The journey of a ‘green’ micro-enterprise – The Green Planet

This teaching case explores the longitudinal evolution of a small environmental micro-enterprise, The Green Planet retail store. Exploring two decades of business history it analyses the development of this business as sustainability issues and greener consumer goods mainstreamed in society. The case presents one of the first explorations of the individual trade-offs that owners make between economic, environmental and social criteria, alongside an exploration of the role that the personal values of the owner played in the evolution of this business. Also presented is a sample of other environmental enterprises profiled alongside The Green Planet in the early 1990s. This additional dataset provides a rich resource for readers, and a number of indicative discussion themes are identified. Readers interested in topics such as marketing, business strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility and environmental management will find this case a valuable addition to their teaching resources.

How enterprise 2,0 firms take advantage of emergent social software platforms to manage knowledge

This research aims to provide a better understanding on how firms stimulate knowledge sharing through the utilization of collaboration tools, in particular Emergent Social Software Platforms (ESSPs). It focuses on the distinctive applications of ESSPs and on the initiatives contributing to maximize its advantages. In the first part of the research, I have itemized all types of existing collaboration tools and classify them in different categories according to their capabilities, objectives and according to their faculty for promoting knowledge sharing. In the second part, and based on an exploratory case study at Cisco Systems, I have identified the main applications of an existing enterprise social software platform named Webex Social. By combining a qualitative and quantitative approach, as well as combining data collected from survey’s results and from the analysis of the company’s documents, I am expecting to maximize the outcome of this investigation and reduce the risk of bias. Although effects cannot be universalized based on one single case study, some utilization patterns have been underlined from the data collected and potential trends in managing knowledge have been observed. The results of the research have also enabled identifying most of the constraints experienced by the users of the firm’s social software platform. Utterly, this research should provide a primary framework for firms planning to create or implement a social software platform and for firms willing to increase adoption levels and to promote the overall participation of users. It highlights the common traps that should be avoided by developers when designing a social software platform and the capabilities that it should inherently carry to support an effective knowledge management strategy.

Quality Governance based on Enterprise Engineering Method and Six Sigma Approach

Enterprise Modeling (EM) is currently in operation either as a technique to represent and understand the structure and behavior of the enterprise, or as a technique to analyze business processes, and in many cases as support technique for business process reengineering. However, EM architectures and methods for Enterprise Engineering can also used to support new management techniques like SIX SIGMA, because these new techniques need a clear, transparent and integrated definition and description of the business activities of the enterprise to be able to build up, optimize and operate an successful enterprise. The main goal of SIX SIGMA is to optimize the performance of processes. A still open question is: "What are the adequate Quality criteria and methods to ensure such performance? What must we do to get Quality governance?" This paper describes a method including an Enterprise Engineering method and SIX SIGMA strategy to reach Quality Governance

Implementation of global make to inventory strategy at BASF SE

La optimización y armonización son factores clave para tener un buen desempeño en la industria química. BASF ha desarrollado un proyecto llamada acelerador. El objetivo de este proyecto ha sido la armonización y la integración de los procesos de la cadena de suministro a nivel mundial. El proceso básico de manejo de inventarios se quedó fuera del proyecto y debía ser analizado. El departamento de manejo de inventarios en BASF SE ha estado desarrollando su propia estrategia para la definición de procesos globales de manufactura. En este trabajo se presentará un informe de las fases de la formulación de la estrategia y establecer algunas pautas para la fase de implementación que está teniendo lugar en 2012 y 2013.

Multidivisional vs metanational governance of the multinational enterprise

The effective and efficient management of diversified business firms that supply multiple products and operate in multiple, dynamic markets, especially large multinational enterprises (MNEs), builds upon a number of specific governance principles. These governance principles allow the alignment of environmental characteristics, strategy and organization. Given the rising need to “learn from the world”, Doz et al., in their influential Harvard Business School Press book entitled From Global to Metanational, have proposed a new set of governance principles described under the “metanational” umbrella concept. This paper revisits the metanational, using a comparative institutional perspective; here we contrast multidivisional and metanational governance principles. A comparative institutional analysis suggests that the metanational's application potential in terms of actually improving the effectiveness and efficiency of MNE governance may be subject to more qualification than suggested by Doz et al. Senior MNE management must therefore reflect carefully before substituting metanational governance principles for the more conventional, multidivisional ones with established contributions to managerial effectiveness and efficiency.

