Heiko Gebauer, Felix Pützr, T. Fischer, Chunzhi Wang, Jie Lin
{"title":"Exploring maintenance strategies in Chinese product manufacturing companies","authors":"Heiko Gebauer, Felix Pützr, T. Fischer, Chunzhi Wang, Jie Lin","doi":"10.1108/01409170810920648","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810920648","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore maintenance strategies for manufacturing equipment in Chinese firms.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from Chinese companies using a questionnaire administered during face‐to‐face interviews and two established methodologies in strategic management research, exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis, were used to analyze the data.Findings – The results suggest that despite increasing competitive capabilities of Chinese firms, their maintenance strategies are often restricted to corrective maintenance. Only very few Chinese firms have already implemented predictive maintenance approach, total productive maintenance programs or the strategic outsourcing of maintenance activities.Research limitations/implications – The research limitations stem from typical issues related to the use of exploratory factor analysis and cluster analysis (for example reliance on the subjective judgment of the researcher or the provision of clusters although...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"220 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120879803","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is talent management just “old wine in new bottles”?: The case of multinational companies in Beijing","authors":"Xin Chuai, D. Preece, P. Iles","doi":"10.1108/01409170810920611","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810920611","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore whether talent management (TM) practices are fundamentally different from traditional approaches to human resource management (HRM) and whether TM in China is an element of the struggle by those in the human resource (HR) profession to improve its credibility and status.Design/methodology/approach – Case studies are the main method of collecting data. These are supplemented by documentary analysis. Four in‐depth case studies were undertaken in Beijing. The target organizations were chosen from the information technology, health care and education sectors. The interviews were semi‐structured and were conducted with a range of stakeholders in each organization, including at least one HR specialist (normally, the senior HR professional, senior and functional managers as well as non‐managerial staff. In addition, interviews were also conducted in three management consulting firms regarded as being at the cutting edge in order to explore the orientation of such...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125774006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Xiagang and re‐employment policies in Shanghai","authors":"Lilai Xu, L. Bennington","doi":"10.1108/01409170810920675","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810920675","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the job creation policies being used to address the high unemployment rate and number of xiagang in Shanghai.Design/methodology/approach – Using primarily Chinese language sources, the context of employment issues are discussed. This is followed by a brief analysis of each issue.Findings – Among the numerous setbacks caused by the ongoing reforms, xiagang and urban unemployment have become one of the most serious problems for the Chinese leadership. There are no panaceas on offer and just which combination of measures should be chosen is a matter for debate. Some combination of a less restrictive labour market, expansion of infrastructure investment and stimulation of re‐employment involving public and private partnership in areas where the market is unlikely to generate spontaneously appears as a suitable way forward. Recruitment subsidies are not favoured as a solution while a focus retraining on smaller, well‐targeted schemes for recogniz...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122370885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strategic implications of global integration and local responsiveness for Chinese multinationals: An area for future study","authors":"D. Fan, C. Nyland, C. Zhu","doi":"10.1108/01409170810920639","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810920639","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – Based on the review of extant international business and management literature, this paper aims to examine the global integration (GI) and local responsiveness (LR) paradigm and its impact on the adoption of international business strategy (IBS) by multinational corporations (MNCs); second, discuss determinants that are critical in the process of forming IBS by MNCs; and third identify the lacuna in current research with respect to strategic implications of the framework for MNCs from emerging economies such as Chinese multinational corporations (CMNCs).Design/methodology/approach – Based on the extant literature review, this paper identifies a research gap and proposes several research questions for future study. First, the paper reviews prior studies on the GI‐LR model and its impact on and strategic implications for IBS. Second, it examines how MNCs from developed countries adopt different types of IBS and what determinants drive their decision‐making. Third, it attempts to discuss why CMNCs ...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116453484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"China, business and sustainability: understanding the strategic convergence","authors":"Jacob Park","doi":"10.1108/01409170810920657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810920657","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue that, despite the attention given to China's rising importance in the international marketplace, there has not been a corresponding attention given to the sustainability dimensions i.e. social and environmental dimensions of this economic development trajectory. Specifically, what type of business strategy can and will best serve the economic, environmental and social needs of China, and what role if any can the private sector play facilitating the development of such a strategy?Design/methodology/approach – The paper first examines the evolving relationship between business and sustainable development. Second, the sustainability challenge within the regional context in the Asia‐Pacific region is outlined. Third, the sustainability challenges posed by China's rise in the global economy are analyzed and the impacts of these challenges on current and future business strategies examined. Findings.