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Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the potential impacts that differences between UK and US copyright laws for sound recordings have on musicians. It also highlights the needs for continued standardisation of international copyright laws (particularly those for sound recordings), copyright law education for creators, and a need for musicians to re-think future artistic and managerial decisions. Design/methodology/approach - In this critical analysis of current academic literature and legislation, significant differences between the domestic copyright laws of the UK and USA have been identified. The impacts of these differences on musicians are discussed and conclusions drawn. Findings - Findings suggest that there are several significant differences between the UK and US copyright laws for sound recordings, which do impact on musicians in both countries. However, determining the degree of impact is dependent on several contributing factors: the nationality of the musician; the level of success of the musician; the creative roles adopted by the musician; and the ambition of the musician. Research limitations/implications - Research scope was limited to the domestic copyright laws of the UK and USA only; and, specifically, the copyright laws for sound recordings. Findings were generalised for all musicians, regardless of type or genre. Originality/value - This paper is one of the first to investigate the impact of differences in domestic copyright laws on musicians, and identifies several strategy issues that must be considered by musicians when making future artistic and managerial decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Threats of extreme events, such as terrorist attacks or infrastructure breakdown, are potentially highly disruptive events for all types of organizations. This paper seeks to take a political perspective to power in strategic decision making and how this influences planning for extreme events. Design/methodology/approach - A sample of 160 informants drawn from 135 organizations, which are part of the critical national infrastructure in the UK, forms the empirical basis of the paper. Most of these organizations had publicly placed business continuity and preparedness as a strategic priority. The paper adopts a qualitative approach, coding data from focus groups. Findings - In nearly all cases there is a pre-existing dominant coalition which keeps business continuity decisions off the strategic agenda. The only exceptions to this are a handful of organizations which provide continuous production, such as some utilities, where disruption to business as usual can be readily quantified. The data reveal structural and decisional elements of the exercise of power. Structurally, the dominant coalition centralizes control by ensuring that only a few functional interests participate in decision making. Research limitations/implications - Decisional elements of power emphasize the dominance of calculative rationality where decisions are primarily made on information and arguments which can be quantified. Finally, the paper notes the recursive aspect of power relations whereby agency and structure are mutually constitutive over time. Organizational structures of control are maintained, despite the involvement of managers charged with organizational preparedness and resilience, who remain outside the dominant coalition. Originality/value - The paper constitutes a first attempt to show how planning for emergencies fits within the strategy-making process and how politically controlled this process is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The process of public sector reform in the United Kingdom continues to provoke debate. Even among advocates of the reform process there is a concern that improvements in public service provision have not been as marked as originally intended, and that the process has produced a variety of unintended consequences. The purpose of this paper is to explore possible explanations for these unintended consequences, and discuss possible practical solutions for policy makers and service commissioners. Design/methodology/approach - In this conceptual paper focus is in particular Upon attempting to explain managerial behaviour from insights offered by two well-established managerial theories - stakeholder theory and resource dependency theory. Insights from these theories are used to explain the possible causes of the unintended consequences of the reform process. The discussion is illustrated and set in context by reference to a continuum of service delivery modes from monopoly provision through to full competition. Findings - Theory suggests that managers inevitably prioritise the interests of what they identify as their key stakeholders, and particularly those providing critical resources. In the case of public services this means that the interests of government, as the commissioner and funder of services, are prioritised rather than the end-users of services. Examples of how this distorts the objectives of government are highlighted. It is argued that understanding this aspect of managerial decision-making and stakeholder prioritising opens up the potential to resolve the problem. Originality/value - This is the first paper to address the question of managerial behaviour from these theoretical perspectives in the area of the public sector reform process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative approach to the decision- and policymaking that has been practiced in most developed countries for more than a quarter of a century. Such policies followed, to a greater or lesser degree, the policies adopted in the UK and the USA since the period of the Thatcher and Reagan