Questioning the future of paper and online survey questionnaires for management research

The way that we build the foundations of our intellectual capital in management has changed. One example is the steady move in management research from the use of traditional paper-based survey questionnaires to online technology-based formats. This paper considers this shift, particularly focusing on the question of whether the advantages of online survey questionnaires outweigh their potential problems. The historical use of paper-based survey questionnaires has produced a large body of literature on both the advantages and disadvantages in their use, which are reviewed here alongside those of online survey questionnaires. In addition, welI-tested methods are available for increasing survey response rates in paper format, and these should not be thrown out in the quest to utilise online survey methodology. Rather, researchers should aim to exploit the potential benefits of online technologies and increase response rate by thoughtfully combining traditional and new methods. This paper argues for further discussion and research attention on electronic methods of data collection to ensure potential cost savings are not outweighed by either financial or participation costs involved in online survey questionnaire design.

Communities of enterprise : developing regional SMEs in the knowledge economy

Purpose – This paper proposes the concepts of Communities of Enterprise (CoEs) and Virtual Communities of Enterprise (VCoEs) to describe business networking patterns in regional areas where there is no central organisational or industry focus and small and medium enterprises dominate the economy. Design/methodology/approach – Based on analysis of the literature this paper builds on theoretical understandings of knowledge management, clustering and regional development.
Findings – The concept of CoEs is most appropriate for regional areas characterised by many small enterprises in diverse industries. CoEs enhance development of regional clusters by contributing to their intellectual capital, innovation culture, value networks and social capital. The incorporation of ICT creates VCoEs which provide added potential by enabling regions to expand their learning potential through innovation.
Research limitations/implications – This paper provides a conceptual foundation for empirical research into regional network or cluster development using ICT.
Practical implications – Virtual Communities of Enterprise value creation potential is substantial but only when the socioeconomic elements of regional clusters are understood. The VCoE 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.
Originality/value – The Virtual Communities of Enterprise (VCoEs) concept specifically addresses the unique requirements of SMEs in regions. It has the potential to provide value for regions in a way few ICT based regional development initiatives have been able to achieve.

Adopting reflexive capability in international briefing

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to investigate the architectural firm's role in the briefing process on international projects and to identify the strategies of successful firms to overcome barriers.

Design/methodology/approach – A model is developed based on a critique of briefing models and international design management theory. The development of a reflexive capability model borrows cultural theory concepts of capital and reflexivity. The model is based on maximizing reflexive capability through the management of social, cultural and intellectual capital. Two case studies of architectural firms identify barriers during the briefing process and strategies to overcome these barriers. Data collection involved 16 interviews with senior management and design team staff.

Findings – There are various barriers and strategies used to achieve success in the briefing process. However, the management of a firm's capital is key to successful briefing on international projects and is a characteristic of reflexive practice. Reflexivity is based in a positive interpretation of change, and a continual responsiveness to change by participants in a system. The study provides useful information on management of the design and briefing stages of international projects.

Research limitations/implications – The study is limited by the number of case studies used and the difficulty of generalisability of findings.

Practical implications – The research is that it provides useful information about how to approach constant change during briefing for the architects and clients who work on international projects.

Originality/value – The model is original and has value as it assists in explaining why some firms are more successful than others. The case studies provide new knowledge on international projects and the briefing process. The value of the paper is for the academic community, professionals in the built environment and clients involved in international projects.

The development of 'soft' strategic indicators for international client satisfaction

Despite the increasing significance of the construction industry as an emerging sector of the Australian economy, there is inadequate research performed on construction design firms in terms of theoretical and empirical foundations. Although past research has identified the barriers and success factors for firm market entry, evidence suggests that to date no research has explicitly explored the sustainability of construction design firms in international markets. SMEs and their approach to firm internationalisation differ significantly from large manufacturing firms and a vast majority of construction design firms operate as SMEs. This paper develops a sustainable business model for construction design SMEs, which rely upon the development of clear Client Following (CF) versus Market Seeking (MS) strategies to support internal firm strategic and operational management. The understanding of these strategies is vital as the application of either will shape the design management approach of firms, which would in turn impact on the sustainability of these firms in foreign markets. Long-term sustainability of firms in international markets relies heavily upon client satisfaction. Client and project team participants’ communication during various design processes has often been problematic and the added difficulty of communicating across international boundaries further compounds the problem of capturing and maintaining client’s requirements. Therefore this paper develops a model for business sustainability of Australian construction design firms working in international markets by exploring factors that affect client satisfaction across international boundaries, through the development of business performance indicators. These include not only the critical financial capital but also other ‘softer’ indicators, namely: social, cultural and intellectual capital. These act as a firm’s measure of success and the acquisition of this type of capital will provide significant advantages to firms’ success, hence sustainability in international markets.

