Business Commons^™

Pyynational Cultural Diversity And Global Supply Chain Management, Paul Childerhouse, Eric Deakins, Andrew Potter, Ruth Banomyong, P. Mccullen, A. Thomas, Tillmann Boehme, T. Hosoda, E. A. Yaseen, Denis Towill

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In an era of global supply chains, the vast majority of supply chain theory is bound up within the North American and European business contexts. To investigate its generic applicability within a global context, this study investigates how national culture affects the uptake of supply chain management theory in practise. Hoefstede’s (1980) well-known measures of international work-related values are used to compare the behaviours of a cross-national sample of supply chain managers. The exploratory research involves an anthropological approach of observing supply chain management behaviour within its natural setting. Supply chain management concepts need to be adapted to cater for …

Short Haul City Travel Is Truly Environmentally Sustainable, Sara Dolnicar, Christian Laesser, Katrina Matus

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

With rising interest in and concern about climate change and environmental sustainability, and the significance of the tourism industry worldwide, the impact of tourism-related activities and behaviors on the environment has become a key area of research. In particular, transport related to tourism has come under scrutiny for its contribution to the ecological footprint of tourism of a destination, mostly accounted for by the dominance of air travel. This study contributes to research in this area by identifying the types of travel situations in which tourists make environmentally friendly choices about travel modes and, consequently, which types of tourism destinations …

Using The Brand Molecule Concept To Guide The Management And Marketing Of A Professional Sports Team, Alan Pomering, Dirk Melton, Gregory Kerr

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The sports industry is an important one; it is estimated to be the 11th largest industry in the United States. Within this industry, individual sports, at both the amateur and professional levels, compete for talented players, supporters, government funding, and sponsorship dollars. It is therefore important for sports to manage their sports brands. We use Lederer and Hill’s (2001) brand molecule concept to explain the brand management implications for a professional, national sports team, the Bulldogs, a Sydney-based team in Australia’s National Rugby League competition. The brand molecule highlights for the brand manager the positive and negative atoms that comprise …

Environmentally Friendly Behavior - Can Heterogeneity Among Individuals And Contexts/Environments Be Harvested For Improved Sustainable Management?, Sara Dolnicar, Bettina Grun

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The study of behavior with environmental consequences (recycling, water conservation, etc.) has received significant attention from social scientists over the past few decades. However, few studies have closely examined the systematic heterogeneity of behavior with environmental consequences. This study tests two specific hypotheses about such heterogeneity: that individuals differ systematically in their patterns of behavior with environmental consequences and that behavioral patterns systematically differ between context/environments. Both hypotheses are investigated empirically in the home and vacation environment. Results support the assumption that systematic differences in behavioral patterns exist across individuals. With respect to context/environment dependence, some groups of individuals do …

Understanding Behaviour To Inform Water Supply Management In Developed Nations - A Review Of Literature, Conceptual Model And Research Agenda, Anna Hurlimann, Sara Dolnicar, Petra Meyer

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Water is a scarce resource in many parts of the developed world. Two solutions are possible to address water scarcity: conservation of existing resources, or the further production of water from new sources e.g. through recycling of wastewater or desalination of seawater. However, the main hurdle to implementation of many of these solutions is often viewed as a lack of public willingness to adopt these alternative water behaviours. Research in this area is therefore crucial. Yet, and possibly due to the interdisciplinary nature of such research, there is currently no comprehensive overview of what has been done before. This study …

From Traditional Knowledge Management In Hierarchical Organizations To A Network Centric Paradigm For A Changing World, Kate Crawford, Helen M. Hasan, Leoni Warne, Henry Linger

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

At the beginning of the 21st century, all organizations need to address the continually changing social and economic landscape in which they operate. In this landscape organizations need to be responsive, flexible and agile and acquire the capability to leverage information and use collective knowledge to make appropriate decisions quickly and effectively. The practice of knowledge management allows knowledge workers to participate in dynamic processes that generate and use collective knowledge. However the complexity that arises from a continually changing global environment highlights the need for knowledge management to move in new directions both in practice and theory. This paper …

A Knowledge Mapping Approach To Facilitate Strategic Human Resource And Knowledge Management, Debbie Richards, Peter R. Massingham, Peter Busch

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A key challenge facing organisations is how to effectively connect employees who seek knowledge with those who have the necessary knowledge. From case studies conducted in three separate knowledge intensive organisations, briefly introduced in this paper, we found that locating and measuring expertise were major challenges with no current satisfactory solutions. We offer a method to map intellectual capital within organisations distinct from previous expertise location methods in several significant ways. First, it includes the measurement of knowledge value within the context of the organisation's strategy and activities. Second, it addresses concerns with existing methods such as subjectivity associated with …

The Critical Role Of Knowledge Management In Achieving And Sustaining Organisational Competitive Advantage, Thi Nguyet Q. Nguyen, Philip E. Neck, Thanh Hai Nguyen

