Averting decision debacles

Half of the decisions made in organization fail, posing questions about the causes of failure and how to improve matters. My research shows that failure-prone decision-makers are victimized by three blunders: making premature commitments, spending time and money on the wrong things, and using failure-prone practices. The blunders create traps and the traps ensnare decision-makers to bring about failure. To dodge the traps, successful decision-makers were found to uncover hidden concerns, manage the social and political forces that can block them, identify desired results, search widely and encourage innovation, estimate benefits and the risks to realize them, voice ethical questions, and root out perverse incentives so learning can occur. Decision debacles drawn from Shell's disposal of the Brent Spar, Quaker's purchase of Snapple, and tax support for a sports arena are used to illustrate the blunders and traps, how they arise, and how to avoid them.     

Greenpeace v. Shell: media exploitation and the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF)

This paper examines the usefulness of the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF) in understanding the media's role in risk communication. Since the SARF was created in 1988, it has been both further developed and critiqued for (amongst other things) its: static conception of communication; lack of attention towards how key actors use the media; lack of systematic attention towards the media as an amplification station; and simplistic assumptions of how the media operate as an amplification station. A complex heavily‐mediated risk communication case study—the battle between Greenpeace and Shell over the deep‐sea disposal of the Brent Spar oil rig (1995)—is used to explore whether the SARF in its current stage of development stands up to these critiques. It is concluded that these critiques are more a consequence of how researchers have used the SARF rather than a fault of the SARF itself. Using the SARF framework with a qualitative case study methodology enabled systematic analysis of the role of relevant media in the social amplification of risk in the Spar issue, exposing how Greenpeace used the media to successfully communicate three risk signals, together with the inadequacies of Shell's reactions; and revealing the layering within amplification stations, including the media itself.     

Oil multinationals and governments in post-colonial transitions: Burmah Shell,the Burmah Oil Company and the Indian state 1947–70

Using the post-colonial perspective of hybridity, this article analyses how two British companies, the Burmah Oil Company (BOC) and Burmah Shell (BS) adapted to changes in the socio-economic environment from Indian independence in 1947 until 1970. Post-colonial theory is useful in exploring the continuing imperial influence, the changing relationship between BS, BOC and the Government of India (GOI) and the impact of this on the operations of BOC and BS post-independence. The approach recognises that the relationship between BOC, BS and the GOI was complex with differing levels of co-operation and tension existing between the three parties throughout the period.     

VE在加氢筒节锻造中的应用

运用价值工程原理,改进了获国家科技进步一等奖的锻焊结构加氢反应器的简节锻造工艺,创新后的简节锻造工艺又应用在其他两台类似的加氢反应器上,总计降低生产成本1700余万元.     

浅谈邮政储蓄网点应急恢复机制的建立

文章介绍了北京邮政信息技术局在网点系统维护工作过程中形成的一套行之有效的管理方法,阐述了针对储蓄网点建立一套快捷有效的应急恢复机制,使各不相同的交易平台按照一定规律完成安装、升级,在最短时间内同步所有网点的程序版本和内容,给业务部门最大的技术支撑。