Business Commons^™

Enter Conference 2014 Programme, Patrick Horan

Other resources

No abstract provided.

How Creative Professional Service Firms Internationalize: A Business Model Portfolio Approach, Deirdre Mcquillan, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Vincent Mangematin

Conference Papers

Traditional theory of firm internationalization assumes all firms are homogeneous in their approach to managing uncertainties and implementing business strategies when internationalizing. A business model portfolio approach articulates a more complex process and suggests that firms adopt a portfolio of business models to balance uncertainties. Combining these two perspectives, this multiple case study research design explores how creative professional service firms (creative PSFs) internationalize. Creative PSFs such as architects are embedded in their local cultures, operating at the intersection of business and art. Our study reveals the complexities of creative PSF internationalization, showing that in contrast to existing explanations, multiple …

Understanding The Attitude-Behavior Gap For Renewable Energy Systems Using Behavioral Reasoning Theory, Aidan O'Driscoll, Marius Claudy, Mark Peterson

Articles

Consumer adoption of renewable energies is an important step towards less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy systems. But despite growing ecological awareness and articulated preferences for green products, renewable energies face slow rates of diffusion in consumer markets. This has been hard to explain given consumers’ favorability to the concept of products that lower one’s impact on the natural environment. This study uses data from 254 homeowners in Ireland to investigate the psychological process of adopting a renewable energy system – solar energy panels. Applying Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT), this research examines a proposed model in which reasons both for …

The Internationalization Of Creative Professional Service Firms, Deirdre Mcquillan

Doctoral

The need to understand the internationalization process of the organization is a field of increasing contemporary interest due to greatly intensified trade flows between nations over the last two decades. While traditionally internationalization was generally pursued by manufacturing firms, service organizations, including creative professional service firms (creative PSFs) such as architects now commonly internationalize their activities. However, theory to date continues to focus on traditional manufacturing firms, and while insights relating to service firm internationalization have gained traction over the last decade, theoretical contributions remain fragmented and overlook the particular features of how creative PSFs internationalize. This is despite the …

How Foreign Firms Transformed Ireland’S Domestic Economy, Paul Donnelly

Articles

Today, Ireland is host to 1,033 multinational corporations. They directly employ 152,785 and account for 70 per cent or €122.5bn of exports. It’s a story that has its roots in the 1940s.

National Hospitality Conference 2013: A Report, James Peter Murphy

Reports

Theme of the Conference – Doing business better

Linking Effective Whole Life Cycle Cost Data To Parametric Building Information Models Using Bim Technologies, Dermot Kehily, Trevor Woods, Fiacra P. Mcdonnell

Conference papers

Abstract ̶ This paper demonstrates the capabilities of BIM (Building Information Modeling) in leveraging Whole Life Cycle Cost (WLCC) data requirements to perform WLCC calculations and produce WLLC estimates. The research determines the extent to which WLCC data, such as time, interest rates, escalation rates and real costs can be attached to parametric BIM data to be used effectively to create speedier and more accurate real-time WLLC analysis. Without incorporating WLCC data in the BIM, a complete picture of a construction project’s WLCC cannot be formed from the default outputs of the model. BIM 5D applications such as CostX utilise …

Choosing An Appropriate Main Contract For Building Work In The Republic Of Ireland - An Overview, Tony Cunningham

Other Resources

This study discusses the considerations which underlie the choice of contract forms in Ireland. It has discusses the influence and implications of procurement and payment arrangements on this decision and concludes that the basis for the choice generally flows from the client’s priorities and that due consideration of these priorities, wants and needs is key to making effective choices. It discusses the nature of bespoke and the different families of contracts and their main forms. This should help in directing the surveyor to an appropriate form for the client’s situation. It explains the purpose and application of the GCCC and …

Do Middle Managers Contribute To Their Organisation's Strategy?, Tony Kealy

Conference Papers

This paper presents an empirical study on the contribution made by middle managers to the development of strategy in an organisation. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews with four managers in randomly-chosen companies. Two of the participant managers held senior management positions while the other two held middle manager positions. The data was analysed using a qualitative approach. Previous studies in this field were found to be wide and varied. An early study by Mintzberg (1978) found that strategy mainly forms from emergent influences at middle and lower levels of the organisation, as well as from deliberate influences emanating …

