Business Commons^™

Lean Six Sigma And The Australian Business Excellence Framework: An Exploratory Case Within Local Government, Oriana Price, Matthew P. Pepper, Matthew Stewart

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine a contextualized local government case study of the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in conjunction with the Australian Business Excellence Framework (ABEF) to highlight the importance of a good strategic fit between LSS and organizational objectives before implementation.

Design/methodology/approach A local government council is used in a case study-based approach. Organizational artefacts and documents were used for data collection in conjunction with interviews from senior executives within the organization.

Findings Results indicate that when used in conjunction with the ABEF, LSS provides focus on organizational learning practices embedded within the …

Hard To Reach: Examining The National Disability Insurance Scheme Experience - A Case Study In Wollongong, Freda C. Hui, Corinne L. Cortese, Mona Nikidehaghani, Sandra H. Chapple, Kellie M. Mccombie

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

We report on interviews conducted to examine the effectiveness of the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Our aims were to assess the effectiveness of the NDIS in communicating with people with disabilities who are socio‐economically disadvantaged, to consider the types of assistance required, and to provide recommendations to improve the NDIS. Our interviewees are characterised as ‘hard to reach’, a cohort that is missing out on benefits they might receive under the NDIS because of the socioeconomic disadvantage that compounds their disability hardship. Some of our key findings were that many of our interviewees were unaware of the NDIS, …

The Introduction Of Well-Being Into The Curriculum Of An Executive Mba Program: The Sydney Business School As A Reflective Case Study, Lee Styger, Lauren P. Richardson

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

There is hardly an established university anywhere in the world that does not have, or aspire to have, an MBA program. Few universities, however, have dedicated Executive MBA (EMBA) programs and of those universities that do, there is much confusion regarding what constitutes an EMBA. For example, some university providers suggest that an EMBA is simply an extension of the full-time MBA program that is offered to part-time students. Other university providers claim that an EMBA is a stand-alone and differentiated program, consisting of a bespoke curriculum, designed for the mature executive.

Technological Innovation In The Maritime Industry: The Case Of Remote Pilotage And Enhanced Navigational Assistance, Benjamin Brooks, Tim Coltman, Miles Yang

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Advances in technological innovation have been deployed to support autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles in many industries. A question that remains unanswered is why very little progress has been made in remote pilotage over the past 15 years. This paper draws together theories from innovation management and the high reliability organisation literatures to shed light on this question. Using a case study of two Australian ports, we examine a business case for remote pilotage demonstrating that despite positive cost benefit models, ambiguities in benefits exist throughout the ecosystem. The discussion sheds light on unique challenges that Port executives face where it …

Oil-Related Shocks And Macroeconomic Adjustment Under Different Nominal Exchange Rate Policies: The Case Of The Libyan Economy, Issa Saleh Ali, Charles Harvie

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Libya is a country heavily dependent on its oil sector since the 1960s and recently has experienced a considerable increase in oil revenue as a result of increased oil prices particularly after 2000 and oil production rehabilitation since 2011. Like many natural resource-rich developing countries, however, the country has suffered from widespread corruption, including that related to old oil production contracts and a cumbersome bureaucracy, which has resulted in misuse of oil revenues and poor economic performance. By 2011, the country experienced a civil war and political turmoil for a period of eight months.1 The civil war, in conjunction with …

Green Intraprenurial Flexibility Towards Sustaining Competitive Advantage: A Case Of South Asian Context, G D. Samarasinghe, Ananda Wickramasinghe, Helan Ramya Gamage, Nalin Abeysekera

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This study explores how green based intrapreneurial flexibility affects sustainable business performance of the Sri Lankan hotel industry. A survey was administered to a random sample of senior managers of hotels in Sri Lanka. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant path coefficient which explained green based intrapreneurial flexibility positively influenced sustainable competitive advantage. The findings suggest that hotel industry policy makers develop green specific intrapreneurial capabilities so that they can quickly adapt their green based product and service offerings in responding to changes of the green market requirements by focusing on green based new venture creation, green innovation, green related …

Case Study: Transfield And Tenex: Endurance And Weakness In Two Migrant Family Businesses In Australia, Mary Barrett

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Transfield is one of Australia's most prominent construction companies. The name itself: "trans" meaning across and "field", which suggests open spaces, reflects the firm's origins as a venture founded by two Italian emigrants, Carlo Salteri and Franco Belgiorni-Nettis, who crossed huge distances to Australia before establishing their own firm.