Scoping customer relationship management strategy in HEI - Understanding steps towards alignment of customer and management needs

Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are complex organisations, offering a wide range of services, which involve a multiplicity of customers, stakeholders and service providers; both in terms of type and number. Satisfying a diverse set of customer groups is complex, and requires development of strategic Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This paper contributes to the HEI area, by proposing an approach that scopes CRM strategy, allowing us a better understanding CRM implementation in Higher Education Institutions; maximising alignment of customer and management desires, expectation and needs.

Communities of enterprise: SMEs, ICT and regional development

Many regional economies have pursued a strategy of stimulating the development of regional clusters. Such clusters typically include small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as a core component of those economies. Effective cluster development in that context depends on SMEs sharing knowledge and generating innovation. ICT networks can be an important resource for this sharing and innovation. This paper proposes the concept of ‘Communities of Enterprise’ to conceptualise the relationships and communication patterns used in cluster development. This concept builds on theoretical understandings of information systems, clustering and regional development. The value creation potential of Communities of Enterprise, supported by ICTs is substantial, but only when the socioeconomic elements of regional clusters are understood. The Community of Enterprise approach addresses the fact that without an industry focus it can be difficult to engage and link SMEs from different industries, although this is where the greatest potential for value creation in regional clusters is to be found. This paper concludes by considering the relevance of Communities of Enterprise for understanding and researching eCluster development in the Australian regional context.

A practical strategy for discovering, evaluating and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunity : research based action guidelines

It has been argued that entrepreneurship researchers do not place sufficient emphasis on making their research findings relevant to entrepreneurs and their advisors. The paper utilises five general principles introduced by Hindle, Anderson and Gibson (2004) to convert a complex range of entrepreneurship research findings into useful action guidelines for practicing entrepreneurs. The existing research-based knowledge concerning opportunity assessment is distilled into a diagrammatic framework. This framework and a sequence of ten, plain-English questions, provides entrepreneurs and SME operators with a strategic tool (nick-named the '4/10 strategy') for discovering, evaluating and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities.