– In order to fully understand the strategic convergence between ...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123933221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Key Concepts in Work","authors":"Nicole McNeil","doi":"10.1108/01409170810913079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810913079","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127681457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The relationship between self‐leadership behaviors and organization variables in a self‐managed work team environment","authors":"David F. Elloy","doi":"10.1108/01409170810913015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810913015","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between self‐leadership behaviors in a self‐managed work team environment and relevant organizational variables, i.e. supervisory trust, decision‐making, feedback and team goal setting.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected on‐site over a period of three days from employees working in a non‐union paper mill located in a small rural community in the northwestern region of the USA. The survey was completed by 141 employees, representing a 99 per cent response rate. Self‐leadership, supervisory trust, decision‐making, feedback and team goal setting were measured using different scales.Findings – The results indicated that supervisors, who give feedback, and who are perceived as trusting, and encouraging innovative behaviors contribute to the development of self‐leadership behaviors of rehearsal, self‐goal setting, self‐criticism, self‐reinforcement, self‐expectation and self‐observation. In addition, providing team training, foster...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127804701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Technology usage and innovation: Its effect on the profitability of SMEs","authors":"L. Hamilton, R. Asundi","doi":"10.1108/01409170810913033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810913033","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine if firms that invest in information technology (IT) and innovate are more profitable than those that do not and to analyze how firms in general and on the island of Puerto Rico, in particular, have found an avenue to compete, grow, and become profitable using technology in production and service, and by extending into the use of electronic commerce. Some recent investigations find that investments in IT do not lead to productivity improvements as measured by accounting standards. Earlier research identified four factors that can lead to such a paradoxical finding.Design/methodology/approach – The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate, utilizing a case method approach, the extent to which small and medium firms in different industries are prone to this paradoxical condition. Six firms identified in Puerto Rico were contacted to obtain both qualitative and quantitative information from senior officers and CEOs through personal and telephone inte...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"76 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127334536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Supply risk management vs supplier selection to manage the supply risk in the EPC supply chain","authors":"G. Micheli, E. Cagno, M. Zorzini","doi":"10.1108/01409170810913042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810913042","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand whether a link between the use of supplier selection (SS) and supply risk management (SRM) exists and whether further contextual factors which lead to the use of SRM and of SS exist in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) sector.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study has been undertaken as an empirical analysis to answer a series of research questions. The data have been collected through structured interviews to corporate procurement directors of companies belonging to the Italian EPC sector and operating in an engineer‐to‐order fashion.Findings – The results of the research point out that supply risk can be managed through both SS and SRM. These two different approaches are used alternatively by the companies investigated under resource constraints. A further set of contextual factors leading to the use of SRM (project orientation in supply management, use of partnerships with suppliers, corporate standardisation), and a co...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130197853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Concepción López-Fernández, A. M. Serrano-Bedia, Gema García‐Piqueres
{"title":"Patterns of institutional cooperation in R&D for Spanish innovative firms in the manufacturing and service sectors","authors":"Concepción López-Fernández, A. M. Serrano-Bedia, Gema García‐Piqueres","doi":"10.1108/01409170810913024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170810913024","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence innovative firms in the manufacturing and service sectors in Spain to cooperate with research institutions in their innovation activities, and to examine the differences between types of firm.Design/methodology/approach – A literature review is used to identify variables likely to influence a decision to cooperate with research institutions. A logit regression model is then used to verify the importance of those variables. The empirical study was carried out using 2,000 Spanish community innovation survey data. The study sample was 3,964 innovative service and manufacturing firms.Findings – It is found that spillovers, R&D intensity, costs, risks and alternative cooperation strategies influence both manufacturing and service firms in the same way in their decision to cooperate with research institutions in R&D. However, the variables relating to firm size, being part of a larger group of companies and type of innovation were show...","PeriodicalId":325346,"journal":{"name":"Management Research News","volume":"71 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130327648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}