administrations, respectively. These policies proclaimed the supremacy of the market and downplayed government intervention in the marketplace. Design/methodology/approach - This paper draws upon earlier research by the authors as well as upon published works of other researchers. Findings - Self-interest governed the way policies are formed and through a process of extreme capitalism financial leaders took ever-increasing risks for which executives received lucrative incentive salaries. The recent crash suggests a failure in such policies and this paper proposes an alternative way of operating - the way of altruism. Selfishness and egoism are argued as endemic in economic rationalism and extreme capitalism, replacing selflessness that engenders policies more aligned to altruism. Research limitations/implications - The research is limited by the ability to examine all the research literature in the field at greater depth. However, the examination that has been possibly indicated that self-interest and greed, endemic in extreme capitalism and economic rationalism, have made significant contributions to the recent subprime and global financial crises. Practical implications - This paper provides government and corporate policymakers with an understanding of an alternative value - selflessness as aligned to altruism - than the values of selfishness and greed that are endemic in economic rationalism and extreme capitalism guiding policies that led to the global financial crisis. Originality/value - The paper fulfils an identified need and supports policymakers seeking to achieve just outcomes for all stakeholders across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This paper aims to contribute to the tactical and operational decision making of manufacturing and logistics operations by providing novel insights into modelling and simulation, based on complex adaptive systems (CAS). Design/methodology/approach -- The research approach is theoretically based on CAS with agent-based modelling (ABM) as the implementation method. A case study is presented where an agent-based model has contributed to increased understanding and precision in decision making at a packaging company in the UK. Findings -- The results suggest that ABM provides decision-makers with robust and accurate "what-if scenarios of the dynamic interplay among several business functions. These scenarios can guide managers in the process of moving from policy space to performance space, i.e. concerning priorities of improvement efforts and choices of production/manufacturing policies, warehouse policies, customer service policies and logistics policies. Furthermore, it is found that ABM can include and pay attention to several aspects of CAS and thus provide understanding of, and explanation for, the patterns and effects which emerge in manufacturing and logistics settings. Practical implications -- Aided by agent-based models and simulations, practitioners' levels of intuition can be enhanced since patterns on the macro level emerge from agents' interactive behaviour. Together with insights from CAS these emergent patterns can be explained and understood, and are thus beneficial for the improvement of decision making in companies. Originality/value -- The case presented distinguishes this paper from what has been written in previous articles on the application of ABM, since such articles have not produced any empirically verified results after implementation of ABM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to explain voter perceptions and voting behaviour in the 2010 UK General Election on the basis of this theory, by evaluating the differential impact of government performance on key political issues defined as hierarchical voter satisfaction factor types. The validity of the three-factor theory of satisfaction in explaining consumer decision-making for products and services is well-established. Design/methodology/approach – British Election Survey (2010) data are used to test the relative influence of hierarchical voter satisfaction factor types in predicting the perceived overall performance of the former Labour government and actual voting behaviour. Sequential and multinomial logistic regression models are used in the perceived overall performance of the former Labour government and actual voting behaviour, respectively. Findings – “Basic” factors explain more of the variance in perceived overall government performance and voting behaviour than “performance” factors. There are significant positive main and interaction effects on Conservative and Liberal Democrat party votes from Labour’s underperformance on the “basic” factors. The results have important implications for political marketing and voting behaviour research. Originality/value – The study establishes the relevance of the three-factor theory of satisfaction within a political marketing context. It demonstrates that, controlling for party loyalty, perceived government performance on the hierarchical voter satisfaction factors explains voter perceptions and voting behaviour to a significant degree. In particular, it highlights the criticality for voting behaviour of both the direct and indirect impacts of “basic” factor underperformance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper examines the nature and function of cost accounting at the Newcastle Infirmary, a large voluntary provincial hospital, established in 1751. In particular, the paper adds to the literature on accounting within early voluntary hospitals by identifying the relative contributions of the costing system to planning and controlling the operations, assisting decision making and holding managers accountable for their performance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper relies primarily on original