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1 – 10 of 44H. William Ebeling and Erica Smith
During the fall of 1990, “Zestwear, Inc.,” a well‐known U.S. apparel manufacturer decided to develop a strategy to enter the European market with existing product lines. The firm…
Abstract
During the fall of 1990, “Zestwear, Inc.,” a well‐known U.S. apparel manufacturer decided to develop a strategy to enter the European market with existing product lines. The firm knew there was a steady European demand for its products because it received hundreds of calls a year from distributors and retailers who wanted to place orders for its classic, functional clothes. The process of responding to what were usually small orders was becoming unwieldy. The firm knew it would have to devise a strategic approach for full‐scale entry into the European market if it were to profitably serve these potential customers. The prospects of Europe becoming a Single Market in the Nineties also enhanced the firm's interest.
Amy V. Snyder and H. William Ebeling
The twin concepts of core competence and business processes figure prominently in most discussions of corporate strategy. The core competence concept helps top managers answer the…
Abstract
The twin concepts of core competence and business processes figure prominently in most discussions of corporate strategy. The core competence concept helps top managers answer the fundamental question “What should we do?” and the business processes perspective addresses the question “How should we do it?”
H. William Ebeling and Thomas L. Doorley
Acquisitions can be an effective way to improve the competitive position of a company. However, the acquisitions process must shift emphasis away from financial performance to…
Abstract
Acquisitions can be an effective way to improve the competitive position of a company. However, the acquisitions process must shift emphasis away from financial performance to competitive dynamics and must be part of an overall ongoing strategic planning thrust.
Peter J. Boettke, Christopher J. Coyne and Patrick Newman
This chapter provides a comprehensive survey of the contributions of the Austrian school of economics, with specific emphasis on post-WWII developments. We provide a brief history…
Abstract
This chapter provides a comprehensive survey of the contributions of the Austrian school of economics, with specific emphasis on post-WWII developments. We provide a brief history and overview of the original theorists of the Austrian school in order to set the stage for the subsequent development of their ideas by Ludwig von Mises and F. A. Hayek. In discussing the main ideas of Mises and Hayek, we focus on how their work provided the foundations for the modern Austrian school, which included Ludwig Lachmann, Murray Rothbard and Israel Kirzner. These scholars contributed to the Austrian revival in the 1960s and 1970s, which, in turn, set the stage for the emergence of the contemporary Austrian school in the 1980s. We review the contemporary development of the Austrian school and, in doing so, discuss the tensions, alternative paths, and the promising future of Austrian economics.
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Over the years we have reported prosecutions where the defence has alleged, and with circumstantial support that the presence of a harmful foreign body in food was deliberate…
Abstract
Over the years we have reported prosecutions where the defence has alleged, and with circumstantial support that the presence of a harmful foreign body in food was deliberate through the action of a single disgruntled employee or where the labour relations climate generally has been bad. It makes no difference to the manufacturer's responsibility—the offence is an absolute one—but occasionally courts have allowed it in mitigation. Sometimes, it has been the nature of the extraneous material, e.g. fragments of glass or metal, the like of which did not exist in the factory premises or plant. This may be taken as a symptom of the vandalism of the age, but more recently, two incidents have drawn attention to its dangers and provided a glimpse of the criminal mind which can inflict such injury on employers, and expose innocent consumers, of all ages, to possible harm.
In general, the term “Austrian Economics” has been used both descriptively and normatively. It has either designated a set of ideas about the fundamental nature of economic theory…
Abstract
In general, the term “Austrian Economics” has been used both descriptively and normatively. It has either designated a set of ideas about the fundamental nature of economic theory and its logical implications or it has been viewed as a conception of society and the market with certain policy implications concerning the limits to and dangers from government intervention and control.
AS Canadians themselves will quickly inform you, this is a big, young country—Great Britain would fit into a small part of Alberta, large stretches of which are still not…
Abstract
AS Canadians themselves will quickly inform you, this is a big, young country—Great Britain would fit into a small part of Alberta, large stretches of which are still not accurately recorded on large scale maps. Indeed, I listened to radio reports of a search for two aircraft on the first morning we were there. One aircraft (a helicopter) had been missing in the North Western Territories with a Calgary man aboard for two weeks and was eventually found crashed; the other, missing for two days, was a Cessna seaplane which had run out of fuel and punctured a float as it landed close to the shore of the Great Slave Lake. The occupants were rescued by air from this largely uncharted waste.
Marc Wouters, Susana Morales, Sven Grollmuss and Michael Scheer
The paper provides an overview of research published in the innovation and operations management (IOM) literature on 15 methods for cost management in new product development, and…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper provides an overview of research published in the innovation and operations management (IOM) literature on 15 methods for cost management in new product development, and it provides a comparison to an earlier review of the management accounting (MA) literature (Wouters & Morales, 2014).
Methodology/approach
This structured literature search covers papers published in 23 journals in IOM in the period 1990–2014.
Findings
The search yielded a sample of 208 unique papers with 275 results (one paper could refer to multiple cost management methods). The top 3 methods are modular design, component commonality, and product platforms, with 115 results (42%) together. In the MA literature, these three methods accounted for 29%, but target costing was the most researched cost management method by far (26%). Simulation is the most frequently used research method in the IOM literature, whereas this was averagely used in the MA literature; qualitative studies were the most frequently used research method in the MA literature, whereas this was averagely used in the IOM literature. We found a lot of papers presenting practical approaches or decision models as a further development of a particular cost management method, which is a clear difference from the MA literature.
Research limitations/implications
This review focused on the same cost management methods, and future research could also consider other cost management methods which are likely to be more important in the IOM literature compared to the MA literature. Future research could also investigate innovative cost management practices in more detail through longitudinal case studies.
Originality/value
This review of research on methods for cost management published outside the MA literature provides an overview for MA researchers. It highlights key differences between both literatures in their research of the same cost management methods.
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Purpose – To show that The Sensory Order is useful for understanding Hayek's position on the informational role of prices.Methodology/approach – Hayek's psychological theory…
Abstract
Purpose – To show that The Sensory Order is useful for understanding Hayek's position on the informational role of prices.
Methodology/approach – Hayek's psychological theory argues that every sensation is interpreted in the light of past experience. This idea is applied to Hayek's view on the price system by arguing that, similarly, every price is interpreted in the light of local knowledge. The usefulness of this approach is tested by addressing some common mainstream interpretations.
Findings – Prices perform their informational role in interaction with local knowledge. The standard view, in which prices convey the same information to everyone, ignores the fundamental importance of local knowledge and varying interpretations.
Research limitations/implications – The paper only discusses some of the central insights given in Hayek's theory of the mind. Furthermore, implications for connected issues, such as entrepreneurship and market process theories in general, are left for subsequent research.
Originality/value of paper – While the connections between Hayek's thought in different fields and the importance of interpretation has been suggested by others, this paper contributes to the Austrian price theory and suggests the relevance of The Sensory Order to economists by making this connection more pronounced.
The topic of workaholism in organizations has received considerable attention in the popular media although our understanding of it is still quite limited. Most definitions of…
Abstract
The topic of workaholism in organizations has received considerable attention in the popular media although our understanding of it is still quite limited. Most definitions of workaholism convey the notion of singular commitment to work to the detriment of extra‐work activities. This study, using measures developed by Spence and Robbins (1992), examines the relationship of workaholism type to measures of extra‐work satisfactions (family, friends, community). Data were collected from 530 women and men managers and professionals using anonymous questionnaires. The results showed the hypothesized negative relationship between workaholism and extra‐work satisfactions. Implications for reducing workaholic behaviors are offered.