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1 – 10 of over 1000Harish C. Bahl, Jatinder N.D. Gupta and Kenneth G. Elzinga
This study aims to propose a framework for developing strategies for the supply chain of craft beer that can make the business efficient and profitable, and at the same time…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose a framework for developing strategies for the supply chain of craft beer that can make the business efficient and profitable, and at the same time, generate sustainability benefits from reducing waste, conserving natural resources and reducing pollution.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an extensive review of the literature of academic and industry publications, source material from craft brewers primarily situated in the USA and industry experience in craft brewing, the proposed framework describes strategies to establish sustainable craft beer supply chains.
Findings
The framework for craft beer supply chain consists of four categories that contribute to craft beer sustainability: ingredient procurement, recycling efforts, energy usage and distribution systems – some of these mimicking those used by macrobrewers. Each of the categories is further subdivided. Successful practices and examples are highlighted for each of the subcategories.
Research limitations/implications
This proposed framework was built upon current practices and available literature in the USA and focused on the environmental pillar of sustainability. Further, the proposed framework arises from the fact that current best practices in sustainability were available primarily from larger craft brewers, like Sierra Nevada and New Belgium.
Practical implications
By paying attention to operational changes in their supply chains, craft brewers can manage costs and improve their sustainability track record by reducing waste, conserving natural resources and improving upon their pollution footprint. Craft brewers can economize in the use of water, grains, hops and yeast by using practices discussed in this paper.
Originality/value
This is the first time that all aspects of supply chain and sustainability considerations in craft beer production are discussed in a comprehensive manner to propose a framework for analysis and enhancement of productivity and sustainability at the same time. The fact that the proposed framework can be used in future studies to empirically evaluate the utility of various sustainability strategies adds to the originality and value of this research.
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Ginger beer, ginger ale and ginger wine, ginger biscuits and gingerbread, ginger marmalade and ginger flavouring of a dozen kinds, to say nothing of metaphorical ginger used (or…
Abstract
Ginger beer, ginger ale and ginger wine, ginger biscuits and gingerbread, ginger marmalade and ginger flavouring of a dozen kinds, to say nothing of metaphorical ginger used (or at least advocated) in various walks of life — all pay tribute to our delight in this strange, fiery foodstuff.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the encounter between the voluntary nonprofit organization (VNPO) and the strategic process in order to study how these organizations may…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the encounter between the voluntary nonprofit organization (VNPO) and the strategic process in order to study how these organizations may harness strategic processes in a way that somehow does not threaten their cultures and social mission.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts an exploratory case study approach.
Findings
The case study identifies a set of complex, multi‐faceted behaviors that serve a dual role, functioning simultaneously as both inhibitors and enablers of the strategic process. As a framework for future research, the paper proposes a two‐dimensional scheme which models the scope and mode of organizational behavior in a strategic process. The case study indicates that VNPOs may tend to adopt what is classified as a “sectional‐organic” pattern of response. This pattern of response balances the organization's needs for continuity and change, enabling the execution of the process in a manner compatible with the specific organizational characteristics of the VNPO.
Originality/value
Previous studies of strategic processes in the VNPO have reported resistance and partial, stunted processes, stemming from the organization's need to protect its mission‐oriented identity from the threats posed by a strategic process. However, the results of this case study, in which the subject organization managed to successfully develop an effective strategic plan, suggest that the behavior pattern of the VNPO in a strategic process may not be strictly defensive.
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The purpose is to offer a discussion of how we can conceive of the organization of knowledge in digital culture and its changing nature. The article proposes to view of it as both…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose is to offer a discussion of how we can conceive of the organization of knowledge in digital culture and its changing nature. The article proposes to view of it as both a decentered (communicative) and centered (analytical gaze).
Design/methodology/approach
This study involves comparative analysis and discussion.
Findings
The analysis and discussion argue for the two positions of the organization of knowledge and point to how and what we can understand about features of digital culture’s collection practices.
Originality/value
The originality of this article is the conceptualization of the organization of knowledge as both a decentered and centered practice in digital culture, from which is developed a particular knowledge organization perspective on social reality.
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G. Scott Erickson and Helen N. Rothberg
Background Whether termed intellectual capital, knowledge management, or something else, the practice of managing an institution's knowledge base has received increasing attention…
Abstract
Background Whether termed intellectual capital, knowledge management, or something else, the practice of managing an institution's knowledge base has received increasing attention in recent years. After some of the highly publicized downsizings of the late eighties and early nineties, a number of organizations discovered that an enormous amount of institutional memory and unique knowledge was walking out the door with exiting employees. Further, the nineties have seen tremendous growth in firms with few assets besides what is between the ears of some of their key people. Both trends have focused managers on knowledge as an asset of the firm, to be developed and managed in the same manner as more traditional assets.
