Search results

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different types of work and to examine how they are related with open innovation, either by carrying out relationships with companies or external agents, or through the outsourcing of qualified and creative work.

After the theoretical analysis of the different types of work, the empirical study uses qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to analyze the different variables and their relations which favor open innovation.

The combination of the variables in the QCA makes it possible to obtain three paths among the characteristics of the qualified work and open innovation, with a positive empirical result. The general conclusion is that the motivation level of the qualified work is relevant for open innovation.

The study has some limitations, notably the reliability of the measurement of the variables, based on the subjective assessment of the respondent employee. The limited number of cases is always a question to be considered, although the statistical results show consistency in the results.

The most important implication for practice is the relevant connection between the internal efficiency in the management of the different types of work and open innovation.

The originality and value of this paper consist in relating the internal efficiency in the work management with the effectiveness and success of open innovation.

Material extrusion technology is considered to be an effective way to realize the accurate and integrated manufacturing of high-performance metal diamond tools with complex structures. The present work aims to report the G4 binder that can be used to create metal composite filament loading high concentrations of large diamond particles through comparative experiments.

The quality of filaments was evaluated by surface topography observation and porosity measurement. And the printability of filaments was further studied by the tensile test, rheological test, shear analysis and printing test.

The results show that the G4 binder exhibits the best capacity for loading diamonds among G1–G4. The L4 filament created with G4 has no defects such as pores, cracks and patterns on the surface and section, and has the lowest porosity, which is about 1/3 of the L1. Therefore, the diamond-containing composite filament based on G4 binder exhibits the best quality. On the other hand, the results of the tensile test of L5–L8 filaments reveal that as the diamond content increases from 10% to 30%, the tensile strength of the filament decreases by 29.52%, and the retention force coefficient decreases by 15.74%. This can be attributed to the formation of inefficient bonding areas of the clustered diamond particles inside the composite filament, which also leads to a weakening of the shear strength. Despite this, the results of the printing test show that the diamond-containing composite filament based on the G4 binder has reliable printability.

Therefore, the G4 binder is considered to solve the most critical first challenge in the development of diamond-containing filament.

To investigate the factors characterising financial services brands in the UK which are succeeding rather than thriving.

From a grounded theory perspective, depth interviews were conducted with 42 respondents within four UK financial services organisations.

Brands which had not achieved “greatness” tend to be rooted the past, place emphasis on financial performance rather than brand success indicators have inadequate leadership support for the brand, be poorly differentiated, exhibit a lack of understanding and confusion about branding issues, have service quality concerns, demonstrate HR activities which could be more fully “on brand”, and have a culture and values which are not clearly and consistently reinforcing the brand.

The study was bound by the availability of respondents' time. The focus was to examine four organisations in considerable depth. Moving forward, it is intended that a quantitative study will be undertaken to better generalise and expand upon these findings within financial services.

A number of significant managerial implications are drawn from this work, which are of value to managers, consultants and academics.

While the extant literature is rich in suggestions about what might promote brand success, less attention has been paid to the opposite scenario. This paper seeks to bridge this knowledge gap by addressing the factors which may be linked to some financial services brands' relative lack of success.

The organization of services can affect the adoption of sustainable practices within the relationship between a buyer (e.g. a shipper) and a supplier (e.g. a logistics service provider–LSP). The purpose of this paper is to analyse, within this relationship, the mechanisms affecting collaboration between shippers and LSPs towards adopting green logistics practices to reduce the negative environmental effects of logistics processes. The authors take the perspective of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which represent – although less investigated than large enterprises – a relevant field of investigation given their impact on the environmental sustainability of logistics processes.

The authors conducted a multiple case-study investigation on a set of dyads involving shippers and LSPs. The authors explored the antecedents shaping the approach to sustainability in logistics and, adopting the absorptive capacity (AC) theory, the learning and knowledge transfer processes leading to the adoption of green practices.

Collaboration between shippers and LSPs for better sustainability in logistics seems not to work when relationships are limited to simple annual (or pluriannual) contracts, and when shippers do not show ambition to improve the level of sustainability of their logistics processes (regardless of whether they show an interest in general sustainability matters). On the other hand, successful cases show higher commitment in the dyadic relationship with respect to improving logistics sustainability, good levels of communication and a more structured process of knowledge sharing, enabled by IT integration, shared performance monitoring, and creation of inter-organizational teams.

While most of the existing research focuses on the perspective of shippers or LSPs, this work is original since it explores collaborative mechanisms within a buyer-supplier relationship simultaneously taking the perspective of both parties, according to the lens of the AC. It identifies directions for improving collaboration within the shipper-LSP relationship in the context of SMEs to foster the adoption of collaborative green logistics practices to impact sustainability positively.

This paper seeks to consider the interaction between corporate brands and organisational cultures within less successful UK financial services organisations to provide guidance about better managing corporate brands.

A total of 41 in‐depth interviews were conducted within less successful UK financial services organisations from a grounded theory standpoint.

