Business Commons^™

Renewing Health Services Management Research: Redrawing The Citizen-Client In Irish Health Care Policy, Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

Ireland has a history of health policy which is not explicit as to its aims and objectives. In light of this fact, this paper examines the position and direction of the Irish Health Services, five years on from the advent of the setting up of the Health Services Executive (HSE) and the restructuring of the health services. The Irish health system policy is guided by the Health Strategy of 2001; in that there should be equitable distribution of health services focused on the need of the citizen-client, and also by the Primary Care Strategy (2001:7); in that there should be …

A Reconceptualisation Of Ambidexterity: How Subsidiaries Can Use Their Capabilities And Knowledge To Build Subsidiary Bargaining Power, Marty Reilly, Pamela Sharkey Scott

Conference Papers

The literature on subsidiaries to date has focused largely on analysing autonomy, knowledge flows and firm specific advantages (Argote and Ingram 2000; Harzing and Noorderhaven 2006; Meyer, Wright and Pruthi 2009). An emerging stream of literature recognises the potential complexity of intra-organisational power within the MNC as warranting further investigation (Andersson, Forsgren and Holm, 2007; Bouquet and Birkinshaw, 2008; Mudambi and Navarra, 2004). It is held that as subsidiaries develop dynamic tacit capabilities which can be leveraged, their scope to exert influence and exercise subsidiary bargaining power increases concurrently. This raises some important questions for subsidiary managers, firstly can subsidiaries …

An Investigation Into The Stickiness Of Tacit Knowledge Transfer, Alison Murray, Philomena Hanlon

Conference papers

Managing knowledge is of central importance to organisational success, (Chia, 2003). The focus of knowledge management systems has progressed from the management of explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge. The mportance of tacit knowledge is highlighted by Wah (1999:27) who argues that 90% of the knowledge in any organisation is embedded and synthesised in people’s minds. However, tacit knowledge is the specific type of knowledge that is characterized as extremely difficult to capture or articulate, (Nonaka, 1994). Academics and practitioners alike have gained an appreciation for this type of knowledge. Tacit knowledge has become recognised as a significant and advantageous part …

Developing A Framework For Measuring Outsourcing Performance, Margaret Farrell

Conference Papers

Purpose: The popularity and growth in outsourcing has resulted in many different outsourcing arrangements, from strategic and business process outsourcing to selective and tactical outsourcing, on a national or global scale. Outsourcing is frequently considered a vital ingredient to corporate restructuring and business improvement initiatives. However, it is often treated as a fixed discreet event such as a make or buy decision. As the rational and strategic implications of outsourcing vary, so too does the required outsourcing process and performance measures. The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesis available empirical literature on outsourcing frameworks and performance management …

Dialogue Within Inter-Organisational Routines: Time And Process In Network Research, Conor Horan, John Finch

Conference papers

This paper examines the problems of time and process facing network researchers. We argue that the problem of time in network research can be conceptualised as a problem relating to multi-levelled analyses. It is through a multi-levelled analysis that we find different temporal structures and thus different ways of temporal organising. First, we address both the problem of time and boundary in network analysis and propose introducing organisational routines as a way to appreciate how actors perceive temporal structures. We argue that the problem of time is more accurately described in the context of a process based approach to network …

Green Supply Chains Initiatives In Transport And Logistics Service Industry: An Exploratory Case Study Analysis, Pietro Evangelista, Edward Sweeney, Gabriella Ferruzzi, Juan Carlos Carrasco

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Customer Management Analysis Of Irish Plumbing & Heating Distribution System: A Simulation Study, Amr Arisha, Amr Mahfouz, John Crowe, Finbarr Bennett

Conference papers

The sudden burst of the property bubble, coupled with current global economic conditions has resulted in a huge decrease in demand for plumbing and heating fixtures in the Irish construction industry. Moreover, inefficient supply chain management policies have imposed further pressures on companies resulting in more system bottlenecks and unnecessary costs. Inventory management is seen as a functional area that can ease such bottlenecks and in turn increase supply chain efficiency, decrease costs and increase customer satisfaction. The challenge is to predict the balance of on-hand inventory and order quantity to optimise customer satisfaction and minimise inventory cost. It is …

