Business Commons^™

David Clutterbuck, Mentoring And Coaching: A Commentary, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

David Clutterbuck has made tremendous contributions to both coaching and mentoring theory and practice over the past three decades. One of the pleasures of reading David Clutterbuck's work is that he communicates clearly without jargon, a tribute perhaps to his journalistic background. He captures what is known or believed about a topic at the time and is not afraid to say that things have changed or that his predictions have not yet come to pass. By articulating the conceptions of coaching and mentoring at a particular point in time, Clutterbuck allows us to recognise the changes that take place over …

The Australian Corporate Closet, Why It's Still So Full: A Review Of Incidence Rates For Sexual Orientation Discrimination Gender Identity Discrimination In The Workplace, Ian Smith, Lindsay G. Oades, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

The paper reviews the extant Australian literature on sexual orientation (SO) discrimination within the Australian workplace. In the research, there is variation in organisational workplace and a bias towards health and educational sectors as a research setting, which raises some methodological considerations such as poor generalisability to other organisational contexts. The small body of Australian research into SO discrimination encompasses; (i) varied methodological and theoretical approaches, (ii) disparate authors selecting a varied range of aspects of discrimination thus absenting a unifying framework to guide research and lacking as yet seminal authorship providing focus, iii) limited sampling of participants making comparisons …

Insights Into Mature Consumers Of Financial Services, Trenton Milner, Daniela Rosenstreich

Sydney Business School - Papers

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate psychographic, demographic and situational characteristics of Baby Boomer generation consumers, specifically in relation to their consumption of financial services.

Design/methodology/approach: A survey was pre-tested and 776 responses (77.6 per cent response rate) were subjected to correlation and ANOVA analysis. The survey covered a wide range of variables for decision making for financial services, including situational, demographic, and psychographic.

Findings: Consumers who scored higher on scales for competitiveness and need for material resources tended to have higher incomes. Mature consumers were likely to face major life events involving their children and parents, …

Managerial Coaching: Challenges, Opportunities And Training, Grace Mccarthy, Julia Milner

Sydney Business School - Papers

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the growing practice of managerial coaching. Much of the coaching literature is set in the context of an external coach coming into an organisation. However managers are increasingly being expected to coach their employees, a change in role which can create tensions. Design/methodology/approach - This paper examines the literature on coaching managers. The paper also discusses practical implications for coach training. Findings - This paper identifies key differences in the issues faced by coaching managers and by internal/external coaches and recognises the importance of adequate training of managers …

Critical Incidents In Cross-Cultural Coaching: The View From German Coaches, Julia Milner, Esther Ostmeier, Ronald Franke

Sydney Business School - Papers

The importance of a cultural perspective in coaching is increasingly significant for coaching practitioners and academics living in a globalised world. The question remains as to how the coaching methods rooted in the Western approach can be applied in the context of other (national) cultures. Using semi-structured interviews and based on the critical incidents technique, fifteen German coaching experts were interviewed to determine those critical incidents they experienced in cross-cultural coaching settings. The results show incidents in four main areas: communication, coach-client relationship, coaching setting and role understanding. These are aimed at improving outcomes but not at the expense of …

Innovation In Small And Medium-Sized Wood-Furniture Firms In Central Java, Indonesia, Amie Kusumawardhani, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

The aim of this paper is to explore the perception of innovation within Indonesian SMEs in the wood-furniture industry in Central Java, Indonesia. Qualitative research was employed by interviewing SMEs managers/owners. The study showed that SMEs' perception of innovation was not necessarily related to 'newness' or 'novelty' as suggested by some scholars. The innovation carried out by the majority of SMEs in this study is likely to be considered as incremental innovation. The characteristics of the wood-furniture industry and SMEs are believed to contribute to the different perspectives concerning innovation than those reported in the literature. Even so, they are …

Linking The Principles Of Supply Chain Management To Aid And Development: A Case Study - Waters Of Ayole', Mark Edwards, Lee Styger

Sydney Business School - Papers

The current protocols used in humanitarian aid management date back to the 1970's. Since the introduction of these protocols, there is little evidence to suggest that a paradigm improvement in overall efficiency has occurred in humanitarian aid compared for example, to industrial process improvements within the same time frame. Fundamentally, humanitarian aid is an end-to-end process demonstrating similar aspects to any other business organisation (for profit or not). This raises the possibility that the use of supply chain theories, including the Supply Chain Operating Reference (SCOR), are relevant and can play a part in developing initiatives to improve the end-to-end …

A Review Of Consumer Decision-Making Models And Development Of A New Model For Financial Services, Trenton Milner, Daniela Rosenstreich

Sydney Business School - Papers

It is recognised that existing theories of Consumer Decision Making (CDM) are not well suited for financial services and there have been calls for development of a new conceptual model. This article reviews prominent models of CDM and identifies strengths and limitations. A new conceptual model that is applicable to financial services is developed. An important element of the model is the recognition that the components interact rather than a consumer following a linear progression through a series of stages. The new model better reflects the iterative decision-making process relevant to financial services and enhances marketers' understanding of the process …

Why Do Women Vote For Women: An Exploration Of Decision Criteria In The Australian 2010 Federal Election, Diann Rodgers-Healey

Sydney Business School - Papers

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore if women who are in positions of leadership are influenced by gender when voting for a party led by a female candidate and if perceptions of the media's portrayal of a woman candidate influences the voting preferences of women leaders.