Conflict management : the team New Zealand case

The primary subject matter of this case is the effectiveness of risk management strategies associated with the staging of a major international sporting event. A secondary issue examined in the case concerns the proprietary rights of employers to the intellectual capital and skills acquired by employees. The case requires an understanding of strategic risk management and good corporate governance principles.

This case has a difficulty level that makes it most suitable for senior level students in a Corporate Governance/Business Ethics course. The case is designed to be taught in three class hours and would require about eight hours of out-of-class time which includes reading the case material and the articles listed in the references.

Developing reflexive capability for successful joint ventures between Australian and Malaysian property and construction professionals

Increasingly Malaysian property and construction firms are seeking to work internationally. Firms enter international markets through various strategies and typically property and construction professionals rely on developing various forms of cooperative and collaborative arrangements. The common modes of entry include international alliances, project joint ventures, partnerships, company joint ventures and large consortiums; which arise as a response to clients seeking expressions of interests from the international community or the firms seeking to internationalise approaching clients and/or potential host country partners. Increasingly project teams on international mega projects are composed of multiple key partners from different countries coming together to achieve a higher level of strategic flexibility. Establishing and maintaining local connections and business networks are therefore critical to ensure the success of exporting firms. This paper reports the findings of a project which explores factors affecting the performance of Malaysian property and construction professionals working internationally through effective joint ventures. The project seeks to develop a performance measurement framework to examine the extent to which Malaysian firms are developing sustainable business models internationally which adapt and respond to changing conditions. A generic framework was initially developed prior to this study through a grounded theory approach merging theory from internationalisation, design management and market knowledge literature followed by a case study empirical investigation and then further literature review based upon the themes which emerged from the case study analysis. A reflexive capability model for firms in managing both economic and non-economic capital; including social, cultural and intellectual capital was developed. This project seeks to build upon the reflexive model by adapting it to the unique contexts related to the specific geographic localities of exporting Malaysian firms. Specifically, the project explores the extent to which the performance measurement framework can be used to map capabilities Malaysian construction firms have and Which they need to develop in relation to developing and maintaining international collaborative partnerships. The preliminary results of one case study Malaysian architectural firm are discussed.

A trilogy on discontinuous innovation. Part I : search

In this article we discuss the concept of Discontinuous Innovation (DI) and how it differs from incremental (or steady-state) innovation. We propose a model to conceptualise the different aspects of DI and discuss the complex nature of the DI process through an investigation of previous literature, and propose a sequence of articles roughly following the key components as described in the conceptual model, beginning with aspects of ‘search’. We then describe an on-going multi-national action research program established to investigate DI through the development of learning networks of firms in several European nations and Australia. The research progress to date is outlined and initial results of analysis on both quantitative and qualitative data collected thus far is used to explore how companies go about searching for clues or ideas about potential discontinuous innovations, which may either create competitive advantage for, or threaten the survival of the business. Key outcomes of the research to date include the identification of the most common search strategies within the participating companies and some descriptive analysis on just how these strategies are implemented in targeted firms. Finally we describe the proposed future research program and the two papers to follow completing the planned three part series on Discontinuous Innovation.

Challenges of international design chain integration and cultural diversity : organisational reflexive capability

Increasingly project teams on international mega projects are composed of multiple partners from different countries forming joint ventures to achieve a higher level of strategic flexibility. Establishing and maintaining local business networks are critical to ensure the success of exporting firms. Firms who achieve competitive advantage in international markets and long term economic sustainability constantly adapt their business practices to achieve client satisfaction by a combination of self, market and project needs assessment. Successful firms ultimately achieve this in local markets but in international market this is intensified with the complexity of barriers grounded in cross-cultural contexts. The need for flexibility, adaptability and continual reassessment is enhanced as the market evolves in various localities. Reflexivity theory was used to develop a conceptual model to explain the way in which firms develop awareness, responsiveness and adaptability for long term success in diverse international markets. This paper summarizes the initial Australian study which developed the model grounded in empirical observations of design construction firms working on projects in developing countries and a second study of Malaysian firms which validated the model. The aim of this study was to develop a performance measurement framework for capabilities assessment of international collaborative partnerships. The study explored the joint venture partnerships between Australian and Malaysian property and construction professionals. Four Malaysian organizations were examined as case studies and two key activities of design management and knowledge management were analyzed in relation to social, cultural and intellectual capital transformation within the Reflexivity Capability Maturity Assessment Framework.

