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Article
Publication date: 7 September 2012

Aeli Roberts, John Kelsey, Hedley Smyth and Adam Wilson

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between health and safety (H&S) and organisational culture in project business, in particular to explore the validity of…

1735

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between health and safety (H&S) and organisational culture in project business, in particular to explore the validity of current cognitive emphases of linear organisational maturity towards a “safety culture”, and normative models and prescriptions.

Design/methodology/approach

An interpretative methodology is employed, informed by ethnography (Douglas' cultural theory) and clinical consultative (Schein's model) approaches, using case‐based analysis comprising seven project business organisations.

Findings

The cases were characterized by diverse organisational cultures and diverse H&S practices informed by habits and intuitive behaviour, as well as cognitive strategies and decisions for implementation. H&S was not the top priority for these cases. Good performance related to alignment with the prevailing culture rather than pursuit of a “safety culture”.

Research limitations/implications

The term “safety culture” is misdirected; greater attention on what is, rather than normative models and prescription, is necessary. Generalisation is limited by the case‐based approach.

Practical implications

Practitioners need to pay more attention to organisational culture and alignment of H&S practices, to the unintended consequences of prescriptions, and robust systems.

Social implications

The way activities are conducted requires awareness of the prevailing culture in order to align the structure and processes to the culture for effective operations. These implications are general, and within project business and management, Failure to do so carries increased risk of failing to satisfy business and broader stakeholder interests.

Originality/value

Anomalies in H&S research and practice are challenged, especially “safety culture” and normative approaches. The contribution is the combination employment of the Schein and Douglas models to understand organisational culture and H&S cultural alignment.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 May 2021

Marcia Cassitas Hino and Maria Alexandra Cunha

The purpose of this study is to investigate how women's individual differences influence urban mobility service technology-use behavior. The reduction in urban mobility is a major…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how women's individual differences influence urban mobility service technology-use behavior. The reduction in urban mobility is a major problem in countries with emerging economies, thus affecting both the economy and quality of life.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical approach follows the individual differences theory of gender and information technology (IDTGIT). This research combines structured interviews to understand how the use of urban mobility service technology in daily routines is perceived, questionnaires to map individual differences and user demonstrations to capture how participants used mobility applications on their cell phones.

Findings

This study shows the influence of individual characteristics on the use of mobile apps and presents five behavioral profiles of women. This article goes beyond gender segregation to also show intragender differences.

Practical implications

This study explains women's behavior regarding urban mobility mobile applications through the generation of five profiles. These profiles can inform public policy managers on urban mobility and provide opportunities for improving the services of companies in the urban transport service chain.

Originality/value

With an intragender perspective, this study identifies the influence of individual characteristics on the use of technology and suggests that contextual identity, a novel dimension of characteristics that influence technology-use behavior, is relevant in the adoption of technology by its users.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1985

W.M. Mair, M.H. Hodge and A. Creechan

In view of the importance of finite element (FE) techniques in the design, analysis and validation of many engineering products, the National Agency for Finite Element Methods and…

Abstract

In view of the importance of finite element (FE) techniques in the design, analysis and validation of many engineering products, the National Agency for Finite Element Methods and Standards (NAFEMS) was established in 1983 to take an overview of the FE scene in the United Kingdom. NAFEMS is currently funded by the Department of Trade and Industry, but it is expected that it will eventually be self‐funding. Its headquarters is located at the National Engineering Laboratory, East Kilbride, Glasgow.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Content available
Article
Publication date: 7 September 2012

Derek H.T. Walker

166

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Article
Publication date: 1 July 1938

The following definitions and standards for food products have been adopted as a guide for the officials of this Department in enforcing the Food and Drugs Act. These are…

Abstract

The following definitions and standards for food products have been adopted as a guide for the officials of this Department in enforcing the Food and Drugs Act. These are standards of identity and are not to be confused with standards of quality or grade; they are so framed as to exclude substances not mentioned in the definition and in each instance imply that the product is clean and sound. These definitions and standards include those published in S. R. A., F. D. 2, revision 4, and those adopted October 28, 1936.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 40 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 16 October 2009

B.H. Rudall and C.J.H. Mann

The purpose of this paper is to review current research and developments with particular reference to the next‐generation technologies.

712

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review current research and developments with particular reference to the next‐generation technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

A general review and survey of selected research and development topics is given, and some of the new challenges and applications of future technologies are considered.

