The implications of internationalisation for the management of the vehicle components industry in Britain,Germany, Japan and the U.S.A.

The vehicle components industry, which in recent years has become subject to a more international pattern of competition, provides a good example of how internationalisation forces companies to re-appraise their strategic priorities. The industry's breadth and complexity afford rich international comparisons and suggest conclusions of broader relevance.Thirty British vehicle component manufacturers and thirty from Germany, Japan and the U.S.A. were matched on the basis of six specific components. Field research, entailing discussions with senior executives and factory visits in all four countries, was complemented with desk research analysing the industry more comprehensively.The dramatic decline in company performances, particularly in Britain, reflects over-reliance on higher-level strategies such as diversification, acquisitions, mergers and industrial consolidation, the pursuit of scale economies and the restoration of financial positions through restructuring and retrenchment. Internationalisation calls for competitive strategies that are coherent in the face of powerfully supported international rivals, and generally requires greater market focus. Secondly, basic issues such as manning levels and productivity, quality and flexible manufacturing systems have increased in importance due to radically improved international standards of best practice, established by countries such as Japan.     

Japanese marketing strategies in the United Kingdom

This article is based on a study which examined hypotheses about Japanese marketing using a matched sample of British companies and their major Japanese competitors. Japanese subsidiaries in Britain were shown to be much more marketing-oriented, more responsive to strategic opportunities, and more single-minded in their pursuit of market share. Organizationally, there were few differences between the two groups. The Japanese subsidiaries, however, were more inclined to use product or market-based divisions and continuous, informal planning and control procedures. The result is that managerial focus and responsibility are centred upon overall product-market rather than financial or production performance, with continuous feedback facilitating rapid adaptation and implementation of marketing plans and strategy.     

Investigating Unpaid Overtime Working among the Part‐time Workforce

This paper considers whether unpaid overtime working relates to contracted working hours (i.e. whether an employee works part‐time or full‐time) in Britain. It uses the authoritative 2004 British data set Workplace Employment Relations Survey to derive a sample of 4,530 workers, from 735 workplace establishments, who worked unpaid overtime. It tests hypotheses linking contracted working hours to unpaid overtime, and whether this link is moderated by gender, occupational group and the availability of flexible working arrangements. Part‐time workers were found to work significantly more unpaid overtime hours compared with their full‐time counterparts. Gender, occupation and flexible working practices moderated this relationship, where the extent to which part‐timers work more unpaid overtime than their full‐time counterparts was greater for men than for women, was greater for professional/managerial part‐time workers compared with other occupations, and was more evident in establishments less likely to offer flexible working arrangements. The findings raise concerns about the exploitation of part‐time workers.     

The privatization of British Telecom—Its impact on management

This article describes the series of changes which British Telecom has gone through over the last 10 years or so— changes which have often been dramatic and highly publicized. Faced with the challenges of the fast-changing business environment of the past decade—the most obvious of which was the technological revolution—British Telecom was perceived to be safe and reliable, but slow to change and expensive. Its strengths were the widespread understanding and acceptance of the need for change, its reservoir of the necessary skills and talent, a sound commercial infrastructure and a corporate culture. The author describes the organizational changes which have taken place and looks to a future where change is endemic if a business is to survive.     

Project post-evaluation via AHP

In engineering projects, especially in developing new technologies, the deviation of the performance from the plan is usually large and quite unknown, unlike commercial construction projects where previous experience considerably reduces uncertainty. We present here an application of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate a large project involving constructing a new production line. A post-evaluation is presented rather than the usual ex-ante application of AHP: the evaluators were the managers and engineers directly involved with the project. Several criteria were considered such as meeting the schedule and meeting the budget. The criteria were based on the analysis of the problems the project faced. By weighting the various criteria and the various decision-makers' evaluations an overall grade was calculated for the project.     

Managers' Perceptions of their Identity: A Comparative Study between the Czech Republic and Britain

After a period of more that 40 years of Communism, the Czech Republic is in the midst of an economic transformation. One aspect of this transformation is the development of a new managerial ethos, important to manage the current infrastructural changes and ensure that Czech organizations are able to compete in international markets.
This paper reports research that examines what Czech managers think about themselves and their roles, and contrasts these perceptions with those of their British counterparts. Many of the concepts and development approaches being applied in the Czech Republic are closely related to concepts and development approaches in the West and have often been accepted unchallenged even though they are being applied in very different circumstances. The focus of this research was to understand how Czech and British managers view their jobs; how their different views relate to the techniques and approaches they adopt. The method chosen was discourse analysis applied to responses from a questionnaire, interviews and repertory grid technique. Using this approach a very different kind of understanding was gained in the way Czech managers think about management than has hitherto been assumed.
The research takes a matched group of Czech and British managers and contrasts their respective views. Our findings give important new insights for management and management development practice for both the Czech Republic and Great Britain.     

