Business Commons^™

Need To Limber Up On Supply Chain Management, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Strategy Development Processes And Organisational Performance, Pamela Sharkey Scott, P. T. Gibbons Prof

Conference Papers

A recent resurgence in both academic and practitioner interest on strategy development processes and their influence on organisational performance highlights the absence of empirical studies in this area, particularly from an MNC perspective. This study attempts to fill this important gap by applying a multifaceted conceptualisation of the strategy development process to the subsidiary level of analysis. A broad perspective on the effectiveness of strategy making is adopted and measures of contribution examined include financial and market performance, international responsibility, initiative generation and strategy creativity.

Interesting insights into subsidiary behaviour and specifically into the strategy development styles of subsidiaries are …

Techonology Usage In The Supply Chain: The Case Of Small 3pls, Pietro Evangelista, Edward Sweeney

Articles

Purpose - In today’s supply chain management (SCM) practices, a successful strategy depends
increasingly on the performance of Third Party Logistics (3PL) providers as they play a key
integrative role linking the different supply chain elements more effectively. Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) has become an important element of 3PL competitive
capability as it enables higher levels of supply chain integration. Recent industry developments
have widened the technological gap between large and small 3PLs. This is critical particularly for
those markets populated by a large number of small 3PLs such as the Italian logistics industry. The
purpose of this paper …

Port Community Learning Needs: Analysis And Design, Edward Sweeney, Pietro Evangelista

Articles

The port industry is facing a dramatic wave of changes that have transformed the structure of the
industry. Modern seaports are increasingly shifting from a “hardware-based” approach towards “knowhow intensive” configuration. In this context knowledge resources, learning processes and training initiatives increasingly represent key elements to guarantee the quality of service supplied and hence the competitiveness of modern seaport communities. This paper describes the learning needs analysis conducted amongst key port community actors in three ports in the south east of Ireland during 2005 in the context of the I-Sea.Net project. It goes on to describe the learning requirements report …

Global Macroeconomic Trends, Thomas Power

Articles

The business of real estate is but a subset of the wider investment markets and macroeconomic trends will significantly shape the way real estate investment decisions are made. The McKinsey Institute is a global economic consultancy firm providing cutting-edge research on a wide range of macroeconomic and business trends. This article reviews macroeconomic trends that they believe will transform the global economy. McKinsey research show that “over two-thirds of organic growth of western companies can be attributed to being in the right markets and geographies” and “companies that ride the tide succeed and those that swim against it usually struggle” …

Re-Evaluating Hedging Performance, Jim Hanly, John Cotter

Articles

Mixed results have been documented for the performance of hedging strategies using futures. This paper reinvestigates this issue using an extensive set of performance evaluation metrics across seven international markets. We compare the hedging performance of short and long hedgers using traditional variance based approaches together with modern risk management techniques including Value at Risk, Conditional Value at Risk and approaches based on Downside Risk. Our findings indicate that using these metrics to evaluate hedging performance, yields differences in terms of best hedging strategy as compared with the traditional variance measure. We also find significant differences in performance between short …

Towards Non-Prescriptive Issues: A Teaching Framework For Selecting Marketing Dissertation Topics, Conor Horan

Conference papers

There is a significant absence in academic literature, textbooks and practical teaching tools for advising or guiding student learning, in a practical non-prescriptive manner, toward topic selection and development. Prescriptive or rational approaches, taken by many research methods textbooks, are not adequate or sufficient when teaching this important first stage in the research process. Non-prescriptive approaches describing manageable steps should be researched more to fill this pedagogic gap. This paper attempts to promote academic discussion on a pedagogic gap that is broadly overlooked, and to examine how marketing and business academics can better instruct dissertation students in the area of …

Strategy Development Processes And Subsidiary Contribution, Pamela Sharkey Scott, P. T. Gibbons

Conference Papers

Intensifying international competition, increasing volatility, and systemic technological and political transformations (Dunning, 1995; Hitt, Keats and DeMarie, 1998) constitute the current competitive landscape for organisational activities (Sampler, 1998). To successfully adapt to these challenges and find new ways to renew fast obsolescing firm-specific advantage (Buckley and Casson, 1976; 1998) a more holistic approach to organisational management is emerging. This involves the integration of the traditional strategic management or advantage seeking perspective with the more innovative or opportunity seeking dimensions of entrepreneurship (Hitt et al, 1998). Developing a culture of creating or identifying opportunities and exploiting them is fundamental to entrepreneurship …

Indexing Change In Lis Work: Implications For Recruiting Managers, John Cullen, Allison Kavanagh

Articles

Purpose: This paper reports on three periods of library and information service (LIS) recruitment data collected over a six-year timeframe with the aim of developing a tool for indexing change in the recruitment and labour market for workers in the field. Methodology / Approach: The recruitment data was collected in an Irish context over three distinct 12-month timeframes (1999, 2001-2002 and 2005). The two earlier annual sets of data have already been reported and discussed (the latter in Library Management in 2004a), and the most recent set (2005) is presented here. The data over the three timeframes is compared here, …

Irish Marketing Review, Vol. 18, No. 1 & 2, 2006, The Marketing Institute

Issues

The Irish Marketing Review deals with issues, developments, research and practise in marketing. This is a special issue on " the island view of relationship marketing and networks".

