INTERPRETATIONS ON AUTOMATIC: A DIFFERENT VIEW OF STRATEGIC ISSUE DIAGNOSIS*

Models of strategic decision-making and environmental scanning typically assume that decision-makers diagnose issues actively, using conscious and intentional effort to identify and to interpret potentially significant events, developments and trends. This article establishes that conditions in organizations put decision-makers ‘on automatic’in their diagnosis of strategic issues, with direct implications for the process and content of strategic action. Implications for theory and practice are established.     

Performance Audit of the Operational Stage of Long-Term Partnerships for the Private Sector Provision of Public Services

This study investigates the challenges associated with designing a system to evaluate the mature operating phase of long-term partnerships with the private sector for the provision of public services (PPPS), an area largely neglected by a performance audit (PA) focus. It argues that assessing economy, efficiency and effectiveness (the three Es) are key to any PA, but that their nature is contextually defined; that auditing for effectiveness involves going beyond a 'watchdog' to a 'sheepdog' role; and that internal evaluation procedures provide insights that are necessary, but not necessary and sufficient to evaluating the achievement of the three Es in the PPPS mature operating stage. Findings are based on an analysis of the literature and an engagement with an audit office. The paper elucidates the meaning of each of the three Es in the context of PA of the PPPS mature operating stage.     

From database to face-to-face —wateraid's donor development programme

This paper was first presented at the Henry Stewart Conference, ‘Relationship marketing for charities: Latest thinking and best practice’, on 23rd February, 1996. The paper describes the implementation of the Donor Development Programme at WaterAid and the lessons learned during this process. The analogy of a courtship is used for the development of the relationship between the supporter and the charity.     

The packaging industry is not carried away by public opinion

The size and composition of our bin has changed over the years, as a result of the evolution of our way of living and our consumption habits. The wider range of goods now offered to consumers has resulted in significant augmentation of waste discarded in the form of packaging. The latter is estimated to represent about 30% by weight of total domestic waste. More than ever concerned about environmental issues, the public, alarmed by the media, has shown a strong interest in the problem of waste and waste management. Packaging is now felt as excessive, wasteful and bad for the environment, in particular plastic packaging since plastics are not as easily recycled as other materials. This paper, which includes the results of a consumer survey, brings to light the attitude and misconception of European consumers towards packaging and packaging materials and gives another insight into the problem.     

“Sent to Coventry?”

This paper reports on an employment training project undertaken in Coventry with partial funding from the European Social Fund. It involved community organisations, the community education section of the local authority and the university. The approach to training was developed in tandem with community capacity building aims. The partnership achieved a measure of trust, mutual accountability and open decision-making. The two-year project employed a part-time researcher whose role embraced active participation in project processes. There are lessons to be drawn for urban regeneration, whether strengthening local economies, attacking social exclusion or capacity building for people and their communities.     

Time series volatility of commodity futures prices

This article examines the pattern of volatility over time of a series of commodity futures prices, and focuses in particular on the futures price variability as the maturity date of the futures contract approaches. In a rational expectations model of asymmetric information, the article provides conditions under which the Samuelson hypothesis—that the variability of futures prices increases as maturity approaches—will be true. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 20: 127–144, 2000     

Successfully Managing the Sociocultural Integration Process in International Acquisitions: A Qualitative Analysis of Canon's Acquisition of Océ

Based on a qualitative research approach that comprises in‐depth, semistructured executive interviews, employee observations, company data and external media accounts, this study analyzes the large‐scale acquisition of the Dutch Océ N.V. by the Japanese Canon Inc. Despite their significantly different national cultural heritages and considerably contrasting organizational cultural practices, both companies were able to efficaciously manage the sociocultural integration process and so successfully completed the acquisition. Building on a marriage metaphor model for sociocultural integration in international mergers and acquisitions, this study sketches out explicit links between national cultural value orientations and the respective organizational cultural practices, and discusses key success factors for each of the three stages of the acquisition process (i.e., preacquisition, closing, and postacquisition stages). This article further examines the interconnectedness of these key success factors across these three stages of the acquisition process by discussing interlocking best practices. In so doing, this study provides a more dynamic and encompassing account of the key factors that determine the success of the sociocultural integration process in international acquisitions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Reducing laundering frequency to prolong the life of denim jeans

The use and disposal phase in a garment's life cycle is highly dependent on the choices made by the consumer. Maintenance procedures such as laundering and drying require energy and water use. Garment disposal increases waste in landfill sites, unless incinerated, which can take a toll on the environment through greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, encouraging consumers to launder less frequently and finding ways to extend the useful life of clothing are two ways of increasing sustainability within the clothing industry. Denim jeans are one of the most popular items of clothing worldwide. Changing habits such as reducing the frequency with which a person washes their denim jeans could have a positive impact on the environment through less water and energy use. However, environmental knowledge about what is detrimental to the environment may not necessarily lead to pro‐environmental behaviour. In denim jeans fibre loss results in thinning and loss in colour due to use. Laundering in particular can degrade clothing due to the abrasive forces applied to the surface of wet fibres. Therefore, this study highlights the effect that frequent laundering can have on the degradation of jeans with the aim to provide additional motivation to encourage change in consumers’ laundering habits. Consumers wore jeans for the equivalent of 60 days and either washed their jeans after approximately 2 days of wear or after approximately every 20 days of wear. The findings confirmed that frequent laundering reduced mass, increased colour loss, and reduced tensile strength in the warp direction of the fabric. Although washing is a major contributor to the degradation of jeans, the process of wearing denim jeans also naturally degrades the denim as the thigh region of the jeans showed greater colour loss and reduction in tensile strength than the shin region, which is typically less prone to abrasion through wear. The findings from this study provide compelling evidence to encourage consumers to reconsider their laundering habits in terms of wash frequency as both a means to behave in a more environmentally sustainable way, and to preserve their favourite garments.     

Measuring progress in agricultural sustainability to support policy-making

The concept of sustainability is one of the forefront issues in discussions of the challenges facing global agriculture, given the mounting pressure to increase food production in both socially responsible and environmentally friendly ways. From the perspective of Irish agriculture, sustainable intensification is of particular relevance, given ambitious targets to increase milk production in the context of European Union (EU) milk quota removal in 2015. A series of farm-level sustainability indicators are developed here using the Teagasc National Farm Survey FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network) data for Ireland from 2012. Three dimensions, reflecting the multifaceted nature of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) are considered. Given the environmental challenges inherent in the sustainable intensification of agriculture, it is encouraging to observe that the more intensive, top performing farms (in an economic sense) emit relatively less greenhouse gases when compared to their less intensive counterparts. Conversely, the better performing farms in economic terms tend to have a higher nitrogen surplus per hectare on average. This is consistent with their higher rates of production intensity, but poses a challenge in terms of sustainable intensification and expansion. That said this analysis demonstrates that the nitrogen use efficiency of milk production is positively correlated with economic performance, with more intensive farms producing relatively more milk per kilogram of nitrogen surplus. From the perspective of social sustainability, demographic traits also tend to be positively correlated with economic performance. Given a growing recognition of the need for interconnected policy in the area of sustainability, this research should help inform policy debates and provides a guide for the undertaking of similar assessments elsewhere.     

Measuring Household Welfare: Problems and Pitfalls with Household Surveys in Central Asia

MOCT-MOST: Economic Policy in Transitional Economies -