Rethinking a learning environment strategy

I have committed a significant period of time (in my case five years) to the purpose development of learning environments, with the belief that it would improve the self-actualisation and self-motivation of students and teachers alike. I consider it important to record and measure performance as we progressed toward such an outcome. Education researchers and practitioners alike, in the higher (university/tertiary) education systems, are seeking among new challenges to engage students and teachers in learning (James, 2001). However, studies to date show a confusing landscape littered with a multiplicity of interpretations and terms, successes and failures. As the discipline leader of the Information Technology, Systems and Multimedia (ITSM) Discipline, Swinburne University of Technology, Lilydale, I found myself struggling with this paradigm. I also found myself being torn between what presents as pragmatic student learning behaviour and the learner-centred teaching ideal reflected in the Swinburne Lilydale mission statement. The research reported in this folio reflects my theory and practice as discipline leader of the ITSM Discipline and the resulting learning environment evolution during the period 1997/8 to 2003. The study adds to the material evidence of extant research through firstly, a meta analysis of the learning environment implemented by the ITSM Discipline as recorded in peer reviewed and published papers; and secondly, a content analysis of student learning approaches, conducted on data reported from a survey of ‘learning skills inventory’ originally conducted by the ITSM Discipline staff in 2002. In 1997 information and communication technologies (ICT) were beginning to provide plausible means for electronic distribution of learning materials on a flexible and repeatable basis, and to provide answers to the imperative of learning materials distribution relating to an ITSM Discipline new course to begin in 1998. A very short time frame of three months was available prior to teaching the course. The ITSM Discipline learning environment development was an evolutionary process I began in 1997/8 initially from the requirement to publish print-based learning guide materials for the new ITSM Discipline subjects. Learning materials and student-to-teacher reciprocal communication would then be delivered and distributed online as virtual learning guides and virtual lectures, over distance as well as maintaining classroom-based instruction design. Virtual here is used to describe the use of ICT and Internet-based approaches. No longer would it be necessary for students to attend classes simply to access lecture content, or fear missing out on vital information. Assumptions I made as discipline leader for the ITSM Discipline included, firstly, that learning should be an active enterprise for the students, teachers and society; secondly, that each student comes to a learning environment with different learning expectations, learning skills and learning styles; and thirdly, that the provision of a holistic learning environment would encourage students to be self-actualising and self-motivated. Considerable reading of research and publications, as outlined in this folio, supported the update of these assumptions relative to teaching and learning. ITSM Discipline staff were required to quickly and naturally change their teaching styles and communication of values to engage with the emergent ITSM Discipline learning environment and pedagogy, and each new teaching situation. From a student perspective such assumptions meant students needed to move from reliance upon teaching and prescriptive transmission of information to a self-motivated and more self-actualising and reflective set of strategies for learning. In constructing this folio, after the introductory chaperts, there are two distinct component parts; • firstly, a Descriptive Meta analysis (Chapter Three) that draws together several of my peer reviewed professional writings and observations that document the progression of the ITSM Discipline learning environment evolution during the period 1997/8 to 2003. As the learning environment designer and discipline leader, my observations and published papers provide insight into the considerations that are required when providing an active, flexible and multi-modal learning environment for students and teachers; and • secondly, a Dissertation (Chapter Four), as a content analysis of a learning skills inventory data collection, collected by the ITSM Discipline in the 2002 Swinburne Lilydale academic year, where students were encouraged to complete reflective journal entries via the ITSM Discipline virtual learning guide subject web-site. That data collection included all students in a majority of subjects supported by the ITSM Discipline for both semesters one and two 2002. The original purpose of the journal entries was to have students reflectively involved in assessing their learning skills and approaches to learning. Such perceptions were tested using a well-known metric, the ‘learning skills inventory’ (Knowles, 1975), augmented with a short reflective learning approach narrative. The journal entries were used by teaching staff originally and then made available to researchers as a desensitised data in 2003 for statistical and content analysis relative to student learning skills and approaches. The findings of my research support a view of the student and teacher enculturation as utilitarian, dependent and pragmatically self-motivated. This, I argue, shows little sign of abatement in the early part of the 21st Century. My observation suggests that this is also independent of the pedagogical and educational philosophy debate or practice as currently presented. As much as the self-actualising, self-motivated learning environment can be justified philosophically, the findings observed from this research, reported in this folio, cannot. Part of the reason for this originates from the debate by educational researchers as to the relative merits of liberal and vocational philosophies for education combined with the recent introduction of information and communication technologies, and commodification of higher education. Challenging students to be participative and active learners, as proposed by educationalists Meyers and Jones (1993), i.e. self-motivated and self-actualising learners, has proved to be problematic. This, I will argue, will require a change to a variable/s (not yet identified) of higher education enculturation on multiple fronts, by students, teachers and society in order to bridge the gap. This research indicates that tertiary educators and educational researchers should stop thinking simplistically of constructivist and/or technology-enabled approaches, students learning choices and teachers teaching choices. Based on my research I argue for a far more holistic set of explanations of student and staff expectations and behaviour, and therefore pedagogy that supports those expectations.

Action learning through the use of enterprise resource planning system in construction management

Although information communication technology (ICT) tool is long regard as very useful in today’s engineering, architectural and construction management, organizations cannot just only simply operate based upon its origin, but also requires the on-going observation, controlling measures, monitoring aids, adding features and fine-tuning actions to such tool before the desirable outcome can be achieved. However, it is a very common phenomenon that organizations purchase the licensed “off-the-shelf-software” ICT package and customize it to suit their own requirements. Due to the incapability and inefficiency of such software and customization, the possible result is making such tool becomes not user-friendly and obsolete.

The purpose of this paper therefore, as part of the doctoral research, is to review and report those actions taken by a construction organization to enhance the performance of its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system upon launching it since December 2002. Such actions include: improving data inputting method; removing the transition bottleneck; introducing crystallization function; revising the organization’s “Delegation and Limits of Authority”; publishing the “League Table” amongst users; integrating the 3D Modeling into the system and adopting the “Resources Requirement Planning”.