documents preserved in the archives of the Newcastle Infirmary. Findings – Although evidence was found of quite sophisticated costing systems, the findings suggest that the majority of the information was produced ex post by the hospital management to demonstrate good stewardship and to engender financial support. Research limitations/implications – More cases are needed of other hospitals to ascertain how typical the Newcastle Infirmary was of the voluntary hospital sector in the nineteenth century. Originality/value – Although there are other studies of accounting within British voluntary hospitals, and studies of the use of accounting to drive decision making in profit-making organisations during the nineteenth century, none have investigated the use of accounting as a decision-making tool in a voluntary hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- A place in the boardroom is often considered a necessary if not sufficient condition for HR directors to exercise strategic influence on business decision-making. The purpose of the paper is to explore the perceived importance of HR boardroom representation, both in a formal and symbolic sense, and to what extent HR directors can exercise strategic influence without it? Design/methodology/approach -- Evidence is explored from a survey of 1,188 UK HR practitioners, including 255 board members, and a series of follow-up interviews with 16 HR directors. Findings -- Analysis of the survey findings suggests that boardroom versus non-boardroom representation of HR appears to matter in four key areas: board members believe they have greater involvement and influence in business planning processes; they have more positive perceptions of the overall performance of HR; they give higher ratings of CEO perceptions of the HR function; and they believe they achieve greater integration of HR strategy with business strategy. Research limitations/implications - While there are increasingly other formal mechanisms and forums (e.g. executive committees, personal networks) outside the boardroom for HR directors to exercise their influence, it appears that the "symbolic capital" of boardroom recognition and esteem still retains enormous significance and rhetorical appeal for the HR profession. Originality/value -- The paper seeks to reframe the debates on the relative importance of HR boardroom versus executive committee representation as forums of strategic influence, by focusing on the continued symbolic significance of boardroom representation. It is concluded that a reworking of Bourdieu's concept of "symbolic capital" (i.e. professional esteem, recognition, status, or respect) as board capital may be useful in reframing future research on HR boardroom representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The first purpose of this paper is to review the practical and theoretical distinctions between training and development in the organisational psychology and human resource development (HRD) literatures. Then the paper seeks to investigate how managers responsible for the training and development function conceptualise these activities in practice, the factors that guide their decision making, how they evaluate the outcomes and the extent to which they perceive a relationship between training and development. Design/methodology/approach - Taking a critical realist perspective, 26 interviews were conducted with UK managers and analysed through thematic coding using template analysis. Findings - Managers' conceptualisations of training and development vary. Formal training is prioritised due to a perceived more tangible demonstrable return on investment. Perceived success in training focuses on improvements to job-related skills, whereas success outcomes for development are more varied and difficult to measure. Managers consider that training and development are more valuable when combined. Research limitations/implications - There is a need for further process-driven research to understand the interrelationship between training and development and to develop methods that can be used by organisations to evaluate both. This necessitates going beyond methods currently in use and including both qualitative and quantitative measures. Practical implications - Managers may take a more proactive and directive role in facilitating development than the literature suggests; consequently, their role needs to be considered more actively in HRD learning strategies. Originality/value - This is one of the first qualitative studies to explore the conceptualisations of managers responsible for training and development, highlighting the inter-relationship between training and development and the factors guiding decisions regarding these activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The internet is initially hailed as the future of recruitment and is expected to replace other media as the preferred recruitment method, but the adoption of online recruitment has not been as comprehensively predicted. In addition, empirical research regarding online recruitment from an organisational perspective is sparse. This paper aims to examine the reasons behind an organisation's decision to use online recruitment, and reports on the development of a model of the factors affecting the adoption of this recruitment method. