Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2016 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 7 Articles
Multidisciplinary scientific research collaborations in academic institutions remain at the\ncenter of the global innovation system. This article highlights the distinct challenges to\ndeveloping an effective management strategy that such collaborations pose. These include\nthe fundamental challenge of having the generation of new explicit knowledge as an\nobjective and the integration of established research teams including their respective bodies\nof tacit knowledge. The parallels between established Agile strategies and a proposed\nmanagement strategy that addresses these challenges are discussed. By considering the\ncontextual framework for the proposed management strategy and identifying the traditional\nand Agile components, this article aims to provide a generalized approach that a project\nmanagement professional can use to develop an effective integrated management strategy\nfor project, program and knowledge management in scientific research collaborations that\nis based on recognized techniques....
Increased enrolments in business schools are reflective of business trends in India in the period after 1991 when major economic reforms were unleashed. Structural changes in India’s economy marked by a greater contribution of the services sector to GDP has expanded the job market in India leading to massive employment opportunities in the services sector. A MBA degree offers students wider exposure to business functions like sales and marketing, finance, human resources, information technology etc. However the quality of talent emerging from most second tier business schools is sub-optimal. Media reports indicate that industry is often unhappy with the kind of students whom they have to place – considering their skill sets. Thus, the statement of the problem is – how can business schools produce an output with the required skill sets that the industry demands? This is a problem that needs a strategic approach for successful resolution. Business schools are faced with a Hobson’s choice of having to fill up their seats and ensure 100% placements so that they achieve operational efficiency. But is this the right approach? There are serious implications of such a business-like approach as quality suffers and this reflects in the student output graduating from such schools. Most business schools aspire to get a University status and also the status of a research center but these aspirations need a complete re-think of how these institutions run a business school in terms of greater professionalism and effective governance. Appointment of good faculty, setting up eligibility criteria for enrolling students, identification of slow learners and effectively dealing with them, establishing platforms for greater interaction between industry and academia, attracting talent from industry to join as teaching faculty – these are some of the actions that need to be triggered so that business schools are on the road to progress to produce graduates with the specific skill sets required by industry. This paper analyses the recent literature on the research problem to identify the crux of the matter and makes suitable recommendations to deal with this problem. Academia-industry interface continues to be a mirage today but the fact is that collaboration between industry and academia can deliver synergistic benefits. Contrary to the popular perception, industry also benefits from academic collaboration....
The purpose of this report is to describe Baosteel Group Corporation, a Mainland Chinese organization that\nmanufactures steel, and to address the impact of external and internal factors on the organization and its iron\nand steel industry. The study will further take into account the issues of changing competitive environment with\nregards to; strategic analysis of the theme influencing policies and decision making; evaluation of the effectiveness\nof the organization in the industry; demonstration in the form of recommending organizational improvements through\nstrategic options that achieve the overall corporate objectives. Alas, due to the lack of thorough primary research,\nsome of the secondary data provided are given by the Chinese authorities may lack precision and accuracy due to\npolitical sensitivities. It is also difficult to predict the real threats and opportunities with such indicators as China is still\nnew to global trade, and any responses are limited and inexperienced. Any suggested analysis would be outdated\nas the changing legal and business environment is dynamic, and failure to uphold the latest practices towards these\nframeworks would be detrimental.\nWith compelling unpredictable forces from overseas competitors that have consolidated their business, formed\nalliances and mergers, Baosteel should nonetheless adopt and evaluate key success factors and realistic strategies\nsuch as; good leadership, willingness to change, integrative expansive roles; environmental sustainability; advanced\ntechnologies, incentivised welfare for employees, to maintain its effectiveness to the regional and global responses.\nAll strategic efforts will be made to ensure that Baosteel, focused on its diversification and differentiation strategies,\nkeeps developing along the lines of scientific development, new industrialization mode and sustained long-term\ngrowth and greater benefits for the shareholders, the customers, the employees, the suppliers and the community....
This paper reports findings from a recent empirical study conducted to explore sociological and technological factors that affect the use of enterprise 2.0 (E2.0) technologies for knowledge management (KM). To help organizations adopt and institutionalize effective KM strategies, this study aims to highlight the effects of national and organizational cultural differences among operating environments of different firms, and to identify how these differences translate into varying knowledge management behaviors and use of E2.0 technologies for KM in firms.The study utilized a quantitative empirical research design to collect and analyze quantitative data from employees of various organizations in different countries and industries. A web-based survey data was collected from various countries including Canada, USA, and Saudi Arabia. Exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were used to estimate a structural model among factors impacting the use of E2.0 technologies for KM.The key findings from this study validate the role of technology perceptions including ease of use, usefulness, media richness and technology sophistication in improving the use of enterprise 2.0 technologies in the workplace. Furthermore, the use of these technologies was shown to have a positive effect on the knowledge management environment of the organization. In terms of cultural differences, the knowledge management environment of firms was shown to be affected by long-term orientation of the national culture. This study offers recommendations for companies operating in global cultural contexts on how to approach KM strategies differently according to national culture and organizational environments of firms....
This study considers the risk reserve of an insurance company to follow Brownian motion with drift and tackle an optimal portfolio selection problem of the company. The investment case considered was insurance company that trades two assets: the money market account (bond) growing at a rate r_t= ε+σt and a risky stock with an investment behavior in the presence of a stochastic cash flow or a risk process, continuously in the economy. Our focus was on obtaining investment strategies that are optimal in the sense of optimizing the returns of the company. We established among others that, the optimized investment in the assets and the optimal value function are dependent on horizon and the wealth. Also transaction cost reduced the optimal investment in the risky asset by a fraction of the insurer’s wealth, It is recommended that the managers of the assets of the insurance company should take into consideration this horizon dependency when making policy decisions....
This case details the crisis faced by Nestle India with respect to its flagship brand Maggi Noodles. The Maggi brand enjoyed a strong reputation and has been popular in India for more than two decades. Yet the way the company handled the crisis was far from satisfactory. Consumers felt cheated and scared. The health claims made by the company proved to be hollow. After the crisis, the company made claims and counter claims adopting a defensive stance. Maggi is a food product and there have been reports in a section of the media that food products like Maggi contain artificial ingredients like Mono sodium glutamate that can trigger allergic reactions in individuals. Noodles are made from “Vanaspati” which is nothing but hydrogenated fat. Hydrogenated fat is hazardous for health as it can cause obesity and other cardiac disorders in the long run. Though noodles are patronized by consumers due to the fact that it is a convenience food and can be cooked in the shortest possible time (the ad for Maggi noodles often claimed that it can be cooked in just two minutes), today consumer consciousness and awareness about health and hygiene issues is at a heightened level. Consumers do not forget negative publicity easily and the rampant spread of social media networks and the penetration of Internet ensure that bad news spreads fast. The case analyses how this crisis affected Nestle India Limited and other companies making food products and how in this case, quality issues and non-conformances were detected by the regulator. While Nestle India lost crores of rupees, its brand image also suffered due to all the adverse reports in the media about the crisis. While monetary losses can be recouped, how difficult it is to recover the lost image is anyone’s guess....
This case study details the rise and fall of a popular brand of vanaspati in India called as Dalda. The brand was so popular that Dalda became synonymous with manufactured ghee. But over the last few years, rising concerns about the deleterious health effects of hydrogenated fat/ vanaspati has dented the market for Dalda. When Dalda launched refined vegetable oils, it could not make a sufficient dent in the market because of the image of Dalda as a product that was not good for health. This case documents the lessons that can be learnt from the experience of this brand,...
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