A gestão por processos como fator diferencial na usabilidade de recursos tecnológicos dentro dos empreendimentos virtuais

O presente estudo propõe-se a discutir a questão da utilização da gestão por processos para o melhor tratamento da usabilidade de tecnologia dentro das organizações. Normalmente as organizações utilizam o que chamamos de gestão funcional e esse tipo de administração apresenta uma série de situações divergentes da gestão por processos, as quais serão mostradas e analisadas. Será também retratado o papel do gestor no desempenho desta função e as vantagens do trabalho em equipe. A seguir serão abordadas considerações sobre tecnologia, cujo objetivo é o entendimento necessário às condições que serão contempladas no cruzamento de ideias com a gestão por processos. O trabalho trará ainda considerações teóricas sobre organizações virtuais e empreendedorismo para que se possa melhor conhecer o cenário onde o alinhamento final das ideias desse estudo será abordado, envolvendo gestão por processos, tecnologia e empreendimentos virtuais. O trabalho mostrará uma pesquisa baseada na observação pessoal e na aplicação de entrevista junto a duas empresas de sucesso que atuam no mercado de empreendimentos virtuais no Estado do Pará. O objetivo desta prática é identificar a utilização e aplicabilidade dos princípios de uma adequada gestão tecnológica discutida e sugerida por esse estudo, comprovando sua eficiência nos negócios organizacionais virtuais.

Aprobación y resimbolización del patrimonio en el Ecuador. Historia, arquitectura y comunidad. El caso de Cuenca (Dossier: historia del arte)

El artículo analiza la conservación del patrimonio arquitectónico en el Ecuador. Propone recuperar la noción de patrimonio ligada a la noción de ciudadanía. El ensayo plantea el estado de la cuestión en Ecuador, revisa los casos de Quito y Guayaquil y se concentra en la problemática en Cuenca, ciudad Patrimonio de la Humanidad desde 1999. Formula la necesidad de que la investigación y la difusión de la historia de estas ciudades sean adoptadas como parte de una política pública permanente.

The PhD in construction management

The PhD process is uncertain, idiosyncratic and vague. Research into the management of PhDs has proved very useful for supervisors and students. It is important for everyone involved in the process to be aware of what can be done to improve the likelihood of success for PhD studies. There are many ways of tackling a PhD and it is not possible to describe construction management as a generic type of study. Rather, construction management is a source of problems and data, whereas solutions and approaches need to be based within established academic disciplines. The clear definition of a research project is an essential prerequisite for success. Although PhDs are difficult, there are many things that can be done by departments, supervisors and students to ease the difficulties. In the long run, the development of an active and dynamic research community is dependent upon a steady flow of high quality PhDs. No-one benefits from an uncompleted or failed PhD.

A critical assessment of a desk study comparing crop production systems: The example of the 'system of rice intensification' versus 'best management practice'

When assessing hypotheses, the possibility and consequences of false-positive conclusions should be considered along with the avoidance of false-negative ones. A recent assessment of the system of rice intensification (SRI) by McDonald et al. [McDonald, A.J., Hobbs, P.R., Riha, S.J., 2006. Does the system of rice intensification outperform conventional best management? A synopsis of the empirical record. Field Crops Res. 96, 31-36] provides a good example where this was not done as it was preoccupied with avoiding false-positives only. It concluded, based on a desk study using secondary data assembled selectively from diverse sources and with a 95% level of confidence, that 'best management practices' (BMPs) on average produce 11% higher rice yields than SRI methods, and that, therefore, SRI has little to offer beyond what is already known by scientists.

The impact of ICT on the work patterns of managers and their organisations

Purpose – The main aim of this paper is to present the results of a study examining managers' attitudes towards the deployment and use of information and communications technology (ICT) in their organisations. The study comes at a time when ICT is being recognised as a major enabler of innovation and new business models, which have the potential to have major impact on western economies and jobs. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was specially designed to collect data relating to three research questions. The questionnaire also included a number of open-ended questions. A total of 181 managers from a wide range of industries across a number of countries participated in the electronic survey. The quantitative responses to the survey were analysed using SPSS. Exploratory factor analysis using Varimax rotation was used and ANOVA to compare responses by different groups. Findings – The survey showed that many of the respondents appeared equipped to work “any place, any time”. However, it also highlighted the challenges managers face in working in a connected operation. Also, the data suggested that many managers were less than confident about their companies' policies and practices in relation to information management. Originality/value – A next step from this exploratory research could be the development of a model exploring the impact of ICT on management and organisational performance in terms of personal characteristics of the manager, the role performed, the context and the ICT provision. Also, further research could focus on examining in more detail differences between management levels.

