Facilitating Collaboration with Problem Structuring Methods: A Case Study of an Inter-Organisational Construction Partnership

Despite the potential of inter-organisational collaboration to create ‘collaborative advantage’ among participant organisations, not all collaborations realise this potential due to the complexities and challenges faced by potential collaborators. To address these difficulties and increase the likelihood of collaborative success, different forms of intervention approaches for fostering inter-organisational collaboration has been advocated by collaboration researchers and practitioners. These intervention approaches all facilitate interaction and consensus formation among the participants. However their ‘added value’ is procedural rather than substantive in nature. They do not incorporate tools which can enable participants to structure the complexity of the web of factors that are implicated in their collaboration, and thus make it more manageable. This paper argues that problem structuring methods (PSMs), a family of model-based approaches to group decision and negotiation support, are a form of intervention which can provide a balanced attention to both the process and the content of inter-organisational collaboration, and reports the experience of applying a particular PSM to an inter-organisational collaborative partnership in the UK construction industry. Drawing on the rich data generated from the intervention, the paper discusses the impact of the PSM in supporting the joint appreciation activities carried out by collaborators to address their problematic situation. Implications of the experience for the research and practice of PSMs within collaborative contexts are then presented.     

Applying Total Quality Management to Education and Training: a US Case Study

An organisation implementing quality improvement processes should incorporate these concepts and principles in the design and delivery of its training products and services. Here the authors describe an approach to achieving this incorporation. Four pillars of quality were rendered operational through ten instructional components implemented in two university courses. Outcomes of the application of these components include: a highly experiential and interactive course, a focus on performance outcomes, and a course customised to the needs of learners.     

践行实践教学模式,打造应用型人才——以市场营销专业为例

当前社会剧烈发展,应用型人才由于适应当前我国社会、企业的发展需要,因而顺应了时代的发展。但当前的人才培养模式却存在一定的问题,众多高校人才培养模式重理论轻实践,未与企业建立良好的合作。因此,规范实践教学培养模式必将改善传统教育模式的弊端,提升学生的综合能力,满足市场的人才需要。对此,应夯实理论基础,重视实践应用,加快教学模式转变,引导学生进行观念改革并建立长期稳定的实践教学基地。     

高校学生干部素质现状调查报告——以滨州学院为例

在新时期高校学生教育管理工作师资力量配备相对不足的情况下,高校学生干部在高校学生教育和管理工作中起着举足轻重的作用,高校学生干部因年龄原因,他们比高校学工教师在与普通同学的沟通上占据绝对的优势。通过对滨州学院开展实地调查,发现目前高校学生干部出现了政治思想素质整体不高、科学文化素质欠丰富、能力素质不全、身心素质处于亚健康状态等现象。各高校应转变学生干部管理理念,完善选拔机制,定期开展理论培训,推行素质拓展,逐步更新高校学生干部的考核机制,以此提高学生干部的创新能力及自身素质,高校学生干部只有具备良好的素质,才能在高校学生工作中发挥应有的作用。     

Virtual Teams and Multiple Media: Structuring Media Use to Attain Strategic Goals

Work environments have grown substantially more complex over the years. Teams are increasingly distributed, and presented with a variety of different communication technologies, e.g., e-mail, instant messaging, cellular phones, pagers, and intranet applications, for use in distributed collaborative activities. Further, individuals often belong to multiple teams concurrently. This study explores how virtual team members structure their use of multiple media to attain strategic goals in complex work environments. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze data gathered from forty interviews of information technology workers. Our results indicate that there are two primary structures individuals employ when making use of multiple media: sequential and concurrent. Sequential combinations are of three types: redundant, serial, or complementary, while concurrent combinations are of two types: independent or complementary. Further, individuals strategically use multiple media to accomplish specific communication goals beyond simply transmitting the message, such as message acknowledgement, enhancement of mutual understanding, and participation in multiple communication interactions. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.Both authors contributed equally to this paper.     

