‘moral’ obligation of educational institutions to provide agency to students' voice. Of the 17 Goals of Sustainable Development, SDG4 (Quality) Education can make a critically important contribution to progress. A series of activities and initiatives undertaken in informal educational environments such as field trips and school excursions can contribute to educating children, building their awareness about responsible and sustainable tourism practices, and developing an environmental sensitivity. Excursion activities and destinations such as museum exhibits have the opportunity to shape identities—through access to objects, information and knowledge. Visitors can see themselves and their culture reflected in ways that encourage new connections, meaning making and learning. Upon looking into transformational experiences in museums it was found that students were easily able to articulate that ‘aha’ moment, particularly around thinking differently about issues and taking action for environmental and sustainable changes.