A fundamental approach to strategy development

The problem of developing sound business strategy is probably more difficult now than it has been at any time since the war. In the midst of conflicting pressures of inflation, recession, unemployment, business failures, and social and political upheaval, today's businessman faces an environment which is both unfamiliar and uncertain. The lack of predictability concerning economic affairs can make it seem impossible to plan effectively for the future. Yet without sound strategy today, corporate survival itself may be called into question. What should be done?In this, the first of two articles, the author suggests that the key to strategy development now is to focus more than ever before on ‘fundamentals’. For the individual business, market share appears to be paramount, as is shown by the ‘experience curve effect’, a concept developed by the Boston Consulting Group in the course of its international work in advising companies on corporate strategy problems. Relative competitive position thus becomes the required simple but fundamental strategic goal. However, the quest for a superior market share must take place within the confines of an appropriately defined strategic business segment.In a further article in the February 1977 issue of LRP the author will go on to expand these conclusions concerning individual businesses, considering their implications for the sound development of strategy for the multi-business company.     

The corporate road-map—Planning at Babcock & Wilcox

This article reports on the status of the planning program at Babcock & Wilcox. The article is divided into three parts. The first section describes the theory and structure of the B&W Corporate Strategic Plan and the plans that comprise it; the second section discusses what characterizes a good plan; and the third previews what might be in store for the Company.     

中国户籍制度改革地方实践的时空演进模式及其启示

改革开放之后的中国户籍制度改革历程中,地方政府逐步取代中央政府成为改革的积极推行者,因地制宜实施不同内容的户口政策成为户籍制度改革的新趋势。因此,对户籍改革地方实践的研究就显得尤为重要。文中借助于搜集到的大量地方户籍制度改革法规规章文件,选取暂住证制度、蓝印户口政策、小城镇户口改革、人才居住证制度这四项户口政策作为研究对象,对户籍制度改革的时空发展关系及改革内容的演进进行了分析,试图从政策扩散的视角分析其演化和扩散规律,最后得出了几点启示。     

农村50岁以上独生子女父母家庭经济状况分析——基于2010年对全国5县的调查

根据2010年对全国5县(区)的抽样调查,大多数50岁以上农村独生子女父母在经济生活方面并未真正实现少生快富,他们在晚年经济保障上存在很大问题。目前在养老的经济支撑上是以个人为主、子女和社会为辅的格局。多数家庭自身养老经济支撑能力薄弱,收入偏低,超过一半家庭经济收入低于贫困线,接近80%的父母不同程度感觉经济生活窘困。这些曾为我国人口控制做出突出贡献的老人养老的经济状况值得关注。     

IDENTIFICATIONS: BETWEEN NATIONALISTIC ‘CELLS’ AND AN AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM UMMAH

This paper explores the dynamics which have characterised the Australian Muslim (a term which is examined more critically throughout this paper) struggle for identity and self-identification from the late nineteenth century to the present. It will consider the two primary mechanisms through which this struggle has been articulated. The first of these relates to the ways in which many Australian Muslims have used the nationalist, linguistic and cultural affiliations, which played a critical role in their process of migration and settlement, as a way of forging personal and communal ‘cells’ of identification. The second explores the attempts made by Australian Muslims to draw this body of cells into a coherent whole structured around a religious framework, to create the ideal to which all Muslims aspire – a unified Muslim community or ummah. One of the critical questions which the various discourses relating to Australian Muslim identity and culture raise, and which will be considered in this paper, is: on what levels does this struggle for identification operate, and to what extent has it been successful in reconciling a sense of an Australian Muslim past with the present and future?     

Community-led initiatives for climate adaptation and mitigation

ABSTRACT

Planning for climate change is complex. There is some uncertainty about how quickly the climate will change and what the anticipated localised effects will be. There are also governance questions, for instance, who has the mandate to make decisions around the management of collective resources (like council infrastructure) and private property. Underlying these questions are issues of justice, equity and agency – who pays for the costs of adaptation and mitigation, and how do decision-makers engage with communities when what is ultimately needed is transformational socio-economic change? We use a case study in Te Awa Kairangi – Lower Hutt, Wellington, to show how a community initiative called Common Unity Project Aotearoa (CUPA) is fostering everyday practices of adaptation and mitigation amongst people who have traditionally had limited participation in more formal planning processes. We use the example of CUPA to demonstrate the significance of local community-led development initiatives for adapting to a changing climate. We argue that local government engagement with people around climate change cannot be separated from broader community development and wellbeing initiatives, and needs to be understood as longer term processes, rather than one-off project consultations.     

Socially Engaged Art and Social Work: Reflecting on an Interdisciplinary Course Development Journey

This article shares key questions guiding our process of building interdisciplinary bridges between social work and art to contribute to social justice-oriented education. Through a focus on socially engaged art, we discuss the purpose and forms that these practices take and the role of the audience/participants when working for social change with communities. We then present a proposed course outline that brings social work and socially engaged art together. Our hope is that this discussion will guide others interested in working through interdisciplinary collaborations, as can be seen by the growing interest in the mix of art and social work in practice and education.     

Using regulatory fit theory to examine how the communication context of compliance-gaining interactions influences compliance

Compliance-gaining research focuses mainly on how message variations differentially affect compliance; however, few studies have examined how framing the compliance-gaining goal (i.e., promotion/prevention) and providing a means to achieve the goal function concurrently to influence compliance. The current study uses regulatory fit theory to examine how a fit between goals and means of compliance-gaining messages affects compliance. A field experiment was conducted in which subjects were presented with a compliance-gaining request in which goals and means were varied. Results indicated that compliance rates and donation amounts were higher under conditions of fit between the regulatory orientation of goals and means rather than non-fit. Findings are discussed in light of their implications for compliance-gaining research and regulatory fit theory.