Technology‐push,market‐demand and the missing safety‐pull: a case study of American Airlines Flight 587

Through a critical case study of the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, this paper draws upon ‘the Social Shaping of Technology’ (SST) approach to offer a reconceptualisation of the technology‐push and market‐demand model for High‐Reliably Organisations (HROs), providing support for a third factor, called here a ‘safety‐pull’. A safety‐pull is defined as organisationally supported reflexivity in which technology innovators and frontline operators collaborate to consider the potential implications of adopting new technologies in HROs and the complex ways this change may impact human operators' work performance, often in risky and unanticipated ways. In contrast to accidents occurring solely as the result of individual operator error, analysing the safety‐pull provides a way to tease out the wide range of factors that can contribute to HRO failures and offers a new SST perspective through which to examine high‐risk operations.     

Industrial restructuring, 'globalisation], and the trade union response: A study of MSF in thesouth west of England

This article examines the trade union response to industrial restructuring in two sectors highly exposed to international market competition in the south west of England. The authors have conducted interviews of MSF representatives in the insurance and aerospace industries and supplemented this qualitative data with data collected from a wide questionnaire distribution.     

R&D at Indian Organic Chemicals Limited (IOCL) – from a service to an enterprise: a case study

IOCL is a pioneer in the country in the field of bulk chemical manufacture. The company achieved its leadership position by utilizing the locally available feedstock i.e. ethyl alcohol from molasses and homegrown technologies to produce a range of bulk chemicals. The R&D activity in the company started almost simultaneously with the erection of the first production plant. It was envisaged to play a role of a typical ‘in-house’ R&D set up. Thus, its activities encompassed the traditional spectrum that most in-house R&D departments of the times were built to perform. These were: 1. Supporting ongoing production activity. 2. Value addition by extending the product line. 3. Improving the quality of the products. The R&D department played these roles competently. Towards this end, the department was well served by trained task oriented staff. However, perhaps the very success of its efforts led to the development of a highly inward-looking culture. However, the post liberalization era brought with it a new set of challenges. With entry barriers slowly diminishing, the company was no longer able to sustain its position of pre-eminence in the fields that it was a leader. Local competition by leaner and meaner players equipped with better technology also played its part in this erosion. Unfavourable economies of scale and lower margins on the traditional products led to the management to rethink on future business strategy. A change of course was called for. For a company with IOCL’s resources, the course change that the management thought would preserve share holder value, was to shift the product mix from bulk chemicals characterized by high volume/low value to fine and specialty areas characterized by low volumes and high value. It decided that the R&D would provide the driving force for this strategic change. In essence, the R&D would be supporting a cluster of new activities, which would be revenue generating and thus be able to metamorphose from a cost center to a profit center. In order to play its new role, the R&D required to redefine its own character. Several changes in the existing systems and introduction of some newer management practices were necessary. The steps to be taken were identified as follows: 1. Shifting from a skill-based to knowledge-based staffing; 2. Creating a structured approach to project management; 3. Initiating a multi functional approach to shorten the project time cycles; 4. Putting in place mechanisms to interface and interact with the customers; 5. Inculcate a business orientation into a traditionally groomed group of scientists and technicians; 6. Integrating the activities of R&D into the enterprise resource planning network of the company; 7. Most importantly, set up a mechanism to market the R&D services.     

Co-innovation in networks of resources — A case study in the Chinese exhibition industry

This work explores how network partners collaborate to innovate and innovate to collaborate and thereby achieve value. The innovation processes analyzed are within an IJV in the Chinese exhibition industry. The findings highlight that the IJV's development of a successful trade show resulted from effective co-innovation by partners which enabled the exploitation of opportunities in an industry characterized by rapid growth and continuing structural change. Partner co-innovation enabled evolving strategic and operational capabilities which has led to continued and growing market success. This co-innovation involved the targeted co-mingling of partner resources which creates value that motivated continued cooperation. The effectiveness of the partners' activities is evidenced by the growing size and prestige of their large-scale trade show as well as the expansion of the IJV into other endeavors. The paper concludes by considering the way these innovative processes can be applied in other contexts.     

Robust Testing of the Utility‐based High‐technology Product Sales Forecasting Models Proposed by Decker and Gnibba‐Yukawa (2010)

Decker and Gnibba‐Yukawa (2010) propose an elegant utility‐based model for forecasting the sales of high‐technology products and suggest that the model yields forecasts that are highly accurate. However, this finding is based on forecasts for a total of only six holdout observations shared across three products. This number of observations is insufficient for reliable inferences to be drawn about the accuracy of a method and the use of such a small data set runs counter to an accepted principle of forecast evaluation. The authors’ proposed model was tested on more extensive data and sensitivity analysis applied to the results. No evidence was found that the utility‐based model could outperform a relatively simple extrapolative model despite the much greater effort involved in applying the proposed model. In addition, the utility‐based model is only applicable for forecasting sales during a narrow interval in a product's life cycle and requires several periods of historic sales data before it can be implemented. It also depends heavily on the accurate estimates of parameters that are determined outside the model (and which may depend on difficult judgments by managers) and assumes that consumers or households will only purchase the product once between the launch date and the forecast horizon. In light of this, it is argued that the utility‐based model is likely to have limited usefulness as a sales forecasting tool.     

