Digital Commons Network^™

Implementation Of An Integrated Accounting And Cost Management System Using Sap System: A Field Study, Sudhir C. Lodh, Michael J. Gaffikin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Not only are in-depth (theoretically informed) longitudinal (reflexive) field studies few and far between, it has been argued in those studies that little is known about the design and implementation of accounting and information systems that operate in today's world-class organizations. Using such an approach this study seeks to illustrate and analyse the implementation processes of an integrated accounting and cost management system using the SAP system at a major steel producer in Australia. It is demonstrated that the technical design of the system is only a part of the implementation process. Keeping 'actor-networks' in line and managing change including …

Towards An Organizational Model Of Occupational Health And Safety Management: A Review Of The Literature, Michael Zanko, Scott Burrows

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The enormous, tragic and largely unnoticed problem of workplace injuries and deaths continues to beset countries around the globe. Tripartite regulatory approaches to address the issues involved often place primary responsibility on employers’ management of health and safety (OHS) at the workplace. This paper seeks to ascertain how OHS management at the organizational level has been treated in the research literature.

A review of thirteen leading management journals from 1994 to 2005 was conspicuous by the absence of interest in OHS management as the subject or field of study. An examination of six leading HRM journals over the same timeframe …

Change Management, Patrick M. Dawson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A key aim of change management is to manage processes towards a future that, even when anticipated and planned for, can never be fully foreseen. It is a paradox that continues to generate considerable debate and conceptual and definitional confusion.

Missing In Action: Research On Occupational Health And Safety Management In Organizations, Michael Zanko

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The enormous problem of workplace injuries and deaths continues to beset countries. Reflexive OHS regulation often places primary responsibility on employers’ management of OHS in organizations. This paper seeks to ascertain how OHS management at the organizational level has been treated in the research literature. A review of leading journals (13 in management, 6 in HRM) from 1994 to 2005 showed OHS management to be largely missing as the subject or field of study. Naturally, the OHS literature was more fruitful: 5 main categories were identified. However, there was little in the way nuanced explanation of OHS management at the …

A Methodology For Integrating Artificial Intelligence Into A Quality Management Teaching Environment, Xuesong Chi, Trevor A. Spedding

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Management flight simulators provide a “microworld” in which users control an organization in a realistic environment without the need to disturb the real system. This paper presents a web-based intelligent virtual learning environment to enhance the education of engineering management students in quality management and statistical process control techniques. The paper introduces the structure and methodology for building this online learning environment. The simulated environment is based on an innovative approach which incorporates a Fuzzy Adaptive Resonance Theory Neural Network to enable students to obtain the best response by automatically identifying out of control conditions.

'Lights… Action… Grounded Theory': Developing An Understanding For The Management Of Film Production, M. L. Jones

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Grounded Theory (GT) provides an ideal tool for analysis and theoretical development, and so is used here to study the Australian Film Industry. The goal of this study is to explicate management outcomes from the perspective of a film producer managing a film production. This paper firstly explains the value and the practicality of using GT for this type of study, it then provides a practical understanding of how the method can be used.

Interorganizational Dynamics In Collaboration In University-Industry Research Projects: Context, Politics And Social Construction, Michael Zanko, Richard Badham, Karin H. Garrety

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

University-industry partnerships (UIPs) are widely viewed as essential in leveraging research capability and economic performance in organizations and the nation as a whole. In Australia, as in many other countries, the national government commits significant funds to such ‘strategic’ collaborations. Despite this interest, there is still a relatively poor understanding of the interorganizational dynamics of these industry and university partnerships and their projects. This paper examines such dynamics by focusing on a management-related research project we were involved in negotiating and undertaking with industry partner managers over a four-year period. Of particular relevance was the complex interplay between UIP politics, …

The Development Of A User Self-Help Knowledge Management System For Help Desk: Deployment Of Knowledge Management Approach And Software Agent Technology, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Most help desks have admitted their call volume has increased in the past decade while “help unavailable when needed” is the major reason for service delivery failure and user dissatisfaction. The habit of calling help desk for simple problems has prompted the investigation of transferring part of first-level troubleshooting duty from help desk to user. This research proposes the development of user self-help knowledge management system that allows user to solve simple and routine technical enquiries. The proposed approach incorporates software agent to allow autonomous handling of enquiries so that the most appropriate solution and user communication can be facilitated.

