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1 – 10 of over 2000
Article
Publication date: 18 October 2019

Joshua Burgher and Herbert Hamers

The purpose of this paper is to provide a decision support model for optimizing the composition of portfolios of market-driven academic programs, primarily in schools offering…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a decision support model for optimizing the composition of portfolios of market-driven academic programs, primarily in schools offering market-driven academic programs. This model seeks to maximize financial performance during a desired planning time period while also achieving targets for other non-financial dimensions of the portfolio (e.g. mission alignment, student demographics and faculty characteristics) by deciding the types of programs to be added, redesigned and/or removed for each year of the planning period.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper introduces an integer linear program (i.e. mathematical optimization) to describe the portfolio optimization problem. Integer linear programs are widely used for optimizing portfolios of financial and non-financial products and services in non-educational settings. Additionally, in order to use an integer linear program for the model, qualitative data must be incorporated into the quantitative model. To do so, this paper first discusses two methods of quantifying qualitative information related to market-driven program dimensions in the following section.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights related to the impact of this model through an illustrative case from a school offering market-driven academic programs at a prestigious private university in the USA. The results of the case highlight the potential positive impact of utilizing a similar model for planning purposes. Financially, the model results in almost double financial surplus than without the model while also achieving higher scores for all non-financial dimensions measured for the portfolio analyzed.

Originality/value

This paper provides a unique and impactful model for decision support in strategic planning for market-driven academic programs, an area of intense discussion and focus in higher education today.

Article
Publication date: 15 November 2011

James R.K. Kagaari

The purpose of this article is to explore and explain the existence and implementation of performance management practices in four public universities in Uganda.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore and explain the existence and implementation of performance management practices in four public universities in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed‐method study approach (qualitative and quantitative) was adopted. A sample of 900 employees was drawn using a disproportionate stratified purposive sampling approach that yielded a 53 per cent response rate. Of the participants, 12 were purposively selected from top management members and interviewed using a semi‐structured interview guide. Using Nvivo software and Miles and Huberman approaches, interview data were managed and analysed.

Findings

Qualitative data results revealed that employees in public universities built relationships, utilised available resources, adapted to external environment, set goals and targets. This was made possible through planning, mobilising resources, problem solving, evaluating performance and adopting ICT to deliver cost‐effective quality services/products. The hypotheses were tested and revealed a significant positive relationship between performance management practices and managed performance (r=0.25, p<0.001). A moderating influence of organisational culture and climate on performance management practices and managed performance was also established and confirmed (ΔR2=0.012) significantly above zero (p =0.015).

Research limitations/implications

Cross‐sectional studies by their nature are subject to common method variances; further refinement of the instrument and a replication of the study using a longitudinal approach are recommended. Also, the additional studies should be supplemented with in‐depth interviews or case studies where possible to tap salient issues from the respondents.

Practical implications

Public universities should have visionary managers who should manage strategic barriers, attract and retain thinkers, and also create result‐oriented relationships to make a dynamic contribution to the development process of Uganda.

Originality/value

Mass university education in Uganda today calls for new approaches to managing employees in order to balance cost, quality and education access.

Article
Publication date: 16 January 2019

Paul Barrett, John Gaskins and James Haug

Leadership development is a significant organizational investment and is considered a foundation for a culture change process. In a highly disruptive environment, higher education…

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Abstract

Purpose

Leadership development is a significant organizational investment and is considered a foundation for a culture change process. In a highly disruptive environment, higher education administrators are investigating the potential benefits of this investment. Specifically, while the great recession was underway in 2010, and with a backdrop of continuous enrollment decline, a business school in a public university in the USA utilized an experimental design to test a globally recognized business model for leadership development and its impacts on leadership effectiveness. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The intervention included a two-day training session followed by a year-long process for cementing in learning, while examining ensuing leadership effectiveness. Potential control variables in the model included measures of four dimensions of leadership fitness which were defined as the physical, socio-emotional, spiritual and mental dimensions. When the leadership development intervention showed promising results the business school forged ahead to implement a culture change process based on the leadership development intervention to foster teamwork and innovation.

Findings

As a longitudinal implementation and assessment process, subsequent results of the culture change process spurred year over year increases in enrollments, student retention, student placement, along with consistently escalating faculty research and academic program rankings. The culture change process spread organically from the business school throughout the university as a whole with similar positive impacts.