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The critical role of knowledge management in achieving and sustaining competitive advantage has been strongly emphasised in the extant literature. However, most previous studies were conceptually grounded and empirically examined in advanced, developed and newly industrialised countries. In addition, research to date has predominantly explored findings from a large company view while little attempt has been made to address the relative importance of different factors constituting the organisational KM capability in the context of Asian emerging, less developed countries such as Vietnam where a socialist market economy, a Confucian culture and a majority of small and medium sized enterprises currently …

Ceo Pay-Performance And Board Independence: The Impact Of Earnings Management In China, Yuqing Zhu, Gary G. Tian

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the impact of board characteristics and CEO compensation on firm performance when firm performance is adjusted for the effect of earnings management. Results from regression analysis indicates that the CEO pay-performance relation is substantially lower when firm performance is adjusted for the effect of earnings management than when firm performance is measured as reported performance. That is, the positive effect of executive compensation on firm performance disappears when firm performance is measured as adjusted firm performance excluding earnings management in Chinese listed firms, and as a result, we can identify that the evident executive pay-performance relation is …

Diversity Management In Australia And Its Impact On Employee Engagement, Pat Skalsky, Grace Mccarthy

Sydney Business School - Papers

Diversity, defined as differences relating to gender, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability or any other source of difference can have a major impact on employee engagement. In this article, the authors examine the results of a recent survey and uncover how diversity is managed in Australia.

Management Education For Engineers, Peter Gibson, Peter W. Childs

Sydney Business School - Papers

This paper considers some of the contemporary literature on teaching management to engineers. Some ideas are discussed, for future research to be carried out by the authors, aimed at documenting current shortcomings with a view to developing a more effective future strategy for engineering management education

The Power Of Play In Knowledge Management, Yan Qi, Joseph A. Meloche

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The aim and motivation of this research is to investigate ways to support and encourage knowledge sharing. Specifically we examined ways in which ‘play’ can be used to enhance collaborative work practices. In this process we elicited subjective views and opinions on playing games and the extent to which the participant’s felt these could enhance their collaboration in work. The ancient Chinese strategy game of Go was employed in an online team version as a means to evaluate and advance the knowledge sharing culture in a network centric environment. The results of this research identified that play has the power …

Enhancing The Reusability Of Inter-Organizational Knowledge: An Ontology-Based Collaborative Knowledge Management Network, Joshua P. Fan, Nelson K Y Leung, Sim K. Lau

Sydney Business School - Papers

Researchers have developed various knowledge management approaches that only focus on managing organizational knowledge. These approaches are developed in accordance with organizational KM strategies and business requirements without the concern of system interoperation. The lack of interoperability means that heterogeneous Knowledge Management Systems from different organizations are unable to communicate and integrate with one another, this results in limitation to reuse inter-organizational knowledge. Here, inter-organizational knowledge is defined as a set of explicit knowledge formalized and created by other organizations. In this research, a collaborative inter-organizational KM network is proposed to provide a platform for organizations to access and retrieve …

Management Control Systems: A Model For R&D Units, Parulian Silaen, Robert B. Williams

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop a proposal for a new conceptual framework for management control systems (MCS) in R&D units. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is a descriptive study that reviews the control literature and proposes an MCS framework in the light of four key elements: desired ends, actors, control implementation, and control tools. Findings - The study found two sub-elements of desired ends (directional and yardstick) to be complementary in a low level of uncertainty, while directional should be emphasized more in a high level of uncertainty. Five sub-elements of actors are used differently along …

The Management Of Subsidiaries In Emerging Malaysian Multinational Enterprises, Ah Ba Sim

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

While there is increasing research on Asian multinational enterprises (MNEs) from the newly industrialized economies, there is a dearth of studies on MNEs from the lesser developed Asian countries, particularly in the area of subsidiary-management. This paper aims to contribute to this knowledge gap with empirical evidence from a study based on six case studies of MNEs from Malaysia, a rapidly developing country. Some differences as well as commonalities in subsidiary-management were found among our sample firms. These are discussed in relation to the literature on management of subsidiaries in other Asian and western MNEs. Implications for research and limitations …

The Role Of Knowledge Management In An Organisation's Sustainable Development, Rosemary Van Der Meer, Sukunesan Sinnappan

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper intends to study the role that Knowledge Management has in development of sustainable organisations. Particularly, the researchers propose to examine key factors in the use of Knowledge Management and sustainable development that could be used to provide a measure in achieving sustainability. The research project is an exploratory study using a case study approach due to the limited amount of literature available on the use of Knowledge Management in sustainable development. The significance of this study is the opportunity to see how much impact Knowledge Management can make in the process of re-engineering an organisation along sustainable goals. …

Categorisation Of Knowledge Management Processes In The Development Of Sustainable Enterprises, Rosemary Van Der Meer, Sukunesan Sinnappan

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Sustainable development is a growing area of interest in organisations. Particularly those that have large energy demands for processing, use dwindling raw materials or produce a great deal of waste through production. Knowing those processes that can contribute to making an organisation more sustainable provides a great advantage both in terms of project implementation success and in measurable Triple Bottom Line returns. In previous research we identified that many of the Information Technology processes used to assist organisations in developing sustainable practices were more clearly suited as Knowledge Management processes (Van Der Meer and Sinnappan, 2008), however less empirical study …