A Multi-Agent Approach Towards Collaborative Supply Chain Management, Xin Li, Sim K. Lau

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Supply chain collaboration has become a critical success factor for supply chain management and effectively improves the performance of organizations in various industries. Supply chain collaboration builds on information sharing, collaborative planning and execution. Information technology is an important enabler of collaborative supply chain management. Many information systems have been developed for supply chain management from legacy systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) into the newly developed advanced planning and scheduling system (APS) and e-commerce solutions. However, these systems do not provide sufficient support to achieve collaborative supply chain. Recently, intelligent agent technology and multi-agent system (MAS) have received a …

Knowledge Management In Information Technology Help Desk: Past, Present And Future, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Information technology has changed the way organizations function. This resulted in the reliance of help desks to deal with information technology related areas such as hardware, software, and telecommunication. Besides, the adoption of business process reengineering and downsizing have led to the shrinkage of the size of help desk. The shorter information technology product life cycle has worsened the situation by increasing the already sizeable help desk’s user base. Consequently, the help desk has to cover more information technology products and resolute more technical enquiries with less staff. Thus, the outcome is clear that users have to wait comparably longer …

Articulating Knowledge Work: The Contributions Of Activity Theory And Task-Based Knowledge Management, Henry Linger, Frada Burstein, Helen M. Hasan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This chapter addresses issues of knowledge work in organisations with a concern that mainstream knowledge management (KM) has fallen short of expectations. The real nature of knowledge work remains hidden, and thus inaccessible, to those who are trying to improve organisational outcomes through KM practices. The authors have conducted independent research within a new discourse on knowledge work in the context of modem complex organisations, the results of which are converging to a common understanding of this critical phenomenon. Their two theoretical frameworks, one task-based and one activity-based, are described here as eminently suited to this research. Two sets of …

The Impact Of National Culture On The Standardization Versus Adaptation Of Knowledge Management, Zhi Ang, Peter R. Massingham

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the affect of national culture on knowledge management for multinational companies (MNCs). MNCs often have to decide whether to standardise or adapt their operations. Previous research has found that national culture has an effect in a range of MNC operations, e.g. human resources, marketing. However, there has been limited research on the influence of culture on knowledge management. We combine these perspectives to develop a conceptual framework that explores the decision to standardise or adapt knowledge management practices based on differences in national culture. The study extends current theoretical perspectives on knowledge management by exploring the cultural …

The Customization Of Knowledge Management Techniques In Information Technology Help Desk, Kar Yin Leung, Sim K. Lau, Geng Liang

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Information Technology (IT) has converted a majority of organizational activities to automatic and electronicbased. This conversion greatly increases Help Desk (HD)'s coverage on IT related areas. Alternatively, the adoption of business process reengineering and downsizing has led to the shrinkage of the size of HD. This not only leads to the loss of priceless knowledge, but also coerces HD to provide more service with less staff - the outcome is clear that users have to wait comparably longer before HD staff is available. This paper describes how generic Knowledge Management process can be customized to improve support process in HD.