Middle Managers' Searching For Knowledge: The Repository-Interpersonal Dilemma, Esther Tippmann, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Vincent Mangematin

Conference Papers

Drawing on the organizational memory and strategy for managing knowledge literatures to develop a theoretical framework, we empirically examined the organizational memory contexts – interpersonal and repository logic - that set the broader conditions for middle managers’ knowledge searching. Contrary to most studies which examine knowledge storage processes, with the help of multiple case studies, we examined middle managers’ actual activities. Our findings reveal that in the interpersonal logic middle managers more actively engage in knowledge circulation and knowledge co-creation processes. In the repository logic instead, middle managers’ potential seemed to become confined because of cognitive inertia, leading to a …

Discourse At The Edge: Enterprise Discourse In Ireland, Brendan O'Rourke

Conference papers

Ireland is an economy, society and culture at the edge. It is at the edge of Europe and at the edge of both USA/UK and more mainland European or EU variants of capitalism. More recently it has been at the edge of economic crisis. Yet enterprise discourse is still central in Ireland. Enterprise discourse in Ireland is influenced by global and European Union (EU) developments. However, Irish enterprise discourse is not merely a ‘local adoption’. For example, high Irish economic growth rates during the ‘Celtic Tiger’ period have coincided with the development of the EU’s enterprise policy, thus giving the …

False Dichotomies, Facts And Values, And The Snares Of Objectivism: Planning For Leisure From An Experiential Perspective?, Ross Neville

Articles

Despite the fact that the experiential perspective has had a profound impact on the way we view leisure behaviour, experiential matters have been renounced for being overtly subjective. As a corollary, experiential matters have been castigated for their inability to offer concrete criteria for leisure policy and the provisions of services. This paper argues that this dismissal of experiential matters is based on an overinflated dichotomy – the fact/value dichotomy – and that, by valorising objectivist approaches to managing leisure resources, experiential matters have become nothing more than a policy-making faux pas. The paper argues that while experiential matters bring …

Consumer Resistance To Green Innovations: Developing A New Scale And An Underlying Framework, Marius Claudy, Aidan O'Driscoll, Rosanna Garcia, Michael Mullen

Conference papers

The development and marketing of green innovations provide great potential to reduce carbon emissions, ease fossil fuel dependency and stabilize energy costs. The diffusion of many green innovations among consumers, however, remains low and they are often referred to as resistant innovations. Consumer resistance to green innovations is a generally under-researched area and empirical evidence is scarce. The objective of this study is therefore twofold. Building on recent advances in the literature, the study firstly aims to operationalize and empirically validate a measure of consumer resistance to green innovations. Secondly, the research aims to anchor this measure in a theoretically …

Grade Inflation In The School Of Real Estate And Construction Economics, Dermot Kehily

Articles

No abstract provided.

Authenticity And The Use Of Multimedia At Cultural Tourist Attractions, M. C. Krosbacher

Doctoral

Within the area of cultural attractions new developments in modern technologies have brought changes as to how culture and heritage are presented and interpreted. This has evoked debates whether such sites can still be regarded as authentic. While researchers have investigated these issues on a theoretical basis, the perception and experience of authenticity as well as the use of modern interpretative tools have been treated separately and still lack empirical investigation. Therefore, this study explores the perceptions and experiences of authenticity at cultural attractions where modern technologies are applied. The central research questions are: (1) How can the key concepts …

A Review Of Key Factors Affecting The Adoption Of Self-Service Technologies In Tourism., Petranka Kelly, Jennifer Lawlor, Michael Mulvey

Conference papers

During the past ten years self-service technologies (SSTs) have attracted research attention especially in the banking, retail and airline sectors. The infusion of technology in the service encounter has been identified as being advantageous to both the service provider and the consumer. Service provider companies may reduce costs, increase consumer satisfaction and tap into new markets which have been made accessible via the Internet. From a consumer’s point of view, SSTs can save money and time, provide convenience, and in some cases, enjoyment. All the above mentioned advantages are achievable only if SSTs gain adoption among consumers. In light of …