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses in-depth interviews and a survey of human resource (HR) managers with recruitment responsibility. The factors that affect the adoption of online recruitment are explored, and related to Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory (DIT) and Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Findings - Factors related to the adoption of corporate web sites and commercial jobs boards are found to be different, with positive beliefs/relative advantage, subjective norms and negative beliefs emerging in the case of corporate web sites and positive beliefs/relative advantage and compatibility for jobs boards. These results provide some fit with both Ajzen's and Rogers' factors. Originality/value - This paper addresses an important area that is under-researched academically and provides a basis for further research into how organisations may adopt online recruitment successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The article seeks to explain the rapid increase in the use of agency ‘temps’ by employers during the 1990s. It tests the thesis of profound change in employers' labour use decisions. Design/methodology/approach – The data was from in-depth interviews with human resource/line managers in 12 work organisations in the UK responsible for decisions on use of temporary agency labour. Organisations were chosen to include a variety of industrial sectors, sizes and locations. Findings – Although there were common trends in organisations, including declining numbers of permanent jobs and waves of restructuring, organisations varied in their approach: it was not always profound change. The paper finds four distinct types of agency labour use and developed a 2 × 2 typology, depending on whether employers were acting strategically or reactively, and whether they were using temps for supplementation, or more far-reaching substitution, for permanent workers. Research limitations/implications – Research is based on UK data and is a ‘snapshot’ of the situation. However, the typology can be used to analyse temporary agency labour usage in other settings and time periods. Practical implications – The findings could be used by human resource managers to assist them in making decisions on use of agency workers. Originality/value – The paper makes associations between external and internal contexts within which organisations operate and how these affect decisions on temporary agency labour usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores accounting change in the product development department of a small UK chemicals manufacturer. An institutional framework of accounting and a framework of power mobilisation help tease out the dynamics of the processes of change. The case highlights power over resources, decision making and meanings as being key facilitators to the implementation of accounting change. It also demonstrates barriers to change and conflict which emerge as new accounting routines fail to impinge on existing laboratory ways of thinking Focusing on the processes of accounting change within a specific organisational setting illuminates aspects of the change process which more conventional "static" approaches would likely ignore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Focusing on the internationalization decisions of firms, this paper aims to investigate how managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) interpret and respond to exogenous shocks in their international sales markets. The authors specifically explore the effects of cognitive factors on French SME managers' strategic decisions in response to the UK's decision to leave the EU. Design/methodology/approach: The research applies insights gleaned from the field of behavioral strategy, brought to life with illustrative examples of SME managers' perceptions of Brexit derived from secondary and primary data sources. Findings: The authors find that a combination of decision-makers' previous experience and emotions can help account for their interpretations and strategic responses to Brexit. Practical implications: The research highlights the need for managers to be more aware of how their personal characteristics can influence their mindsets and shape how they choose to respond to uncertain and ambiguous developments in foreign markets. Originality/value: The research exposes important, behavioral dimensions of decision-making, which remain under-explored in the existing international business literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One reason for the poor performance ofUK industry in the management oftechnology is the rift between corporatedecision-making and technology as adiscipline, creating a barrier to theinfluence of technologists on policymaking. This paper presents evidencefrom recent secondary sources, whichindicates the weak position oftechnologists by comparison with otherspecialists in organisational hierarchies.Reasons for this relative lack oforganisational power can be found bothin the aspirations and attitudes oftechnologists and in culturally-inducedorganisational structures, which act toseverely limit the participation oftechnologists in decision-making at thehighest levels. Some cross-nationalcomparisons are referred to. Suggestionsare made for ways in which a more evenbalance between disciplines within UKcompanies might be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to present a cross-national study that investigates changes in purchase intentions of UK versus Chinese consumers following exposure to successive e-WOM comments in the form of positive and negative user reviews for experience versus search products. Design/methodology/approach – A 2(e-WOM valence and order: negative versus positive most recent)x2(product type: experience versus search)x3(purchase intentions at t1, t2, t3) repeated-measures factorial design is used to test a set of hypotheses developed from the literature. Findings – Chinese consumers are susceptible to recent e-WOM comments regardless of their valence, while UK consumers anchor on negative information regardless of the order in which it is acquired. This holds particularly for experience products. Originality/value – This cross-national study