Research limitations/implications

Implications, including an assertion that leadership development is a viable tool for higher education’s organizational sustainment are discussed.

Originality/value

Future research opportunities of institutional outcomes in higher education due to a systemic investment in annual culture enhancement are also discussed.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1999

Douglas W. Vorhies, Michael Harker and C.P. Rao

Although progress has been made in understanding market‐driven businesses from a theoretical perspective, relatively few empirical studies have addressed the capabilities needed…

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Abstract

Although progress has been made in understanding market‐driven businesses from a theoretical perspective, relatively few empirical studies have addressed the capabilities needed to become market‐driven and the performance advantages accruing to firms possessing these capabilities. One of the barriers faced has been in defining what is meant by the term “market‐driven”. Develops a multi‐dimensional measure useful for assessing the degree to which a firm is market‐driven. Presents evidence that market‐driven business units developed higher levels of six vital marketing capabilities (in the areas of market research, pricing, product development, channels, promotion, and market management) than their less market‐driven rivals and significantly outperformed these rival business units on four measures of organizational performance.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 33 no. 11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 June 2013

Stephen Graham Saunders and Ralph Borland

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through a comparative historical analysis, the impact of a shift to a marketing‐driven (business‐oriented) philanthropic funding…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through a comparative historical analysis, the impact of a shift to a marketing‐driven (business‐oriented) philanthropic funding structure on NGOs, international businesses that fund charities, and the recipients of the funding for a water pump system in southern Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The study deconstructs and dissects the introduction and acceptance of the PlayPumps water pump system by generating four historical funding‐structure models that typified the philanthropic funding at the time. Each time period is critically examined to investigate how changes toward marketing‐driven philanthropy affected the viability of the project.

Findings

The key finding is that by shifting to a marketing‐driven (business‐oriented) philanthropic funding structure, NGOs risk fundamentally disconnecting the funders and the recipients of the funding. Serious concerns arise regarding the role of businesses in driving the “overcommercialisation” of marketing‐driven philanthropy.

Research limitations/implications

The funding‐structure models highlight some of the hidden costs of marketing‐driven philanthropic funding, but do not show what funding structure would be most efficient in better connecting international businesses and consumers with the charities they are supporting.

Originality/value

This analysis examines the underexplored intersection of business, marketing, consumerism and philanthropy.

Details

European Business Review, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-534X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 December 2021

Larissa Ane Hora de Souza, Victor Diogho Heuer de Carvalho, Roberio José Rogério dos Santos and Jonhatan Magno Norte da Silva

This article aims to present a methodology applied to the transition between the “as-is” and “to-be” stages of the Business Process Management (BPM) life cycle, supporting its…

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to present a methodology applied to the transition between the “as-is” and “to-be” stages of the Business Process Management (BPM) life cycle, supporting its implementation and maintenance for the organizational stability, using techniques from Operations Research and Information and Decision Theories, applied by a gamified system.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used Design Science Research, considering the following methodological elements: (1) artifact model, after initial analysis of the organization; (2) problem relevance, incorporating components to the Markov transition matrix and the integer programming model for resource optimization; (3) model evaluation, establishing mechanisms to validate the methodology created; (4) research contributions, showing benefits found; (5) systematic approach, detailing methods used; (6) model's research process, revealing the means for execution; and (7) final presentation of results.

Findings

After planning three scenarios for the company, containing zero, one or two implemented processes, the matrix of states in the Markov chain effectively identified the states of greater and lesser transition uncertainty. At the same time, the optimization model guided the organization toward a stable change in its operational and financial areas.

Practical implications

The company's planning capacity has increased, as its managers now have a methodology to promote rational decisions about the development of plans. Before, managers believed that the methodology used was only for large companies. However, this view changed with the results, showing a structured view of the ability to absorb new customers, relocate established ones, increase the comfort level for employees and increase profitability for the company's business.

Originality/value

The study showed that the combination of techniques opens a new perspective to the incorporation of BPM in organizations, allows a smooth change between the current and future state, making it possible to predict the evolution of transition scenarios.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 December 2020

Gazi Mahabubul Alam, Morsheda Parvin, Ahmad Fauzi Bin Mohd Ayub, Romana Kader and Md. Mahfuzur Rahman

An old saying –“Jack of all trades, master of none”– deliberately asserts that the purpose of a master’s degree program is to generate high level job skills in order to improve a…

Abstract

Purpose

An old saying –“Jack of all trades, master of none”– deliberately asserts that the purpose of a master’s degree program is to generate high level job skills in order to improve a nation's economy, while a bachelor degree produces economically productive graduates. Employment of such graduates is fundamentally important for personal and economic development. There is a link between a bachelor’s and master's degree and how these qualifications are linked to the job market. Both horizontal and vertical mismatches are developed which is the central focus of this research.