The Mink Framework: Towards Measuring Individual Knowledge, Mohamed Ragab, Amr Arisha

Articles

Knowledge is the currency of the current economy and a vital resource for sustaining organisational performance in today’s knowledge-based intensively competitive business environment. To avoid the detrimental consequences of knowledge loss, managers are urged to identify where knowledge stocks exist and how knowledge flows within their organisations by identifying knowledge holders among their employees. Although some studies have attempted to use different methods to measure knowledge at the organisational level, very few have addressed the individual knowledge holder. Moving from a critical literature review of the existing knowledge measurement approaches, this paper proposes a novel framework that enables organisations to …

The Role Of Third Party Logistics Providers (3pls) In The Adoption Of Green Supply Chain Initiatives, Edward Sweeney, Pietro Evangelista, Maria Huge-Brodin, Karin Isaksson

Practitioner Journals

The increasing importance of environmental sustainability has sharpened the focus on the need for innovative approaches to the purchasing of transport and logistics services. This article points out some of the challenges that purchasers of transport and logistics services, as well as their suppliers in the third party logistics (3PL) industry, are facing. These include the need for closer collaboration between 3PLs and their customers, as well as developing systems for the robust assessment of the environmental sustainability of services. The article is based on several years’ research experience inIreland,ItalyandSweden.

Understanding The Emergence Of New Institutional Logics: A Boundary Story, Nicolas Battard, Paul Donnelly, Vincent Mangematin

Conference papers

We contribute to the literature of institutional logics by integrating a complementary view which is of composite boundary. We integrate the physical, social, and mental boundaries that encompass both the material and symbolic aspects of institutions in order to study the institutional change of knowledge – 'Mode 1 vs. 'Mode 2'. We identified three strategies that describe the extent to which scientists engage in this new area. Embracing is characterised by a commitment to the emerging area of nanoscience and nanotechnology at every level of boundary. While the second strategy – adjusting – describes a partial commitment, the third and …

The Strategic Planning Process In Complex Settings: The Case Of Construction Professional Service Firms, Roisin Murphy, Iain Henderson

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Building Co-Operation Between Tourism And Culture In The West Of Ireland, Bernadette Quinn, Ziene Mottiar, Theresa Ryan

Conference papers

Redressing regional imbalance is now a key challenge in Ireland. Dublin is the destination of choice for more than two fifths of the market and the number of visitors holidaying outside of the Dublin region has declined significantly between 2003 and 2009. One way of redressing regional imbalance is to harness the tourism potential of the cultural sector. Spread throughout the regions is a wealth of cultural activity and a well developed infrastructure of venues staging vibrant arts activity of international calibre, be it in visual arts, film, literature or the performing arts. This activity engages 2.3 million Irish citizens …

The Specification Of Store Environments: The Role Of Design-Architecture In The Development Of Retailer Brand Loyalty, John Murray, Jonathan Elms Dr.

Conference proceedings

This paper proposes a conceptual framework for the inclusion of the aesthetic in the study of retail branding. It proposes modifications to the Mehrabian & Russell (1974) stimulus-organism-response model which characterises most approaches to the holistic study of store environments. Store prototype and retailer attachment are among the global and attribute level variables that could together with collative variables such as novelty and complexity help explain retail brand loyalty. The framework is exploratory and aims to add to existing knowledge on the dynamic, situated, perceptive processes at hand when consumers are exposed to the multitude of cues and messages typically …

Clarifying Action As Emerging Novelty: Disentangling Knowledge Creating In Routines, Conor Horan, John Finch

Conference papers

Our understanding of knowledge creating characteristics in routines is in its infancy. Research on generative and emergent qualities of organisational routines, and their ability to assist actors arriving at new distinctions in practice, remains underdeveloped. Routines theory has been used to demonstrate processes as being generative (Feldman & Pentland, 2003; Pentland, Feldman, Becker, & Liu, 2012), as producers of ideas and as emergent (Feldman, 2000). More recent efforts have argued for a dialogical approach to studying how new organisational knowledge emerges. This paper looks at organising for ‘knowledge creating’ by combining dialogical exchanges within the ostensive-performative theory of routines (Feldman …

