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1 – 10 of 312Describes the training of senior managers from the Soviet Ladaautomobile plant in a UK management centre. Notes the need for intensivecultural and technical briefing and…
Abstract
Describes the training of senior managers from the Soviet Lada automobile plant in a UK management centre. Notes the need for intensive cultural and technical briefing and familiarisation sessions prior to the two‐week course. Explains the content as being built around team building and most of the subjects were new to the Russians. Concludes that the programme was of benefit to the participants who believe increased productivity would result.
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The purpose of this paper is to appraise the spread of supermarkets in Canada during the mid‐twentieth century. It examines how corporate chains altered the organization of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to appraise the spread of supermarkets in Canada during the mid‐twentieth century. It examines how corporate chains altered the organization of distribution, reconfigured shopping experiences, and promised gains realized through greater business volume.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper utilizes a mix of primary and secondary sources to compare how companies responded to opportunities for mass marketing that emerged in the post‐war era. The perspective is grounded in the theory of managerial capitalism, which was originally elaborated by Alfred D. Chandler.
Findings
The paper highlights how mass food retailing in Canada shared some attributes normally associated with the rise of managerial capitalism, but it also reviews the variations and highlights the difficulties faced by firms despite their jump to giant size. In particular, it stresses how the leading companies did not build secure positions.
Research limitations/implications
Corporate archives in Canadian retailing either did not survive or remain inaccessible. The essay therefore draws upon a mix of sources including company publications and government investigations. The paper highlights the inability of companies to realize permanent gains commonly associated with large firm size or mass retailing. It stresses that there was no one “model” of corporate development.
Originality/value
This paper illustrates the complexities associated with developing strategic leadership in retailing and therefore should be valuable to educators and practitioners.
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The aim of the chapter is to examine whether the challenges to administering the EU outlined by Les Metcalfe in his famous article, ‘After 1992, can the Commission manage Europe?’…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the chapter is to examine whether the challenges to administering the EU outlined by Les Metcalfe in his famous article, ‘After 1992, can the Commission manage Europe?’ have now been met. Metcalfe not only identified a ‘management deficit’ in the implementation of the single market programme arising from an oversight among policy makers, but highlighted a neglect of the administrative dimension of European integration among scholars.
Methodology/approach
The chapter draws on primary and secondary literature to track developments in respect of the three elements identified by Metcalfe: the small size of the European Commission, its poor internal coordination and weak leadership; the responsiveness of administrative bodies in the member states to the need for inter-organizational coordination; and the network-building and management capacity of the Commission.
Findings
Despite changes, such as further enlargement, agencification at national and EU levels, and the expansion of EU competencies that have exacerbated the management challenge confronting the EU, there have been significant developments that have closed the deficit. First, the Commission has become far better integrated, coordination upgraded, and leadership strengthened. Second, through networking, cooptation and other strategies the Commission has sought to assure the effective implementation and enforcement of the single market rules. Third, member state governments, ministries and agencies have sought to cultivate networked relations that have increased the manageability of EU administration.
Research implications
To the knowledge of this author, this is the first attempt to revisit Metcalfe’s diagnosis and to review the extent to which the management deficit he identified has been addressed subsequently.
Practical implications
The chapter has implications for how inter-organizational coordination within the EU administrative system could be improved.
Social implications
The chapter bears on the administrative capacity of the EU to deliver the policies decided by EU policy makers.
Originality/value
As well as offering an assessment of the extent to which progress has been made in addressing the management deficit identified by Les Metcalfe in his classic article, this chapter conceptualizes the EU administration as an entity that encompasses both EU institutions and administrative bodies in the member states. It advances the concept of the EU as a multi-level administration.
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The UK National Health Service (NHS) is undergoing cataclysmic change following the election of the first Labour Government in 18 years. This is primarily embodied in the…
Abstract
The UK National Health Service (NHS) is undergoing cataclysmic change following the election of the first Labour Government in 18 years. This is primarily embodied in the implementation of the White Paper The New NHS Modern‐Dependable, which has resulted in the creation of primary care groups (PCGs) and primary care trusts (PCTs). The task facing both PCGs and PCTs is a radically new and complex one, requiring a new set of leadership skills to the traditional command and control style management. Leadership theories have evolved over the past 70 years. However, it was not until the 1980s that a major change in the paradigm of thinking around what is the nature of leadership occurred. The interaction between the leader and his/her followers is explored in what has become known as transformational leadership theories, developed by Bass and Avolio. Recent studies have, however, questioned the applicability of leadership models derived in the USA, to other cultures. This paper explores the leadership behaviours required for the management boards of PCGs and PCTs. A qualitative research method “Grounded Theory” approach was chosen for this study of leadership. The Repertory Grid technique was used to collect data. There are a number of implications arising from the findings of this study for both leadership models in general, and more specifically, for the development of leadership skills in both PCGs and PCTs.
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Kevan W. Lamm, Hannah S. Carter and Alexa J. Lamm
Although the term interpersonal leadership has been well established within the literature, there remains a dearth of theoretically derived models that specifically address the…
Abstract
Although the term interpersonal leadership has been well established within the literature, there remains a dearth of theoretically derived models that specifically address the comprehensive nature of the underlying leader behaviors and activities. The intent of the present article is to attempt to synthesize the existent leadership models, behaviors, and factors to arrive at a coherent conceptual model of interpersonal leadership that can inform efficient and effective leadership education programs. The resulting model included 13 primary factors integrated within a hierarchical framework. Leadership educators are recommended to adopt or adapt the proposed model while developing educational curriculum and interventions.
Most of this Board's senior staff have now been appointed. Mr Alan Swinden became Director in July, Mr Frank Metcalfe is the Chief Education and Training Officer and Mr Mostyn…
Abstract
Most of this Board's senior staff have now been appointed. Mr Alan Swinden became Director in July, Mr Frank Metcalfe is the Chief Education and Training Officer and Mr Mostyn Morris becomes the Board's Financial Controller in November.
The laws directed against adulteration and fraudulent or unfair dealing have undoubtedly done much good wherever they have been enforced. Their application in this and in other…
Abstract
The laws directed against adulteration and fraudulent or unfair dealing have undoubtedly done much good wherever they have been enforced. Their application in this and in other countries has shown how widespread are these practices and how various are their forms, while the punishment of real offenders, in the by no means large proportion of cases where it has been possible to bring forward sufficient proof of guilt, has certainly not been displeasing to the general public, and must have afforded particular satisfaction to those members of the trading community who have appreciated the injury done to them by unfair or actually dishonest competition.
Barrie O. Pettman and Richard Dobbins
This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.
Abstract
This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.
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In this study the Repertory Grid interview technique was used to investigate constructs of leadership held by a group of male and female senior managers from within hospice and…
Abstract
In this study the Repertory Grid interview technique was used to investigate constructs of leadership held by a group of male and female senior managers from within hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Units (SPCUs) in the UK. The themes that emerged were compared with those from existing research models of leadership. Results: men and women in these roles describe different constructs of effective leadership. The women’s constructs that emerged were predominantly transformational, whilst the men’s were predominantly transactional. Themes were also identified in this study, which differed from previous studies, i.e. those of political and environment awareness and the valuing of others’ views regardless of their status. These themes do not feature highly in other research, and may be in response to the environment within which hospice and specialist palliative care functions.
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