Strategic planning for telecommunications—a systems approach

This paper outlines the practical application of a systems approach to designing and implementing the Strategic Planning Process in a mid-sized, capital/technology intensive Canadian telecommunications company. The basic General Systems concepts used are briefly mentioned, the design of the Organization Structure and the Information Structure for the Strategic Planning Process are reviewed, the Operational Dynamics of the Strategic Planning Process outlined, outputs and application case described and conclusions reached.     

Time substitution and network effects with an application to nanobiotechnology policy for US universities

We present a dynamic network model of the knowledge production process for nanobiotechnology research at 25 US universities during 1990–2005. Universities produce knowledge outputs in nanobiotechnology consisting of Ph.D. graduates, research publications, and patents. Inputs include the university’s spending on R&D in engineering and the life sciences, and the university’s own stock of knowledge measured by past publications in nanobiotechnology. In addition, universities take advantage of the stock of knowledge produced by other universities in previous periods. We simulate the effect of the National Science Foundation being able to optimally allocate research funds for nanobiotechnology research between universities and across time so as to maximize the aggregate amounts of the three knowledge outputs produced by the universities.     

How will technology impact your business?

Over 1980–1982 the Business Environment Study Group of the Strategic Planning Society considered how new and emerging technology is likely to impact on business. This included a consideration of the mechanisms by which technology is taken up by business and the ramifications of the technological impacts in the coming decades.This material formed a Study Group publication [R. H. G. Whaley, New Technology Impacts on Business, Proceedings of the Business Environment Study Group, Society for Strategic and Long Range Planning (1983)]. During 1986 the Study Group revised and added to the material as part of the exercise of merging its previous publications into one document— the technology section of which is the subject of this paper.The Study Group does not carry out research, but conducts a networking process where corporate planning and allied opinion on aspects of the business environment are distilled. This enables planners to confirm aspects of their work with others, and for newcomers to pick up the concepts. After discussion a surprising degree of consensus is generally obtained.The Study was carried out by considering the types of technology impacts on business, technology and people's values, innovation, emerging technologies, and the ramifications of technology impacts in the coming decades in different business areas.     

The EFOM 12C energy supply model within the EC modelling system

This article describes the EC-EFOM 12C model in general and refers where possible to existing documentation. It also reports on the first completed experimental case study and on planned future analysis. This model was developed in one of the research programs undertaken by the European Commission aimed primarily at multinational studies. Data are obtained from research carried out by an interactive network of national implementation teams working with a central group at the Commission. The energy system used is an oriented network carrying the primary energy over intermediate stages till finally meeting consumers' demand. The numerical information, constituting the attributes that characterise the various energy transformation processes, is stored in the European energy data base. About 225 transformation processes distributed over 17 subsystems characterised for six time periods up till 2020 for all EC countries are involved. The management of the data base is performed by an interactive software and this data base is designed for use in simulation studies and for linear programming optimisation with various objective functions. The model has been used in a parallel case study to explore substitution possibilities between an investment policy reducing the primary energy imports and one where these investments are restrained at the cost of having to import more primary energy. Results are shown and briefly discussed. Finally the relationship of this EFOM 12C model with the other EC models developed in the same research subprogram is outlined.     

Balance of care—a user's view of a new approach to joint strategic planning

Planning for care of the Elderly has to face the problems of an increasing elderly population; a wide range of alternative ways of caring for them (at widely differing costs); the fact that services are provided by several different organisations all facing difficult financial constraints; a range of professional opinion about the desirability or otherwise of alternative patterns of care and use of resources; a lack of data on how care is at present distributed; the lack of a structure for organising such data as are available; and the lack of an appropriate computer-based model for manipulating the large number of data elements necessary to describe and help to evaluate alternative plans for the future. The Balance of Care approach to the Joint Strategic Planning of Health and Social Services provision for the Elderly, is being used in pilot applications in two Areas in the UK. Its contribution to the solution of the problems outlined above is described by authors from the two Areas. The approach and the underlying model can be extended to strategic planning for other client groups requiring non-acute care.     

Data bases for large energy-economic models

The collection, collation and transformation of data into the form required by a large energy-economic model constitutes a significant part of the overall modelling activity. The correct basis for setting up a model data base rests on the separation of the model specification into the four areas of external data transformation, internal data representation, internal data transformation and the mathematical relationships. From this specification, the model may be generated. The internal data base is comprised of a series of tables, covering intersectoral transactions, capital stock transactions, energy sector operating characteristics, consumption patterns and other data. These tables may be compiled direct from source material, or via some research requiring prior data processing. In both cases the process should be fully documented, so that data accuracy is ensured and the data may be updated reliably when new material becomes available. It is recommended that a data coordinating function be established within the modelling group, in order to plan and control data-related activities.     

Construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline

The tangible components of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System are outlined and the Integrated Project Planning and Management Cycle is visualized from the General Organizational Matrix viewpoint: then the multiple command structures in one large-scale Arctic Energy Project are analyzed retrospectively to test some a priori expectations about project managment. A number of lessons emerge from actual experience that may aid in the management of future energy projects.     

Supply chain environmental management: Elements for success

As environmental concerns reach the corporate boardrooms and the offices of upper management, firms continue to struggle with improving environmental performance throughout the entire organization. While changing the environmental performance from within is difficult, it is even more difficult to move outside of the organization. This process is especially challenging as firms look to improve environmental performance throughout the entire supply chain.In this article, Steve Lippman, the program manager in the Business and Environmental Program at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), reports on the latest thingking in supply chain environmental management. The article shares the lessons that BSR has learned from leading firms about the types of activities companies are undertaking to influence their suppliers, the characteristics of effective supply chain environmental management programs, and the key steps for initiating or expanding these activities.     