多重心法选址案例研究

配送中心是现代物流系统重要组成部分,在规划设计配送中心时,合理的配送中心选址可以大大降低其运营成本。本文对解决多设施选址问题中的多重心法进行了实例计算,在手工Excel迭代计算过程中,发现每次的计算结果都只是局部最优解。经过分析,是由于初始分组情况不同导致最终的计算结果不同,为解决此问题,采用计算机程序遍历分组情况,计算每种情况的选址结果与运费,最后通过比较,得到总运费最小的全局最优解。     

A Cognitive Mapping Approach to Organizing the Participation of Multiple Actors in a Problem Structuring Process

Problem structuring methods lead to a better understanding of problems by proposing that individuals engage in a structured process of investigation of such elements as causal relationships, connected problems, and possible solutions. This paper first examines possible ways of organizing the participation of multiple decision-makers in the varying contexts of the problem structuring process. The paper presents an original methodology based on investigating the participants’ contributions with respect to the problem explored. This methodology uses cognitive mapping techniques and offers two kinds of support, the first justifying a specific division of the participant set into thematic subgroups and the second providing a basis for further exploration using different problem structuring methods.     

自闭症儿童社会保障问题的研究——以上海“爱好”儿童康复培训中心为例

当前,我国在自闭症儿童社会保障问题方面存在着诸多问题,具体体现在立法保障的缺失,教育体系不完善及康复培训资源的匮乏,社会保障不完善等方面。我国应借鉴国外发达国家的先进经验,完善立法保障,完善特殊教育体系,加大财政投入,保障自闭症儿童与家庭的基本生活需求和可持续发展,建立健全成年自闭症患者的社会保障制度。     

Brand Management as an Internationalization Strategy for SME: A Multiple Case Study

ABSTRACT

This research examines the role of branding in the Portuguese SME internationalization process and how the internationalization and brand strategies are articulated in the search for a better business performance within a competitive framework and increasing competitiveness environment. The article aims specifically at: (a) the strategy of creation and brand management; (b) the relevance given to the brand; (c) the importance of brand creation and management in the internationalization strategy. We chose a qualitative methodology, based on four cases studies. Our results suggest that branding strategies of SME cannot be compared with the strategies of multinationals. Budgetary constraints and human resources lead companies to invest in low-cost strategies. The importance of the brand lies in the distinction that allows competition with similar products within the sectors. Management of the brand does not come up as an essential strategy for the internationalization of a Portuguese SME.     

Employees’ Perceptions of Management: a Case for Leadership Training

This article tests for a relationship between employees' perceptions of inequity and their ratings of individual leader behaviours. The analytical framework is based on the inducements/contributions model of employment exchange, the concept of psychological contract and equity theory. Results support that leaders' behaviour in this organisation was more of a factor than pay issues or requirements to work long hours. Implications for leadership training are discussed, including strategies to elicit and support the identified leadership behaviours     

CRM分析——以屈臣氏为例

加强客户关系管理正在被越来越多的企业所重视。屈臣氏大陆市场获得的巨大成功,就在于其对CRM的成功运用。屈臣氏集团通过准确、合理定位的目标市场群体,创造良好的购物环境,强调个性化的服务,长期保持和会员客户的关系,培养出了忠实的客户群。实践证明,CRM的实施,使用CRM数据分析技术锁定目标客户群;采用经典换购方式与供应商合作,提供换购产品和自由品牌产品;使用多通道宣传模式,采用部分商品长期打折的策略,吸引并提高了客户忠诚度。CRM是屈臣氏经久不衰的重要环节,也是其他零售业需要深入思考和学习重要内容。     

Participant-Centered Evaluation of Job Training Programmes for the Economically Disadvantages: A US Case Study

This article reports results from a US case study utilising participant-centred evaluations of government training programmes for the econ-omically disadvantaged. The study concludes that when qualitative evidence such as open-ended, face-to-face interviews with participants are added to the quantitative evaluation techniques currently used, significantly new or different insights can be gained for policy-making purposes.     