Commercial management in project-based organisations

The term commercial management has been used for some time, similarly the job title commercial manager. However, as of yet, little emphasis has been placed on defining. This paper presents the findings from a two-year research initiative that has compared and contrasted the role of commercial managers from a range of organisations and across industry sectors, as a first step in developing a body of knowledge for commercial. It is argued that there are compelling arguments for considering commercial management, not solely as atask undertaken by commercial managers, but as a discipline in itself: a discipline that, arguably, bridges traditional project management and organisational theories. While the study has established differences in approach and application both between and within industry sectors, it has established sufficient similarity and synergy in practice to identify a specific role of commercial management in project-based organisations. These similarities encompass contract management and dispute resolution; the divergences include a greater involvement in financial and value management in construction and in bid management in defence/aerospace.

An efficient low power FFT implementation for multiband full-rate ultra-wideband (UWB) receivers

This paper discusses the design, implementation and synthesis of an FFT module that has been specifically optimized for use in the OFDM based Multiband UWB system, although the work is generally applicable to many other OFDM based receiver systems. Previous work has detailed the requirements for the receiver FFT module within the Multiband UWB ODFM based system and this paper draws on those requirements coupled with modern digital architecture principles and low power design criteria to converge on our optimized solution. The FFT design obtained in this paper is also applicable for implementation of the transmitter IFFT module therefore only needing one FFT module for half-duplex operation. The results from this paper enable the baseband designers of the 200Mbit/sec variant of Multiband UWB systems (and indeed other OFDM based receivers) using System-on-Chip (SoC), FPGA and ASIC technology to create cost effective and low power solutions biased toward the competitive consumer electronics market.

A low clock frequency FFT core implementation for multiband full-rate ultra-wideband (UWB) receivers

This paper discusses the design, implementation and synthesis of an FFT module that has been specifically optimized for use in the OFDM based Multiband UWB system, although the work is generally applicable to many other OFDM based receiver systems. Previous work has detailed the requirements for the receiver FFT module within the Multiband UWB ODFM based system and this paper draws on those requirements coupled with modern digital architecture principles and low power design criteria to converge on our optimized solution particularly aimed at a low-clock rate implementation. The FFT design obtained in this paper is also applicable for implementation of the transmitter IFFT module therefore only needing one FFT module in the device for half-duplex operation. The results from this paper enable the baseband designers of the 200Mbit/sec variant of Multiband UWB systems (and indeed other OFDM based receivers) using System-on-Chip (SoC), FPGA and ASIC technology to create cost effective and low power consumer electronics product solutions biased toward the very competitive market.

Introduction: special issue on advances in brand management

This special issue of the Journal of Business Research contains 13 articles presented at the Spring 2007 Thought Leaders International Conference on Brand Management. Following a blind reviewing process 69 papers were presented at the conference then authors were invited to revise their papers for inclusion consideration for this special issue. A further round of blind reviewing resulted in the selection of those 13 articles. This introduction presents a review of the research into brand management.

The role of rules-based compliance systems in the new EU regulatory landscape: perspectives of institutional change

Purpose The research objective of this study is to understand how institutional changes to the EU regulatory landscape may affect corresponding institutionalized operational practices within financial organizations. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts an Investment Management System as its case and investigates different implementations of this system within eight financial organizations, predominantly focused on investment banking and asset management activities within capital markets. At the systems vendor site, senior systems consultants and client relationship managers were interviewed. Within the financial organizations, compliance, risk and systems experts were interviewed. Findings The study empirically tests modes of institutional change. Displacement and Layering were found to be the most prevalent modes. However, the study highlights how the outcomes of Displacement and Drift may be similar in effect as both modes may cause compliance gaps. The research highlights how changes in regulations may create gaps in systems and processes which, in the short term, need to be plugged by manual processes. Practical implications Vendors abilities to manage institutional change caused by Drift, Displacement, Layering and Conversion and their ability to efficiently and quickly translate institutional variables into structured systems has the power to ease the pain and cost of compliance as well as reducing the risk of breeches by reducing the need for interim manual systems. Originality/value The study makes a contribution by applying recent theoretical concepts of institutional change to the topic of regulatory change uses this analysis to provide insight into the effects of this new environment

Calculating the application criticality and business risk from technology obsolescence