The Mink Framework: Developing Metrics For The Measurement Of Individual Knowledge, Amr Arisha, Mohamed Ragab

Conference papers

Knowledge is the currency of the current economy and a vital resource for the sustainability of performance quality in today’s knowledge intensive business environment. To avoid the detrimental consequences of knowledge loss, managers are urged to identify where knowledge stocks exist and how knowledge flows within their organisations by keying out wellsprings of knowledge among their employees. Although some studies have attempted to measure knowledge on an organisational level using different methods, very few studies have addressed the individual knowledge carrier. Moving from a critical literature review of the existing approaches to knowledge measurement, this paper proposes a novel framework …

Towards Operations Excellence: Optimising Staff Scheduling For New Emergency Department, Amr Arisha, Waleed Abo Hamad

Conference papers

This paper presents a case study of an Emergency Department of a public hospital in Dublin, and uses an integrated approach to determine optimal staffing levels to meet the challenges of its dynamic patient demand levels. A comprehensive stochastic model is developed to incorporate patients care pathways and the resources required along their treatment journeys. Analytical Hierarchical Process is utilised to enable decision makers to set their preferences for the facility’s strategic objectives. Evolutionary algorithms are applied to optimise staff schedules. The resulted optimized schedules maintains continuity of care delivery for patients while ensuring a balanced equilibrium among available staff.

An Integrated Decision Support Framework For Assessing Food Supply Chain Risk Management Processes: A Food Retail Case Study, Amr Arisha, John Crowe

Conference papers

Global confidence and reliability in Irish food supply chains are essential elements to overall competiveness and future growth. The complex nature of food supply chains make them vulnerable to many sources of risk, both internal and external. Integrating the SCOR11 model with system dynamics and discrete-event simulation modelling is effective decision support integration, reducing the risks decision makers have to manage daily. At GRD, using the integrated framework to assess the risks associated with lean initiatives helped management in understanding both the risk scenario, likelihood and impact factor of their decisions on operations performance measures.

Integrated Framework To Optimise Decisions: Supply Chain Serious Game (Ausum), Amr Arisha, Ayman Tobail

Conference papers

Supply chain (SC) management challenges impose high pressure on the firm experts to explore innovative techniques to achieve better understanding of the impact of decisions on SC network performance. High complexity and dynamism of SC reflect on the limitations of traditional learning methods. Serious games have recently been identified as a potential learning approach for complex systems. This paper aims to develop an integrated simulation-based serious game (AUSUM) which incorporates optimisation techniques in an attempt to minimise risks and deliver better learning experience. The proposed game can be used for training and education purposes.

The Principles And Practices Of Bar And Beverage Management - The Drinks Handbook, James Peter Murphy

Books/Book Chapters

The bar and drinks business is hugely competitive. The key to success or failure between the many beverages and services offered in any bar is the employees who make, market, sell and serve them. Customer expectation and demand is constantly increasing and so it’s crucial for all staff to have comprehensive product knowledge and superior specialized service skills.

The Principles and Practices of Bar and Beverage Management - The Drinks Handbook is an authoritative resource and comprehensive training guide, essential for all students, bartenders, sommeliers, mixologists, waiters and food and beverage practitioners the world over. Written and configured in an …

Principles And Practices Of Bar And Beverage Management, James Peter Murphy

Books/Book Chapters

Principles and Practices of Bar and Beverage Management is a comprehensive text and resource book designed to explain the latest developments and new complexities of managing modern bars - be they stand alone or part of larger institutions such as hotels and resorts.

Consumer expectations have changed, and a bar today must deliver an integrated social experience in a safe modern environment, which also offers the latest products and services in a professional and engaging fashion. Against a background of increasing competition and an increasingly sophisticated customer base, this text has been designed to support the bar and beverage skills …

Social Norms Marketing, Social Networks And Alcohol Consumption: A Collegiate Context. Investigating Feasability In Ireland., Sarah Samdani

Doctoral

The current Irish policies have not been adequately effective in reducing alcohol consumption. There is a need to consider alternative strategies, such as the increasingly popular SN marketing campaigns, which have been applied successfully in the US college system. However, the potential of these campaigns has not been evaluated in Ireland. It is also not clear from the literature if descriptive or injunctive norm types will be more likely to induce behaviour change. Further, while SN interventions tend to provide ‘friends’ or ‘typical student’ as referent groups, little is understood about how individuals visualize these groups and how salient these …

Pricing European And American Options In The Heston Model With Accelerated Explicit Finite Differencing Methods, Conall O'Sullivan, Stephen O'Sullivan

Articles

No abstract provided.