Design/methodology/approach

Given the differentiated nature of research questions, multiple techniques are used to collect the data. However, this research bears the norms of the qualitative method. Both secondary and primary data are used, and meanwhile secondary data are collected by the banks, Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), University Grants Commission (UGC) and by the institutions sampled. Primary data are gathered from interviews with key people. Data were collected from three institutions of higher education and from six commercial banks and from the Central Bank. The academic results of 21,325 MBA graduates and education backgrounds of 750 executives working in banks served as the basis for establishing our arguments.

Findings

This study discovers that MBA graduates who have studied science subjects achieved much better grades in the MBA compared to their counterparts who studied business from secondary provision to first degree. The market-driven MBA programme has become a “business product”. The major revenue of higher education institutions comes from enrolment in MBA courses. For this reason, a science-friendly MBA program is developed to generate more business. If this continues, the philosophy of the master's program would either be lost or will have to be redefined in the 21st century.

Originality/value

While a few studies have investigated the area of HE in Bangladesh, none covers the impact of MBA degrees on the job market and its contribution to enhancing job skills.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 27 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2004

Sonny Nwankwo and Darlington Richards

One of the overarching goals of many African countries since the past two decades has been the rapid move towards integration with the global economy. This is evident through…

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Abstract

One of the overarching goals of many African countries since the past two decades has been the rapid move towards integration with the global economy. This is evident through far‐reaching macroeconomic and political reforms now taking place in these countries. However, despite the aggressive lurch towards market‐driven transformations, results on the ground have been less than satisfactory – arising largely from a myriad of implementation failures. It appears that while much emphasis is put on the potency of a free market‐driven transition, there is little understanding of how particular institutional arrangements shape and determine the success (or failure) of market/economic reforms. This paper adopts an institutional approach to analyse the transition challenges facing Africa. It concludes that countries in Africa are facing tumultuous problems in achieving sustainable growth, largely because the market‐driven transition programmes are rooted in economic orthodoxy that is anti‐institutional and, therefore, ill‐equipped to deliver desired results. Paradoxically, this appears to be the case with the UN Millennium Development Goals. Improved results in achieving the goals and, indeed, the broader market reform efforts are possible if planners and policy makers are able to root their planning processes within the contextually embedded institutional environment.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 31 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 1 January 2008

Tiger Li

My decision to pursue an academic life in international marketing was unplanned. It was spring 1989 and I was an MBA student in my last semester in East Lansing. Because my MBA…

Abstract

My decision to pursue an academic life in international marketing was unplanned. It was spring 1989 and I was an MBA student in my last semester in East Lansing. Because my MBA concentration was in finance I had applied for a number of finance PhD programs. While waiting for my applications, I was taking an elective course, international marketing, from Prof. S. Tamer Cavusgil. I was immediately hooked. His lectures were absorbing. Difficult concepts became lucid when he explained them with vivid stories. Classical theories became refreshing when he used them as a backdrop for contemporary phenomena.

Details

Michigan State University Contributions to International Business and Innovation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84855-440-5

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2003

Alison Morrison

Over the last decade, research has been reported that appears to underline a mismatch between what is supplied by public sector support agencies in the form of small to…

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Abstract

Over the last decade, research has been reported that appears to underline a mismatch between what is supplied by public sector support agencies in the form of small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) management and leadership development programmes and market needs and expectations. Thus, this paper analyses the underlying issues and progresses understanding through the use of a case study of a significant public sector support agency, along with a focus on one particular industry sector – that of tourism. Findings confirm views that historically there has been a degree of market failure, however, currently there is evidence of sound attempts to reorient from a supply‐driven to a market‐driven model of management development provision. Still to be fully addressed is the development of a cohesive framework that co‐ordinates and facilitates management and leadership development as a lifelong learning. Thus, one of the contributions of this paper is the formulation of such a framework that could provide a reorienting model for SMEs.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 22 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

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