Organized planning in major U.K. companies

Corporate Long Range Planning began to be fashionable in Britain in the 1960's. Now it should be possible for the managers which pioneered this development to analyse their experience for the benefit of others. This article reports the results and conclusions from a detailed study of corporate planning in 27 major British companies, each with 2–8 years experience. The aim was to discover why organized planning was introduced; what factors affected its development and what results were achieved.     

Bridging the awful gap between strategy and action

This article describes the lessons learned from a study carried out within British Telecommunications as part of the author's doctoral research programme. It was found that strategy was formulated and implemented, with direct action taken and resources commited, by Divisional managers at all three organizational levels in BT so that implementation did not always follow the lines intended by the HQ strategic planners. Implementation was found to be an interactive rather than a rational/sequential process. Marked variations in practice were observed and explanations for these are offered. The relative success of the strategies differed widely, both overall and within the divisional field units. The manner of implementation and factors managers perceived to help and hinder it were studied. Success or failure was felt to hinge on getting a few basics right: resources, organizational ‘fit’, historical performance and the expectations it generated (track record), information and support, market acceptance, technical competence, consistent goals and top management support.     

On the Same Page? How Asymmetric Buyer–Supplier Relationships Affect Opportunism and Performance

Research on buyer–supplier relationships (BSRs) has often focused on only one side of the relationship and, thus, has tended to overlook asymmetries. Yet, a buyer (supplier) may often deal with a bigger supplier (buyer) or one that has higher levels of trust, respect, and reciprocity. Therefore, we examined how two types of asymmetries—size and relational capital—affect perceived opportunism and performance. We used dyadic data from 106 buyers and their matched suppliers gathered from a survey and an archival database. The results demonstrate that the degree and direction of both asymmetries affect the BSR. Our results also reveal that an imbalance of relational capital in a firm's favor may have the opposite effect from that intended. In other words, the firm's counterpart perceives more, rather than less, firm opportunism. The results also suggest that a buyer observes lower benefits in the presence of size asymmetry, whereas the supplier's perception of benefits is unaffected. Thus, our research represents a significant step forward in understanding BSRs and asymmetries by (i) bringing attention to two key asymmetries inherent in BSRs and (ii) showing that these asymmetries are not unidirectional in their influence on perceived opportunism and performance.     

Organizing the corporate planning function

A survey of corporate Planning in Britain suggests that the way the process is organized varies with the need of the firm. There appear to be two types of needs which foster the development of the planning activity—strategy development and co-ordination. In capital intensive companies, threatened by technological or market change, there is a need for reappraisal of the firm's overall strategy. On the other hand, in a large diversified firm the requirement may be to co-ordinate the plans of different divisions and departments, particularly investment proposals. This article suggests a framework for the analysis of these planning needs.     

Manpower and unemployment in the U.K.

The subject of the changing pattern and levels of unemployment in the United Kingdom is a matter which has been receiving much attention. This paper examines some of the underlying trends and the related factors which have been creating those trends. The author does not only concentrate on the economic factors but also on the educational and social factors which have led to changes in the supply of and demand for labour. Indeed, some of the more interesting aspects of the relationship between the public and the private sector and the relative patterns of demand and supply of labour, and the causes of that supply are also examined. The author places the study in an international context and, albeit rather gloomily, does show us that this is not a problem unique to the U.K. Finally, the paper examines some of the possible remedies to the situation and outlines the need for examining rather more clearly the balance between capital and labour and, perhaps more fundamentally, the growing problem of the concentration of British industry. This paper does not aim to answer all the questions created by a relative economic decline and the growing problems of unemployment, particularly amongst the under-25 age group, but it does set out the problem and some possible solutions.     

Jurassic Union Man? A Profile of the British Trade Union Member

This paper examines the determinants of trade union membership in Great Britain utilising micro-data taken from the British Social Attitudes Survey over the period 1985–91. Our results suggest that, contrary to previous micro-studies, personal characteristics and the perceptions of workers' attitudes as regards their working environment impact significantly upon the decision to join a trade union. Moreover, it would appear that the union membership decision is becoming increasingly endogenised, especially in the case of the white-collar worker.     

Multiple Rhythmically Varying Prices,the Timing of Factor Demands and Induced Technological Change

ABSTRACT: This Paper the existing literature on optimal capital utilisation and shiftwork patterns by arguing that labour is not the only input to exhibit a price which varies over the time of day week or year Indeed in certain situations as in the w e of capital intensive industries which are heavy consumers of electricity labour costs may not even be the most important consideration The introduction of a second varying input price can completely alter the optimal operating times of production units Once this extension has been adopted it is a fairly easy final step to demonstrate that some firms face a strong inducement to develop technologies which allow them to use their capital and labour independently This type of technological change has become commonplace in recent years but largely unexplained by the existing literature These developments have important implications for the organisation of work patterns and the flexible use of the labour input     