Design/methodology/approach - The paper reports the results of an online survey of women leaders to provide a pre-election analysis about how they would vote and what was influencing their vote for Gillard, if they chose to vote for her. Data were analysed using Content Analysis and Descriptive Statistical Analysis.

Findings …

The Palliative Care Phase Assessment In Practice, Sabina P. Clapham, Maree Banfield

Sydney Business School - Papers

PCOC is a national approach towards the routine assessment in palliative care practice using standardised assessment tools.

Security Without Secrecy? Counter-Terrorism, Asio And Access To Information, Mark Rix

Sydney Business School - Papers

The Foreign Office declined to disclose the reasons for deciding that specific files should be withheld, with the result that the reason for the continuing secrecy is itself ... a secret.

An Identification Of The Current Constraints Of Knowledge Business Modelling As A Strategic Decision Making Tool, Lee Styger

Sydney Business School - Papers

Business models are widely used and it might be argued, have an important role to play in assisting users to develop, plan and analyse their organisations better. Typically, many business models are however poorly understood and executed by their users. This often leads to inappropriate decision making and the wrong strategic direction being implemented. There are complex and interrelated factors for the poor execution of business modelling, however, some of the key influencing factors include, lack of training, a disassociation of the graphical representation from the narrative, and the lack of formal rules in the use of the business models. …

Public Interest Litigation: Making The Case In Australia, Andrea Durbach, Luke Mcnamara, Simon Rice, Mark Rix

Sydney Business School - Papers

Litigation is widely and appropriately recognised as an important component of the public interest advocacy 'toolkit'. Yet, little attention has been paid in Australian research and scholarship to an important question: under what circumstances is public interest litigation (PIL) an effective way to bring about progressive social change? Informed by a review of the international literature on PIL, the authors of this article argue for the importance of drawing on Australia's rich history with PIL to develop a solid empirical evidence base which can inform future decision about the strategic employment of PIL in campaigns to address the concerns and …

Airline Innovation And Sustainability: A Systems Perspective, Peter Critchley, Lee Styger

Sydney Business School - Papers

Air transport has been the scene of remarkable and rapid innovation since man first controlled powered flight in Kitty Hawk in 1903. Significant developments in aviation technology, for example, the onset of the Jet Age, tend to dominate popular perception of aviation innovation. The commercial airline industry is hugely complex and inexorably tied to our economic, social and technological systems. Consequently, it is also on the leading edge of the sustainability debate. Modern air transportation has developed into a hugely complex system in a relatively short time. That rapid development and complexity, however, offers insights into how the industry can …

Reasserting Freedom? Response To The Prevent Agenda By The Uk Coalition Government, Mark Rix, Nick Johns, Alison Green

Sydney Business School - Papers

In the UK the New Labour government under Tony Blair bought into the 'War on Terror' declared by George Bush Junior in 2001 the consequences for the general public was a significant loss of civil liberties that was supposedly justified by the enhanced degree of risk. In opposition the Conservatives argued that this loss was unacceptable and that on a sliding scale of freedom and security, freedom should always take priority as the fundamental political principle. In power from 2010 alongside their Liberal Democrat partners, they sought to return what had been lost, and to rebalance the scales. One of …

Human Resources Management Practices In Small And Medium Enterprises In Two Emerging Economies In Asia: Indonesia And South Korea, Palli Mulla K A Chandrakumara

Sydney Business School - Papers

This paper explores human resource management practices in small and medium enterprises Indonesia and South Korea. Despite the fact that these countries have been identified as strong emerging economies and the pivotal role that SMEs play in these countries, a relatively less attention has been paid to investigate HRM practices of SEMs. This study uses existing empirical research and published data to explore HRM practices of SMEs in the two countries. The analysis of HRM practices is made with respect to both cultural values orientations of the two nations and different theories and models of HRM practices. The findings reflect …

Sociomateriality And Information Systems Success And Failure, Karlheinz Kautz, Dubravka Cecez-Kecmanovic

Sydney Business School - Papers

The aim of this essay is to put forward a performative, sociomaterial perspective on Information Systems (IS) success and failure in organisations by focusing intently upon the discursive-material nature of IS development and use in practice. Through the application of Actor Network Theory (ANT) to the case of an IS that transacts insurance products we demonstrate the contribution of such a perspective to the understanding of how IS success and failure occur in practice. The manuscript puts our argument forward by first critiquing the existing perspectives on IS success and failure in the literature for their inadequate consideration of the …

