Unfolding the impact of leadership and management on sustainability performance: Green and lean practices and guanxi as the dual mediators

This study aims to empirically evaluate the predictors that influence sustainability performance among manufacturing firms. Leadership and management, green and lean practices, and guanxi were examined to determine whether these predictors are directly and/or indirectly affecting sustainability performance; 160 valid responses were collected and partial-least-squares-structural-equation-modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that leadership and management positively influenced green and lean practices and green and lean practices positively influenced sustainability performance. Leadership and management also positively influenced guanxi. Interestingly, leadership and management and guanxi do not exert a significant direct influence on sustainability performance. The findings contributed to the development of the resource-based-view theory further by empirically exploring the significance of leadership and management coupled with green and lean practices as competencies and capability to drive sustainability performance. The testing of the dual mediators' effects further added value to this study.     

An examination of the literature relating to issues affecting the human variable in just-in-time environments

There has been an extensive body of research conducted into the technical aspects of the just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing methodology, particularly prior to 1990. It is only in more recent times that the focus has turned toward the more subtle people-related aspects. The recognition of JIT as a truly holistic approach to managing manufacturing operations has led to an appreciation of the importance of the role played by the human variable as well as an emphasis on the impact that organisational structure and management style can have on successful operation. This article examines and analyses the content of a wide range of articles related to issues such as: the need for change in corporate culture, the role of organisational structures, factors significantly impacting chances of success, the importance of employee involvement, how best to involve employees, the importance of training, how/whom/when to train, different team-based organisational structures, the impact of changing roles on various levels of the organisation and the appropriateness of particular change management strategies. An overall picture of the current state of thinking on these issues is thus developed and the importance of these factors to the successful implementation and operation of JIT highlighted. Opportunities for further research in this important area are identified.     

Information-Intensive Government and the Layering and Sorting of Citizenship

A systematic literature review identified 41 studies, including four reviews, reporting on process redesign interventions in hospitals. Success factors for the changes included mechanisms to facilitate participation throughout the process, clearly documented protocols and expectations for the health professionals which were supported by education, mechanisms to audit and provide feedback on behaviours and performance, as well as being able to hold the participating health professionals accountable. The success of process redesign methodologies is found to be highly dependent on these performance-based human resource management (HRM) practices.     

The relationship between supply chain factors and adoption of e-Collaboration tools: An empirical examination

We consider minimum-cost scheduling of different vehicle types on a predetermined set of one-way trips. Trips have predetermined ready times, deadlines and associated demands. All trips must be performed. The total time of operations on any vehicle is limited. We develop a mixed integer model to find the optimal number of vehicles at a minimum cost. Based on the hard nature of the problem, we propose six heuristics. Computational results reveal that heuristics return exceptionally good solutions for problem instances with up to 100 jobs in very small computation times, and are likely to perform well for larger instances.     

Planning processes for advanced manufacturing technology by large American manufacturers

In response to an increasingly competitive environment, many manufacturers have invested in advanced manufacturing technology (AMT). While many studies regarding the use of AMT have been performed, little is known about how firms plan and manage their AMT investments. This is surprising given the evidence about the impact such investments can have on an organization. To address this, a survey of large American manufacturing firms was conducted. Respondents were asked, among other questions, why their firms made such investments and the fit with their business strategy; which functional areas were involved in idea generation, the planning process, and proposal assessment; and what the anticipated risks, difficulties and benefits were from making such investments. The results from this survey are provided along with an analysis of the responses.     

The interest rate exposure of lodging firms

The purpose of this study is to investigate the interest rate exposure of lodging firms and to determine whether the use of interest rate derivatives reduces this exposure. Using a sample of 47 lodging firms from the period from 2000 to2004, the first stage regression results show that most lodging firms face exposure to interest rates. The key finding of this study is a significant decline in exposure even after controlling for interest and foreign exchange risk. Additional findings show firm size, floating rate debt, interest coverage ratio, and foreign sales ratio to be important determinants of interest rate exposure.     

The relationship between organisational orientation and research and development/technology commercialisation performance

This paper explores organisational orientations related to research and development/technology commercialisation and their influence on technology commercialisation performance. A number of hypotheses are tested using structural equation modelling using data collected through a quantitative survey. The hypothesis that customer orientation and innovation orientation are related to technology commercialisation capability and the hypothesis that technology commercialisation capability is related to technology commercialisation performance are accepted, while the hypothesis that competitor orientation is related to technology commercialisation capability is not supported. From a theoretical perspective, the research contributes to a broader application of the resource‐based view in technology commercialisation research area, through exploring intangible resources (organisational orientations) and capability (technology commercialisation capability) that relate to technology commercialisation performance. From a practical perspective, in order to improve technology commercialisation performance, managers should monitor the speed of each commercialisation step: initiate the development of products (research); develop products (development); and launch the products to the market, so that the product arrives on the market in an appropriate time. Managers should also consider matching product customisation and market segment so that appropriate products are delivered to appropriate market segments. In addition, managers should monitor technology developments in the related industry, select appropriate technologies, acquire the technologies and integrate the technologies into their products, so that the improved product performs better than the previous product and competitors’ product.     

Extent of hedging in the US lodging industry

This study investigates the extent of hedging in a sample of lodging firms over a five-year period from 2000–2004. The findings document that lodging firms predominantly use interest rate swaps and options to manage interest rate risk exposure. Lodging firms primarily use these instruments as cash flow hedges of their long-term debt liability. The findings indicate that the hedging decision should be modeled separately using a two-step model. The results are robust to alternative specifications and provide evidence to show financial leverage, floating rate debt, information asymmetry, firm size, cash flow volatility and diversification, to be significantly related to the amount of hedging.