Strategic technology management : case study development in innovative building products

National and international competition demands that Australian organisations become more competent at making the strategic technological decisions that impact their future in the international business economy. A new subject unit, Management of Technology is now offered in the popular Master of Project Management and Master of Business Administration programs at the Queensland University of Technology. This cross-disciplinary subject provides students with a theoretical foundation and practical tools to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of technically-oriented organisations. Applied case studies—shown to be the most appropriate mode of learning for mature-age students—form an integral component of the teaching program. In the first offerings of this subject during 1995 and 1996, American case studies were used. QUT has now supported the development of Australian case study packages for technology management through its Teaching and Learning Grants Scheme. The first case developed—Inland Oil Refiners’ Microstill Project—was completed in early 1996. A newly developed case—Automated Door Opening System for Wheelchair Access—is currently being completed. This case (comprising case study documentation and video presentation) tracks a cross-disciplinary product development driven by legislative and community pressures. It also reinforces the importance of personal relationships in the technology and business development that has taken this young Brisbane-based company from its embryonic beginnings on the Queensland Cultural Centre in 1994 to a national and export-focussed organisation in 1997. This paper reviews the need to develop Australian case material in Management of Technology, discusses the case study documentation and supporting video developed, and application of the case study approach in this teaching initiative in QUT’s Master of Project Management and Master of Business Administration programs.

Deliberation and collaboration in the policy process : a Web 2.0 approach

This paper is a summary of a PhD thesis proposal. It will explore how the Web 2.0 platform could be applied to enable and facilitate the large-scale participation, deliberation and collaboration of both governmental and non-governmental actors in an ICT supported policy process. The paper will introduce a new democratic theory and a Web 2.0 based e-democracy platform, and demonstrate how different actors would use the platform to develop and justify policy issues.

Reflections around artefacts - using a deliberative approach to teaching reflective practices in fashion

The importance of reflection in higher education, and across disciplinary fields is widely recognised; it is generally included in university graduate attributes, professional standards and program objectives. Furthermore, reflection is commonly embedded into assessment requirements in higher education subjects, often without necessary scaffolding or clear expectations for students. Despite the rhetoric around the importance of reflection for ongoing learning, there is scant literature on any systematic, developmental approach to teaching reflective learning across higher education programs/courses. Given that professional or academic reflection is not intuitive, and requires specific pedagogic intervention to do well, a program/course-wide approach is essential. Over the last 18 months, teaching staff from five QUT faculties: Business, Creative Industries, Education, Health and Law, have been involved in an ALTC-funded project to develop a systematic, cross-faculty approach to teaching and assessing reflection in higher education. This forum will present a reflective model that staff have used in their teaching and they will also share their ideas and approaches to reflective teaching and assessment with colleagues from QUT and other universities. A poster format will enable forum participants to talk informally with the presenters about how the approaches and resources they have developed for units have contributed to the development of the reflective model which can be applied across faculties. Participants will also be able to explore the web resources which have been developed as part of the project.

An analysis of the qualitative characteristics of management commentary reporting by New Zealand companies

The narrative section of annual reports has considerable value to its user groups, such as financial analysts and investors (Tiexiera, 2004; Barlett and Chandler, 1997, IASB, 2006). This narrative section including chairpersons’/presidents’ statement contains twice the quantity of information than the financial statements section (Smith and Taffler, 2000). However, the abundance of information does not necessarily enhance the quality of such information (IASB, 2006). This issue of qualitative characteristics has been long foregone by researchers. This issue has attracted the attention of IASB (2006). Following the dearth in research in regard to qualitative characteristics of reporting this paper explores whether investors’ required qualitative characteristics as outlined by the IASB (2006) have been satisfied in management commentary section of New Zealand companies’ annual reports. Our result suggests that the principal stakeholders’, that is, investors’ qualitative characteristics requirements have been partially met in this section of annual reports. The qualitative characteristic of ‘relevance’ and ‘supportability’ have been satisfied in more annual reports compared to that of ‘balance’ and ‘comparability.’

Spot the differences in traditional and social entrepreneurial intention : highlighting the role of human and social capital

