Business Commons^™

Metamodelling Approach To Support Disaster Management Knowledge Sharing, Siti Hajar Othman, Ghassan Beydoun

Associate Professor Ghassan Beydoun

Handling uncertain events that could happen anytime and anywhere and dealing with many complex systems interconnected physically and socially makes Disaster Management (DM) a multidisciplinary endeavor and a very difficult domain to model. In this paper we present a development and validation of a Disaster Management Metamodel (DMM), a language that we develop specific for describing DM domain. The metamodel, a precise definition of the constructs and rules needed for creating the semantic models of DM domain consists of four views based on four DM phases including Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery-phase classes of concept. A Model Importance Factor (MIF) …

Process Construct In The Virtual R&D Teams, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Salwa Hanim Abdul Rashid, Zahari Taha, Marjan Mohammadjafari Dr

Nader Ale Ebrahim

literature proves the importance of the process role in the effectiveness of virtual research and development (R&D) teams for new product development (NPD). However, the factors that make process construct in a virtual R&D team are still unclear. The manager of virtual R&D teams for NPD does not know which items of process should be used. To address the gap and answer the question, the study presents a set of factors that make a process construct. The proposed construct modified by finding of the field survey. We empirically examine the relationship between construct, dimensions and its factors by employing the …

Performance Auditing: The Jurisdiction Of The Australian Auditor General - De Jure Or De Facto? A Comment, John Glynn

John J Glynn

As Parker and Guthrie (1991) state, the question of the Australian Auditor- General’s performance audit mandate has become an issue of much debate over the last two decades.

The initial development of performance auditing by the Australian Audit Office (AAO) can be traced back to the early 1970s. In part this was due to the application of existing powers provided by Section 54 of the Audit Act 1901. These investigations were termed by the AAO ‘project audits’. Amendments to the Act, in 1979, additionally permitted the AAO to undertake efficiency audits in addition to fiscal regularity audits. The problem, since …

Control And Accountability In The Nhs Market, John Glynn, David Perkins

John J Glynn

No abstract provided.

Assessing Sme Innovation Within Different Cluster Models: Lessons From The Australian Wine Industry, David Aylward, John Glynn

John J Glynn

This paper assesses core innovation activity among SMEs within different levels of cluster development. The aim of the paper, using empirical data from the Australian wine industry, is to demonstrate that innovation levels and activity intensify as an industry cluster develops. By dividing wine clusters into ‘innovative’ (highly developed) and ‘organised’ (less developed) models, the paper uses selected core indicators of innovation activity to explore levels of integration within each model. This integration is examined in the context of Porter’s theory of ‘competitive advantage’, with implications for SMEs in particular, and lessons for industry clusters in general.

The Corporate Social Responsibilities In Sri Lankan Universities, Kamal Tilakasiri, Grace Mccarthy, John Glynn

John J Glynn

Public sector universities have certain special characteristics compared to other organisations. As Neave and Pergamon (2000, p. xiv) suggest, such universities are generally known for their "knowledge production" and the fact that their acitivities are substatially funded by the government.

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Research Management In Australian Commerce And Business Faculties: The View From Within, Mark Rix, David Aylward, Rob Macgregor, John Glynn

John J Glynn

No abstract provided.

Accountability In The Nhs, John Glynn, David Perkins

John J Glynn

No abstract provided.

Aboriginal Employment In Rural New South Wales, 1883-1982, Robert Castle, James Hagan

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Seasonal Work And Aboriginal Employment In Two Nsw Rural Areas, Robert Castle, James Hagan

Robert G. Castle

This paper has several areas of focus. It chronicles the history of Aboriginal employment in Australia in two contrasting areas; it identifies the characteristics of that employment and traces the nature of its change over time; it outlines the attitude of Aborigines towards their work, and the impact of that work on Aboriginal society; it also considers the attitudes of white Australians towards Aborigines and their employment. Finally, it draws some conclusions concerning the responses of the Aborigines to pressures put on them by the economy and society of the white man.

Award Restructuring: A New Direction, Or More Of The Same, James Hagan, Robert Castle

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Microeconomic Reform And Public Sector Labour, Robert Castle

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

The International Labour Organisation And The Australian Contribution To The International Labour Standards Debate, Chris Nyland, Robert Castle

Robert G. Castle

Summarizes the debate between those who are urging the World Trade Organization to adopt a social clause that links the right to engage in international trade with basic labour rights, and those who believe that this would harm the ability of developing countries to compete with the advanced economies because it would prevent them paying lower wages to their workers. Sets out the background to this debate, before examining how it has been carried forward in Australia, looking at the submissions made to the Duffy Report, published in 1996, and the subsequent debate. Analyses the positions taken by the Australian …

The Australian Labour Government And The Price Accord, Robert Castle

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Regional Problems In The Implementation Of Labout Market Programs: Aboriginal Employment Programs In Australia, Robert Castle

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Award Restructuring, Robert Castle, James Hagan

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Worker Attitudes To Technological And Organizational Change In The Steel Industry, Robert Castle, Raymond Markey, Don Bourne

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Aboriginal Labour In The White Economy, Robert Castle, James Hagan

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Economic Imperatives For Restructuring In Australia, Robert Castle

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Aboriginal Work And Society On The Far South Coast 1970-1975, Robert Castle, James Hagan

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Prospects For Public Sector Employment, Robert Castle

Robert G. Castle

No abstract provided.