Design management methodology to strengthen firm and industry competitiveness in the construction design services export sector

The aim of this research was to investigate strategies deployed by successful construction design-related firms towards achieving high levels of firm competitiveness in international markets. A reflexive capability model, developed through a critical analysis of related internationalisation literature, is composed of three key areas; internationalisation process, market knowledge and design management. Firm reflexive capability is explored through the management of social, cultural and intellectual capital. The concept of reflexivity is borrowed from sociology. Reflexivity is reinterpreted as the ‘firm’s’ ability to be aware, responsive and adaptable to self, market and project needs assessment. A cross case analysis explored the barriers and success factors through three constructs; internationalisation process, design management and market knowledge of three firms. This paper demonstrates that international firm competitiveness is dependent upon the strategic inter-relational management of social, cultural and intellectual capital for maximum advantage of the utilisation and leverage of one form of capital to gain another. This leads to the development of increasing reflexive capability to support internationalisation. An outcome of this research is the identification of the central relation between a level of reflexive capability within the firm and the firm’s level of success in international markets. This research is part of an ongoing program of research on international collaborative practice. A Reflexive Capability Matrix was developed from the findings of one research project and then validated through a second research project (only the capability matrix is presented in this paper though). The reflexive capability approach is appropriate to all firms but what is speculated upon is that the reflexive capability is particularly intrinsic to small to medium sized construction design firms who work globally. A reflexive capability is a characteristic of successful and innovative firms internationalising and working within global models of practice.

The development of a theoretical model for firm design management to support internationalisation processes

The aim of this research was to investigate strategies deployed by successful construction design related firms towards achieving high levels of firm competitiveness in international markets. A reflexive capability model, developed through a critical analysis of related internationalisation literature, is composed of three key areas; internationalisation process, market knowledge and design management. Firm reflexive capability is explored through the management of social, cultural and intellectual capital. The concept of reflexivity is borrowed from sociology the philosophers, Bourdieu and Giddens. Reflexivity is reinterpreted as the ‘firm’s’ ability to be aware, responsive and adaptable to self, market and project needs assessment. This research is part of an ongoing program of research on international collaborative practice. A Reflexive Capability Matrix is proposed. The reflexive capability approach is appropriate to all firms but what is speculated upon is that the reflexive capability is particularly applicable to small to medium sized construction design firms who work globally. A reflexive capability is a characteristic of successful and innovative firms internationalising and working within global models of practice. This paper is the theoretical development to support the paper in this congress “Design Management Methodology to Strengthen Firm and Industry Competitiveness in the Construction Design Services Export sector” where the methodology and results of a cross case analysis of three construction design firms are presented.

Reflexive capability maturity assessment for firm management of multipartner international projects

This paper reports the findings of a research project which was aimed at developing and promoting a greater understanding of the uniqueness of successful Australian-Malaysian partnerships and joint ventures undertaken on complex multi-partner mega construction projects. The aim of the investigation was to identify the critical success factors specific to such partnerships. The theoretical framework was grounded in a previous empirical study on design firm internationalisation which demonstrated that long-term success in international markets is enhanced by the management of integration of transformation of social, cultural and intellectual capital within the firm. A generic adaptive performance framework mapping the key performance indicators for each of these dimensions was developed which can be modified to unique contexts related to specific geographical localities. In the Australian Malaysian Institute study the framework is tested within the context of firm and shared partnership capital. The broad interpretive framework of adaptive performance was refined as a result of the findings of the four case studies of Malaysian organisations to develop a partnerships capacity performance measurement framework for Malaysian firms working on international projects. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with ten participants across the four Malaysian firms and a thematic analysis was undertaken of the transcripts. A reflexive capability maturity assessment tool was developed from insights gained into the underlying causes of key barriers coupled with common themes emerging in relation to the successful approaches used by case study firms to overcome those barriers. Specific examples of the case study firms' demonstration of reflexive capability in the areas of market knowledge, design management and market entry are presented.