Case Study: The Al-Awadhi Brothers: The Story Of Two Emirati Entrepreneurs, Maryam Khazaeli, Mary Barrett

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

For centuries, families of transnational Sunni Arabs, or Persians both Sunni and Shiite, have migrated from southern Iran to the Arab coast of the Persian Gulf. In fact, Iranian groups living on the coast of the Persian Gulf have generally looked more to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) than to Iranian groups inland (Potter, 2009). They have maintained a "dual existence", owning houses in two or more countries and speaking multiple languages (Nadjmabadi, 2010). This has been a source of economic benefit to both Iran and the UAE, at least until the recent political unrest in the region. Many Iranians …

Governmental Influences On The Evolution Of Agricultural Cooperatives In Vietnam: An Institutional Perspective With Case Studies, Anne Ngoc Vo, V Le

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Using an institutionalist approach as the main framework, this research examines the evolution of Vietnamese agricultural cooperatives over the last six decades through four distinct phases - the voluntary collectivization period of 1954-1975, the compulsory collectivization period of 1975-1981, the de-collectivization period of 1981-1997 and the neo-collectivization period since 1997. Based on two case studies, this research examines the role of the Vietnamese government in the development of Vietnamese agricultural cooperatives. It argues that a stable legal environment and appropriate government support are extremely important for the successful development of cooperatives. In terms of theoretical contribution, the study calls for …

The Current Retirement System In Australia Needs To Be More Attuned To A Mobile International Workforce: A Case For Reform, Rhys Cormick, John A. Mclaren

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Dealing with the fiscal impacts of Australia's ageing population is potentially the most important issue for the next 30 years. The majority of countries in the developed world are facing an ageing population due to sustained low fertility and increased life expectancy. In order to reduce the fiscal burden following this decreased labour force participation and increased age-related spending, governments must appropriately design retirement savings systems to protect their budget, the taxpayers and the elderly. Individuals are increasingly taking up employment in foreign countries. Such international labour mobility provides a number of economic benefits for both the home and host …

Enacting Responsible Leadership: The Case Of Singapore, Carolyn Koh, Mario Fernando, Trevor A. Spedding

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The literature on responsible leadership focus predominantly on a western context with limited empirical studies reported from Asia. To address this gap, this paper aims to explore responsible leadership from a non-western context focusing on Singapore. Case studies developed from face-to-face interviews with 20 influential Singaporean leaders were analysed and similarities and differences between and within cases were utilised to identify contextual factors that influence responsible leadership. The findings reveal that Singaporean leaders possess traits/values that make them both responsible and effective leaders. However, contextual factors such as national culture and ethos of the nation as well as relational intelligence …

Analysing Banks' Intermediation And Operational Performance Using The Hicks-Moorsteen Tfp Index: The Case Of Iran, Amir Arjomandi, Abbas Valadkhani, Martin O'Brien

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

In order to analyse the impact of policy reforms on the performance of the banking sector in Iran we present a decomposition of the Hicks-Moorsteen Total Factor Productivity (TFP). This entails a comparison of both the intermediate and operating performances of different types of banks in the pre- and post-reform eras. Our results show that under the intermediation approach, state-owned banks (public banks) were considerably more efficient than private banks in the post-regulation period. In contrast, under the operating approach, private banks were fully technically efficient and mix efficient in both pre and post-reform eras. This paper highlights the importance …

Superannuation Policy Processes: The Case Of Mysuper And Superstream, Fariba Ahmadi Pirshahid, Mary Kaidonis, Kathy Rudkin

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

The Australian superannuation system has been praised as one of the best in the world. Yet a major review by the Cooper Committee in 2010 found numerous problems that have been undermining the performance of the system, proposing a number of recommendations for improvement. The subsequent adoption and implementation of two such recommendations saw the introduction of 'MySuper' and 'SuperStream' by the government resulting in the most significant reform in the superannuation industry since the introduction of the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) in 1992. This paper critically analyses: the relevant Deloitte; and Financial Services Council and Ernst and Young's report used …

