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1 – 10 of 27Richard Greatbanks, Graham Elkin and Graham Manville
This research paper seeks to examine the important issues of performance measurement and reporting in a third sector community organisation. It aims to highlight the…
Abstract
Purpose
This research paper seeks to examine the important issues of performance measurement and reporting in a third sector community organisation. It aims to highlight the dysfunctional nature of funding body performance reporting criteria, which do not always align with the values and goals of the voluntary organisation. In contrast, this paper aims to consider the value of using anecdotal performance data to provide a more informed perspective on the performance of third sector organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines the current literature regarding performance measurement from a voluntary sector perspective. It then considers the value and efficacy of anecdotal performance reporting and presents empirical findings from a single case study organisation.
Findings
The paper identifies that many forms of performance reporting frameworks used by funding bodies provide little or no value to the voluntary organisation, and that anecdotal performance reporting is often more aligned with the values of the voluntary organisation. This paper proposes that whilst anecdotal performance reporting is not common place, it has an inherent value to both a third sector organisation, and funding body, as it allows the organisation's achievements to be presented in a more empathic light. The paper concludes that anecdotal performance reporting is particularly appropriate where the funding body is of a philanthropic, rather than government or state nature.
Research limitations/implications
This research was conducted from the perspective of one voluntary sector organisation, therefore providing limited generalizability.
Originality/value
With little research undertaken on the value of anecdotal performance reporting in this environment, this paper highlights a potential new area of performance measurement. This research is set within a New Zealand context, adding to the originality.
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This paper aims to explore a current measurement system within a team of a national third sector umbrella organisation and to recommend a new set of ongoing changes to be…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore a current measurement system within a team of a national third sector umbrella organisation and to recommend a new set of ongoing changes to be implemented based on current literature from the third sector which can be applied to other similar sized organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
A series of semi‐structured interviews were used to examine current practices within the team.
Findings
Areas of weakness within the current measurement system were identified including secondary satisfaction measures for stakeholders who were not being examined before. Thorough descriptions of both impact assessment in the team and the organisational approach are discussed.
Research limitations/implications
A follow up to see how the recommended changes are put into practice and what difference this has made to the team in regards to motivation and productivity would be useful after a year. The limitation of this case study is that this examines only one umbrella organisation and therefore is not representative of the entire third sector although it is certainly a useful addition.
Practical implications
Changes to practice are identified within the paper and this has implications for all third sector organisations as these changes are based upon a strong literature base within the sector.
Originality/value
This paper provides unique in‐depth insider viewpoint on a team of a national organisation. This also involved working with the Strategy and Impact team of National Council for Voluntary Organisations who are responsible for helping support the third sector through impact and performance measurement.
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Graham Manville, Richard Greatbanks, Radica Krishnasamy and David W. Parker
Many organisations are operating in a dynamic competitive environment and experiencing increasing competition. As a result organisations in the service sector are…
Abstract
Purpose
Many organisations are operating in a dynamic competitive environment and experiencing increasing competition. As a result organisations in the service sector are continually seeking opportunities to remove waste and improve performance. Six sigma has been embraced by the service sector and is receiving increasing attention within both academe and practice. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate lean six sigma from a middle managers' perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method approach was adopted involving a structured survey to 200 managers and semi‐structured interviews with two of the management team.
Findings
The paper highlights the importance of developing learning capabilities in the middle management team and the empowering of them. A greater role should be given to middle management in performance improvement and strategy formulation.
Research limitations/implications
The research findings only apply to one case so it is difficult to make assumptions across different sectors. More research is required with regard to change management in lean six sigma implementations.
Originality/value
This paper shows that developing dynamic capabilities in middle management along with a learning culture will facilitate participation in strategy formulation.
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The paper aims to examine how not communicating stakeholders' expectations through marketing results in mis‐targeting. It also aims to suggest that, when non‐profit…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine how not communicating stakeholders' expectations through marketing results in mis‐targeting. It also aims to suggest that, when non‐profit managers do not succeed in capturing stakeholders' definitions of performance, marketing is ineffective and may even result in decreased support for organisational goals.
