Search results

An empirically based perspective of current trends and issues in executive training in the UK is provided. Executive development used to build competitive advantage, increasing formal qualifications, the growth in tailored programmes, trans‐country training and distance learning are discussed, and it is argued that executive training in whatever form must link to company objectives.

This paper explains what business planning is and why it is being criticized. It differentiates between business planning (which focuses on the strategic development of the small firm or business unit) and corporate planning (which deals with the strategic direction and activities of the bigger, multi‐operation corporation). Ultimately, the paper comes to the defence of business planning by identifying where and how it can still be a useful tool for organizational leaders to employ in their job and primary drivers of the strategic development function. The secret of successful business planning is to use it in appropriate contexts as one aspect of a more comprehensive repertoire of strategic leadership approaches and to avoid the pitfalls which detract from its otherwise efficacy.

It is commonly held that there are four economic utilities which need to be created in relation to a product before it has any value to the ultimate consumer. These are form, time, place and possession utilities. The creation of form utility, or the conversion of raw materials into finished products, is traditionally the responsibility of the production function. The creation of possession utility, on the other hand, is the responsibility of marketing which does this by identifying the needs and wants of consumers and by informing consumers both of the availability of products, as well as of their merits.

Focusing upon British retailing, the purpose of this paper is to review what is known both about the importance of different supply networks at different points in time, and about the attitudes of different groups of consumers towards these networks.

Relying primarily upon secondary sources, the paper discusses the ways in which the literature on retailing beyond the shop has developed during the past 40 years, and particularly during the past ten years or so.

The paper shows that although it is difficult to delineate the scale and importance of retailing beyond the shop, there is a growing consensus that shops were by no means the sole, or necessarily dominant, source of supply. It shows too that consumers' attitudes towards both commercial and non‐commercial exchanges were complex and sometimes contradictory, with non‐commercial transactions particularly difficult to disentangle and interpret. However, it should not be assumed, it is suggested, that notions of value and ties of reciprocity inevitably fell victim to the growing forces of industrialisation and urbanisation.

The paper adopts a broad chronological perspective and introduces readers to sources, evidence, ideas and concepts that shed light on British retail development and change.

STIMULATING the interest of the employee in his job has become one of the most challenging problems facing management today. Daily repetition of tasks seemingly unrelated to the end product can very quickly cause boredom and fatigue, reducing individual efficiency and lowering productivity.

In the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better management, the engineering manager has a crucial role to play. The history of the engineer is reviewed and his/her possible present role in management is considered. Management objectives are outlined and defined and the specific role of the engineer emphasised. The best managers are leaders, in particular effective leaders of teams, and this is a management task well within the grasp of the engineer. The engineer′s specific training and initial experience give him/her special qualifications in this area. Indeed, there seems to be no reason why the engineer should not climb the management ladder right to the top, especially these days when technology is continually growing in importance. The demands made on the effective chief executive are outlined. It would seem that engineering management has come of age and that with the appropriate management training the engineer should be well capable of filling a senior management role.

A conference can range from good to bad. It can be well or poorly organized, comfortably or indifferently housed, a profitable or wasted use of time. If conferences were rated like hotels and stars indicated their merit, the one held in Munich at the end of October should be awarded the maximum number.

The subject of this study developed from a personal interest in the financial crisis of developing countries. This chapter will try to give direction to the attractiveness of micro-credit and empowerment between the UK-based women small-scale entrepreneur and women microfinance-based entrepreneur who live in developing countries.

This chapter will exemplify that debt is not an effective tool for helping most poor women to enhance their economic conditions also the state of management of microfinance-based enterprises. This chapter proposes microfinance insights points to areas where new research is desirable, particularly around possibilities and constraints for serving poor women and social effects.

The authors’ interest in the discharge of patients with no fixed abode (NFA) arose through repeatedly seeing patients discharged back to the streets. In 2017, the Royal United Hospital (RUH) treated 155 separate individuals with NFA, making up 194 admissions. Given these numbers, the best practice according to Inclusion Health’s tiered approach to secondary care services suggests that the hospital should be providing a dedicated housing officer and a coordinated discharge pathway. As this is currently lacking, the purpose of this paper is to establish a Homeless Healthcare Team (HHT) and design a hospital protocol for the discharge of NFA patients with strong links into community support.

The literature review identified six elements that make up a successful HHT, which has provided the structure for the implementation of the authors’ model at the RUH.

Along the way, the authors have faced a number of challenges whilst attempting to transform the model into a reality, including: securing funding; allocating responsibility; balancing conflicting priorities; coordinating schedules; developing staff knowledge and challenging prejudice. The authors are now working collaboratively with invested parties from the third sector, specialist primary and secondary care health services and local government to overcome these barriers and work towards the long-term goals.

Scarce literature exists on the practicalities of attempting to set up an HHT in a District General Hospital. The authors hope that the documentation of the authors’ experience will encourage others to broaden their horizons and persist through the challenges that arise.