Given the link between culture and employee behaviour and the criticality of employee behaviour in services brands, organisational culture was perceived by managers and staff as being key to brand success. However, amongst the corporate brands studied, the cultures were not brand‐supportive and a misalignment was noted between culture and brand. The study found that the organisational cultures were confusing and inconsistent, were undergoing a process of change, were focused on quantitative performance targets, were averse to innovation and in one case were unnecessarily “tough”.

The results highlight the need for managers to be attentive to the consistency and congruence between values in the organisational culture and corporate brand, to ensure that cultural change is managed appropriately, to adopt a holistic approach to brand management and to empower employees. A model is posited of the cultural pitfalls to avoid when managing corporate brands.

The value of the paper is that it can help financial services brands achieve their potential by allowing them to manage the interaction between culture and brand so as to optimise brand performance by avoiding the pitfalls encountered within less successful brands.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the strategy formation process takes place studying the relevance of the integrative perspective and the use of the variables rationality, implication and vision, and verifying the relationship between an integrative strategy formation process and the management of work and the consequences of this relationship in terms of performance.

The paper adopted a qualitative methodology, specifically a simple case analysis, following a six‐stage process: establishing the research objectives, the theoretical research framework, unit and the level of analysis, selecting the study cases and a pilot case, and ellaborating the protocol for the case study analysis.

An integrative strategy formation process that combines with certain equilibrium rationality and emergence facilitates a more effective management of work, specifically of complex work. When the organisation permits a greater degree of participation, it is facilitating an improvement in organisational results (particularly with respect to professional works – administrative or engineering that add more complexity).

The paper highlights the importance of the fit between an integrative strategy formation process and the management of different types of work, considering that a better fit drives to better results.

This paper describes a new approach for the design of multilayer reinforcements of textile composite materials and products. We offer an alternative to multilayer complex fabrics for which the laminates of the composite reinforcement material consist of orthogonal woven fabrics with an original variable structure when each fabric layer is composed of alternating one‐ply (one warp and one weft) and one and‐ a‐half‐ply (one warp and two wefts) sections. Combination of these sections produces a “gearing” effect, preventing the delamination of textile composites in the process of their exploitation. An important aspect of the proposed method is a possibility to design woven fabrics in concurrence with the dimensions of the composite product and conditions of its exploitation; this leads to a substantial improvement of many properties of such composite product.

The purpose of this paper is to identify contributing factors, both internal and external, that will ensure a successful collaboration between Omani academic libraries.

A qualitative research approach was adopted, and 23 individual interviews were conducted with representatives from participating libraries.

Collaboration among Omani libraries is a complex situation and its chances for success are dependent upon a host of factors, including the participating libraries' staffing, management, financial resources, and available technology as well as support from university administrators.

This paper presents the findings of original research conducted by the author and reports on the nascent stages of library cooperation in Oman and in a region that is not often covered in library literature.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the different factors that affect using Web 2.0 applications in Omani academic libraries (OALs).

In all, 29 interviews with directors and library staff of five OALs were conducted for the purpose of collecting data for the current research.

The results indicated that there are nine internal factors and four external factors that affect using Web 2.0 applications in OALs. Internal factors include the low motivation of directors and library staff regarding using of Web 2.0 applications, lack of training and constant changes in the management structure. Meanwhile, the external factors are related to lack of policy and regulations and weakness and low speed of the internet.

Most academic libraries in Oman have not yet adopted Web 2.0 applications to enhance their services. Therefore, this study intends to open insight into the state of Web 2.0 adoption in academic libraries and will help library managers to understand factors facing the use of Web 2.0 applications in their libraries, and this could signal a basis for policy shift in the internet infrastructure especially in the institutions of the higher education.

This research is the first study in the field of Web 2.0 applications in OALs that investigates the factors affecting the use of Web 2.0 applications in academic libraries in general and in OALs specifically.

The study aims to determine if the application of a systematic command training system (Effective Command) could influence the organisational competency profile, through the identification, training and assessment of key behavioural markers.

The Effective Command framework is aligned to UK National Fire Service role-maps and is routinely used in both development and assessment of Fire Officers worldwide. Data from 1,261 formal assessments were analysed and descriptive statistics performed.

Structured analysis of incident command assessment data should inform subsequent training cycles of individuals, organisations and procedures. Key behavioural markers were identified in Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2) commanders which influence assessment outcomes. Reduced competence scores between L1 and L2 officers were recorded, providing a strong argument for a supported development process for L2 officers.

Six key behavioural markers were identified in L1 commanders, all were associated with information comprehension and evaluation, which ultimately impacted the outcomes of formal assessments. This study provides empirical evidence that frequent incident or scenario exposure, coupled with metacognitive understanding of the decision rationale could reverse these weaknesses and turn them into individual strengths. This in-depth analysis of data generated in individuals who pass or fail these assessments should strengthen organisational learning.

The use of a structured command training framework contributes significantly to operational assurance by providing a robust assessment and training methodology, which ensures that organisations can appoint, train and assess their incident commanders.