The Business Values Scorecard within BAE Systems: The evolution of a performance measurement system

This paper explores the evolution of a performance measurement system in BAE Systems, a UK aerospace company. In 1994, the company embarked on a culture change project, which focused the organisation on five key values: performance, people, customers, partnerships, and innovation and technology. Tracing the mechanisms used to implement these values through the culture change project, the study describes the introduction of the “Business Values Scorecard” (BVS), which provided a way of translating the five key values into a coherent set of performance measures. The paper contrasts the BVS in BAE Systems with the balanced scorecard (BSC) of Kaplan and Norton, emphasising the importance of “coherence”, rather than cause-and-effect relationships. Furthermore, the BVS was not simply designed and then implemented; instead it evolved over an extended period of time. Finally, while it reflected the strategic vision of senior managers, the BVS was used as a tool to enable strategy to emerge from within the organisation, rather than as a mechanism for cascading down the hierarchy the strategy previously established by top-level managers. However, although the profitability of the company increased significantly over the period of the culture change project, many other things were also changing; consequently, it is not possible to isolate the effects on profits of introducing the BVS. Nevertheless, the belief within BAE Systems is that the BVS has made an important contribution to the recent success of the company.     

The Logical Framework Approach–Millennium

The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) has proved to be a valuable tool for project approval, design, and evaluation. However, a few pitfalls make it hard to use within today's project management framework and to integrate with other project management tools. This article proposes an updated version of the LFA to improve its compatibility with today's corporate culture, project management framework, and tools. We propose to call the updated tool the Logical Framework Approach–Millennium (LFA‐M). The LFA‐M is a seven‐step approach leading to the development of the Logframe‐Millennium (LF‐M), a five‐column and four‐line matrix describing major project commitments and providing an overall understanding of the project. It was successfully implemented at the Canadian Space Agency and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The LFA‐M fits well within today's project management framework and corporate culture and leads easily to other project management tools.     

省际边界县域参与区域旅游竞合问题探讨

省际边界县域是区域旅游板块的重要部分,提升其参与区域旅游的竞合能力与水平具有重要的战略意义。在行政边界性屏弊制约和自身参与能力不足的现实困难下,省际边界县域要有效参与区域旅游竞合,应以寻找合作因素,促成合作实现为契合点,做好旅游流动顺畅工程,坚持开放理念,创建区域间旅游要素流动的无障碍空间,强力"育势"和合理"运势",实行区域内旅游项目、产业合作。     

The individual dual needs for assimilation and distinctiveness as a segmentation mechanism: developing the concept among students

The present study proposes that the individual's needs for assimilation and distinctiveness serve as a valuable mechanism for consumer segmentation and suggests that augmenting the List of Values with these dual needs enriches the understanding of consumer responses to marketing strategies. Results of a study using a sample of 536 students in an Israeli university identified five segments with significantly different needs for assimilation and differentiation. These segments showed different preferences for marketing communications and distribution channels in their purchasing decision of a cell phone. Mass media and website usage influenced segments marked by high assimilation, while word of mouth influenced segments characterized by high distinctiveness. Augmenting the List of Values with dual needs based segmentation moderated students’ tendencies to favour/dislike marketing communications and distribution channels.     

Survival of high tech firms: The effects of diversity of product–market portfolios, patents, and trademarks

High tech firms can mitigate potential risks by diversifying their product–market portfolios. A key research question is how such diversification influences firm survival. A firm exits the market in two ways, specifically, dissolution and acquisition. Here, we model how the diversity of a new firm's product–market portfolio influences the times to both types of exits. Specifically, we allow for interaction effects of the competitive intensity of a firm's environment and the diversity of a firm's product–market portfolio with its patents and trademarks. Using a competing risk hazard model, we estimate the effects of various covariates on the time to exit for 1435 US high tech firms.We observed that a more diverse product–market portfolio, in conjunction with a larger number of patents, hastens the time to a firm's exit by dissolution (9% decrease in survival duration), while in conjunction with a larger number of trademarks, portfolio diversity delays the time to exit by dissolution (12% increase). A more competitive firm environment results in a greater effect on the portfolio's diversity in delaying its exit by dissolution (7% increase). On the other hand, a diverse product–market portfolio, combined with either a larger number of patents or trademarks, hastens the firm's exit by acquisition (19% and 11% decrease respectively).     