There is general agreement in the scientific community that entrepreneurship plays a central role in the growth and development of an economy in rapidly changing environments (Acs & Virgill 2010). In particular, when business activities are regarded as a vehicle for sustainable growth at large, that goes beyond mere economic returns of singular entities, encompassing also social problems and heavily relying on collaborative actions, then we more precisely fall into the domain of ‘social entrepreneurship’(Robinson et al. 2009). In the entrepreneurship literature, prior studies demonstrated the role of intentionality as the best predictor of planned behavior (Ajzen 1991), and assumed that the intention to start a business derives from the perception of desirability and feasibility and from a propensity to act upon an opportunity (Fishbein & Ajzen 1975). Recognizing that starting a business is an intentional act (Krueger et al. 2000) and entrepreneurship is a planned behaviour (Katz & Gartner 1988), models of entrepreneurial intentions have substantial implications for intentionality research in entrepreneurship. The purpose of this paper is to explore the emerging practice of social entrepreneurship by comparing the determinants of entrepreneurial intention in general versus those leading to startups with a social mission. Social entrepreneurial intentions clearly merit to be investigated given that the opportunity identification process is an intentional process not only typical of for profit start-ups, and yet there is a lack of research examining opportunity recognition in social entrepreneurship (Haugh 2005). The key argument is that intentionality in both traditional and social entrepreneurs during the decision-making process of new venture creation is influenced by an individual's perceptions toward opportunities (Fishbein & Ajzen 1975). Besides opportunity recognition, at least two other aspects can substantially influence intentionality: human and social capital (Davidsson, 2003). This paper is set to establish if and to what extent the social intentions of potential entrepreneurs, at the cognitive level, are influenced by opportunities recognition, human capital, and social capital. By applying established theoretical constructs, the paper draws comparisons between ‘for-profit’ and ‘social’ intentionality using two samples of students enrolled in Economy and Business Administration at the University G. d’Annunzio in Pescara, Italy. A questionnaire was submitted to 310 potential entrepreneurs to test the robustness of the model. The collected data were used to measure the theoretical constructs of the paper. Reliability of the multi-item scale for each dimension was measured using Cronbach alpha, and for all the dimensions measures of reliability are above 0.70. We empirically tested the model using structural equation modeling with AMOS. The results allow us to empirically contribute to the argument regarding the influence of human and social cognitive capital on social and non-social entrepreneurial intentions. Moreover, we highlight the importance for further researchers to look deeper into the determinants of traditional and social entrepreneurial intention so that governments can one day define better polices and regulations that promote sustainable businesses with a social imprint, rather than inhibit their formation and growth.

I just want to design a sexy flying car! Teaching design-led innovation to designers

Many international management programs have capitalised on the value design can have upon potential business solutions and strategies (Martin, 2009 & Brown, 2008) as well as many international design programs introducing designers to business theory and curriculum (Manzini & Rizzo, 2011). This paper presents the findings from structured interviews with undergraduate design students and design industry professionals. Current literature surrounding design led innovation and the role designers’ play within it is also discussed and the challenges facing designers in this emerging design era are presented. The findings from this study indicate that most designers enter an undergraduate program not wanting to become the business leaders of tomorrow. Instead, they enter in the hope they can humbly help people and to make a difference in the world. There are contentions with this perspective, felt by industry, academia and students around why designers need to be taught business theory content. This paper provides the first step to overcoming this challenge by providing insight into the attitudes, perceptions and challenges designers are facing with this new design era.

The financial life well-lived: psychological benefits of financial planning

As the financial planning industry undergoes a series of reforms aimed at increased professionalism and improved quality of advice, financial planner training in Australia and elsewhere has begun to acknowledge the importance of interdisciplinary knowledge bases in informing both curriculum design and professoinal practice (e.g. FPA2009). This paper underscores the importance of the process of financial planning by providing a conceptual analysis of the six step financial planning process using key mechanisms derived from theory and research in cognate disciplines such as psychology and well-being. The paper identifies how these mechanisms may operate to impact client well-being in the financial planning context. The conceptual mapping of th emechanisms to process elements of financial planning is a unique contribution to the financial planning literature and offers a further framework in the armamentarium of researchers interested in pursuing questions around the value of financial planning. The conceptual framework derived from the analysis also adds to the growing body of literature aimed at developing an integrated model of financial planning.

A portrayal of new entrants into the Australian economy (Entrepreneurial individuals and ventures)

This paper provides a descriptive overview of the venture creation in Australia, those who participate in it and the types of firms they build. Findings of interest in this paper include: • The majority of business founders (89 per cent) state the motivation to start a new business is opportunity-driven rather than necessity driven. • The extent of under-representation of women business founders in Australia appears to be lower than international comparisons and has decreased over time. • Australian business founders tend to possess significant ‘human capital’ many are university-educated, and large shares have different types of experience that may benefit the start-up. • The major industries for start-up activities are Retailing; various service industries (Business Consulting; Health, Education and Social; other Consumer services); Construction, Manufacturing, and Agriculture. • A large proportion of CAUSEE respondents (49 per cent nascent firms and 46 per cent young firms) are members of start-up teams, which is similar to international comparisons.

Personally significant learning: The challenge

The article explores the importance for young individuals to have a powerful disposition to be self-managing learners after completing their schooling. It presents several propositions which aim to unlearn the best educational experience a school principal can give for young people and their teachers. The use of digital technologies is mentioned.