Giving It Away : Free Technology Transfer To The Irish Sme Sector, Peter Kavanagh, Andy Maguire, James J. Casey

Articles

One of Europe’s major weaknesses lies in its inferiority in terms of transforming the results of technological research and skills into innovations and competitive advantages. (European Commission, 1995, p. 8.)

Technology transfer is a key aspect of economic development and research administration. These concerns are shared equally between academia and industry on both sides of the Atlantic. As technology is developed at a greater rate, concerns about the technology transfer will heighten. This article focuses on technology transfer in Ireland, particularly in the SME (Small and Medium size Enterprises, under 250 employees) sector. As the main Lisbon Objective has not …

Review Article Of Living Supply Chains: How To Mobilise The Enterprise Around Delivering What Your Customer Want, Edward Sweeney, Daniel Park

Reviews

No abstract provided.

Outsourcing: An Irish Perspective, Aoife O'Riordan, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

This paper investigates three case studies with regards their outsourcing initiatives from an Irish perspective, the benefits and problems they encountered, the contracts they have constructed, and where they have outsourced and the reasons behind them. The research took place over a period of two years, and the information for the case studies was gleaned from a number of sources including: published papers about the companies, the company websites, annual financial reports, the questionnaire they filled out, and interviews with key decision making personnel in the company. Follow up interviews were conducted where it was felt they were required. Key …

Managing Supply Chain Management Improvement Programs, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

B2b E-Marketplaces In The Airline Industry: A Study On Process Drivers And Performance Indicators, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Bernd Huber, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Bar Raising Or Navel-Gazing?:The Effectiveness Of Self-Study Programmes In Eading To Improvements In Institutional Performance, Deirdre Lillis

Conference papers

Higher Education Institutes worldwide are investing significant resources in self study programmes to improve institutional performance, to enhance quality and to meet external stakeholder demands. The institutional impacts of both internally and externally mandated self study programmes is an area where little empirical research exists. A key question is whether self study programmes are effective (or otherwise) in leading to improvements in institutional performance and the reasons why. Covering an eight year period, from 1997–2006, this paper reports on the use of systematic evaluation methodology (Rossi et al., 2003) to evaluate the effectiveness of three self study programmes in leading …

The Influence Of Issue Management Upon Public Relationships In A Changing Environment: How John Charles Mcquaid, Roman Catholic Archbishop Of Dublin (1940-72) Managed The Issue Of The Second Vatican Council From 1959 To 1972 And The Extent, If Any, To Which This Influenced Change In The Public Relationships Between Archbishop, Diocesan Priests And Laity, Francis Xavier Carty

Doctoral

This research examines the influence of issue management upon public relationships in a changing environment. The example chosen is the management of the Second Vatican Council, from 1959 to 1972 by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and the public relationships are those between archbishop, diocesan priests and laity. Public relations theories on issue management, publics and relationship management are applied to a religious context, one where relationships may be distorted by the religious faith, authority and obedience on which they are based and which is different to the commercial business environment within which they were framed. The methodology is …

Electronic Customer Relationship Management (Ecrm): Opportunities And Challenges In A Digital World, Aileen Kennedy

Articles

Electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) is seen to arise from the consolidation of traditional CRM with the e-business applications marketplace and has created a flurry of activity among companies. ECRM is the proverbial double-edge sword, presenting both opportunities and challenges for companies considering its adoption and implementation. This challenges companies considering its adoption and implementation. This paper explores the marketing opportunities eCRM creates for companies such as enhanced customer interactions and relationships as well as personalisation options, all of which are potential sources of competitive advantage. It also explores the challenges confronting companies implementing eCRM such as managing an on-line …

The Weight Of The World: Consuming Traditional Masculine Ideologies, Andrew Dunne, Olivia Freeman, Roger Sherlock

Articles

This paper explores the relationship between the body, masculinity and the consumption of body-focussed activities. It examines the meaning and importance of strength training for men.
Strength training is of interest because its increase in popularity is occurring at a particular point in time when a growing number of men are experiencing insecurities over their masculine identities as a result of recent socio-economic changes. This paper proposes that men today are facing a dilemma in terms of masculine identity. This dilemma hinges on the growing objectification of the male body in the media and its cultural messages regarding masculinity.