Nurit Zaidman, David G. Schwartz and Dov Te'eni
The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges to information and communication technologies (ICT) implementation in multinationals. The paper focuses on contextual…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges to information and communication technologies (ICT) implementation in multinationals. The paper focuses on contextual variables relevant to the understanding of the implementation of ICT in organizations operating in the Middle East, such as organization culture and power relations.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on interviews with 31 employees of a multinational company that operates in the Middle East. In addition, 60 days of electronic mail of two senior managers were studied and random samples of messages from the computers of six participants collected. Altogether 200 e‐mail messages, spanning seven months were surveyed.
Findings
It was found that the transplantation of ICT was based on the construction of technology as symbolizing the value of modernity. Although employees did not resist the implementation of ICT tools, several problems related to language and access to data had an impact on their work. Furthermore, the ICT tools implicitly assumed a utilitarian discourse that values computer‐mediated more than face‐to‐face communication, but the organization rejected this aspect of the tools.
Practical implications
We argue that more flexible designs of ICT should take into account the particular discourse system employed in order to achieve a better fit between the ICT tools and the users.
Originality/value
The paper focuses on a neglected area of research, the implementation of ICT tools in culturally diverse organizations and discusses contextual variables relevant to the understanding of the implementation of ICT in organizations such as organization culture and power relations which have not been extensively discussed in the literature.
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Izhar Oplatka, David Bargal and Dan Inbar
The purpose of this study was to expose the phenomenon of self‐renewal and its dynamic aspects among women headteachers in mid‐career. Based on findings from an exploratory study…
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to expose the phenomenon of self‐renewal and its dynamic aspects among women headteachers in mid‐career. Based on findings from an exploratory study conducted among Israeli primary school women headteachers in their mid‐career period, the study presents the phenomenon of self‐renewal that was experienced by these headteachers. This phenomenon included elements such as coping with burnout crisis, critical inner reflection, reframing managerial perspectives, elation and energy replenishing and reinforcing innovative behaviors. A conceptual frame is presented in order to understand the process of self‐renewal and its contextual and biographic determinants which enable the existence of the phenomenon in mid‐career
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Dario J. Villa and Sara C. Schwarz
Political correctness, also known as “PC,” has generated much discussion on both the Right and the Left. The greatest debate comes from college campuses. Political correctness…
Abstract
Political correctness, also known as “PC,” has generated much discussion on both the Right and the Left. The greatest debate comes from college campuses. Political correctness derives from the principle that ethnic diversity, i.e., multiculturalism, can and should be preserved and protected. Ironically, the term originated in the Marxist era, when it was used to enforce conformity in the advancement of a particular Marxist view. The term became obsolete until it was revived in the 1980s (D'Souza, 1991).
S.K. Chakraborty and Debangshu Chakraborty
This paper presents both conceptual insights and practical examples about spiritually transformed leadership. The Yoga‐Vedanta spiritual model is its anchor. Some profound Western…
Abstract
This paper presents both conceptual insights and practical examples about spiritually transformed leadership. The Yoga‐Vedanta spiritual model is its anchor. Some profound Western thinkers, besides Indian realizers, have provided clues relevant to this approach. This paper explores a much wider vista for transformational leadership beyond business success or political strategy. Transformed leaders are the cause, transformation of followers the effect.
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Ali Intezari, Nazim Taskin and David J. Pauleen
This study aims to identify the main knowledge processes associated with organizational knowledge culture. A diverse range of knowledge processes have been referred to in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify the main knowledge processes associated with organizational knowledge culture. A diverse range of knowledge processes have been referred to in the extant literature, but little agreement exists on which knowledge processes are critical and should be supported by organizational culture.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a systematic literature review methodology, this study examined the primary literature – peer-reviewed and scholarly articles published in the top seven knowledge management and intellectual capital (KM/IC)-related journals.
Findings
The core knowledge processes have been identified – knowledge sharing, knowledge creation and knowledge implementation. The paper suggests that a strategy for implementing successful organizational KM initiatives requires precise understanding and effective management of the core knowledge infrastructures and processes. Although technology infrastructure is an important aspect of any KM initiative, the integration of knowledge into management decisions and practices relies on the extent to which the organizational culture supports or hinders knowledge processes.
Research limitations/implications
The focus of the study was on the articles published in the top seven KM/IC journals; important contributions in relevant publications in other KM journals, conference papers, books and professional reports may have been excluded.
Practical implications
Practitioners will benefit from a better understanding of knowledge processes involved in KM initiatives and investments. From a managerial perspective, the study offers an overview of the state of organizational knowledge culture research and suggests that for KM initiatives to be successful, the organization requires an integrated culture that is concerned with knowledge processes as a set of inextricably inter-related processes.
Originality/value
For the first time, a comprehensive list of diverse terms used in describing knowledge processes has been identified. The findings remove the conceptual ambiguity resulting from the inconsistent use of different terms for the same knowledge process by identifying the three major and overarching knowledge processes. Moreover, this study points to the need to attend to the inextricably interrelated nature of these three knowledge processes. Finally, this is the first time that a study provides evidence that shows the KM studies appear to be biased towards Knowledge sharing.
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