Environmental Management — the European Way

While international agreements, international standards, and internationally operating companies have left behind the idea of national borders for environmental management issues, research is still lagging behind in describing developments in this area from an international perspective. The European Business Environmental Barometer (EBEB) is a quantitative survey of the state and development of environmental management in Europe and one of the first to regularly provide results on this issue at a European level. It covers topics such as perceived environmental impact, environmental stakeholders, corporate environmental activities, and environmental management (systems).The results presented in this article are drawn from the latest completed round of the EBEB during which data was gathered in 1997/98. The questionnaire-based survey includes information on more than 2,800 companies from the producing sector with 50 or more employees in 11 European countries.¹     

‘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.     

A management strategy for information processing

This is the second of three articles on Management Strategy for Information Processing by this author. This paper discusses the methodology known as Business Systems Planning for assessing future computer systems requirements.     

Do R&D activities foster globalization of young innovative companies? Empirical evidence from the Italian energy industry

Although executives and scholars interested in “globalization” and “R&D activities” mainly focus their attention on corporations, the relevance that young innovative companies – YICs are assuming is compelling them to redefine their focus. With reference to YICs, some scholars investigate the influence of globalization on R&D activities, while others inquire the impact of R&D activities on their globalization. This paper shares the second approach and sets out to investigate whether and to what extent R&D activities managed by YICs affect their globalization.By enacting Law n. 221/2012, the Italian Government has posed particular attention on YICs. Accordingly, primary and second-hand data concerning 2070 Italian YICs with high technological value in the energy industry – YICsei and 12,278 Italian YICs (operating in other industries) are used to carry out stochastic frontier analyses – SFAs. These allow testing whether R&D activities (measured through investments, personnel, and outputs) foster the globalization of these firms. SFAs reveal that none of the three factors affects the globalization of Italian YICsei; instead, R&D personnel and R&D outputs foster the globalization of Italian YICs.Achieved results open new research avenues about the impact of R&D activities on the globalization of YICs.     

Business and Management Studies in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework

The Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF 2014) was the 7th formal assessment of research in UK universities and other institutions of higher education. Participation in these assessments is voluntary, and institutions can decide which staff to include and under which discipline to include them. A hundred and one institutions chose to submit research in Business and Management Studies, and this work was assessed by a panel of academic researchers and research users nominated by a wide range of academic constituencies. The previous assessment exercise was conducted in 2008, and REF 2014 shows that the quality of UK research in Business and Management Studies, already high in 2008, has improved since then. The operation of the Business and Management Studies sub‐panel is described, the results are summarized, and a few caveats are discussed so as to aid the Business and Management Studies community in its endeavours to understand and evaluate the process and the results.     

The language of power and authority in leadership

The purpose of this article is to provide insight into how leaders obtain their power through language use. The thesis defended is that, at its best, the language of power in leadership activates specific linguistic functions in prescribed ways. This thesis draws on three subordinate arguments. First, to the extent that leadership is a relationship resting on voluntary obedience, it is through a process of authorisation that leaders obtain their power. Second, the way language functions are instantiated in communication determines whether social interactions are authoritative or authoritarian. The view advanced is that noble language characterises the former, base language the latter. Third and consequently, the power of leaders develops from their use of noble language. Contrasting examples illuminate this article's thesis. An agenda for leadership research and education is then outlined.     

PIMS: A tool for developing competitive strategy

PIMS (Profit Improvement of Market Strategy) is a programme of the Strategic Planning Institute designed to provide a factual and scientific tool for strategic planning. Its great strength lies in the data base of comprehensive data, covering market, competitive and production structure, on over 2000 businesses spanning a period of at least 5 years. It reflects strategic experience of a wide range of industries, in a wide range of competitive environments.Research is carried out on the data base, focusing on those structural and operational characteristics which determine longer term performance, to discover the empirical ‘laws’ of business strategy. These are incorporated in a series of profit and cash flow predicting models encapsulating the strategic experience in the data base. The models are used to analyse members' businesses to highlight current strengths, weaknesses and strategic potential as well as to indicate and evaluate strategic options, all on the basis of real business experience.     

基于自由处置性的网络系统效率评价模型研究

网络系统生产可能集是构建网络DEA模型的基础,而相邻生产子过程的投入产出连接条件则是构造生产可能集的关键。现有的网络DEA模型在本质上都假设所有子过程的投入产出都满足强自由处置性,然而在实际生产管理活动中,这一假设未必成立。本文从各类自由处置公理出发,系统地研究了各种类型的子过程投入产出连接条件,构建了一般网络系统的生产可能集,给出了相应的等价形式,并构建了相应的网络DEA模型用于评价决策单元的效率。最后利用本文提出的方法和模型对我国上市银行的效率进行了评价。本文的研究对于一般网络系统的绩效评价和改进具有重要的意义。     

The UK research assessment exercise

Abstract

This article examines and critiques the UK research assessment exercise (RAE) and its implications for research and writing in HRD. It describes the process and identifies weaknesses in some of the concepts and related criteria applied in assessing and grading research outputs and in particular the notions of ‘international’ and ‘world class’ as standards against which to judge those outputs. The article argues that the process has detrimental effects for emerging subjects such as HRD, for those engaged in research in such subjects and for journals such as HRDI which are relatively new to business and management. It concludes that UK academics working in the field of HRD are mistaken if they allow the RAE to drive their research and choice of publications and outlets, and that it is important to support the journals which are playing a critical role in establishing the subject.     

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.