Enhancing The Entrepreneurial Spirit In Apprenticeship Education To Develop Craft And Micro-Enterprises, Ray English, Katherine Collins

Conference Papers

Micro, small and medium–sized enterprises are considered to be the mainstay of the economy of the European Union, since they represent 99% of all EU enterprises. They are socially and economically important in that they provide 65 million jobs and contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship. However, a 2002 Eurobarometer survey found that EU citizens are less inclined to become entrepreneurs, and tend to be more risk adverse. In recognising this, the EU made entrepreneurship one of the main objectives of the Lisbon Agenda in 2000. The European Commission in 2003 drafted the Green Paper on Entrepreneurship in Europe to stimulate …

Towards The Sustainable Packaging Supply Chain, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

I Do Like Them But I Don’T Watch Them: Preschoolers’ Use Of Age As An Accounting Device In Consumption Evaluations, Olivia Freeman

Conference papers

This paper derives from a broader study of children’s consumer culture, specifically an investigation into how preschoolers employ commercial discourses as the building blocks of social selves and relations. Age-based repertoires are found to colour the various discourses produced. ‘Age’ is conceptualised as something that is made sense of for and by children through their utilisation of toys, media, consumables and other commercial artefacts. The ‘choosing child’ is addressed in empirical terms to reveal the social significance of ‘doing’ consumption related evaluations in the focus group setting. A CA-informed discourse analytic approach is utilised to focus on one aspect of …

Consultancy Designer Involvement In New Product Development: Mapping A Novel Design Leadership Process, Fiona Maciver, Aidan O'Driscoll

Conference papers

The role of design and designers in new product development (NPD) has always been problematic and complex in its approach and in the extent of its involvement (Leenders et al., 2007; Murray and O’Driscoll, 1996; Veryzer and Borja de Mozota, 2005). As the industrial design profession seeks to confront the challenges of a recessionary environment, both the designer led ‘intuitive’ approach to NPD, and the marketer led ‘systematic’ approach become outmoded (Cross, 2001; Martin, 2007). There is shortcoming, even ambivalence, in the NPD and design management literature as to how design is involved in NPD (Cooper et al., 2003; Olson …

Suitable Knowledge Management In Project Environment, Taya Polyaninova

Dissertations

Knowledge is becoming one of the main assets for organizations that want to improve their competitiveness in currently changing market. Knowledge comes from different sources within organizations, such as internal processes, projects, customers and stakeholder information. As markets and the way of doing things changes, many companies implement different projects to deal with those changes, which leads to accumulation of knowledge and information. Companies use Knowledge Management to create, identify and distribute knowledge and experiences arising from projects within organisation. However, as projects are done to create unique deliverables and they are never the same, there is a difficulty in …

Supply Chain Change Management: An Internal And B2b Relationship Perspective, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Constructing And Disrupting Ireland's Industrial Development Authority, Paul Donnelly

Articles

Actor-network theory is considered to have great potential for broadening and deepening our grasp of institutional work (LAWRENCE; SUDDABY, 2006). Given its focus on process, ANT offers a means to breathe life into the practices associated with institutionalization. With Callon’s (1986) four moments of translation as analytical lens, and with Ireland’s Industrial Development Authority as empirical example, I seek to address the concerns of Clegg and Machado da Silva (2009) by reconsidering “the role of agency, power, persistence and change in the process of institutionalization”.

Dynamic Capabilities, Absorptive Capacity And Knowledge Sharing: A Research Agenda Into Explicating The Antecedent Factors Conducive To Subsidiary Bargaining Power, Marty Reilly, Pamela Sharkey Scott

Conference Papers

This research explores the relationship between relative absorptive capacity – a firm‟s proficiency at acquiring, assimilating, transforming and ultimately exploiting knowledge – and subsidiary bargaining power. In building upon the existing dynamic capabilities framework it is advanced that absorptive capacity, as a mediator, serves not only as a valid dynamic capability but also as an enabling mechanism and a vehicle by which subsidiary bargaining power can be achieved. The antecedent factors conducive to building relative absorptive capacity are critically evaluated and built upon in a subsidiary specific context. The contribution of these new factors provides insight into the enabling constructs …

Introduction: Reflections On Issues In Irish Business And Society, John Hogan, Paul Donnelly, Brendan O'Rourke

Books/Book Chapters

In this introductory chapter, we will put the book and its aims in context and provide the reader with a guide to the wide-ranging, diverse and thought-provoking contributions contained between its covers. In order to do so, this chapter is structured as follows. The first section looks at the context within which this book finds itself and which makes its appearance particularly apposite. The second section deals with the aims of the book as we editors have come to conceive of them. We then provide the reader with an overview of the book’s themes and structure, before concluding the chapter.