Business values dimensions: A cross-culturally developed measure of workforce values

Using a stratified random sample drawn from 11,709 business professionals’ survey responses across 26 societies, we investigated and failed to find support for the construct validity of the Schwartz Values Survey’s (SVS) a priori 10-factor circumplex model of human values, originally developed from student and teacher responses. Subsequent exploratory factor analysis estimated an initial five-factor solution, the Business Value Dimensions (BVD) model. In turn, CFA supported the cross-cultural validity of this alternative configuration of values for business professionals. Internal consistency reliabilities for these five values factors are reported for the 26 societies plus an additional 25 societies that did not meet sample size criteria to be included in the analyses. As a result, findings are provided for a total of 51 societies (14,724 business professionals). We present the five-factor BVD model for use in future international research with business professional populations.     

What influences consumers’ intention to purchase organic personal care products? The role of social reassurance

Green and organic markets have grown rapidly in recent times, thanks to the increasing global popularity of having a healthier lifestyle. Rising consumer awareness of the risks of synthetic chemicals for humans as well as the environment have boosted the demand for organic personal care products (PCPs). To better understand the micro-mechanisms guiding the organic PCPs buying process, this study builds on the social proof theory by examining the drivers leading this process in two different national contexts. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to conduct a multigroup analysis on a sample of 473 consumers (n = 266 from Spain, n = 207 from Italy). Findings reveal the significant role of environmental value, product knowledge, convenience & quality, and information adoption. Furthermore, the study introduces and validates the new construct ‘social reassurance’ explaining the psychological mechanisms leading the organic PCPs buying process.     

An E-Valuation Framework for Developing Net-Enabled Business Metrics Through Functionality Interaction

Managers engaged in net-enabled business planning seek metrics to help them analyze the success of their e-business investments. Likewise, researchers require metrics to build analytical models and conduct empirical research on the impact of e-business strategies on firm performance. In this article, the authors develop a comprehensive E-Valuation Framework for identifying net-enabled applications and their resulting user-based functionalities for activities across the value chain. The authors propose that the real value from net-enabled applications can be found in functionality interactions, where one application enables or enhances functionality in another application. The comprehensive framework can be used to generate three types of metrics managers can use to evaluate their net-enabled strategic initiatives. Further, a classification of net-enabled organizations provides the basis for selecting applications critical to a firm's strategic thrusts. We make use of the resource-based view of the firm and real-options analysis to discuss how successful application deployment is based on the resources and assets the firm possesses as well as managing the rollout of an applications portfolio over time. The framework allows managers to map their organization's net-enabled initiatives into a coherent, easily understood visual representation and provides direction for researchers evaluating the efficacy of net-enabled business strategies.     

How Safe Are the Harbors?

Abstract

With the growth of e-commerce has come the need for businesses to provide protection of personal, private data collected from internet users and consumers. The United States has favored a policy of industry self-regulation, while the European Union (EU) has responded to its consumer demands for privacy protection regulations and enforcement. Faced with the critical need for a middle ground, the US has proposed “Safe Harbor Privacy Principles” as a means of compromise with the EU. This article explores the market context of the Safe Harbor Principles, the European reaction, and the probable impact on businesses.     

中国女性购买行为的价值观动因实证研究

本文从研究中国女性消费者购买行为的角度,利用结构方程方法,比较中西文化价值观对中国女性购买行为的影响和诠释能力,探索影响中国女性消费者购买行为的价值观动因.实证研究结果显示,较之于西方文化价值观,以儒道佛为代表的传统文化价值观能够更有效地诠释中国消费者购买行为.