‘Environment’ Submissions in the UK's Research Excellence Framework 2014

There has been much debate about university research assessment exercises. In the UK, a major element of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) has been the research environment. Here we analyse 98 REF2014 ‘environment’ submissions in Business and Management Studies. We explore whether there are distinctive language‐related differences between submissions of high and low ranked universities and conclude that submission writers have a strong incentive to exaggerate strengths and conceal problems. In addition, innate biases such as the ‘halo’ and ‘velcro’ effects may distract the attention of assessors from a submission's strengths and weaknesses, since they are likely to influence their pre‐existing impressions. We propose several changes to improve how environment is evaluated. We also argue that the research environment would be more likely to be enhanced if the number of outputs submitted in future was an average of two and a maximum of four per academic, rather than the maximum of five currently being considered.     

The State of the Field in UK Management Research: Reflections of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) Panel

This paper reviews the state of the field of the sub-disciplines within UK management research, based upon the submissions of 94 UK higher education institutions to the Business and Management Studies Panel in the UK's 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). It offers observations on the UK model of the assessment of quality in, and funding of, research conducted in publicly funded higher education institutions.     

The role of HRD in bridging the research-practice gap: the case of learning and development

ABSTRACT

An enduring challenge for HRD is ensuring academic research achieves impact on professional practice. We have located this research within debates about the research-practice gap. To investigate this challenge, we analyse case studies of academic impact from all disciplines submitted to the United Kingdom’s 2014 research assessment exercise (REF 2014). We found that Learning and Development was a primary focus of significant number of impact case studies submitted across all disciplines compared to other areas of HR and HRD. We also found that Learning and Development was a key path to Impact. These findings reveal that Learning and Development in a work context plays a pivotal role in helping researchers irrespective of discipline achieve impact. Our findings therefore speak to the research-practice gap across academia. We conclude by considering the potential role for HRD in generating impact.     

The effects of demand,competitive, and technological uncertainty on board monitoring and institutional ownership of IPO firms

This paper considers industry-specific contingencies that may account for some of the inter-firm heterogeneity in the deployment of specific corporate governance mechanisms in IPO firms. We examine how differences in demand, competitive, and technological uncertainty in the industry influence the levels of IPO firm monitoring by board outsiders and institutional investors. We test our theory using a sample of U.S. firms that completed an IPO in 24 manufacturing industries. The results indicate that industry uncertainty is, indeed, significantly related to the use of corporate governance mechanisms. In particular, the empirical results indicate that industry effects on IPO firm board monitoring and institutional investor ownership are the strongest and most consistent for demand uncertainty and competitive uncertainty.

A longitudinal analysis of the impact of firm resources and industry characteristics on firm-specific profitability

Using a dynamic heterogeneous panel data model, we examine the relationship between firm-specific resources (corporate management capabilities, employee value-added and technological competence) and firm-specific profitability and the potential moderating effects of industry characteristics on this relationship. We find that firm-specific resources enhance both accounting-based measures (return on assets and return on sales) and market-based measure (Tobin’s q) of firm-specific performance. Moreover, industry characteristics moderate the relationship between firm-specific resources and firm-specific profitability. Managerial implications are discussed.

Journal Rankings in Business and Management and the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise in the UK

The public availability of detailed data from the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise in the UK allows an analysis of the publications cited in submissions to the Business and Management panel. Eighty per cent of the 9,942 publications submitted were journal articles. Submissions to the RAE can be scored in terms of the number of citations they make to journals that appear on various lists, such as the Financial Times list. The concentration of articles in a minority of journals, with 50% of all citations to just 126 journals, means that a core list of business and management journals can be compiled. The core list presented contains 562 journals out of the 1582 journal titles that were cited in Business and Management submissions. It includes all journals with more than two citations overall at least one citation in a 5^*, 5 or 4 rated submission. It also includes all journals cited in the RAE from Starbuck's ranked lists of journals and the Financial Times list.     

Evaluating cost efficiency in central administrative services in UK universities

This paper describes an attempt to evaluate cost efficiency in UK university central administration. The funding councils of higher education institutions have progressively evolved elaborate systems for measuring university performance in teaching quality and research. Indeed, funding of universities is linked to their performance in research. The allocation of resources between academic and administrative activities, on the other hand, has so far not been subject to scrutiny. Yet, expenditure on administration is typically some 30% of that allocated to academic activities. This paper sets up a data envelopment analysis (DEA) framework to identify practices leading to cost-efficient central administrative services in UK universities. The problems in defining the unit of assessment and the relationship between the inputs and the outputs are clearly demonstrated.     

Measuring Research Performance in Business and Management Studies in the United Kingdom: The 1992 Research Assessment Exercise*

This paper presents the results of a statistical analysis of the 1992 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE92) for the 85 business and management departments in UK institutions of higher education. The aims of the paper are, first, to construct a set of quantitative indicators of research outputs and inputs which can be used by individual departments for comparative purposes and second, to investigate the extent to which variations between departments in the research rating obtained in the RAE92 can be explained by these indicators of research outputs and inputs. One of the main findings is that around 80 per cent of the variation in the research rating obtained by business and management departments are accurately predicted by a regression model that contains only a small number of regressors. These include: size of department, articles in refereed academic journals, research students and research income.     