Come Le Piccole Imprese Llogistiche Italiane Utilizzano I'Ict, Pietro Evangelista, Renzo Provedel, Edward Sweeney

Articles

No abstract provided.

Rebranding: A Case Study Approach, Maria Size

Masters

The primary objective of this study is to explore how and why companies implement rebranding campaigns. The study stemmed from a realisation by the author that the area of rebranding is very much under-researched academically although anecdotal evidence indicates and increase in the occurrence of the phenomenon in recent years. Therefore the purpose of this research is to add to the insufficient body of literature on rebranding through exploring it from a corporate perspective. The two chapters of the literature review examine the available literature on the topic of rebranding it is holistic sense, and subsequently the possible effects of …

Perspectives On Supply Chain Management And Logistics Definitions, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Ireland’S Economic Environment:The Scm Context, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Outsourcing: A Theoretical Viewpoint, Aoife O'Riordan, Edward Sweeney, Austin Smyth

Conference papers

Outsourcing or offshoring as it is now known has been around for many decades. In the
beginning, it was only very peripheral activities that were outsourced, i.e. blue-collar (lower skilled)
work but this is now all changing with the outsourcing of white-collar jobs. The digital revolution, the falling costs of transport and telecom costs and the opening up of the global economy helped the outsourcing market. For companies going down or contemplating the road of outsourcing there are both potential benefits and challenges, for example, the type of outsourcing they want to get involved in, and the country they want …

Outsourcing: A Way To Improve The Responsiveness And Agility Within The Organisation, Aoife O'Riordan, Edward Sweeney, Austin Smyth

Conference papers

Outsourcing or offshoring as it is now known has been around for many decades. In the beginning it
was only very peripheral activities that were outsourced, blue collar (lower skilled) work but this is now all changing with the outsourcing of white-collar jobs. Historically, outsourcing was used when
organisation could not perform to world-class excellence in all sectors of the organisation due to
incompetence of staff and/or management, lack of capacity, financial pressures, and/or technological
pressure. The research currently underway is initially focusing on a literature review of current outsourcing applications in the market place. From the literature review, a …

The Influence Of Social Milieu On Tourism Development, Theresa Ryan, Ziene Mottiar, Bernadette Quinn

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Cultural Diversity In Multinational Organisations, Marian Crowley-Henry

Conference papers

With the rhetoric in international management espousing the value of being able to access and capitalise on the knowledge of a workforce with international experience in order to compete globally and the need to embrace diversity (including cultural or ethnic diversity) in and across organisations, this paper discusses the findings from a qualitative research undertaking where senior and middle managers working for multinational organisations in a cross-section of industry sectors were interviewed. A total of twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with “foreign” managers based in Europe, the majority hired on local contracts. The findings presented in this paper outline the …

An Exploratory Study Of Ict Usage In Small Logistics Service Providers, Pietro Evangelista, Laura Cioffi, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

Information and communication technology (ICT) developments have strongly affected supply chain management (SCM) in recent years. ICT has had a great impact on all supply chain processes including planning, purchasing, production management, stock management, physical distribution and related integration management. Technology has become an important dimension of third party logistics (3PL) service supply as competitive advantage increasingly depends on the ability to create value for customers through the effective application of ICT. Within this process, while large 3PLs are gaining substantial benefits from technology usage and implementation, the magnitude of changes spurred by ICT dissemination in small logistics service providers …

Enterprise Strategy Development: A Three-Dimensional Approach To The Role Of Scm, Edward Sweeney, Ciaran Finn

Practitioner Journals

The Irish economy has grown strongly in recent years. This, combined with other factors in the international trading environment, has sharpened the focus on the need for innovative strategies at a national level which can contribute positively from an enterprise strategy development perspective. As traditional manufacturing activity has migrated to lower labour cost economies questions have been raised concerning the role of supply chain management (SCM) in the evolving Irish business environment. This article describes some of the main drivers in terms of both SCM and the changing economic and business environment. It goes on to propose a three-dimensional approach …

Personal Or Organisational Control? A Critical Perspective From The Multinational’S International Assignees, Marian Crowley-Henry, David Weir

Conference papers

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of non-national employees of multinational organisations based in Sophia Antipolis (South of France). Here twenty-three in-depth interviews with non-nationals employed by a multinational in the area, together with contextual data regarding the particular case of Sophia Antipolis contribute to the discussion on power and control in an international, organisational context. Irrespective of the initial motivations to follow on an international career, this study highlights the tensions individuals encounter in their desire to retain their international status while seeking out a more individual, balanced, protean career, potentially beyond their current employing organisations. Extracts …