Whilst the ultimate goals of this system are well beyond the time limit of the research project, an obvious interim result, achieved by this case studied organization, was winning a landmark project worth HK$5 billion after the ERP system was functioned effectively. The experience and success of this organization can be borrowed by those companies which are planning to adopt information technology (IT) strategy and use ICT tool in the architectural management system.

Multi-market industrial organizational economic models for the internationalization process by small and medium enterprise construction design service firms

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are critical to strategic initiatives in an economy; however, their contribution to foreign trade is not as significant. SMEs are one of the principal driving forces in economic development. One of the greatest challenges is the internationalization process for longevity rather than seeing the process as initial market entry. The internationalization process research has typically involved four key constructs: market selection, decision to enter, entry modes and factors affecting entry modes. Past research has focused on large manufacturing firms. The export of architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) firms has undergone growth, yet there is still significant opportunity for further growth. The majority of AEC firms are SMEs. Notwithstanding assistance provided through international trade missions, organized export firm support networks and information packages by a burgeoning number of government agencies, there are still perceived barriers to market entry and long-term economic sustainability for SMEs. There are a number of problems faced by SMEs acting in foreign trade. This investigation explores the successful initial internationalization process constructs and identifies unique project-oriented sector characteristics. The study identified similarities and differences between two firms that have been exporting to various localities, including Eastern Europe, Africa, Middle East, UK, Asia and South America, for more than two decades. The similarities and differences were identified within eight major constructs: purpose, firm type, market image and design philosophy, entry mode strategy, institutional arrangement, factors affecting mode of entry, market selection and firm strategy in relation to project selection. The primary reasons for internationalization were associated with the firms' motivations related to growth and financial viability. This article discusses the various internationalization processes and strategies intrinsic to each case study and establishes a detailed set of empirical observations from which to develop further a grounded theoretical model of reflexive capability for the internationalization process. This study contributes to the body of knowledge around the SME AEC design service firm's internationalization process, as a dynamic, evolving and continuously adaptable construct for project-based sectors.

Enabling strategic transformations with enterprise systems : beyond operational efficiency

The last few decades have seen the widespread adoption of large-scale, integrated, packaged software suites collectively called Enterprise Systems. However, most studies done so far have largely focused on the operational efficiency achieved by using these systems. This paper reports on research-in-progress that seeks to explore the strategic potential of Enterprise Systems to enable business transformations. In doing so, a new model is proposed that places the emphasis on the potential of Enterprise Systems to achieve innovation and reshape business strategy, rather than merely focusing on operational benefits. This model proposes that Enterprise Systems, when used to integrate, optimise and informate, can help firms achieve alliance innovation, process innovation and reshaped business strategy. The paper also provides preliminary empirical evidence that supports the propositions. This model will be tested further through primary case studies and a survey. This research, once completed, will assess the strategic role of Enterprise Systems in enabling business transformations beyond operational benefits.

A conceptual framework for the implementation of enterprise information portals in large organizations

Addressing the diversity in information requirements across the enterprise is a central challenge in enterprise content management. Enterprise information portals (EIPs) hold promise in this regard, offering each user a gateway to customized and personalized content. However, in large organizations EIP implementers face the complexity of tailoring portals for potentially thousands of users. A conceptual framework based on marketing fundamentals is developed to inform EIP implementation in this respect. It is argued that EIP implementers should view their user community as a number of distinct segments in order to address divergent needs more specifically (as opposed to a ‘one size fits all’ approach). For each identified segment, a ‘mix’ of content (product), distribution (place), promotion and price (cost) should be considered. The framework is applied to two cases of EIP implementation in large organizations. It is proposed that segmentation enables better planning of the overall EIP implementation effort. Considerations such as the number of user segments, customization, and personalization of content, and the funding of EIP development in large organizations are also discussed. The concepts elaborated here also hold theoretical relevance for other IS implementation contexts that involve very large usercommunities with diverse information