Integration of BPR and TQM: Past,present and future trends

During the past decade, some efforts have been put forth by researchers towards integrating Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR) principles. The results of the majority of research work carried out in this direction have been scattered and have not been applied in practice. In this context this paper is being brought out with the aim of reporting the literature survey conducted with the objective of evolving future direction of research imperatives for integrating TQM and BPR principles. The literature survey was carried out by using CD-ROM journal called Anbar Electronic Intelligence (AEI) (published by MCB University Press, UK) and by visiting the site maintained by Emerald Library, UK. On systematic analyses, it was found that the integration of BPR with the quality strategies identified in a theoretical Strategic Quality Management model would make a meaningful start in this direction.     

The Assessment of Research Quality in UK Universities: Peer Review or Metrics?

This paper investigates the extent to which the outcomes of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise in the UK, determined by peer review, can be explained by a set of quantitative indicators. Three cognate units of assessment are examined in detail: business and management, economics and econometrics, and accounting and finance. The main finding is that each of the three components of research activity (namely, research output, esteem and research environment) is highly correlated with various quantitative indicators. A further finding is that the judgement of the Research Assessment Exercise panels was biased in favour of Russell Group universities. There is also evidence of bias by the economics and econometrics panel. The results support the use of quantitative indicators in the research assessment process, particularly a journal quality index. Requiring the panels to take bibliometric indicators into account should help not only to reduce the workload of panels but also to mitigate the problem of implicit bias.     

Martin K. Starr: A Visionary Proponent for System Integration,Modular Production,and Catastrophe Avoidance

Martin K. Starr facilitated the creation of an identity for production and operations management (POM) as an academic discipline. This paper aims to summarize Starr's substantial contributions to scholarly inquiry on system integration and interfunctional coordination, modular production, and catastrophe avoidance. Even after four decades, we describe how his legacy in these areas continues to define several major drivers of operations and supply chain management research and practice. Starr has influenced several generations of students, professors, and executives with his writings, teaching, and leadership roles in the POM community that include 32 years on the faculty of the Columbia School of Business, 15 years as Editor‐in‐Chief of Management Science, and presidency of the Production and Operations Management Society.     

面向中国管理实践的组织与人力资源管理:反思与探索——首届“中国人力资源管理论坛(2012)”观点评述

全球化和知识经济时代动荡复杂的环境,对中国企业的组织形态和人力资源管理模式形成了严峻挑战。同时,近年来主流西方管理理论在中国遭遇的"水土不服",也需要中国管理学界在深刻反思的基础上积极探索中国式管理之路。基于对组织和人力资源管理领域回应现实课题和理论创新的双重要求,2012年5月26～27日在南开大学商学院召开的首届"中国人力资源管理论坛(2012):组织创新与人力资源管理变革"学术研讨会上,与会学者就中国人力资源管理的挑战和学科建设方向、人力资源管理研究的方法论、战略人力资源管理、组织行为与领导力、组织学习与变革等专题进行了深入研讨。鉴于此,在介绍诸多学术观点的基础上,对相关问题进行简要评述。     

What Influences Business Academics’ Use of the Association of Business Schools (ABS) List? Evidence From a Survey of UK Academics

The development of the Association of Business Schools (ABS) list in 2007 and its rapid adoption by UK business schools has had a profound effect on the nature of business and management academics’ ways of working. Using a large‐scale survey of UK business academics, we assess the extent to which individuals use the Academic Journal Guide (AJG/ABS) list in their day‐to‐day professional activities. In particular, we explore how their perceptions of the list, the academic influence of their research, academic rank and organizational context drive the varied use. Building on prior research on the importance of univalent attitudes in predicting behaviour, we find those who have either strong positive or negative views of the list are more extensive users than those who are ambivalent. We also find that the extent of use of the AJG/ABS list is greatest among those academics who have lower academic influence, in the middle or junior ranks within business schools and in middle and low‐status universities. We explore the implications of these findings for the value of journal rankings and for the management of business schools.     

International business thought: A 50-year footprint

As international business marks 50 years of its establishment as a distinct domain of academic research, discussions on both the major contributions of the field and its future research directions have drawn great interest in the current literature. The arrival at a clear consensus on these issues, however, has been set back by the lack of resolution in the search for a unifying, integrative framework of international business. Drawing on theories of knowledge organisation and on extant reviews of international business research, this paper proposes an emergent international business research framework anchored around four unifying themes expressed as broad international business research questions. A content analysis of 1689 studies in the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) from its maiden issue in 1970 to 2008 and studies classified as international business in nature done prior to 1960 confirms the trajectories of international business research along the four themes. It is suggested that these major research themes serve as the main research pillars that define the international business domain, framing research done so far, and driving future research in the field. Areas of research intensity and opportunity are identified along with implications for international business research and theory-building.     