Design/methodology/approach
Surveys were administered to managers from a sample of 135 non‐profits in Israel with a 63 per cent return rate.
Findings
The findings suggest that marketing practices have a differential effect on public/private stakeholders; and the effect of marketing on performance increases when targeting public stakeholders, but negatively affects performance when targeting private stakeholders. These results suggest that not properly communicating funders' expectations is the cause for the ineffective use of marketing in non‐profit organisations (NPOs).
Research limitations/implications
Marketing may have both positive and negative effects on performance but attention should be addressed to the differences of marketing targets in order to fit between marketing techniques and marketing targets.
Practical implications
The results highlight the importance of a professional approach to marketing practices in NPOs that consider the diversity of stakeholders in expectations and definitions of performance.
Originality/value
This is the first paper that examines the reasons why marketing has not been a successful means to increase performance in non‐profit settings.
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Jessica McEwen, Mark Shoesmith and Richard Allen
The purpose of this paper is to describe how Barnardo's, a large children's charity, has developed a system for measuring and reporting on service user outcomes as part of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe how Barnardo's, a large children's charity, has developed a system for measuring and reporting on service user outcomes as part of its performance management approach. The challenges that confront third sector organisations when adopting this approach are summarised, as are the benefits that can accrue.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper's approach is to describe the development of an outcome monitoring tool (OMT) and to explore some of the benefits of and challenges to embedding this tool across Barnardo's services.
Findings
Third sector organisations operate in competitive, resource‐constrained environments, where funding arrangements are often short‐term and piecemeal. The ability to evidence the effectiveness of services through demonstrating positive outcomes for service users is becoming an increasingly important factor in the process of securing and sustaining funding. An outcome‐focused approach contributes to the development of excellent services by helping to ensure that services are making a difference to the people that use them. Barnardo's OMT offers a model for evidencing the impact of services on the people who use them, thus contributing to the organisation's competitive edge.
Originality/value
This paper is informed by current thinking on outcomes and evidence‐based practice and offers a practical example of how to implement an outcome‐focused approach in a third sector organisation.
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The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of an explorative empirical study among German non‐profit organisations with respect to the implementation of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of an explorative empirical study among German non‐profit organisations with respect to the implementation of the balanced scorecard (implementation levels, perspectives, major challenges and obstacles, missing and used performance measures and enabling factors).
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical data are generated and the findings are interpreted based on a descriptive approach. The interpretation is linked to normative expectations regarding the design and use of the balanced scorecard in non‐profit organisations.
Findings
Most of the non‐profit organisations which have been analysed in this paper are in an early phase of balanced scorecard implementation. The balanced scorecard is often used as a measurement tool and not as a management system. In most cases, participating organisations have an unexpected viewpoint with regard to their attitude towards the balanced scorecard, as they did not sufficiently adapt it to the distinct requirements of non‐profit operations.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are based on a sample of 20 non‐profit organisations in the field of social services. Thus, the results cannot be generalised, and qualitative interviews as well as a longitude study could be helpful in gaining additional insight.
Originality/value
The paper reports on firsthand empirical findings in an area which has not been extensively researched. Relevant non‐profit literature has so far been dominated by how‐to‐do approaches and normative concepts.
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Riya Sureka, Satish Kumar, Sachin Kumar Mangla and Flavio Hourneaux Junior
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management (IJPPM) is one of the prominent journals publishing on general management with a particular focus on…
Abstract
Purpose
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management (IJPPM) is one of the prominent journals publishing on general management with a particular focus on performance management and productive sciences. The objective of this study is to provide an academic structure overview of the journal between 2004 and 2018 using bibliometric tools.
Design/methodology/approach
Data used for this study were extracted using the Scopus database. Bibliometric analysis using several bibliometric indicators are adopted to know the major trends and themes of the journal. Mapping of bibliographic data is carried using VOSviewer and Gephi software.
Findings
Authors: Most of the IJPPM contributors are affiliated to the UK and India. Journal Performance: It is gaining pre-eminence in terms of total citations as well as CiteScores. Main themes: Major themes published in the journal are “performance management”, “productivity”, “six sigma”, “lean” and “supply chain management”.