Democratic and participatory citizenship: Youth action for sustainability in Australia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of recent examples of action competence among young people engaged in democratic participatory action in sustainability programs in Australia. It explores examples of priorities identified for citizen action, the forms this action takes and the ways that democratic participation can achieve positive outcomes for future sustainability. It suggests multiple ways for developing action competence that provides further opportunities for authentic and engaging citizen action for youth connected to school- and community-based learning, in new and powerful ways. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper examines international literature on the theory of “action competence,” its significance for education for sustainability (EfS) and the ways it can inform education for young people’s democratic participatory citizenship and civic engagement. It analyses examples of the development of action competency among young people in Australia, including the problems and priorities identified for citizen action, the forms this action takes and how it can achieve positive outcomes for sustainability. Following this analysis, the paper suggests multiple ways for developing action competence in EfS in schools and communities in new and powerful ways. Findings – Developing EfS to increase democratic and participatory action among young citizens is now widely regarded as an urgent education priority. There are growing exemplars of school and community organizations’ involvement in developing EfS learning and teaching to increase participatory citizenship. Young people are being empowered to develop a greater sense of agency through involvement in programs that develop action competence with a focus on sustainability in and out of school. New forms of participation include student action teams and peer collaboration among youth who are marshaling social media and direction action to achieve change. Originality/value – It contributes to the literature on multiple ways for developing action competence in EfS.

Martha Smith

[Excerpt] Martha Smith said goodbye to her long withstanding career as Associate Director of ILR’s Office of Career Services. Smith earned a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, Hayward in 1969. In 1976, she came to Ithaca when her husband was a Ph.D. student at Cornell, and in 1978 Smith became a temporary assistant to Professor Larry Williams. Shortly after, Smith was offered a permanent position in the Office of Career Services where she advised and befriended students for over 26 years. After retiring, Smith plans to devote more time to her community and her church. When reflecting upon her career of assisting and nurturing in the development of ILR students, Smith said, "They come in as caterpillars; they evolve, and then they leave as butterflies. They have to learn to be students, it isn’t always easy Martha Smith but they always manage. As they open up we all learn that we are more alike than we are different and together we learn to appreciate the likenesses and the differences."

Miten Yrityskauppatutkimuksen tuloksia voi hyödyntää kuntaliitostutkimuksessa?

Administrative sciences are fragmented into a number of subfields; the most important dividing line separating public administration and business administration. We argue, however, that it is useful to cross these borders in theory building and empirical analysis. Therefore, we focus in this paper on the comparison of municipal amalgamations and corporate mergers. More specifically, we examine how findings in research on corporate mergers could enlighten the scarce analysis of municipal amalgamations. The analysis of corporate mergers shows that the motives range from rational reasoning to empire building, that the decision-making is plagued by uncertainty, group-thinking and politics, and finally, that the post-merger integration processes are often characterized by cultural confrontation, identitybuilding challenges, and resistance. We explain how – with due caution – similar phenomena can also be detected and analyzed in the context of municipal amalgamations and develop specific propositions for future research in this area.

La investigación comercial como instrumento básico para el conocimiento de las actitudes del electorado: un estudio empírico en la Universidad del País Vasco

[ES] Hoy en día, cualquier partido político debe utilizar el marketing para analizar su mercado y posicionarse en el mismo con una estrategia adecuada. Para ello, el papel de la investigación comercial resulta fundamental, dado que nos permite detectar las necesidades y deseos de los electores, pudiendo el partido adoptar decisiones tendentes a satisfacerlas.

Gestión del riesgo operativo en las entidades de crédito: un camino sin retorno

[ES] Este trabajo presenta la problemática de la gestión del riesgo operativo en las entidades de crédito en el ámbito europeo. Aprobado el texto definitivo del denominado Comité de Supervisión Bancaria (Basilea II), con especial y novedosa regulación del riesgo operativo, amanece como inminente su integración e la regulación bancaria de la UE, y, por tanto, su pronta implantación y supervisión por las autoridades monetarias y financieras. Esta nueva normativa, de carácter flexible y profesional, introduce en el seno del gobierno corporativo de las entidades de crédito nuevos elementos que afectarán a su cultura interna (cultura de gestión de los riesgos), afectando a las decisiones estratégicas y a la organización de las entidades, incentivando a la mejora de la calidad de sus procesos, servicios y operaciones. Todo lo cual supone una acicate para perseguir la eficiencia continua a nivel individual y a nivel del sistema financiero, con visos de adquirir dimensión estratégica. De esta manera, se abre un espacio para la investigación y creatividad en la aplicación y desarrollo de los postulados científicos de la Economía de la Empresa, con posibilidades de incorporarlos a otros sectores empresariales de similar afectación por los riesgos operativos.

La metodología científica en economía de la empresa en la actualidad

[ES] Mientras la realidad se transforma a gran ritmo, las ideas de ciencia y de conocimiento científico entran en crisis. Esta crisis también se manifiesta en los estudios empresariales: muchos afirman que la Economía de la Empresa no es ciencia, sino un conjunto de conocimientos diversos, débilmente conectados entre sí. Otros se pierden en investigaciones alejadas de la realidad, y un último grupo no consigue remontar un enfoque meramente practicista. Por ello, estimamos que es un buen momento para recordar los fundamentos que sustentan una ciencia: su objeto formal y material y su método. Para ello se realizará una exposición sintética del pensamiento del profesor Soldevilla.