contributes to the scarce literature on the impact of e-WOM on consumer purchase decisions by comparing UK and Chinese consumers. The authors suggest that culture moderates the development of product evaluations following exposure to e-WOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences in decision-making processes between UK and non-UK managers in the defence manufacturing industry. Design/methodology/approach - A pilot study was conducted with a small number of firms in Yorkshire, UK. A large-scale survey was conducted of 250 firms in the UK. The response rate was 60 per cent. Findings - Decision making is kept team-orientated in larger firms with decision making autonomy in place for each team. The research demonstrates that leading firms drive best practice and best practice research disseminates globally through industry-academic collaboration. Practical implications - Alliances with leading firms will lead to the evolution of team-based, programme structured decision making in UK-non-UK strategic alliances. Originality/value - Global managers learn from the experiences of team-based programme structured decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the extent to which economic factors influence the career decision-making process of working class students. Design/methodology/approach - The study involved an initial survey of 165 final-year students from a range of degree programmes. It was followed by in-depth interviews with 30 working class students. Findings It is shown that many working class students are not actively involved in career enhancing activities that develop their employability. The majority of students are also failing to engage seriously in the career decision-making process. Furthermore, most students indicate that they wish to remain within commuting distance of their home when looking for jobs. Existing research identifies limited economic capital as an important factor influencing such behaviour. However, this study suggests that the students' values and their non-financial circumstances appear to have more effect on their career decision making. Practical implications - If economic factors were the most important influence on the career decision-making behaviour of working class students there would be a limited role for careers education. However, because the students' values appear to be a more important influence there is scope for intervention. This paper suggests that activity based approaches using multiple case studies, analogical encoding and group work seem to provide the best way of encouraging students to critically evaluate the way they currently engage in career decision making. Originality/value This paper provides evidence to support interventions to improve the career decision-making behaviour of working class students (and the wider student population). It also advocates a novel approach to such interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of a case study undertaken in a UK utility company referred to as Energy Co. The main aim of the study was to assess how the agreement of a partnership arrangement in 1995 had affected the conduct of employment relations. The study found that partnership was born out of a poor industrial relations climate, and driven primarily by management. They hoped that it might improve industrial relations, raise employee commitment, inform and educate the workforce, and increase employee contribution. Partnership was not intended to encourage joint governance or power sharing. In practice, partnership combined direct employment involvement (EI) such as team briefing and problem solving groups, with representative participation through a formal partnership council system. Management suggested that, on balance, partnership had been successful with benefits including improved industrial relations, quicker pay negotiations and increased legitimacy of decision making It was also suggested that there was a positive link--albeit indirected and intangible--with organisational performance. Union representatives also proposed that partnership was a success, citing benefits including greater access to information, greater influence, inter-union co-operation, and more local decision making. Employee views were more mixed. There was also clear evidence of several tensions. Four were particularly noteworthy employee apathy, management-representative relations, employee-representative relations, and the role of full-time union officials (FTOs). Despite espoused partnership, management hostility to unions was evident, and a preference for non-union employment relations clear. Consequently, the future of the partnership in its current form is uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key issue in today's dynamic and competitive global scenario k how to develop, utilize and sustain continuously the knowledge potential in an enterprise. This issue is about knowledge management. In this paper, an attempt is made to discuss the various issues of a learning organization and present an organizational learning model, which has helped to evaluate manufacturing strategies and select advanced manufacturing technology, based on strategic, tactical and monetary factors. The efficacy of the model is illustrated through an application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of production and operations management. They include "Responsibilities and Activities in Indian Production Management," "How Advanced is Modern Chinese Manufacturing Management?," "The Influence of Technologists on Corporate Decision-Making in the United Kingdom," "A Decision Support System for Facility Acquisition," "Technical Paper: A Theoretical Model for Product Elimination Decisions," and "Distribution Logistics — An Appraisal of Alternative Methods."