The problem of technology obsolescence in information intensive businesses (software and hardware no longer being supported and replaced by improved and different solutions) and a cost constrained market can severely increase costs and operational, and ultimately reputation risk. Although many businesses recognise technological obsolescence, the pervasive nature of technology often means they have little information to identify the risk and location of pending obsolescence and little money to apply to the solution. This paper presents a low cost structured method to identify obsolete software and the risk of their obsolescence where the structure of a business and its supporting IT resources can be captured, modelled, analysed and the risk to the business of technology obsolescence identified to enable remedial action using qualified obsolescence information. The technique is based on a structured modelling approach using enterprise architecture models and a heatmap algorithm to highlight high risk obsolescent elements. The method has been tested and applied in practice in three consulting studies carried out by Capgemini involving four UK police forces. However the generic technique could be applied to any industry based on plans to improve it using ontology framework methods. This paper contains details of enterprise architecture meta-models and related modelling.

Perspectives on the specification of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) technology in construction projects

Innovative, low carbon technologies are already available for use in the construction of buildings, but the impact of their specification on construction projects is unclear. This exploratory research identifies issues which arise following the specification of BIPV in non-residential construction projects. Rather than treating the inclusion of a new technology as a technical problem, the research explores the issue from a socio-technical perspective to understand the accommodations which the project team makes and their effect on the building and the technology. The paper is part of a larger research project which uses a Social Construction of Technology Approach (SCOT) to explore the accommodations made to working practices and design when Building Integrated PhotoVoltaic (BIPV) technology is introduced. The approach explores how the requirements of the technology from different groups of actors (Relevant Social Groups or RSG's) give rise to problems and create solutions. As such it rejects the notion of a rational linear view of innovation diffusion; instead it suggests that the variety and composition of the Relevant Social Groups set the agenda for problem solving and solutions as the project progresses. The research explores the experiences of three people who have extensive histories of involvement with BIPV in construction, looks at how SCOT can inform our understanding of the issues involved and identifies themes and issues in the specification of BIPV on construction projects. A key finding concerns the alignment of inflection points at which interviewees have found themselves changing from one RSG to another as new problems and solutions are identified. The points at which they change RSG often occurred at points which mirror conventional construction categories (in terms of project specification, tender, design and construction).

A three-fold framework for understanding HRM practices in South-Eastern European SMEs

Purpose We study particular structural and organisational factors affecting the formality of human resource management (HRM) practices in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South-Eastern European (SEE) post-communist countries, in particular Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in order to understand the antecedents of formalization in such settings. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a quantitative approach, this study analyses data gathered through a survey of 168 managers of SMEs from throughout the region. Findings The results show that HRM in SMEs in the SEE region can be understood through a three-fold framework which includes: degree of internationalisation of SMEs, sector of SMEs and organisational size of SMEs. These three factors positively affect the level of HRM formalisation in SEE SMEs. These findings are further attributed to the particular political and economic context of the post-communist SEE region. Research limitations/implications Although specific criteria were set for SME selection, we do not suggest that the study reflects a representative picture of the SEE region because we used a purposive sampling methodology. Practical implications This article provides useful insights into the factors which influence HRM in SMEs in a particular context. The findings can help business owners and managers understand how HRM can be applied in smaller organisations, particularly in post-communist SEE business contexts. Originality/value HRM in SMEs in this region has hardly been studied at all despite their importance. Therefore, this exploratory research seeks to expand knowledge relating to the application of HRM in SMEs in SEE countries which have their business environments dominated by different dynamics in comparison to western European ones.

The effect of financial leverage on real and accrual-based earnings management

Past research has documented a substitution effect between real earnings management (RM) and accrual-based earnings management (AM), depending on relative costs. This study contributes to this research by examining whether levels of (and changes in) financial leverage have an impact on this empirically documented trade-off. We hypothesise that in the presence of high leverage, firms that engage in earnings manipulation tactics will exhibit a preference for RM due to a lower possibility—and subsequent costs—of getting caught. We show that leverage levels and increases positively and significantly affect upward RM, with no significant effect on income-increasing AM, while our findings point towards a complementarity effect between unexpected levels of RM and AM for firms with very high leverage levels and changes. This is interpreted as an indication that high leverage could attract heavy outsider scrutiny, making it necessary for firms to use both forms of earnings management in order to achieve earnings targets. Furthermore, we document that equity investors exhibit a significantly stronger penalising reaction to AM vs. RM, indicating that leverage-induced RM is not as easily detectable by market participants as debt-induced AM, despite the fact that the former could imply deviation from optimal business practices.