Avaliando a gestão dos correios na Bahia através de indicadores de desempenho

A atividade postal se constitui numa das formas mais antigas de prestação de serviços da história da humanidade e tem início com a necessidade de comunicação das pessoas. O setor postal se organiza de acordo com a legislação dos Países, normalmente, em prestação de serviços públicos, a exemplo do que ocorre no Brasil. A realidade mercadológica do mundo tem mudado o relacionamento das organizações com os seus clientes, principalmente em função da globalização. O setor postal Brasileiro experimenta estas mudanças e passa a dedicar mais atenção aos clientes, através das atividades que desenvolve. Uma das maneiras de conferir se a atividade produz o resultado que se espera é a medição. E, analisando o caso dos Correios da Bahia, encontrou-se a oportunidade de implementar um modelo de avaliação de desempenho e gestão que poderá reorientar as atividades da organização, considerando outras variáveis além das operacionais, como financeiras, do ambiente interno, dos clientes e da responsabilidade social da organização. O caso foi estudado a partir de três modelos de avaliação de desempenho e gestão, com a opção por um deles. A escolha do modelo está vinculada aos objetivos do estudo, que são voltados à análise crítica dos indicadores de desempenho e a conseqüente proposição de um modelo capaz de corrigir desvios e adequar o processo de gestão. Dentre os modelos analisados, encontram-se o Quantum (HRONEC), o Capital Intelectual (STEWART) e o Balanced Scorecard (KAPLAN & NORTON), sendo que este último foi o proposto para o acompanhamento da gestão. Em razão das características e particularidades dos Correios da Bahia, foi sugerida uma alteração na arquitetura original do Balanced Scorecard, sendo incluída a perspectiva da responsabilidade social e do aspecto legal no campo das medições. O modelo é composto por cinco perspectivas com seus respectivos objetivos estratégicos, vinculados aos fatores críticos de sucesso e foi adaptado da obra Organização voltada para a estratégia dos autores KAPLAN & NORTON (2001). Com a adoção do modelo proposto é possível que as distorções verificadas na pesquisa sejam corrigidas e a gestão dos Correios da Bahia seja conduzida para o futuro de forma equilibrada.

Teletrabalho na administração pública federal: uma análise do potencial de implantação na diretoria de marcas do INPI

This dissertation analyses the implementation of the telework project of the Marks Directorate at the Industrial Property National Institute, an agency of the Brazilian federal administration. The analysis focuses on the public servants and their expectations, since the work developed at the Marks Directorate is mainly based on the intellectual capital of its staff. This research first addresses the subject by describing the current technical and sociological context. In which information society and globalization's impact on labour's evolution, and information and communication technology's impact on e-government development are both considered as having important roles. A review of the state of the art on telework research is presented as the basis of the analyses, including a definition of telework and its most relevant aspects. National and international cases of telework, both in the public and private sector, are used as examples in the analyses. The matter of performance control and evaluation is also briefly addressed. In order to assess the viability of the implementation of telework, a review of the activities developed at the Marks Directorate is performed. Emphasis is given to the modernization of examining procedures, without disregarding administrative facts, such as the new career plan and its performance evaluation procedures, that might affect the telework project. The case study is conducted by means of a survey with open and closed questions served in a questionnaire. The analyses of the results leads to the conclusion that telework can be successfully implemented in the Marks Directorate, being also an opportunity to study the adaptation of a working practice originating at the private sector and applied in public administration, taking into account their differences.

Avaliação de empresas por fluxo de caixa descontado: o impacto dos ativos intangíveis no valor da empresa

Ao mesmo tempo que os ativos intangíveis têm sido amplamente discutidos e apresentados como condutores de sucesso, ainda são poucas as reflexões sobre a influência destes ativos no valor das empresas. Este trabalho surge portanto com o objetivo de identificar uma maneira de se contemplar os ativos intangíveis no valor de uma empresa, quando a mesma é avaliada pelo método de Fluxo de Caixa Descontado. A partir desta metodologia foram analisadas como os intangíveis marca, reputação, redes e alianças estratégicas, tecnologias e processos, capital humano, capital intelectual, inovação, adaptabilidade, cultura organizacional, liderança, responsabilidade socioambiental, e comunicação e transparência podem impactar o valor da empresa, e como eles relacionam-se entre si.

O conhecimento científico do poder como pré-requisito para o exercício da função gerencial nas organizações privadas

Nowadays, management of Intellectual Capital seems to be one of the most efficacious alternatives so that companies may permanently develop competitive differentials to enable their survival in a market that confers paradigma status to globalization. Managers are searching for solutions aiming to attract and maintain in their boards professionals that might be able to develop these competitive differentials and assure to their companies the expected results and the business growth. In this environment, the manager¿s functions appears as a strategic function towards the organization¿s routine and yet suggests an evaluation about the professionals performance concerning challenges (efforts) that market requires. The amount of scientific knowledge which these professionals detain about power should be measured as well as the thought that this can improve their performance regarding their capacity to convince (induce) people. This research concerns those that look for empirical evidences and scientific arguments to confirm the supposition that power knowledge may in fact provide a superior performance of those professionals that are in charge of management functions. The reason and results here presented allow to: reevaluate managers duties in private organizations, improve executive training programs so as to be more productive and appropriated, change the selection methods used to recognize such executives and finally suggest a reevaluation about the real adequation of graduation and master degree courses in regards to professionals graduation which are capable to ingress in business market and take over leadership positions.