A Study On Solid Waste Management System Of Dhaka City Corporation: Effect Of Composting And Landfill Location, Faisal Ibney Hai, M. Ashraf Ali

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

This study has analyzed the generation and characteristics of solid waste in Dhaka city, along with the associated environmental impacts and existing solid waste management practices. Special focus was given on the effect of composting on final disposal of solid waste and effect of landfill site location on transportation cost. An estimate of the future generation rate indicates that the present generation rate of 3500 tons/day may exceed 30 thousand tons/day by the year 2020.The mixed waste dumped at dumping sites is characterized with high organic content and high moisture content (about 80% and 50-70% by weight, respectively). According to …

Development Of Watershed Management In New South Wales, Australia: A Coastal Perspective, Pedro I. J Fidelman, Robert John Morrison, Ron J. West

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Watershed management has become a prominent approach to natural resource management (NRM) in Australia and elsewhere. In the Australian State ofNew South Wales (NSW), catchment management - the NSW watershed management initiative - has been in place both in coastal and non-coastal areas for nearly two decades. In coastal areas, it is suggested that catchment management could play an important role in coastal and marine issues (NSW Coastcare et aI., 2004; Zann, 1996), as the Australia's coastal and marine environments have, in general, been affected by watershed-based activities (see e.g., Zann, 1996). Such a role would, however, require institutional changes, …

Supporting Self-Management Of Diabetes In Aboriginal People Living With Diabetes Through A 5-Day Residential Camp, Caroline Harris, Owen Curtis

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The aim of a 5-Day Diabetes Self-management Residential Camp was to develop, trial and evaluate a culturally appropriate model of disease self-management in a group of Aboriginal people with established diabetes and their partners, focusing on education, diet, exercise, attitudes and beliefs. The camp was effective in providing education, addressing barriers to good control of clinical signs and symptoms, fostering self-management skills, changing lifestyle behaviors and improving diabetes outcomes.

The Road Of Trials: Management Concepts In Documentary Film Production In Australia, M. L. Jones, Christina Kirsch

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

New technologies affecting work and organizational design, unclear work functions and roles, communication problems, cross-cultural management problems, lack of knowledge transfer and industrial disputes - the catalogue of problems that affect the Australian film Industry (AFI) in general reads like a curriculum in the management discipline. Management and organizational studies have obviously neglected the film production industry and only few established management research programs tackle the film industry (Blair 2000, Cunningham 2002, Starkey, Barnatt & Tempest 2000). This project investigates projects in the AFI from a management perspective, with the objective to develop a theoretical framework and evaluate various management …

Landscape Management: Is It The Future?, R. J. Whelan

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

As a Keynote Address at the 2004 Nature Conservation Council Conference, Bushfire in a Changing Environment - New Directions in Management, this paper argues that the landscape is a template with biodiversity assets, and human assets and bushfires overlaid. Two case studies, the Greater Glider and Eastern Bristlebird, are used to illustrate how the impact of bushfire on a species is contingent on it is distributed in the landscape, relative to the locations of its remnant habitat. Mitigation of bushfire effects, using fuel-reduction programs, is a process that also needs to be considered at a landscape scale, and has the …

Learning And Doing In Communities: Understanding Knowledge Management Through The Lens Of Activity Theory, Helen M. Hasan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Activity As A Unit Of Analysis For Knowledge Management Frameworks, Leoni Warne, Irena Ali, Helen Hasan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The authors of this paper take the view that knowledge management is a set of practices for systematically adding value to the knowlege of individuals, which is generated and shaped through interaction with others. It is therefore appropriate that knowledge management research be conducted in the context of particular organisations, focusing on local activities. To that end two of the authors have conducted a four-year research program investigating the factors in organizations that enhance and enable the assimilation, generation, sharing and building of knowledge that transfonns an organization into a learning organization. Human activities in organisational contexts have been analysed …

The Politics Of Human Resource Management In Implementing Process Innovation, Michael Zanko, Richard Badham, Maren Schubert

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper analyses a longitudinal case study of organizational and human resource management (HRM) dimensions in the implementation of an approach to product development (concurrent engineering (CE)) in a multinational firm engaged in defence electronics. Most aspects of managing product development in CE are linked to people management. Yet in this case, other than project team structure, prescriptive HRM dimensions of CE received little attention in the implementation process. This failure to address the 'formal' prescribed HRM issues is explained by a multilayer analysis of the play of power and political lobbying among 'stakeholders' over time: the HRM function, key …