The People Dimension In Logistics And Supply Chain Management – Its Role And Importance, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

It is widely recognised that the effective application of logistics and supply chain management (SCM) has a vital role to play in European economic recovery. Experience suggests that success in achieving higher levels of supply chain integration (SCI) depends on both physical and technical components (the hard-wiring), as well as human and behavioural components (the soft-wiring). There is significant evidence that the latter has been largely neglected by the logistics and SCM community. Furthermore, it appears that the majority of supply chain improvement initiatives by practitioners have been primarily concerned with technological, structural and process issues. This chapter …

Accessing International Markets: How Professional Service Firms Internationalise, Deirdre Mcquillan, Pamela Sharkey Scott, Vincent Mangematin

Conference papers

Professional service firms (“PSFs”) increasingly rely on internationalisation to drive their growth strategy. Their professional reputation and networks of relationships are critical due to the high knowledge complexity of their services. Yet international business process theory, while identifying learning as the critical tool for addressing foreign market risk, provides little insight into how PSFs build relationships and reputation for internationalisation. Our qualitative multiple case research study of the PSF internationalisation process identifies phases of interplay between learning, relationship and reputation building. These findings extend international business process theory by revealing the role of reputation and relationship building during the internationalisation …

Supply Chain "Mega-Trends": Current Status And Future Trends, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

The supply chain management (SCM) concept has become embedded in the thinking of many organisations in recent years. Originally introduced by management consultants in the early 1980s, SCM has a strong focus on integration of processes across functions within firms, as well as between the organisations that comprise the wider extended enterprise. There is a significant body of research to support the notion that the consistent delivery of value to customers is predicated on higher levels of intra-firm and inter-firm integration. Putting the supply chain integration (SCI) concept into practice is critically dependent on the ability of firms to manage …

Internationalisation In A Network Environment: A Conceptual Model Of How Professional Service Firms Internationalise, Deirdre Mcquillan, Vincent Mangematin, Pamela Sharkey Scott

Conference papers

Professional service firms (“PSFs”) increasingly rely on internationalisation to drive their growth strategy. Their professional reputation and networks of relationships are critical due to the high knowledge complexity of their services. Yet international business process theory (“IB”), while identifying learning as the critical tool for addressing foreign market risk, provides little insight into how PSFs build relationships and reputation for internationalisation. Our qualitative multiple case research study of the PSF internationalisation process identified five phases of interplay between learning, relationship and reputation building. These findings extend IB theory by revealing the role of reputation and relationship building during the internationalisation …

Will The Construction Contracts Bill Improve Subcontractor Cash Flow?, Tony Cunningham

Other Resources

Cash-flow is very important to any construction business and its effective management is a key function of quantity surveyors, particularly those working in the contracting sector. Successful cash-flow management is challenging at the best of times, but takes on a heightened importance in times of economic difficulty. Irish contractors and, in particular, subcontractors are currently experiencing unprecedented financial difficulties in the wake of the banking and property market collapse. In an attempt to alleviate these difficulties and improve cash flow within the Industry, Senator Feargal Quinn introduced The Construction Contracts Bill 2010, (The Bill) in the Seanad. This study investigates …

Link Levy To Services- Not Urban Middle Class Assets, Tom Dunne

Articles

Paying any tax is an unwelcome burden, but in Ireland many have a particular aversion to taxes on their homes. We are not alone in this. Elsewhere, taxes on homes are also unpopular; witness the People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation which forced the California state government to cut property taxes. Nevertheless, residential property taxes remain an almost universal feature of developed countries because of compelling economic arguments for them. Also, local property taxes are regarded as the best means of funding local government.

Rarely, it seems to me, is there such a distance between what the public wants and …