Findings

The paper illustrates the multi‐ and trans‐disciplinary natures of studies in cybernetics, systems and management science, with a view to further research and development activity.

Practical implications

The choice of reviews provides an awareness of current trends in these areas of endeavour.

Originality/value

The reviews are selected from a global database and give a studied assessment of current research and development initiatives.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 38 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2003

David John Farmer

This paper explores the relevance of Adam Smith’s invisible hand and the remainder of his legacy for public management. The paper’s central claim is that, by approaching Adam…

Abstract

This paper explores the relevance of Adam Smith’s invisible hand and the remainder of his legacy for public management. The paper’s central claim is that, by approaching Adam Smith and his legacy, public managers can assist themselves to do what they should do - examine their latent assumptions. The first of three challenges in approaching Adam Smith’s ideas is to get Smith right, because he has been widely misunderstood. The second is to question Smith’s account of conceptual space; it is desirable to go beyond him. The third challenge is to explore in specific terms the potential for public management of an understanding of Smith and his legacy

Details

International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1093-4537

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1993

Marc T. Jones

The ideology of the New Right draws many of its foundationalconcepts from the work of Adam Smith. This appropriation andvulgarization of Smith′s work constitutes a major injustice…

Abstract

The ideology of the New Right draws many of its foundational concepts from the work of Adam Smith. This appropriation and vulgarization of Smith′s work constitutes a major injustice to this seminally important theorist. In particular, the moral underpinnings of Smith′s project are often ignored, as are his insights on the potential dysfunctions and pathologies a capitalist society might foster. Most critiques of capitalism are launched from a Marxian‐based perspective. Finds, however, that by examining post‐Rogernomics New Zealand in light of the potential dysfunctions identified by Smith, the father of capitalism himself proves to be the most trenchant critic of the current order.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 20 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1979

A.W. COATS

In 1976, amid the vastly greater celebrations of the bicentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, there was the greatest orgy of historical nostalgia in the…

Abstract

In 1976, amid the vastly greater celebrations of the bicentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, there was the greatest orgy of historical nostalgia in the history of economics, occasioned by the bi‐centenary of the Wealth of Nations. In addition to a veritable deluge of scholarly books, articles, pamphlets, conferences, and symposia, and also innumerable popular and ephemeral effusions, all the mass media were enlisted. There were countless magazine and newspaper articles, some radio and T.V. programs, at least one especially commissioned technicolor film and, for all I know, there may also have been bicentennial poems, paintings, sculptures, and choral symphones!

Details

Studies in Economics and Finance, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1086-7376

Article
Publication date: 9 April 2018

James M. Wilson

The purpose is to provide an intellectual history of Operations Management, particularly noting recent developments and its underlying continuity with earlier systems and…

2409

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose is to provide an intellectual history of Operations Management, particularly noting recent developments and its underlying continuity with earlier systems and thinking. Operations Management as a discipline identifies its “modern” incarnation as dating from the 1960s when it became more rigorous and managerially focused. This re-invention constructed a “narrative” that the profession still follows, yet a critical perspective reveals significant, though under-appreciated continuity with earlier theory and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review and comparative analysis of historic developments in management and academia.

Findings

In the early 1900s, F. W. Taylor’s Shop Management established Operation Management, but its main component, Scientific Management, had stagnated by the 1950s. At that point, the rise of Management Science both reinvigorated Operations Management and threatened it with a competing new discipline. To compete Operations Management then modernized by redefining itself, reasserting its interest in several areas and co-opting Operational Research tools for those. It also contracted, withdrawing from areas considered vocational, or more suited to Industrial Engineering.

Research limitations/implications

This historical overview shows the critical importance of drawing research agenda from practical managerial concerns.

Practical implications

Practitioners benefit from the intellectual rigor that academics provide and a historical perspective shows that the relationship has been mutually beneficial.

Social implications

The disciplines of Operations Management, Operations Research and Industrial Engineering are complementary and competitive in addressing many problems that transcend their boundaries, and use common ideas and techniques. The demands of “academic rigor” have had a deleterious effect on the practical managerial relevance of these disciplines.

Originality/value

A long-term, cross-disciplinary perspective provides a unique understanding of the research interests and practical orientations of these disciplines.

Details

Journal of Management History, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1348

Keywords

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