Direct Mailing Decisions Based On The Worst And Best Practice Cross-Efficiency Evaluations, Mahdi Mahdiloo, Abdollah Noorizadeh, Reza Farzipoor Saen

Sydney Business School - Papers

The problem argued in the literature of direct mailing decisions generally contains three parts: 1) forecasting customers' future purchase/non-purchase responses; 2) evaluating the effectiveness of various strategies for increasing customers purchase responses; 3) prioritising the customers in terms of their values. A significant body of the literature has been dedicated to the first two components, and in particular, to purchase/non-purchase prediction modelling. However, in the current paper, we do not address these two components, but rather we focus on the third component. To this end, data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique and particularly cross-efficiency formulation of the best practice frontier Charnes, …

Sharing The Research Journey - Fostering A Love Of Research In Coursework Masters Students, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

Based on addressing the motivational needs identified in Self Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), the paper outlines an engaging approach to developing research skills in a coursework masters program. Self Determination theory is a needs based theory of motivation, focusing on basic human needs to relate to others in a group, to strive for competence, and to enjoy autonomy. According to Deci and Ryan (2002), social environments which fulfil these needs will result in motivated, engaged and successful individuals. Our students enjoy autonomy in their choice of topic and develop competence in research skills. Although each student conducts an …

The Role Of The Design Coach - A Novel Approach To Achieving 360 Collaboration Between Industry And Higher Education, Lee E. J Styger, Ian Ellis

Sydney Business School - Papers

There is significant latent design talent within the broader business community, however, much of the design potential is isolated, and, lacks the necessary focus to manifest positive commercial outcomes. Research has indicated that this situation is due to a myopic design development process that is typically caused by the lack of larger team dynamics, reporting structures, and more formal review and feedback processes. The role of the coach is well established in business environments, where, a specialist practitioner enables an environment that supports personal and operational development. Unfortunately the concept of the design coach is not as well established because, …

You Never Know What Question You Are Going To Answer: Creating Effective Tension For Effective Learning Using Business Case Studies, Palli Mulla K A Chandrakumara, Ananda Wickramasinghe

Sydney Business School - Papers

Case studies in business management have been used as an effective approach and tool for enhancing students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills by providing opportunities for student to apply appropriate theories, concepts and models for real world issues faced by organisations. Despite the popularity of the case study approach in business and management education, it is self evident that the effective use of case studies to achieve above mentioned benefits is challenging and problematic mainly because case studies are misused and abused in different ways, including just adopting a popular method, just asking students to read and answer the questions, …

Ideas Are Cheap, It's A Coach That Business Really Needs, Gordon B. Spence, Padraig B. O'Sullivan

Sydney Business School - Papers

"We want to be innovative" is a catch cry of most Australian organisations. Little wonder. Australian companies are among the least proficient innovators in the OECD and seem to fail at creating the conditions needed for innovation to flourish.

Using Dea Cross-Efficiency Evaluation For Suppliers Ranking In The Presence Of Non-Discretionary Inputs, Abdollah Noorizadeh, Mahdi Mahdiloo, Reza Farzipoor Saen

Sydney Business School - Papers

Supply chain includes all activities associated with the flow and transformation of goods from the raw material stage through to the end user. Supplier selection is one of the most important parts of supply chain management (SCM). For selecting suppliers, data envelopment analysis (DEA), as a multiple criteria decision making tool, has been applied for several times. However, sometimes in supplier selection problem, there may exist some criteria that are beyond the control of a management. These criteria are called non-discretionary or exogenously fixed factors. Since in traditional treatment of non-discretionary inputs in DEA, free reign is given when deciding …

Repositioning The Business Of Sustainable Manufacturing, Lee Styger

Sydney Business School - Papers

The current contextual reference of sustainable manufacturing has typically been influenced by contemporary and academic literature to a point where a myopic view could be said to exist, that places the concept of sustainability outside that of commercial operating principles. Furthermore, recent decisions concerning supply integration and commissioning are typically being based around issues such as short term risk mitigation, and early steps towards developing protocols focused on corporate social responsibility introduce further pressure into businesses, that could lead to a significant hiatus in operating efficiency. Recent research has indicated that in many cases, supply networks are fragmented and lack …

Factors Affecting Radio Frequency Identification Technology Implementation: A Comparative Study Of Australian And Chinese Supply Chains, Shams Rahman, Shahadat Khan, Stephen Waters, Laura Yang

Sydney Business School - Papers

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has emerged as one of the most significant process innovations in supply chain contexts. It is a proven technology with the capability to increase accuracy, efficiency and speed of supply chain processes; reduce inventory and handling costs. The aim of this study is to investigate and compare enabling factors of RFID implementation in Australian and Chinese supply chains. Employing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach this study suggests that managers in Chinese firms have a very different view concerning importance of factors for RFID implementation. Australians firms view technological factor-category as the most important priority, …