Search

The section of "Laundering and Dry-Cleaning" focuses on the innovations made in disposable items. It is stated that the traditional tissues, throw-away paper napkins and handkerchiefs are being replaced by other disposable items, including panties and bed linen. Some of these products are capable of being washed a few times. The Clothing Group of the Textile Institute discussed the manufacture of disposables at a seminar. It is also stated that although disposables remain a threat to laundries, a mutually satisfactory arrangement can be worked out between them.

The design and operation of linkage mechanisms constitute a major task for administrators of systems in complex and rapidly changing environments. The paper describes four different assessments of the needs for change and the linkage mechanisms these assessments lead to, their costs, and their effects on the system as a whole. For systems in a turbulent environment, subsystems and also linkage mechanisms need to be clearly differentiated, and supported by integration into the system as a whole. Where system support is inadequate, linkage problems tend to provoke a multiplication of innovative subsystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the impact of management level and technological groupings on management autonomy structure. A task unit aggregation index of technology was the better predictor, except when the items were most task specific. Level of management did not predict. Technology is conditioned by plant norms, management level, and task specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Office of the President is still a relatively untested managerial concept. This experimental division of the chief executive's responsibility and, theoretically, of his authority among several "peer presidents" has come about because of a real need--American corporate growth makes it continually more difficult for a single chief executive to know all. This article views both pro and con of this new management control technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at a revolution in the introduction of new organizational forms to complement or replace the traditional pyramidal form. Many self-defeating consequences of the older structures are re-appearing in the new organizational forms do to the methods used in introducing and maintaining them. The two major causes for this revolution are the new administrative and information technology available to deal with complexity and the new requirements for organizational survival in an increasingly competitive environment. The author notes that modern organizations require a great deal of creative planning, the development of useful knowledge about new products and processes, and increased understanding of criteria for effectiveness to meet the challenges of complexity.

The large, production-oriented organization (bureaucracy) has difficulty innovating. Yet, in rapidly changing technology industries, new product innovation is a condition of success. How are firms meeting this problem? A recent development is the venture team--a temporary project approach, protected from the rest of the company administratively, financially, spatially, and sometimes, legally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mathematical model is developed for examining the conditions under which individuals innovate or try new things. The model has four main variables: current success level, target success level, costs of trying new things, and rewards for successful performance. These variables are related to each other to yield an innovation boundary. It is predicted that on one side of the boundary individuals will choose to try new things, while on the other side they will not innovate. The model is tested in a laboratory experiment using MBA student subjects and it is found that an innovation boundary does exist and that individuals behave as predicted by their position relative to the boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an analysis of case studies in product development. Some typical innovation patterns are identified, and explanations of the differences are offered. The influence of characteristics of organizational subsystems-the task system, the cognitive system, and the political system-on phases and types of innovations is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was made of how the economic orientation of an organization can influence its innovativeness. The effects of two factors, organizational slack and economic orientation, were studied in an empirical setting. Measures of these two variables were made in a group of hospitals and correlated with the frequency and promptness with which new drugs were tried in the hospitals. Trial of new drugs tended to vary directly with organizational slack and inversely with economic orientation. This is a special case, however, since the primary goal of hospitals is not economic, and the costs of trying of new drugs are minimal. It is suggested that the factors studied may be more important in more typical situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent innovations in the management of institutions of higher education represent a sharp departure from the traditionally conservative style of university administration. In a sample of state universities, the trend toward scientific management is illustrated by the emergence of offices of institutional research, the increasing reliance on quantitative data in policy analysis, and the use of computers in administration. Supporters of the new techniques contend that they will enhance the rationality of university decisions, while opponents charge that scientific management is irrelevant to most academic problems. New styles of management have had their most pronounced influence in institutions with recently acquired university status. In more established universities, scientific administration is attenuated by the simultaneous growth of faculty power and independence. But the new techniques have created an aura of managerial efficiency which aids all university administrators in their dealings with state legislatures and the public at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the established "fringe" increasing and "more" being as much human inclination as labor philosophy, a voluntary limit to benefit demands cannot be expected soon. Creative innovation can be desirable, but as costs continue to spiral as more benefits are secured, management must give the marginal ones a searching second look. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the accounting system as an operation model of firms. The author notes that computer usage in the business world is now a significant component of all business operations allowing companies to examine multiple course of action and aid in planning. The author notes that computers have helped companies reduce costs and have dramatically influenced the accounting operations of businesses. The author examines how computer programs and models have allowed mangers to obtain precise views of changing variables that mimic actual changes in their business environment.

The article presents step-by-step directions on how to create a business plan that gives companies a strategic edge in their businesses. The author feels there are four steps in creating a "master strategy." Some of the key elements considered include: the supply strength of company, both tangible and intangible company resources, matching company strengths with key success factors, customer service, making the most of existing resources, expansion to obtain a resource, and expansion to enhance market position.

The article discusses the need for proper corporate planning objectives. The chief flaw with business plans is a misunderstanding of the planning process, particularly with vague statements of objective. This causes problems with consistency, logic, and data. In setting practical objectives executives must decide whether to be conservative or expansive. Innovation and creative ability play important roles in the planning process. Another prerequisite for effective planning is the incorporation of the relationship between long-range objectives and enterprise purpose.

Breakthroughs in technology and the often overpowering complexity of the corporate structure have spawned a new, versatile breed of managers. Known as planners, their business is change and their eyes must always be focused on the big picture. Here is a profile of the job and the men who must be part seers, part detective-cost accountants, part sociologists to fill it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the innovation process within organizations. Research indicates that managers and researcher alike have tended to concentrate on the wrong problems in the administration of technological change. Several common mistakes made by management in the process of implementing innovation, coping with unforeseen technical barriers and changing parameters are described. Some improvements for facilitating the innovation process are outlined and discussed, including greater use of competition within the organization and conceptualizing the planning process as a continuous one extending throughout the innovation program.

The article focuses on the importance of innovation in business and marketing. The author reports that marketing is such a broad concept that it cannot be contained in one department of a business and that it encompasses the entirety of the company. Three categories of marketing innovation are presented: creative innovation, adaptive innovation, and administrative innovation. The author presents examples of each kind of innovation and reports on the use of linear programming to aid in business planning.

A bibliography on the subject of personnel psychology is presented which includes the books "The Management of Innovation," by Tom Burns and G. M. Stalker, "Incentives for Executives," by David W. Ewing and Dan H. Fenn, and "Managerial and Professional Staff Grading," by Joan Doulton and David Hay.