Tourism And Self-Orientalism In Oman: A Critical Discourse Analysis, William Feighery

William Feighery

It is established in the literature that touristic images of the Orient are grounded in Occidental authority and dominant global power relations. Scholars have suggested that indigenous image creators in the Middle East continue to read from an Occidental script, perpetuating oppositional perspectives of us and them, the familiar and the strange, the dynamic and the atrophied – fuelling the development of neo-Orientalist tourist sites/sights. This paper explores the extent to which such scripting continues to persist in official representations of rentier states in the Arabian Peninsula. Through a critical discourse analysis of the Omani tourism promotional film Welcome to …

Managing Communication In New Product Development Process: Virtual R&D Teams And Information Technology, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Salwa Hanim Abdul Rashid, Zahari Taha

Nader Ale Ebrahim

Literature proves the importance of the role of information technology in increasing the effectiveness of virtual R&D teams’ communication for new product development. However, the factors that make information technology construct in a virtual R&D team are still ambiguous. Managers of virtual R&D teams for new product development do not know “which type of technology should be used”. To address the gap and answer the question, the paper presents a set of factors that make a construct that contribute to effective communication strategy for virtual R&D teams. The proposed construct has been modified based on the findings of a field …

Virtual Collaborative R&D Teams In Malaysia Manufacturing Smes, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Salwa Hanim Abdul Rashid, Zahari Taha

Nader Ale Ebrahim

This paper presents the results of empirical research conducted during March to September 2009. The study focused on the influence of virtual research and development (R&D) teams within Malaysian manufacturing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The specific objective of the study is better understanding of the application of collaborative technologies in business, to find the effective factors to assist SMEs to remain competitive in the future. The paper stresses to find an answer for a question “Is there any relationship between company size, Internet connection facility and virtuality?”. The survey data shows SMEs are now technologically capable of performing …

Discourse And The Governance Of Diversity In England's Official Tourism Texts, William Feighery

William Feighery

No abstract provided.

Consulting Ethics, William Feighery

William Feighery

An important, if much neglected, arena within the field of tourism studies is the role of tourism scholars as consultants in the development process. For individuals within this field of ‘expert knowledge’ participation in consultancy projects often places them at the heart of complex and competing interests at local, national and international level. Such complexity necessitates ethically informed decisions. In this paper I first explore the evolution of tourism related research and consultancy, before considering the rise of ethics in arenas of professional practice. Further, I consider the Foucauldian construct of ‘technologies of the self’ as potentially offering an ethical …

The Effectiveness Of Virtual R&D Teams In Smes: Experiences Of Malaysian Smes, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Salwa Hanim Abdul Rashid, Zahari Taha

Nader Ale Ebrahim

The number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially those involved with research and development (R&D) programs and employed virtual teams to create the greatest competitive advantage from limited labor are increasing. Global and localized virtual R&D teams are believed to have a high potential for SMEs growth. Due to the fast growing complexity of the new product, coupled with new emerging opportunities of virtual teams, a collaborative approach is believed to be the future trend. This research explores the effectiveness of virtuality in SMEs virtual R&D teams. An online questionnaire emailed to Malaysian manufacturing SMEs and 74 usable questionnaires …

Virtual R&D Teams: A Potential Growth Of Education-Industry Collaboration, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Salwa Hanim Abdul Rashid, Zahari Taha

Nader Ale Ebrahim

In this paper, we present our more than two years research experiences on virtual R&D teams in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and draws conclusions, giving special attention to the structure of virtual teams required to support education-industry collaboration. We report the relevant results of an online survey study. The online questionnaire was emailed by using a simple random sampling method to 947 manufacturing SMEs. The findings of this study show that SMEs in Malaysia and Iran are willing to use virtual teams for collaboration and the platform for industry-education collaboration is ready and distance between team members or differences …

Benefits And Pitfalls Of Virtual R&D Teams: An Empirical Study, Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Zahari Taha

Nader Ale Ebrahim

In this paper, advantages and drawbacks of virtual teams in research and development (R&D) are studied. With the globalization of commercial practices and advances in information and communication technologies, increasing numbers of enterprises are establishing cross-functional, geographically distributed virtual teams. Virtual teams in R&D are designed to access external resources and knowledge to maximize the competitive advantage from limited labor and resources. A survey has been conducted on 210 Malaysian and Iranian manufacturing companies, aimed to investigate the characteristics of R&D collaborations and extract the main advantages/disadvantages’ factors of virtual teams. These factors can be a guide line for R&D …

The Preliminary Insight Of Internal-External Npd Practices Integration And Product Development Time In Geographically Distributed Environment, Amlus Ibrahim, Geraldy Dadriyansyah, T Ramayah

Geraldy Dadriyansyah

Global competitiveness is one of the most important issues in manufacturing industry nowadays. Almost every company in this business industry is affected by it and they are looking for new ways to remain aligned and competitive. In recent years, the long term success of some manufacturing firms and organizations has been enhanced by their ability to bring new products onto the market at regular and shorter intervals. In order to achieve that, effective new product development requires a good integration and collaboration between internal and external participants. Moreover, in current circumstances, issues on how to effectively integrate NPD constituents in …