备战新审计报告准则——以罗尔斯·罗伊斯发动机集团审计报告为例浅析审计关键事项段的撰写

2016年12月中国注册会计师协会颁布了《中国注册会计师审计准则第1504号——在审计报告中沟通关键审计事项》等12项准则(新报告准则),宣告了我国的审计报告改革。如何将本次改革审计报告中的关键审计事项段表达清楚,提高审计报告的质量?最早开始审计报告改革的英国从2012年以来经过了两个完整的会计年度,积累了宝贵的经验。其中,毕马威会计师事务所在审计英国著名的发动机公司罗尔斯·罗伊斯发动机集团(Roll Royce Holdings PLC)2013年度财务报表时,尝试了采用长式审计报告,并在接下来的两个会计年度里,进一步进行了改进与细化,对审计报告,尤其是对审计关键事项部分的撰写,作出了初步的探索。     

关于旅游购物发展的研究——以贵州省为例

旅游购物对一国旅游收入的增长具有重要作用,也是发展潜力最大的领域之一。发展旅游购物对于一个国家的旅游经济发展而言至关重要。了解旅游购物的发展规律,总结成功经验,对于希望通过发展旅游购物,带动旅游经济增长的地区和国家而言至关重要。     

农产品品牌集聚研究——基于绍兴的实证分析

中国农产品品牌从无到有、从少到多,特别是进入21世纪以来,呈井喷状涌现。绍兴的农产品品牌建设与全国同步发展,富有成效。但依然存在同类农产品品牌数量过多,规模太小,市场影响力偏低;品牌传播投入力度太小,专门人才稀缺;地方政府"政绩观"狭隘,品牌合力弱质化等问题。绍兴农产品品牌建设,应实施品牌"减法",构建集群品牌;引入专业机构,建设集群品牌;建立政府品牌委员会,推广集群品牌;运用营销传播策略,倍增品牌集聚效应。     

公平的“价格”:以住房保障为例

公平有"价",这个价格不仅体现在"生产"公平的工具性成本上,而且体现在公平作用于市场运行之上可能产生的效率增进或效率损失上。住房保障作为一种"公平品",公平目标的选择受到经济发展阶段的制约,而公平实现形式或工具的选择受到市场条件的制约。在房地产市场"泡沫化"的过程中,住房保障应以廉租房建设等供给导向型政策为主;在房地产市场低迷的情况下,住房保障应以存量房的租房补贴等需求导向型政策为主。同时,住房市场供求关系的地域差异决定了住房保障政策工具选择的分权化模式更具效率。     

欧美品牌在中国的本土化传播案例研究

改革开放以来,欧美品牌纷纷落户中国。欧美市场与中国市场的巨大差异,迫使欧美品牌调整其在华广告活动。本研究通过对广告公司从业人员的深度访谈和查阅相关文献,获取16个案例,发现本土化策略分为四个层面:产品本土化、定位本土化、创意本土化、呈现本土化。其中,创意本土化最能体现文化的深层内涵:从赋予个体独立于社会之外的意义到己在群中;亲子关系从独立平等转向儒家的亲慈子孝;夫妻关系从二人世界转向儒家的夫唱妇随、开枝散叶;在两性关系上,从取悦异性转向儒家对性别角色的社会期待。     

Marketing Chewing Gum: A Case Study of a Cypriot Company

The purpose of this article is to examine the issues related to the chewing gum marketing practices employed by a Cypriot company importing gum. Thus, the product, its target market, and competition are examined, a SWOT analysis is performed and the marketing mix is presented. Then the results are compared with the international market.

The case study method was employed to gain an initial understanding of the marketing practices employed by the company concerning the production of chewing gum.

The findings showed that the company offers a gum of superior quality, which in two years' time has captured a great share of a very competitive market. The company is giving special attention to the distribution and the promotion of the product.     

Segmenting Markets Along Multiple Dimensions of Luxury Value: The Case of India

abstract

This is one of the first investigations of consumer motivations for purchasing luxury brands in India, a country with an emerging middle class. It identifies four dimensions of luxury benefits for segmenting markets. These include the financial, functional, personal, and social benefits of luxury value. Using data collected from 329 respondents in Mumbai the study identifies nine luxury factors for purchase behavior. These are used for classifying respondents into three behavioral segments using cluster analysis. The first segment appears to buy luxury goods primarily for their snob appeal, the second segment for their prestige appeal, and the third for their value appeal. The results show that while many consumers may buy the same luxury goods, their motivations for doing so differ. The findings should help marketers tailor their messages to specific luxury-seeking segments. There are many papers on luxury brands but very few are from emerging markets. The results may be of great use to global brands that are looking for expansion due to slowdown condition across globe.