Michael Porter on competitive strategy reflections and round table discussion

In a recent series on “The Business of Excellence”, Thames Television, UK, transmitted a talk by Michael Porter on the competitive strategy of companies. A Round Table of executives with a special interest in the subject was then asked to discuss Porter's ideas. The European Management Journal is pleased to have been given the copyright to edit and publish the talk and the lively and wide-ranging debate which followed.Michael Porter is Professor at Harvard Business School and the foremost authority on competitive strategy. He is author of over thirty articles and six books, including Competitive Strategy and Competitive Advantage. The former is the leading work in the field, having been reprinted fourteen times and translated into nine languages. The Round Table set up to comment on Professor Porter's address included Sir Christopher Hogg, the Chairman of Courtaulds, Trevor Chinn from Lex Service Group which distributes Volvos in the UK and electronic components in the US and Europe, David Sainsbury of the UK's largest grocery chain, and Patricia Grant of Norfrost, who, with her husband, founded a company which makes chest freezers in the north of Scotland. Mrs Grant is also a recent Business Woman of the Year. The programme was introduced and chaired by Ian Hay Davison, advisor, Arthur Andersen and Company, and director. Midland Bank Group plc.     

管理学研究者客户迷失的判定、原因及出路

管理学研究者应认清自己的客户是谁,为客户创造价值。管理学研究者的客户有同行客户和实践客户2类,对管理学研究成果评价的优先次序依次是：实践客户、同行客户、专业机构。典型的客户迷失有抛弃客户型、客户倒置型、两头踏空型3种。管理学界3种迷失都相当严重,这加剧了管理学脱离实践和学术不端两大问题。解决客户迷失问题的出路是,认清研究成果的价值排序,改革学术评价体系,不再片面强调刊物等级指标,而是以“使用者、读者、引用者”为核心,按照研究者的自我定位分类进行评价。     

中国管理学学术期刊的发展与未来展望——以《南开管理评论》十年发展为例

本文通过回顾《南开管理评论》十年发展历程,对期刊的定位、特色进行了总结。采用文献计量学的方法,对《南开管理评论》从1998年到2007年十年间刊发文章的被引频次、影响因子、五年影响因子等数据进行分析,重点评价了《南开管理评论》在中国管理学期刊中的学术影响和地位,并且通过分析管理学学术期刊面临的形势,展望了未来的发展方向。文章的主要目的在于提出一些中国管理学学术期刊发展的共性问题,并且希望能辅助探索管理学学科领域的发展规律。     

Giddens’ structuration theory and its implications for management accounting research

The purpose of this essay is to briefly review the pillars and the rationale of Giddens’ theory of structuration, and offer a snapshot of the impact of these ideas on research in management accounting. Conceptualised as a way of making sense of social life, structuration theory represents a sensitizing device for researchers, which has be drawn upon “in a selective way in thinking about research questions or interpreting findings” (Giddens, Modernity and self-identity: Self and society in the late modern age, 1991). In the following pages the duality of structure, the modalities of structuration, the concept of double positioning, the theory of the subject as well as concepts such as ontological security, routines or trust will be reviewed as essential elements of a vocabulary originally framed within Giddens’ The constitution of society (1984). The essay ends sketching the work of Macintosh and Scapens (Management accounting and control systems—an organisational and behavioural approach, 1990), who broke new ground to interpret management accounting systems in light of structuration theory terms and concepts, as well as some of the more recent works in accounting that have built on Giddens’ latest ideas on the The Consequences of Modernity (1990).

Establishing best practice university research funding strategies using mixed-mode modelling

This paper develops a model representing the university research funding problem under a performance based research funding (PBRF) scheme during the ‘lead-up period’ using a mixed-mode modelling approach (involving soft and hard models) and suggests a solution heuristic. The resultant model facilitates the development of ‘best practice’ strategies to assist in raising the level of research quality and participation, thus placing the university (or academic unit) in the best possible position for facing the final hurdle, the formal research assessment process. This assessment process constitutes the ‘positioning problem’, for which models already exist to assist individual universities to adopt the most favourable strategy. However, the ultimate position of the university depends on the results from the lead-up period. The suggested model facilitates ‘research enhancement’ strategy formulation, evaluation and revision and actively involves the researchers themselves. Benchmarking, an Expert Panel (operating on panel consensus) and subjective strategy impact evaluation are the key tools used. The suggested methodology relies on the knowledge, wisdom and experience of the researchers themselves and will hopefully facilitate the achievement of an academic unit's research goals over the lead-up period preparing them for the ‘positioning problem’. The paper also offers some suggestions as to how to establish and obtain maximum usefulness from the expert panel. Lastly, the suggested solution to the suggested model is user friendly, requiring no more than the use of a spreadsheet.