A Framework For Case-Based Reasoning Integration On Knowledge Management Systems, Seung Hwan Kang, Sim K. Lau

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

To support the sharing and reusing of well-defined knowledge among knowledge management systems, it is useful to use standardised formalisation. It is also common effort to difficulty of knowledge acquisition known as knowledge acquisition bottleneck. In this paper investigates the feasibility of using techniques in case-based reasoning of artificial intelligence for the knowledge acquisition phase in knowledge management systems. The need of an ontological approach of the semantic web for well-defined set of domain knowledge is proposed in order to avoid knowledge acquisition bottleneck. Our viewpoint of this approach is that the ontology-driven mechanism allows us to provide standardised structured …

Adaptive Management: What Does It Mean And How Can It Be Used In Fire Management?, R. J. Whelan

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

‘Adaptive Management’ is becoming a frequently heard term but it is a much misunderstood concept. It does not mean that developments can go ahead and be ‘adapted’ if detrimental effects are discovered! Its greatest value is in defining an experimental approach to land management in situations where scientific knowledge is lacking but where immediate actions are required. This is especially important where doing nothing might conceivably be just as undesirable as applying any of the alternative management options. Given the lack of knowledge of fire responses of much of our native biota, adaptive management is clearly a sensible approach to …

Analysis Of Information Cost Incurred In Foreign Exchange Risk Management By Smes, Shyam S. Bhati

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In this study, the theory of Information Cost developed by Casson (1995) is used to explain the various intormatlOn cost associated with foreign exchange risk management by SMEs. From the application of Casson's theory, 1t 1S concluded that the SMEs incur maximum cost in collecting, communicating and synthesising information while managing foreign exchange risk. Also, the SMEs do not seem to have the potential to reduce these information costs because of ,their limited bargaining capacity in relation to service provIders. As such, SMEs would fit the description of "optimal" organisation as defined by Casson (1995) due to the trade-offmade by …

Celebrating The Past: Financial Management In The Third Sectore, Anne Abraham

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The centrality of the mission, as opposed to the importance of fmancial outcomes, created many problems in the early financial management of third sector organisations. Thus, it is important to celebrate the contribution made by these early managers as they struggled to guide their organisation in a fiscally responsible manner. This paper has two parts. First, it considers the need for accountability from an internal organisational perspective and also as a response to the external demand for accountability. Secondly, it provides a case study of an eighty year old organisation whose early leaders were responsible for putting in place procedures …

Management Consultant - Client Relationships: Their Impact On Consultancy Outcomes In Smes, Gary I. Noble

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on the findings of an empirical study that examined aspects of the consultant - client relationship (CCR) that affect the adoption of a consultant's recommendations in the context of a small or medium enterprise (SME). In addition, this study found that a SNlE client's judgement of the success of a consultancy project was based on three key factors - the financial change in the business, the gaining of new knowledge on operating an SME learnt through the consultancy and any new perspective on the business gained as a result of the consultancy. These findings are drawn from …

Researching Case Management: Making It A 'Fact'?, Peter J. Camilleri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Case management has become a very important part of the human and health services and has also been cemented in legislation in the US, the UK and Australia and implemented in various practice settings and programs. A review on case management is presented considering its historic origins, concepts and the various researches done on it.

Geotechnical Assessment And Management Of 148 Landslides Triggered By A Major Storm Event In Wollongong, Australia, P N. Flentje, R N. Chowdhury

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

On the 17th August 1998 a severe rainfall event occurred over a widespread area of the City of Wollongong. During this storm, 1 person drowned and an estimated $50 to $100 million damage was caused to the City of Wollongong. Road access to the City was cut by raised water levels and debris flows covering and or scouring road and rail routes for up to 36 hours following this event. A geotechnical team of 3, including the first author, was organised at very short notice during the response phase of the emergency operations on the early morning of the 20th …