Search results for "Operations Research"
showing 10 items of 1297 documents
Ambidexterity and total quality management: towards a research agenda
2011
PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to expand on the existing theory of ambidexterity by analysing its implications for organisations that employ total quality management.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis of relevant theoretical and empirical studies on ambidexterity and total quality management enables us to reflect on the common elements, facilitating factors and synergy that exists between both fields.FindingsThanks to the synergy between its principles and practices, total quality management can act as a platform in creating an ambidextrous context, in addition to generating ambidextrous management capabilities and ambidextrous organisational skills. However, no relationship has be…
A model to assess the behavioral impacts of consultative knowledge based systems
1997
This paper develops a research model to study the behavioral impacts of consultative knowledge based systems (KBS). An experiment was conducted with 36 experienced MBA students in marketing management to explore to what extent their decisions were affected by the following factors: user participation in updating the knowledge-base of the KBS, ambiguity of decision setting, routinization of usage, and source credibility of the expertise embedded in the KBS. Results show that ambiguity and source credibility affect user acceptance of the KBS recommendation and cause them to revise decisions. Implications of these findings for the design of consultative KBS are discussed.
A fuzzy ServQual based method for reliable measurements of education quality in Italian higher education area
2013
In recent years, the attention that the European Community has focused on the education sector has produced a new university commitment addressed to quality aspects for all education related services. In fact, a quality oriented service requires excellence in the design and planning of service activities, as well as during its delivering and also for the adopted service performance evaluation method. However, considering that service performance evaluations are deeply based on stakeholders' judgments, they can be characterized by possible uncertainties related to incompleteness for partial ignorance, imprecision for subjectivity and even vagueness. Therefore, under these conditions, unrelia…
Introducing SD modelling into planning and control systems to manage SMEs' growth: a learning-oriented perspective
2002
This article emphasises the need for a learning-oriented approach to planning and control as a prerequisite for SMEs’ survival and growth. Such a perspective can be effectively pursued through the development of interactive learning environments linking system dynamics (SD) and accounting models, which provide two complementary views of business phenomena. In order to properly support the drawing up of business plans and the evaluation of results associated with their implementation, the use of financial SD models embodying the accounting perspective is recommended. This is likely to enhance a shift in SME key actors’ minds, as they will be able to analyse under the feedback view financial …
The role of tacit knowledge in connecting knowledge exchange and combination with innovation
2018
Using the Resource-Based View, this paper aims to provide a better understanding of the effect of knowledge on innovation. With this general aim in mind, we relate knowledge’s nature (tacit vs. exp...
The ERASMUS experience and its capacitating potential: Analysis of adaptive capabilities
2017
Abstract This analysis takes as its focus the Erasmus experience and seeks to obtain information about how it contributes to human development in accordance with the capabilities approach of Amartya Sen and Marta Nussbaum. By way of a qualitative research proposal, and with the support of NVIVO 10 software, evidence is found of the “capacitating potential” of the aforementioned European Union mobility programme. This evidence is detailed through qualitative data–in this case regarding “adaptive capabilities”, representing one of six areas of study pursued in this investigation.
Innovation and knowledge creation: perspectives on the SMEs sector
2013
Purpose – The paper aims to look at small to medium‐sized enterprises' (SMEs') approach to learning and innovation.Design/methodology/approach – The first research direction focuses on the internal and external sources for learning used in the innovation process. A second research direction focuses on the main types of innovation SMEs engage in along with some of the obstacles or constraints identified within the innovation process. In order to answer the research questions set, the authors conducted a survey among 161 Romanian SMEs from various economic sectors and covering different geographical areas.Findings – Romanian SMEs display a learning orientation related to innovation, using bes…
Participative management and its influence on organizational change
2012
PurposeThis paper aims to deal with the influence of a participatory management style along a change process, specifically in seeking to analyze the effect of participative management style on resistance to change and its effects on change performance.Design/methodology/approachAfter a revision of previous literature, an empirical research is presented to test the existence and signs of the relationships between participation and organizational change. To measure the main concepts, the authors have used scales and other measures already published and through a correlation analysis gain some insight into the relationships among variables.FindingsData suggest that participative management mig…
Organisational learning capability, product innovation performance and export intensity
2012
The hypothesis that managerial characteristics which facilitate the organisational learning process can provide firms with a basis for competitive advantage has received a great deal of attention. While there is evidence that organisational learning affects export intensity, we argue that intermediate variables, such as innovation, should be used in order to evaluate its impact in organisations. This study shows that firms with a higher organisational learning capability tend to be more innovative, and for this reason, they are more likely to export a higher share of their production. From a longitudinal perspective, we use structural equation modeling on a database from Italian and Spanish…
Transformational leadership and absorptive capacity: an analysis of the organisational catalysts for this relationship
2017
ABSTRACTResearch analysing the antecedents of a firm’s absorptive capacity suggests that transformational leadership (TL) is one of its main determinants. However, the few studies focusing on the relationship between these two variables do not explicitly assess why transformational leaders facilitate knowledge acquisition, sharing and retention inside firms. This paper suggests that the reason is that the former contributes to the creation of an organisational context that favours learning processes. We test our research model on a sample of 467 Spanish industrial firms. Findings provide evidence that TL is positively related to the firm’s absorptive capacity and that this relationship is m…