Purpose: While marketing analytics can be used to improve organizational decision-making and performance significantly, little research exists to examine how the configurations of multiple conditions affect marketing analytics use. This study draws on configuration theory to investigate marketing analytics use in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach: This research employs a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis using data collected from a survey of 187 managers in UK SMEs. Findings: The key findings show that (1) configurations of multiple conditions provide alternative pathways to marketing analytics use, and (2) the configurations for small firms are different from those for medium-sized firms. Research limitations/implications: The research results are based on several key configurational factors and a single key-informant method to collect subjective data from UK SME managers. Practical implications: The study helps SMEs to understand that marketing analytics use is influenced by the interaction of multiple conditions, that there are alternative pathways to marketing analytics use, and that SMEs should choose the configuration that fits best with their organizational contexts. Originality/value: The study contributes to the literature by addressing an important yet underresearched area, i.e. marketing analytics use in SMEs, applying a configurational approach to the research phenomenon. It highlights different pathways to marketing analytics use in SMEs. The findings provide empirical evidence on the possibility and implication of marketing analytics use being asymmetrical and different between small and medium-sized firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Research neglects the role that specific locations play in the decision process to accept international work. This paper aims to explore the career drivers of individuals working as expatriates in London (UK) and to focus on the relationships with specific location attributes. Design/methodology/approach -- A total of 11 qualitative in-depth interviews and 348 quantitative questionnaire responses are used to explore the importance of intelligent career considerations for working as an expatriate in London. Findings -- A range of location-specific factors and intelligent career considerations is identified and quantitatively assessed. The study depicts the links of perceived career factors and location-specific drivers. Originality/value -- Applying the intelligent careers framework, the research goes beyond the normally used broad national factors to explore career capital drivers that motivate individuals to go to a specific city location. In exploring the relatively neglected areas of knowing-whom and knowing-why it sheds light on international relocation decision making. These insights inform further academic research and help to shape expatriation policies and practices of organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to test a theoretically derived representation of a relationship management capability. The relationship management capability architecture developed from the literature integrated theory on dynamic capabilities, the resource-advantage theory of competition, and prior capability research in innovation and information technology management. Design/methodology/approach — The second-order constructs of relationship infrastructure, relationship learning and relationship behaviour argues to represent a relationship management capability (RMC) was assigned measures adapted from the literature, and pilot tested with industry consultants. The final questionnaire was sent to senior executives responsible for customer relationship management in manufacturing and business service firms in the UK. The structural model representing the RMC was shown to be robust with a comparative fit index of 0.91. Findings — Although the low response rate and the subjectiveness of respondents encourage caution in interpreting the research findings, the results suggest that relationship management systems, implemented through collaborative and flexible behaviours, and renewed through adaptive and generative knowledge derived from experience and challenging current relationship management assumptions, are key dimensions of a RMC. Originality/value — This framework advances and tests a new theoretical perspective of a relationship management capability that incorporates a capacity for renewal. In addition, it provides managers with a tool to evaluate their organisation's relationship management capability at key stakeholder interfaces on attributes that define relationship infrastructure, relationship learning and relationship behaviour, as this capability is renewed over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the implication of the capabilities-based framework in the context of decision making for firms in Great Britain. Use of capabilities-based perspective in contracting choice in distribution; Consideration of firm-specificities of different functional assets or areas; Competitive advantage of successful firm.

Although formal techniques of locational analysis have been available for over 50 years, most retailers traditionally made no use of them, relying instead on intuition guided by experience and "common sense". However, the simultaneous advent in the last 15 years of low cost computing and the increasing availability of retail related data of all types has given retailers the opportunity to take a much more rational approach to decision making. This paper examines the extent to which retailers have taken advantage of the potential released by these developments, and adopted more "scientific" rules based methodologies. The analysis is based on an extensive questionnaire survey of UK retailers conducted in 1998 which encompassed organisations operating altogether more than 50,000 outlets across eight sectors. The survey sought to identify the use made both of particular types of techniques, and of Geographical Information Systems, which act as a platform for them. It was complemented by a series of in-depth interviews with location specialists in a number of major retail organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines investment decision-making in the British manufacturing industry. Studies of appraisal methodology; Influences to investment decision-making; Investment in advanced manufacturing technology.

This article attempts to refute the popular assertion that the recession in 1985 has weakened workplace trade union organization in Great Britain, to the extent that it is largely irrelevant or marginal to managerial concerns. The article will illustrate a type of factory-based organization which can not only survive in the present climate but can also successfully resist management attacks. In this paper, it will be argued that even though management and employers influence the development of shop steward organizations, these organizations can nevertheless attempts to weaken their power and influence. Particular attention will be paid to key elements of such steward organizations so as to rectify what has been identified as the relative neglect within trade union and labor circles of organizational forms for shop stewards. The case study presented will demonstrate that a workplace trade union organization with a proven record of achievement at plant and company, an active and involved membership and a stable and strong leadership and external relations, is still able to fight off management attacks. This case study will indicate how unions can continue to pose a significant threat causing corporate management to be constrained in their decision making.