Originality/value
IJPPM's growing influence in the scientific community has generated the interest to analyse the journal's publication and growth pattern. Moreover, no such retrospective bibliometric study for IJPPM is conducted so far.
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Elcio M. Tachizawa, María J. Alvarez-Gil and María J. Montes-Sancho
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of smart city initiatives and big data on supply chain management (SCM). More specifically, the connections between…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of smart city initiatives and big data on supply chain management (SCM). More specifically, the connections between smart cities, big data and supply network characteristics (supply network structure and governance mechanisms) are investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
An integrative framework is proposed, grounded on a literature review on smart cities, big data and supply networks. Then, the relationships between these constructs are analyzed, using the proposed integrative framework.
Findings
Smart cities have different implications to network structure (complexity, density and centralization) and governance mechanisms (formal vs informal). Moreover, this work highlights and discusses the future research directions relating to smart cities and SCM.
Research limitations/implications
The relationships between smart cities, big data and supply networks cannot be described simply by using a linear, cause-and-effect framework. Accordingly, an integrative framework that can be used in future empirical studies to analyze smart cities and big data implications on SCM has been proposed.
Practical implications
Smart cities and big data alone have limited capacity of improving SCM processes, but combined they can support improvement initiatives. Nevertheless, smart cities and big data can also suppose some novel obstacles to effective SCM.
Originality/value
Several studies have analyzed information technology innovation adoption in supply chains, but, to the best of our knowledge, no study has focused on smart cities.
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Rashid Mehmood, Royston Meriton, Gary Graham, Patrick Hennelly and Mukesh Kumar
The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge of the transformative potential of big data on city-based transport models. The central question guiding this paper is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge of the transformative potential of big data on city-based transport models. The central question guiding this paper is: how could big data transform smart city transport operations? In answering this question the authors present initial results from a Markov study. However the authors also suggest caution in the transformation potential of big data and highlight the risks of city and organizational adoption. A theoretical framework is presented together with an associated scenario which guides the development of a Markov model.
Design/methodology/approach
A model with several scenarios is developed to explore a theoretical framework focussed on matching the transport demands (of people and freight mobility) with city transport service provision using big data. This model was designed to illustrate how sharing transport load (and capacity) in a smart city can improve efficiencies in meeting demand for city services.
Findings
This modelling study is an initial preliminary stage of the investigation in how big data could be used to redefine and enable new operational models. The study provides new understanding about load sharing and optimization in a smart city context. Basically the authors demonstrate how big data could be used to improve transport efficiency and lower externalities in a smart city. Further how improvement could take place by having a car free city environment, autonomous vehicles and shared resource capacity among providers.
Research limitations/implications
The research relied on a Markov model and the numerical solution of its steady state probabilities vector to illustrate the transformation of transport operations management (OM) in the future city context. More in depth analysis and more discrete modelling are clearly needed to assist in the implementation of big data initiatives and facilitate new innovations in OM. The work complements and extends that of Setia and Patel (2013), who theoretically link together information system design to operation absorptive capacity capabilities.
Practical implications
The study implies that transport operations would actually need to be re-organized so as to deal with lowering CO2 footprint. The logistic aspects could be seen as a move from individual firms optimizing their own transportation supply to a shared collaborative load and resourced system. Such ideas are radical changes driven by, or leading to more decentralized rather than having centralized transport solutions (Caplice, 2013).
Social implications
The growth of cities and urban areas in the twenty-first century has put more pressure on resources and conditions of urban life. This paper is an initial first step in building theory, knowledge and critical understanding of the social implications being posed by the growth in cities and the role that big data and smart cities could play in developing a resilient and sustainable transport city system.
Originality/value
Despite the importance of OM to big data implementation, for both practitioners and researchers, we have yet to see a systematic analysis of its implementation and its absorptive capacity contribution to building capabilities, at either city system or organizational levels. As such the Markov model makes a preliminary contribution to the literature integrating big data capabilities with OM capabilities and the resulting improvements in system absorptive capacity.
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