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This paper aims to illustrate how integrating competitive intelligence (CI) into a US health-care firm can aid in information sharing and building knowledge for the organization.

This study is exploratory using a systematic literature review to develop a conceptual model applied to the US health-care industry.

This research presents key propositions of CI’s role in the CI process along with the C-suite’s role in supporting a process and culture to ultimately, gain competitive advantage through the knowledge-based view.

With the growing volume of data, a unified system and culture within a firm is paramount. The US health-care system is a privatized industry that has become more competitive stifling information sharing. The need for prompt and accurate decision-making has become an imperative. Crises, like the current COVID-19 pandemic, only exacerbate the issue. This model offers a blue print for executives to build a CI function and encourage information sharing.

Previous research has focused on the CI process and its value. Yet, little research is found on how to integrate CI into a firm and its role through the CI process. This study builds a conceptual model addressing integration and the flow of information to knowledge along with key firm dynamics to nurture the function. Although the model is applied specifically to US health care, it offers application to most any industry.

In my training commentary in our November issue I suggested a basic information kit on worker participation. Since then a new survey, of major importance, has been published and should be added to the list.

After studying this case, students should be able to: explain how strategic management relates to the areas of innovation, operations, technology, entrepreneurship and emerging markets; analyse strategy implementation and execution at the operational level, in contrast to strategy formulation at the strategic mission, values and vision level; discuss innovation, entrepreneurship and new technologies in emerging markets; and assess the impact of technology-driven entrepreneurship on significant socio-economic change that is on transformational entrepreneurship, in emerging markets.

This case outlines key global challenges facing higher education in the African context. It discusses the African Leadership University (ALU) as an innovative higher education institution, including its origins, establishment, strategy and purpose, curriculum, technology and operations, student support network and funding. It also describes ALU’s ongoing challenges and future prospects. ALU was launched in 2015 by Fred Swaniker, founder and chief executive officer and Khurram Masood, co-founder and chief operating officer. ALU’s vision was to transform Africa by developing and connecting three million high-calibre, ethical and entrepreneurial leaders by 2035. In August 2019, Swaniker and Masood considered how to ensure ALU’s sustainability and its vision. They had already changed ALU’s operational strategy by establishing micro-campuses instead of universities to scale rapidly and avoid regulatory barriers. However, would that be enough to uphold ALU’s vision for 2035?

This case is appropriate for postgraduate-level academic programmes and executive education programmes in management.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

This study aims to understand how to develop, support and utilize professional learning community (PLCs) to build organizational capacity to support teacher learning and collaboration. Although literature highlights the importance of leadership in creating a PLC, there is little research on specific actions leaders can take to create an authentic, sustainable PLC.

We employed a multicase study approach at three school sites within the same district. Our research was guided by the following questions: (1) How are learning communities developed and sustained in school settings?; (2) What is the role of administrators in cultivating learning communities?; and (3) What factors contribute to and hinder the success of learning communities?

Despite being in the same school district, the three schools’ PLCs operated differently. The schools displayed characteristics of PLCs, with minimal implementation of all components. Developing a professional learning community at all three sites began with implementing structural factors and mandating specific activities such as weekly grade-level planning. Social factors were much more complex to control by administration, affecting the fidelity of learning and collaboration within the PLCs.

Although the literature highlights the importance of leadership in creating a PLC, there is little research that supports specific actions leaders can take to create an authentic, sustainable community of practice. In addition, there is limited literature supporting how administrators use PLCs to build organizational capacity and support teacher learning. Our study contributes to building the empirical knowledge base related to these two areas.

In this paper, we examined managers’leadership behavior when working on a simulated team project regarding task-oriented versus relationship-oriented leadership behavior to effectively achieve successful project completion.Managers attending an advanced project management development program responded to the Fielder Leadership Behavior Style Self-Assessment, which is a useful framework to determine task-orientedversus relationship-oriented leadership behavioral styles.The degree oftask-oriented versus relationship- oriented leadership behavior styles was assessedto determine the approach taken by the managers forachievingsuccessfulprojectcompletion.APearson’schi-squaretestwasconductedtodeterminewhether the observed values were significantly different from an expected value of five.The findings can contribute to better understanding the leadership styles, which characterize project management accomplishment.

In a recent essay entitled “Value‐relevant Sociology”, David Gray (1983:405–416) argues that if sociology has to be socially relevant, “it is essential that sociology becomes consciously value‐relevant, not value‐free.” He maintains that sociologists cannot analyse the consequences of social structure, forces, and change in a value‐free context if their works are to be relevant for social policies. He then goes on to say, “Between the extremes of value‐free, non‐relevant, sometimes trivial, sociology on the one hand, and immediate response to pressing socioeconomic problems and prevailing political winds on the other, where does the significant sociology lie?” (1983:406). For Gray, both extremes are inappropriate for a worthy academic discipline.

The old year has gone, leaving its trail of never‐to‐be‐forgotten memories of strife and turbulence, calamity, disaster, and a huge burden of worries for us to face in the New Year. Few if any will not be deeply grateful to see the passing of 1985. Except for the periods of calm there cannot be a year within living memory to equal it in terms of violence, unparalleled in times of “peace”, collosal in terms of soaring social and public expenditure and financial loss, and in disasters in the world beyond the shores of these islands. It would not be an exaggeration to state that the enormous indebtedness which the year has heaped upon the people will never be wiped off, and it has got to be done mainly by those innocent of any misconduct, and their descendants. The unprecedented scale of street and community violence, the looting, thieving and general crime committed behind the screen of it.

The Control of Caravan Sites. The post‐war invasion of the caravan into the holiday scene caused anxiety in many minds, from the lovers of unspoiled countryside to worried hoteliers. It was a problem that particularly worried local authorities in the late 1940's and early 1950's.

This article proposes a conceptual framework and a research methodology for transferring marketing technology to developing countries to address important societal problems. The methodology developed by the author is described and illustrated with an empirical investigation. Guidelines for implementation of this methodology in developing countries are also provided.