Purpose: This study investigates the impact of geopolitical disruptions on the manufacturing supply chain (SC) location decision of managers in UK multinational firms. The context of study is the UK manufacturing sector and its response to the UK's decision to leave the European Union (EU), or Brexit. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts an abductive, theory elaboration approach and expands on Dunning's eclectic paradigm of international production. A Delphi study over four iterative rounds is conducted to gather and assess insights into manufacturing SC location issues related to Brexit. The panel consisted of 30 experts and managers from a range of key industries, consultancies, governmental organisations, and academia. The Delphi findings are triangulated using a focus group with 38 participants. Findings: The findings indicate that the majority of companies planned or have relocated production facilities from the UK to the EU, and distribution centres (DCs) from the EU to the UK. This was because of market-seeking advantages (being close to major centres of demand, ease of access to local and international markets) and efficiency-seeking advantages (costs related to expected delays at ports, tariff and non-tariff barriers). Ownership and internalisation advantages, also suggested by the eclectic paradigm, did not play a role in the location decision. Originality/value: The study elaborates on the OLI framework by showing that policy-related uncertainty is a primary influencing factor in the manufacturing location decision, outweighing the importance of uncertainty as an influencer of governance mode choices. The authors find that during geopolitical disruptions managers make location decisions in tight time-frames with incomplete and imperfect information, in situations of high perceived uncertainty. The study elaborates on the eclectic paradigm by explaining how managerial cognition and bounded rationality influence the manufacturing location decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the importance of pricing strategy as a tool to become competitive with other firms in a recession in the U.S. and Great Britain. The firm needs to analyze the value of the product to be able to make the appropriate pricing. It highlights the procedures of making a strategic pricing decision such as the impact of the price to the customers and competitors, and the challenges in raising prices. The strategic pricing has been viewed relevant since this affects the profitability of the firm.

Investigates the strategic benefits and problems relating to outsourcing decision in Great Britain. Coverage of issues related to outsourcing decision; Citation of contextual factors; Maintenance of decisions focus.

Contributes to the social partnership debate by exploring ways in which inter and intra-union relations influence the development of partnership within a National Health Service Trust, by using observation techniques, focus groups and semi-structured interviews involving ancillary workgroup members, shop stewards and managers (conducted in 1998). Argues, on an empirical basis, that union relationships may both facilitate and constrain management decision making and, ultimately, the implementation of policy. Views, conceptually, the parties' understanding of partnership as changing over time, within a context that is contradictory; with management, trade union representatives and employees developing competing perspectives on "social partnership", in part as a response to, and in turn recreating, a pluralistic workplace environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An organisation's ability to compete effectively in a particular market is increasingly seen as being dependent on its capacity to deliver offerings which comprise a competitive bundle of benefits, or value, to the consumer. Options for adding value to services and achieving competitive advantage may be limited due to customer reliance upon experience and credence qualities during the purchase decision. This article investigates such matters by offering a study of those factors which managers emphasise when attempting to formulate strategies to add value to service offerings and hence, achieve competitive advantage in services markets. In particular, it focuses on Great Britain retail financial services markets. Financial services are arguably highly typical of service offerings in general, with more complicated financial services in particular being highly intangible as well as problematic in terms of consumer cognition. Participants stated that the "features and quality of the core service provided" element of the "value adding mix" was significantly more important in the case of complex services. Image and reputation are potentially important in overcoming customer reliance on experience and credence qualities and organisation level brands should be nurtured, protected and developed to assist effective competition by offerings from an organisation.

Offers a flexible training package to provide executives with tools to deal both with changes in the global environment and in the nature of the corporation in Great Britain. Understanding of crisis decision making, international bargaining and negotiation skills; Guidance on corporate planning in a regional and international context relevance to the international operations of corporation.

Copyright of European Journal of Marketing is the property of Emerald Publishing Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of European Journal of Marketing is the property of Emerald Publishing Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Demand variation has some benefits for retailer. Fluctuations in demand invite two types of response from management: first, to adjust the supply of the service to the level of demand. Supermarket managers do this on a regular basis by varying staffing levels and by opening and closing checkouts to fit the daily and weekly patterns of demand and second, to try to influence the timing of demand. In some services this is achieved using reservations or price differentials. In supermarkets, promotions have occasionally been used to raise traffic in off-peak periods. A mail survey on use of supermarkets and post offices explored a number of the questions raised above. The results supported the patterns of store usage and also showed that the majority of people claimed to have regular times for shopping by day and time of day. This study divided respondents according to whether they disliked waiting at the checkout or not, there was evidence that people who disliked waiting were less likely to shop in the busy period in the morning, suggesting that some people may try to avoid congestion.