Neglected Stakeholder Groups: A Case Study Of Recreational Vehicle Users In Tasmania, Anne Hardy, Ulrike Gretzel, Mark Wickham

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Traditional stakeholder mapping tools have concentrated on the identification of issues such as power, urgency and predictability of stakeholder groups. Yet they do not sufficiently address the ability of neglected stakeholder groups to communicate, gain and use their power when issues affecting them arise, suggesting that traditional approaches have to be updated to accommodate suddenly emerging stakeholder groups. This paper uses the case study of Recreational Vehicle Users in Tasmania, Australia, to explore the issue. In doing so it illustrates the risks of ignoring these groups, particularly when developing public policy. The paper proposes a more iterative and consultative approach …

Exploring Hegemonic Change In China: A Case Of Accounting Evolution, Lina Xu, Corinne Cortese, Eagle Zhang

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - This paper provides an understanding of how accounting systems have changed across four distinct periods of hegemonic leadership in China.

Design/methodology/approach - Using Gramsci's concept of hegemony, periods of leadership and accounting change throughout Chinese history are examined, including the Confucian tradition, the rise of the socialist system followed by the Cultural Revolution under the Maoist era, and the move towards the socialist-market system in the Dengist era.

Findings - This paper shows how political leaders in these different time periods effectively achieved leadership by destroying an existing hegemony, creating a new ideology, and implanting this into people's …

Exploring The Role Of Marketing Strategy And New Product Development In Long-Term Success Of Market Acceptance: A Case Study Of A Local Product In Thailand, Pensri Jaroenwanit, Uraiporn Kattiyapornpong

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

This paper aims to present the exploratory study of the role of marketing strategy and new product development in achieving long-term success of market acceptance in the context of a local product in Thailand. It is part of a large project, only qualitative study is included in this paper. The research methodology comprised documentary research, focus group discussion, and in-depth interview. Participants included local business representatives and customers who live in the regional area and have purchased and consumed the regional products in the last twelve months. The exploratory findings showed the importance of understanding the role of marketing strategy …

Fractals And Self-Similarity In Economics: The Case Of A Two-Sector Growth Model, Davide La Torre, Simone Marsiglio, Fabio Privileggi

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

We study a stochastic, discrete-time, two-sector optimal growth model in which the production of the homogeneous consumption good uses a Cobb-Douglas technology, combining physical capital and an endogenously determined share of human capital. Education is intensive in human capital as in Lucas (1988), but the marginal returns of the share of human capital employed in education are decreasing, as suggested by Rebelo (1991). Assuming that the exogenous shocks are i.i.d. and affect both physical and human capital, we build specific configurations for the primitives of the model so that the optimal dynamics for the state variables can be converted, through …

Improving The Efficiency Of Sporting Venues Through Capacity Management - The Case Of The Sydney (Australia) Cricket Ground Trust, Paul Preda, Ted Watts

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Capacity management seeks to improve organizational effectiveness through improved operational efficiency and reduced congestion. The article contends that there are major similarities between manufacturing organizations and sporting venues with respect to issues of capacity management. This article reports the findings of two capacity management studies undertaken at a major sporting venue in Sydney, Australia, and relates the findings to capacity management theory articulated in current capacity literature and exhibited in existing management practice. It is proposed that by understanding the well-developed techniques presented in the production capacity literature, venue managers may be able to identify pockets of idle capacity and …

The Electoral Reform Campaigns In New Zealand: A Political Communication Case Study, Juliet Roper, Shirley Leitch

Faculty of Business - Papers (Archive)

Communication professionals employed in the public relations and advertising industries play a central role in the democratic process. They research, design, and implement the campaign strategies that attempt to influence voter choices and public policy. In New Zealand, some special legal restrictions are placed on the campaign activities of politicians during election campaigns. But, for corporations and interest groups, the ability to pay is the major controlling factor. It was within the context of this 'free market' of ideas that New Zealand held a referendum to decide whether or not to adopt a new electoral system. In spite of a …