The Case for Managerial Ruthlessness1

This paper summarizes relevant literature and reports on a study which has examined the behaviour and attributes of managers in British mid-sized companies in which growth is a strategic objective. The study used a grounded, interpretive methodology, which allowed the development of theoretical propositions which have not been subject to previous empirical examination. This paper deals with one aspect of the findings, namely ruthlessness on the part of managers in dismissing or otherwise dealing with poorly performing members of staff. This aspect of management was an important factor in the subject organizations' ability to achieve their chosen strategy, and is a phenomenon which does not appear to have been developed in any previous models of effective managerial behaviour. Managerial ruthlessness influences strategic implementation in a number of ways – it affects control of the organization, team building and the ability to respond to changes in the environment or undo mistakes in appointments. This paper also outlines attributes and characteristics of both the individual manager and the organization which allows ruthlessness to be developed and used effectively, for example self-confidence; the ability to ensure that criticism or dismissal is not seen as personal; the separation of work and social life; and the ability to focus on objectives rather than the person. Organizational support and training in such behaviour also appeared to be helpful contributors to the development of such behaviour.     

Building Industry–University Research Centers: Some Strategic Considerations

This paper reviews the importance of industry–university relationships and the strategic considerations within the context of these partnerships in university research centers. We have identified several factors that are particularly important to industry in building relationships with university centers. These include: acquiring skills, knowledge and gaining access to university facilities; organizational cultures that are more organic; flexible university policies for intellectual property rights, patents and licenses; and the presence of champions. Firms also have explicit collaborative strategies for partnering with universities where firms can be segmented into three distinct clusters: Collegial Players, Aggressive Players and Targeted Players. Collegial Players are often large firms working with universities and university-sponsored consortia on topics of interest that have long-term value rather than promise immediate commercial opportunities. Aggressive Players are both large and small firms who employ university relationships specifically to develop and commercialize a wide range of marketable products and services. Targeted Players are often smaller firms, largely interested in using university relationships to address specific issues central to their business. We conclude by discussing key implications for both industry and universities.     

Social ties, task-related communication and first job performance of young engineers

This study investigated the relationships among social ties, task-related communication, and first industrial job performance of a group of young engineers by utilizing a cooperative (coop) engineering program as a natural study. The coop arrangement allowed the researcher to examine the work behavior of these young engineers with similar academic training who were working on comparable work assignments in the same set of organizations.The study found that the job performance of the coop engineers was related to the pattern of work- related communication but not the total number of contacts. Specifically, high performance new engineers were integrated more broadly into the interpersonal communication networks than low performance new engineers. Moreover, high performance new engineers exhibited communication patterns similar to those of high performance veteran engineers working on similar types of technical work. Social ties with the company staff was found to be related positively with job performance, but social ties with other coop engineers was found to be related negatively with job performance, a result which challenges an implicit assumption often made by researchers and managers about the organizational socialization of newcomers. Overall, this study provides an integrative framework for relating social ties and communication as key factors for understanding the job performance of young engineers and presents a methodology for assessing their organizational assimilation.     

Futurology and planning

This paper is not intended to be an exhaustive exposition of futurological and predictive studies, but rather an indication of the kinds of approach which institutes devoted to this subject are making, methods used and the ideas which are being developed.     

Changing perspectives on the capital investment process

The environment within which institutions undertake commercial and industrial activity changes both as a result of decisions dependent on the institution itself and as a result of decisions independent of the institution. In recent years many of these changes have resulted in changing perspectives on the range of criteria which should be considered when determining how and where large corporations should invest their money. This paper examines these changes in corporate practice and identifies the cumulative results of these changes in the environment of corporate activity. The paper also examines some of the key elements in new approaches which corporations are adopting to capital investment decisions by utilizing data on a broadly based research project which examines in depth the capital investment/ resource allocation processes of five large, worldwide, manufacturing firms. The subject is of vital importance to large and small businesses, both because of the crucial importance of investment decisions and because of the importance for future strategic planning of identifying the environment within which corporate activities take place.     

Regulatory intervention and the effect of changes in corporate governance on firm decisions and market reactions

This paper investigates whether Italian companies that cross-list in the United States between 1993 and 2005 show (1) a change in their internal policies as anticipated by the bonding hypothesis, (2) an increase in market value, or (3) an increase in the access to capital funds. We use the unique environment created by the 1998 Draghi reform which significantly improved the protection of Italian listed companies’ minority shareholders and we further examine the impact of legislated changes in corporate governance in Italy on the decision of Italian companies to cross-list in the United States. Our results indicate that following the Draghi reform (1) firms that cross-list in the United States modify their dividend and cash policies as anticipated by the bonding hypothesis. Contrary to prior research, (2) we do not find evidence that cross-listing serves to enhance shareholder value or (3) is used as a vehicle to more easily access capital funds either before or after the domestic corporate governance is improved. The results of this study provide evidence that country level legislative innovations intended to enhance a weak corporate governance system can be a valid and effective substitute to the bonding mechanism by providing an alternative signal of a firm’s quality.