Refining the search for project success factors: a multivariate, typological approach

Although the causes for project success and failure have been the subject of many studies, no conclusive evidence or common agreement has been achieved so far. One criticism involves the universalistic approach used often in project management studies, according to which all projects are assumed to be similar. A second problem is the issue of subjectiveness, and sometimes weakly defined success measures; yet another concern is the limited number of managerial variables examined by previous research. In the present study we use a project-specific typological approach, a multidimensional criteria for assessing project success, and a multivariate statistical analysis method. According to our typology projects were classified according to their technological uncertainty at project initiation and their system scope which is their location on a hierarchical ladder of systems and subsystems. For each of the 127 projects in our study that were executed in Israel, we recorded 360 managerial variables and 13 success measures. The use of a very detailed data and multivariate methods such as canonical correlation and eigenvector analysis enables us to account for all the interactions between managerial and success variables and to address a handful of perspectives, often left unanalyzed by previous research. Assessing the variants of managerial variables and their impact on project success for various types of projects, serves also a step toward the establishment of a typological theory of projects. Although some success factors are common to all projects, our study identified project-specific lists of factors, indicating for example, that high-uncertainty projects must be managed differently than low-uncertainty projects, and high-scope projects differently than low-scope projects.     

The industrial and commercial demand for electricity under time-of-use pricing

In this paper we have developed and estimated the demand for electricity by an industrial (commercial) firm subject to time-of-use (TOU) pricing of electric power. In the application we use a quadratic production function and directly incorporate into the production process the restrictions that some inputs cannot vary over the day. We show that the TOU structure implies a unique set of parameter restrictions across the demand functions for inputs.     

Cellular telephones in the Israeli market: the demand,the choice of provider and potential revenues

This study presents the methodology, the estimates and a scenario for forecasting the demand for cellular telephones and their use in Israel. The analysis was based on the integration of three sub-models. The estimate of the consumer's decision on whether to purchase a cellular telephone and what type was obtained by using a discrete choice model of the multinomial logit type. The total number of cellular telephone purchases to be made in Israel during the years 1998–2008 was estimated using a logistic growth model employing aggregate data over time. The anticipated demand for airtime was based on findings of a survey carried out on a national sample, and on actual usage data on the various consumers during the years prior to the survey. The research shows the substantial economic potential of Israel's cellular telephone market.     

The relationships between intangible organizational elements and organizational performance

Despite the growing awareness of the importance of researching core strategic resources and activities, the work that has been done to date has largely taken the form of anecdotal reports and case study analysis. We have yet to see large‐sample studies demonstrating how organizational elements, independently, complementarily and interactively, may or may not enhance the organization's performance. Moreover, little attention has been given to researching this topic in public sector organizations. The present study aims to bridge this gap by examining the impact of a set of independent intangible organizational elements and the interactions among them on a set of objective organizational performance measures in a sample of local government authorities in Israel. The results of a multivariate analysis indicate that organizational performance (measured by self‐income ratio, collecting efficiency ratio, employment rate, and municipal development) can be well explained by six intangible organizational elements (managerial capabilities, human capital, internal auditing, labor relations, organizational culture, and perceived organizational reputation) and the interactions among them, which need to be taken into account in any cost effective development. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contractual Mix Between Cash and Kind Wages of Casual Workers in an Agrarian Economy

A two‐agent general‐equilibrium model is developed for explaining the mix of wage payment between cash and kind among landowners and workers. Its focus is on how, in the absence of insurance instruments but in the presence of heterogeneous tastes and attitudes toward risk among agents, the payment mix between cash and kind can serve as a welfare‐improving, risk‐hedging device. The model is used to determine how this optimal mix of wage payment would be affected by changes in risk‐aversion, consumption preferences, technology, price risk, and production risk. While the complexity and nonlinearity of the model make it impossible to obtain clear‐cut analytical results, simulation results are derived and shown to be rather robust. These results are also broadly supported by the findings of a small‐scale survey of agricultural wage contracts in India.     

How CEOs and TMTs Build Adaptive Capacity in Small Entrepreneurial Firms

Research suggests that a CEO may have more influence in the context of small entrepreneurial firms, but it is still unclear how a company's chief executive facilitates strategic decision‐making. Little is known about the ways in which these individuals build strategic capabilities, such as the capacity to adapt to changing environments. This study addresses these issues and develops a model indicating that transformational leadership facilitates behavioural integration and comprehensiveness in the decision process among members of the top management team (TMT), which in turn enhances organizational capacity to adapt to environmental changes. Survey results shed light on the complex way in which CEOs facilitate processes within the TMT and enhance small entrepreneurial firms’ capacity to adapt, thereby increasing their viability. This study contributes to the literatures on Upper Echelon Theory, strategic decision‐making, and dynamic capabilities by shedding light on the ways in which transformational leaders influence behavioural and decision‐making processes.     

The response of small and medium-size business customers to Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity rates in Israel

This paper reports on the methodology, data, and results of the Israeli Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity pricing experiment in the industrial/commercial sector. We concentrate on the estimation of the demand functions for electricity under TOU, and the net welfare gains which result from applying TOU rates to small and medium-size business customers in Israel. This experiment, which was preceded by a 15-month load research study to allow an optimal sample design, was concluded in June 1992. The analysis yielded four major conclusions: (1) The estimated gains of small and medium-size customers in Israel from TOU rates are sufficient to justify investment in TOU metering technology. (2) There have been small, but noticeable, shifts of electricity from the peak to the mid-peak (if relevant) and to the off-peak periods during all seasons of the year, and particularly during the winter. (3) The structure and number of labour shifts during the day, and weather, are important factors in determining the response of business customers to the TOU rates. (4) Price elasticities vary substantially over the seasons and across SIC groups; they do not vary with customer size.     

The relative importance of project success dimensions

Traditionally, the success of a project is assessed using internal measures such as technical and operational goals, and meeting schedule and budget. More recently, it has been recognized that several other measures should be used to define project success. These measures reflect external effectiveness: the project's impact on its customers, and on the developing organization itself.
In our study of 110 defense projects performed by Israeli industry, we used a multidimensional approach to measure the success of defense projects. Based on previous studies, we defined four dimensions of success: meeting design goals ; benefits to the customer ; benefits to the developing organization ; and benefits to the defense and national infrastructure . For each project, we asked three different stakeholders (the customer, the developing organization, and the coordinating office within the Ministry of Defense) for their views on the relative importance of these dimensions of success. Analysis of the data revealed that the dimension benefits to the customer is by far the most important success dimension. The second in importance is meeting design goals . The other two dimensions are relatively unimportant.     

The role of elasticity optimism in choosing an optimal currency basket with applications to Israel

In a world in which exchange rates are floating each country must have some device for measuring the average exchange rate change, whatever exchange rate policy it chooses. The weight for each currency in computing such an average depends on the objective which exchange rate stabilization, or change, is expected to achieve. If balance of trade stability is the desideratum, the optimum weights (optimum currency basket) are shown to be a function of demand elasticities, GNP, trade shares, etc. We derive a loss function measuring the cost of using a ‘wrong’ basket, and compute the value of this function for our ‘optimal’ Israeli basket as a case study.     

The demand for cars and gasoline: A simultaneous approach

This paper develops and estimates a simple model of the demand and supply of cars and gasoline in Israel, focusing on an individual maximizing his life-time utility function under various constraints. Particular emphasis is placed on the transaction cost in a car purchase, and the fact that cars can be characterized by size and age factors which, in turn, affect running costs and maintenance costs. The empirical results show that a change in the price of gasoline (and/or the price of new cars) changes the structure of the stock of cars with respect to engine size.