The study presented in this article addresses a gap in the product-planning literature, which is the approaches companies use to tackle product launch and elimination decisions. In the prescriptive literature the product launch decision is given as the final stage of the new product development process. Product launch and elimination decisions were investigated with respect to a range of dimensions of decision making in samples of Great Britain and the U.S. companies. The study identified several approaches to tackling these decisions, based on differences in their decision-making behavior. Review of the product planning literature revealed few empirical studies, with the majority of the literature being conceptual contributions. This study also addressed formality in the product elimination process. These conclusions relate directly to the need to study the actual decision on whether or not to eliminate products. The main conclusion was that the organizational contextual variables and external environment variables that were investigated give only a partial explanation of formality within the process.

The article focuses on product elimination theory and company practices. There is a gap between theory and practice in the area of product elimination. Existing knowledge and theory about the product elimination function is woefully inadequate to provide an understanding of company behavior in this area. This may be attributed to both the paucity of empirical contributions to the understanding of the product elimination function, and the shortcomings of the normative approaches developed to provide some evidence in this area. In fact, the normative approaches proposed in the literature being distilled from somewhat limited experience, common sense and logic, have distinct overtones of evangelical fervor and draw no boundary as to the specific product and company conditions to which they apply. The process through which elimination decisions are made and implemented in a particular company is related to the problem situation that evoked such a process, the importance of the role played by the product within the company and vis-a-vis its users, and the nature of the company, its business, its management, and its environment.

The article focuses on constructing a research database of social and environmental reporting by the companies of Great Britain. This article is organized around the different decisions, which were made in the process of developing the database. It provides a brief introduction to the issues arising with the use of content analysis with subsequent sections expanding on the elements of the research process that have arisen from this approach to content analysis. Definitions of corporate social and environmental reporting are then considered, as is the location of data reported by companies. The resolution of the measurement and data capture issues is explained and the implications of shared meanings and replication are examined. It also considers the samples of data employed in the database and addresses briefly the potential development of the database. The article also contains four appendices, which give more detailed information about the data capture process.

Aggregate planning approaches as presented in the literature are rarely used in practice The objective of this research is to survey the aggregate planning practice of manufacturing companies in the UK, with the aim of designing more realistic aggregate planning systems. The results gathered provide useful insights into current practice, including the ranking of management decision alternatives, changing functional involvement with key aggregate planning objectives, and views concerning the use of a proposed system of aggregate planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simulation study of the importance of the choice of demand forecasting method in the aggregate capacity planning of the UK electricity supply industry is reported. Using a financial performance measure rather than the conventional measures of accuracy, some of the univariate or extrapolative forecasting methods employed were found to perform surprisingly well over a six year time horizon, suggesting that such methods may merit a greater role in aggregate capacity planning than they appear to be accorded in current practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of a survey of British production managers regarding their responsibilities and activities. It is informed that the objective of this survey was to collect information to help in curriculum design. Data were collected from 45 production managers employed in manufacturing organisations. The findings of the survey suggest that production managers contribute substantially to their organisations' decisions on the use of plant and facilities, and upon the nature and control of production work. Furthermore, they have substantial responsibilities for quality assurance and control, but are less concerned with product design, payment systems, purchasing and supply. They devote rather more of their time than might be expected from their responsibilities, to production scheduling and control. In general, production managers feel the need for effective relationships with specialist industrial relations and personnel finance and accounting, and marketing and sales staffs.

This article examines the position of workplace trade unionism in Great Britain during the late 20th century. Three of the key issues in this debate: (1) the notion that unions have been rolled-back and sidelined by employers, (2) the idea that collective bargaining is separated from strategic decision-making primarily in order to neutralise the influence of trade unions, (3) the suggestion that employers are implementing techniques for employee involvement largely to undermine the activities of trade unionism.