Including The Customer In Efficiency Analysis:Evidence Of A Hybrid Relational-Transactional Approach, Joseph Coughlan, Estelle Shale, Robert Dyson

Articles

Purpose This paper illustrates the effect of including the customer as a resource in efficiency measurement. Variations in counting the customer illustrate the different impacts on efficiency between a transactional and a relational approach to bank branch marketing. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to analyse the efficiency of the branch network under consideration. This technique, while well established in the bank branch efficiency literature, is used here to gain insight into how relationship and transactional paradigms are affecting performance. Findings Although the average profile of the efficiency scores was similar, the scores of the individual branches differed …

Bridging The Gap Between Academics And Industry, Colm O'Kane

Papers, presentations and other resources

The benefits of close collaboration with industry for undergraduate design students have been repeatedly emphasised in the literature. This paper describes the operation of a design competition as a collaborative project between the DIT School of Manufacturing and Design Engineering and an external company. Small groups of design students were set a design brief and guided through the year by company representatives and by their academic supervisors. Along with giving an example of problem-based learning and showing how academic projects can remain relevant to the commercial design field, this paper gives an example of what approaches can be taken to …

An Investigation Into Factors Influencing The Sensory Properties Of Selected Irish Grown Organic And Conventional Vegetables, Clare Gilsenan

Doctoral

Research studies conducted on organic produce have given conflicting results whether they have superior sensory qualities when compared to conventionally cultivated produce. The development and implementation of a reliable testing system is therefore required. In this study Irish grown organic and conventional carrots (cv. Nairobi), potatoes (cv. Orla) and tomatoes (cv. Amoroso) were selected for physicochemical (size, colour, dry matter, texture, sugars, o Brix & pH), volatile emissions and sensory analysis (trained and consumer panels). All vegetables were tested in both a raw and cooked state. Few significant differences were apparent between the organic and conventional vegetables for the physicochemical …

Chain Reactions:Management Opportunities Report, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Farrell’S Nursery Company Limited Brand Identity Project, Peter Dee

Other resources

Peter Dee - Strategic Design and Marketing Consultant, was responsible for the design and development of the brand identity for the Farrell’s Nursery Company which was used on business cards, letterhead, signage and website.

Farrell’s unique plant nursery is always full of fresh ideas, inspiring plants and solutions for every garden. You'll find an extensive range of plants and people who provide expert advice and a range of associated services at all times of the year.

Contemporary Issues In Irish And Global Tourism And Hospitality, Geraldine Gorham, Ziene Mottiar

Books / Book chapters

This book contains an edited collection of papers presented at the Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland Conference 2009 (THRIC). This annual conference provides an invaluable opportunity for Irish and international tourism and hospitality academics and practitioners to debate the key contemporary challenges facing the sector. Based on this selection of conference papers a broad range of issues are addressed in the following chapters. These are issues, which are pertinent not only for Irish tourism and hospitality academics, policy makers and industry, but also resonate with international counterparts. Contributions to this book are made by an eclectic mix of highly …

Towards Performance Measurement In Hotels:An Incremental Approach, Detta Melia, Leigh Robinson

Books / Book chapters

The overall aim of this paper was to investigate the phenomenon of performance measurement in independently owned hotels in Ireland in order to understand the role of measurement in the management of the largest component of the hotel sector. The primary objectives of this paper was to investigate the extent to which Irish hotel operators are utilising performance measurement techniques, to establish the rationale for the use of selected performance measures in independently owned hotels and to understand approaches to performance measurement in the management of independently owned hotels.

A comprehensive investigation of existing performance management and measurement activity is …