The Impact Of Knowledge Management Infrastructure On Organisational Competitiveness In A Confucian-Socialist Market Economy, Thi Nguyet Q. Nguyen, Philip A. Neck, Thanh Hai Nguyen

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The critical role of knowledge management (KM) in achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage (CA) has been strongly emphasised in the extant literature. However, most previous studies were conceptually grounded and empirically examined in advanced, developed and newly industrialised countries and from a large company perspective. Meanwhile, little attempt has been made to address the relative importance of different factors constituting the organisational KM infrastructure capability in the context of Asian emerging, less developed countries such as Vietnam where a socialist market economy, a Confucian culture and a majority of small and medium sized enterprises currently exist. By adopting a …

Adoptability Of Japanese Management Practices In Sri Lankan Industry, Anura De Zoysa, Siriyama Kanthi Herath

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The effectiveness of Japanese management practices (JMPs) is often referred to as a major reason for Japan's economic miracle. In recent years, several countries also have achieved remarkable results by adopting some JMPs in their manufacturing organisations. Through the overview of an Indian experience, this paper attempts to examine how Sri Lankan industrialists can benefit from adopting JMPs in their organisations. It is suggested that JMPs, if properly adopted, can accelerate industrial development in Sri Lanka by contributing effectively towards achieving low cost, superior quality and high productivity.

The Case Study Methodology In Place Management Research And Practice, Gregory M. Kerr, Gary I. Noble, John Glynn

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assist those in the relatively new field of place management to undertake sound and appropriate research for which there is a current need. Approach: This paper identifies and provides an interpretation of key terms associated with research in the social and behavioural sciences and then recommends the case study methodology as being appropriate for research in place management. Findings: Based on a review of the literature this paper offers a viewpoint about the meaning and application of the terms ‘methodology’, ‘methods,’ ‘ways’, ‘strategies’ and ‘approaches’ when they are applied to research. Research …

Developing And Refining Outcome Measurement Suites: An Example From The National Continence Management Strategy, Janet E. Sansoni, Nicholas Marosszeky, Emily Sansoni

Sydney Business School - Papers

This paper provides a brief overview of the Australian National Continence Management Strategy with respect to its activities related to the assessment of incontinence, the use of measures to evaluate the outcomes of incontinence treatment interventions, and the production of Australian prevalence and burden of disease estimates.

It highlights the Continence Outcomes Measurement Suite (COMS) project, in particular, which has moved through a number of developmental stages. Stage 1 involved the scholarly review of commonly used self-report and clinical assessment measures for both urinary and faecal incontinence against the current definitions provided by the International Continence Society (Thomas, et al., …

Advanced Capacity Cost Management Models: Making Visible The Structural Limits Of Capacity, Ted Watts, C J. Mcnair-Connolly, Vicki Baard, Lidija Polutnik

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose This paper fills the gap between defining and measuring the productive limits of a machine or system, and the impact of various assumptions about the productive potential of the nature and informativeness of capacity cost management systems. The authors focused on the various ways in which multi-dimensional limits (for example, time, space, volume and/or value-creating ability) can be used to define productive capacity. Specifically, this research suggests that the limits used in establishing the capacity cost management system restricts the amount and nature of the information the system is capable of providing to management.Justification Two reasons are identified for …

Overcoming Organisational Resistance To Using Wiki Technology For Knowledge Management, Charmaine C. Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Although Wikis emerged in the public domain more than a decade ago, a number of business organisations are now discovering the advantages of using Wiki technology to manage knowledge. However, there are many who are not convinced about the merits of this relatively new Wiki technology and are not yet prepared to risk its adoption because it exhibits many ideas that have yet to be tested and many issues that have yet to be resolved. This paper studies the merits of using a Wiki for knowledge management. While some cases of corporate adoption of Wiki technology have been reported, cases …

Managing Human Capital In A Privately Owned Public Hotel Chain, Indra Abeysekera

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study analyses human capital (HC) management practices in a small privately owned public hotel group, in the context of intellectual capital (IC). Previous studies have highlighted how firms measure and report HC, however few studies have examined the HC management practices of firms. This study analyses these practices using multiple data methods – namely, observation, interaction with staff, examination of internal financial and management reports, and semi-structured case study interviews - on a continuous basis over a one-year period. The results of this study indicate that, through HC management practices, this group of hotels engaged in value extraction rather …

Q-Methodology For The Active Process Of Knowledge Management, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan, Michelle Mok

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Knowledge Managament for the provision of Health Information Services is a developing field and one that is usefully informed by applied research. The current study is conducted with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) professionals to capture and distil their views in regard to a developing a Web-Based Information Service. This service is provided by a central coordination and monitoring unit for intensive care units across NSW, Australia. The study is part of a larger research initiative that is being done to advance the provision of health information in ICU's across the state. Given the complex and dynamic context of ICUs, there …

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.