The (not so simple) case for teleworking: a study at Lloyd's of London

This paper reports the results of a detailed case study and analysis of a substantial teleworking experiment. The study used rigorous quantitative techniques supported by qualitative methods to examine the business case for teleworking. The research provides evidence that supports some findings of other well-grounded research and questions others.     

Disrupted work: home‐based teleworking (HbTW) in the aftermath of a natural disaster

Natural disasters disrupt the nature of work, promoting an urgent review of where work is performed. Home‐based telework (HbTW), a common form of telework, is increasingly promoted as a means to ensure continuity of operations in an emergency situation. While widely advocated, little is known of the challenges and outcomes of HbTW when employed in disaster situations. This article explores the organisational and employee experiences of HbTW in the aftermath of a disaster, drawing on data from over 240 public sector workers and their managers who worked from home following a series of earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand. Findings point to critical factors shaping the experiences and outcomes of HbTW in disaster situations. Significant variation in the experiences and perceptions of HbTW for team leaders highlights their pivotal role and heightened pressures to maintain control in complex disaster situations.     

海合会的发展及其与中国的经贸合作

海湾合作委员会(海合会)是中东地区重要的区域性组织,其成员国已探明原油储量约占全球石油总储量的42%,天然气储量占全球总储量的23%.近几年,该组织经济一体化建设取得积极进展,外交领域不断扩大,在维护地区安全稳定、保障国际能源市场稳定等方面发挥了重要作用,各成员国经济蓬勃发展.海合会六国是中国原油进口的主要来源地之一,石油领域的合作是中国与海合会国家经贸合作的重要内容.金融危机对海合会国家的经济产生了一定的影响,但同时也为进一步加强中国和海合会国家的经贸与能源合作提供了契机.     

Perception evaluation kit: a case study with materials and learning styles

International Journal of Technology and Design Education - Materials are elements that configure our built environment and are key components in design and engineering education. This research aims...     

The making of a petrol station and the “on-the-move consumer”: Classification devices and the shaping of markets

This paper addresses the issue of classification devices and their role in shaping markets. We depart from the notion that markets are shaped by multiple calculative agencies and examine how particular forms of calculation are made viable. Classification devices are the infrastructure that makes calculation possible and sustains particular economic orders. We illustrate these notions with an empirical, longitudinal study of a fuel retail company and its initiative to re-classify its network of petrol stations across Europe. Our study focuses on the extensive and protracted negotiations over what constituted relevant categories and the multiple perspectives involved in defining petrol station types. We illustrate how a store typology plays an important role in making assemblages of ideas (e.g. consumer-on-the-go), objects (e.g. store planograms), and managerial roles (e.g. category managers) coalesce around particular constellations of practices which impact upon the outline of markets.     

Interorganizational alliances and the performance of firms: a study of growth and innovation rates in a high‐technology industry

This paper investigates the relationship between intercorporate technology alliances and firm performance. It argues that alliances are access relationships, and therefore that the advantages which a focal firm derives from a portfolio of strategic coalitions depend upon the resource profiles of its alliance partners. In particular, large firms and those that possess leading‐edge technological resources are posited to be the most valuable associates. The paper also argues that alliances are both pathways for the exchange of resources and signals that convey social status and recognition. Particularly when one of the firms in an alliance is a young or small organization or, more generally, an organization of equivocal quality, alliances can act as endorsements: they build public confidence in the value of an organization's products and services and thereby facilitate the firm's efforts to attract customers and other corporate partners. The findings from models of sales growth and innovation rates in a large sample of semiconductor producers confirm that organizations with large and innovative alliance partners perform better than otherwise comparable firms that lack such partners. Consistent with the status‐transfer arguments, the findings also demonstrate that young and small firms benefit more from large and innovative strategic alliance partners than do old and large organizations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Developing a 'receptive' R&D environment for inward technology transfer: a case study of the chemical industry

The purpose of this paper is to show how certain internal organisational activities affect an organisation's ability to engage in the external acquisition of technology commonly referred to as inward technology transfer. The study focuses on a technology trawling exercise conducted by ICI and reveals difficulties in 'receptivity' on the part of the receiving businesses. A conceptual framework is developed which identifies four major components of the inward technology transfer process. These are: 'Awareness'-'Association'-'Assimilation'-' Application'. Using this conceptual device separate studies are conducted within two large multinational chemical companies in the North West of England. The findings reveal the importance of certain non-routine activities and indicate how successful organisations are able to manage the tension between the need for creative non-routine assimilation processes to generate a 'receptive' environment for future growth and efficient routine activities to remain competitive in the short-ierm.     

Professionals in the NHS – a case study of business process re-engineering

Rather than providing evidence of business process re-engineering (BPR) as another example of cultural change rhetoric, this case study shows BPR as a substantive initiative that has had a considerable impact on health care professionals. A hybrid of differing bureaucratic professions allows for a diversity specific to the health service. The study highlights a number of controversial issues unique to health care professionals, particularly in the areas of job redesign, multiskilling and empowerment.     

