Information systems project management in PMJ: A brief history

The Project Management Institute (PMI) plays an important role in the training, career development, and recognition of information systems (IS) project managers. Indeed, not only do IS professionals account for a large proportion of the PMI constituency, but PMI is also influential in the training of IS project managers. This study explores further the contribution of PMI to IS project management by means of its main publication outlet, the Project Management Journal (PMJ). To do so, the contents of the 39 IS project management articles published in PMJ during 1988–2005 were analyzed. The article focuses on the following dimensions: the relative importance of IS project management articles published by PMJ; the profile of the authors of IS project management articles in PMJ; the main issues, in terms of IS project management, covered by PMJ; and the major gaps, in terms of IS project management, in the coverage of this domain by PMJ.     

Industrial relations policy and managerial custom and practice

This article, using evidence from the air transport industry, extends the concept of managerial and supervisory custom and practice to management's industrial relations policies. It offers an understanding of management's role in industrial relations and the relationship between actions and rules.     

A Multi-Agent Coalition Formation Method Based on Preference Models

Coordination is one of the fundamental research issues in distributed artificial intelligence and multi-agent systems. Current multi-agent coalition formation methods present two major problems. First, some of these methods can be applied only to cooperative multi-agent systems; second, the algorithms proposed may fail in the formation of the coalitions. This article proposes two methods for problems of agent coalition formation in cooperative and non-cooperative multi-agent systems. These methods are based on agent preference models and on preference aggregation using the Choquet integral. Our first method based on the evolutionary system design (ESD) methodology proposed by M. Shakun is required for competitive multi-agent systems, whereas our second method is powerful for cooperative multi-agent systems where the agents can exchange their information.     

The CEO's Influence on Corporate Foundation Giving

Some scholars have argued that CEOs may have excessive influence on their foundation's trustees to give away a portion of company profits to charitable causes in order to gain access to elite circles or support the CEO's personal causes. This may result in charitable contributions that ultimately serve the personal interests of the CEOs without regard to corporate interests or social needs. We examine the extent that CEOs appear to direct charitable giving to be compatible with their own personal interests, and if CEO participation on the foundation board affects the relationship between CEO personal interests and charitable giving. Using a sample of 160 corporate foundations, our results showed that CEOs' interests, as measured by membership in different non-profit organizations, was associated with foundation charitable giving. This association decreased, but was not eliminated, when CEOs were absent from the foundation board. Implications of these findings for researchers and managers are discussed in regards to both agency theory and stewardship theory.     

The research design used to develop a high performance management system construct for US restaurant managers

Studies suggest that when organizations place a higher value on their employees, through the implementation of high performance management systems (HPMSs), their business performance improves. Those that have conceptualized the HPMS construct in the service sector have limited validity for the restaurant industry. To fill this gap this paper presents the research methods used to develop a construct for a HPMS within the casual restaurant sector of the US hospitality industry. The exploratory qualitative methodology that combines a variety of data collection techniques including interviews for the pilot study, the Delphi method and secondary data collection to establish the most salient dimensions of a HPMS in the casual restaurant industry, are discussed. Thirteen key HPMS dimensions are identified; training and skill development, employer of choice, information sharing, selectivity in recruiting, measurement of HR practices, promotion from within, quality of work/life, diversity, incentive pay based on performance appraisal, participation and empowerment, employee ownership, self-managed teams and high wages. In addition, an overarching HPMS construct is developed as a first step in identifying the link between HR practices and restaurant performance.     

Beyond nudges: Tools of a choice architecture

The way a choice is presented influences what a decision-maker chooses. This paper outlines the tools available to choice architects, that is anyone who present people with choices. We divide these tools into two categories: those used in structuring the choice task and those used in describing the choice options. Tools for structuring the choice task address the idea of what to present to decision-makers, and tools for describing the choice options address the idea of how to present it. We discuss implementation issues in using choice architecture tools, including individual differences and errors in evaluation of choice outcomes. Finally, this paper presents a few applications that illustrate the positive effect choice architecture can have on real-world decisions.     

A bed management strategy for overcrowding in the emergency department

In 2006, the Institute of Medicine cited growing visit volumes, hospital closures, financial pressures, and operational inefficiencies as the principal reasons for emergency department (ED) overcrowding and called for regulatory measures to resolve the problem. A Midwest medical center with 59,000 annual ED visits instituted a bed management strategy to decrease the need to board, or hold, admitted hospital patients in the ED awaiting transfer to an inpatient care unit. This strategy was successful in improving the hold time from an average of 216 minutes to 103 minutes, or by 52%. This allowed the staff at the hospital to care for an additional 2,936 patients. During this same time, the overall hospital mortality decreased by 0.07% and patient satisfaction scores improved 1%. The greatest outcome from this intervention was realized in the potential revenue increase of over $2 million.     

Living on the Edge: Lessons from the Peri‐urban Village

The idea of an urban renaissance — based on a celebration of city life and its possibilities — is timely given half of the world's population now resides in urban areas. Yet, as appealing as this prospect may be, both in principle and planning theory, it remains at odds with the desires of many residents who seek ‘lifestyle living’ in low‐density suburban or ex‐urban settings. This article presents the results of a qualitative investigation of what it means to ‘live on the edge’ in a peri‐urban village, as understood by residents living in those settings. These results are evaluated in light of phenomenological literature on authentic and inauthentic places, and the myriad reasons so‐called amenity migrants choose the peri‐urban village as their preferred residential location. The results of in‐depth interviews with 28 residents are presented as a four‐part typology of ‘active’ lifestylers and those searching for community, and ‘passive’ speculators and those seeking a civilized society. Though prior work suggests people are attracted to the peri‐urban village for its bio‐physical environmental features, this research suggests socioeconomic factors and opportunities for active place‐making experiences are as, if not more, important.