Strategic and HRM aspects of kaizen: a case study

This article presents a case study of a kaizen in a UK diesel engine manufacturer. Kaizen is explained as an emergent strategy; its effective-ness in reducing costs is explained by its effects on the effort bargain and by the organisation of the work standardisation task. Kaizen–related changes, perceptions of the employees, and its effects of the competitive position of the firm are reviewed.     

Controlling and combining resources in networks — from Uppsala to Stanford, and back again: The case of a biotech innovation

This paper explores how resources are controlled and combined in a biotech network that spans from Uppsala, Sweden, to Stanford, USA. A case study is reported that describes and analyses how the original discovery, developed at the Department of Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University, Sweden, was combined with other innovations at Stanford University, California, and under the influence and control of several different actors, including venture capitalists, were exploited within a newly founded company, ParAllele.The paper analyzes the resources that are created, combined and controlled in the network around these scientific discoveries and the company hosting them. This analysis shows how actors are using and are exposed to different control mechanisms, such as action, results and personnel controls, in the innovation process. Our discussion emphasizes how the involved actors apply various types of controls on resources in order to reach their objectives. Forms of control that both entail mobilizing other actors and preventing actions in the emerging network are of importance. We conclude the paper by pointing out the features of control in innovation processes as well as obstacles to control in a business network setting.     

Comments on the Model Testing by Goodwin and Meeran (2012): Comparison of the Utility‐based and the Gompertz Curve Approach for High‐technology Product Sales Forecasting

Starting from a comprehensive examination of recent empirical studies focusing on consumer behavior in high‐technology markets and the resulting identification of factors probably affecting individual buying decisions as well as aggregate product sales, Decker and Gnibba‐Yukawa developed and empirically verified a utility‐based sales forecasting approach in their earlier work. Based on data for 14 consumer electronic products and using the Gompertz curve as a benchmark, Goodwin and Meeran carried out a “more extensive testing” of this proposal. However, at least from a practical point of view, the plausibility of their testing framework regarding the market potential m is not unquestionable. This paper, therefore, first discusses some theoretical aspects of both approaches by addressing issues challenged by Goodwin and Meeran, especially regarding the use of short time series and the consideration of replacement purchases. Then, the quasi‐endogenous estimation method for m favored by Goodwin and Meeran for the Gompertz curve is examined in terms of sensitivity to better understand its influence on sales forecasts, and the adequacy of the suggested range for m in the case of the approach by Decker and Gnibba‐Yukawa is investigated. In addition, the results presented in Goodwin and Meeran are considered from a more distant perspective, and possible causes of the variations in forecasting accuracy are discussed, which finally reveals that the forecasting performance of the utility‐based approach is not that “disappointing” as claimed. It provides more accurate (or at least equivalent) forecasts than the Gompertz curve approach in 64% of the cases considered. Furthermore, if product 14 (portable MP3 players) is excluded from the analysis because of the nonconsideration of probably existing product improvement effects, then the utility‐based approach, on average, outperforms the benchmark in all forecasting years. Altogether, this suggests that the approach by Decker and Gnibba‐Yukawa could achieve more accurate forecasts when applying a more reasonable range for m, rather than varying it between 2 and 15 times the cumulative sales by the end of year 7 as proposed by Goodwin and Meeran. It turns out that the Gompertz curve approach can perform on a par with the utility‐based approach in high‐technology product sales forecasting based on short time series if the market potential m is estimated exogenously. A combination of the outcomes of both approaches can even lead to more accurate forecasts as when being used individually insofar as composite forecasting seems to be a practicable approach to the problem of shorter time series compelled by the accelerated diffusion speed in high‐technology markets, rather than relying on one presumably “best” model.     

The role of power and trust in spreading sustainability initiatives across supply networks: A case study in the bio-chemical industry

This paper investigates how sustainability spreads across supply networks. Adopting an Industrial Marketing & Purchasing (IMP) Interaction Approach (Håkansson, 1982), we seek to understand sustainability spread as a change process that affects different supply network actors and the impact of power and trust on the spreading process. The paper reports on an in-depth case study of the development of a sustainability initiative in the bio-chemical industry, based on data collection with multiple supply network actors across several tiers, providing unique and rich insights into understanding sustainability spread in a supply network and the perceptions of multiple supply network actors on the role of power and trust on the spreading process. Data collection comprised 20 semi-structured interviews spanning eight supply network actors, supported by secondary data such as archival records. The case study indicates that both coercive and non-coercive power as well as trust, significantly impact the actors' engagement in sustainability initiatives and its wider spread in supply networks. The paper contributes to the literature on sustainable supply chain management and IMP research on sustainability spread and, in particular, provides insights on the impact of power and trust on the process of sustainability spread across dyadic relationships into the wider supply network.     

A study of the textile industry and trade in Europe: An account of the methods and problems of carrying out a study of the European textile scene

The Technical Economy Department of the Shirley Institute has carried out a detailed study of the textile industries in Germany, France and Italy, their production, trade, productivity, industrial structure and regional policy. In some areas, performance has been compared with that of the U.K. An account is given of the approach, methods and problems encountered in the gathering of the necessary data.