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A workstation‐based system for materials planning is intended to complement a host‐based materials‐planning system, thereby leading to a multi‐level system that combines fully detailed planning procedures with “aggregate” decision support capabilities. Planning objects as well as planning procedures are formulated within the relational database frame‐work. By that means, at execution time the database management system guarantees processing efficiency as well as consistency control. After a short characterisation of the state‐of‐the‐art of database utilisation in conventional materials planning, a set of requirements which have to be met by the proposed approach is formulated. Based on this, the suitability of the relational database model as a framework for multi‐stage materials planning is discussed. In particular, the integration of abstraction hierarchies is emphasised and hierarchical planning procedures adopted from artificial intelligence are integrated into the concept. Some examples adopted from a prototype show that, at least for simple planning problems, it is possible to achieve end‐user support at any level of detail when using a relational database system for materials planning.

Reports on a comprehensive study of the real estate and facilities groups of 20 US organizations. Reviews character, growth, age, finance and structure for example. Offers facilities issues as critical in affecting investment decisions, operational efficiency and cultural attitudes, which in turn can create a comprehensive view of the corporate condition. Argues that this gives a broad view of the organization and insight for today′s needs and tomorrow′s limitations.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a new conceptualization of international marketing agility (IMA). Importantly, the empirical test includes agility’s drivers, outcomes and boundary conditions for its impact on international market performance.

The authors draw on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theories to develop a model and test it quantitatively via structural equation modeling with survey data from 195 Israeli exporters. In addition, the authors seek insights into the findings through post hoc in-depth interviews.

The results indicate that IMA enhances international market performance directly as well as indirectly through exporter’s new products advantage. Interestingly, while promotion adaptation strengthens the positive effect of IMA on new products advantage, product adaptation does not.

Managers need to develop and improve marketing planning and flexibility maintenance capabilities. Furthermore, while maintaining an emphasis on marketing planning, they need to guard against inertia by embracing outside views, a wider range of solutions and a greater awareness of others’ decision-making styles to develop flexibility maintenance capability and achieve superior IMA.

A new conceptualization and operationalization of agility specific to an international marketing context is tested empirically. The complementary role of marketing planning capability and flexibility maintenance capability is demonstrated. Importantly, the vital role of new products advantage as a mediator between agility and performance is examined and the moderating role of international marketing strategy adaptation is investigated.

This paper uses the “planning” or “narrative” approach to agency – which has recently been developed by philosophers Bratman, Gauthier, McClennen and Velleman – to do two things. First, the paper criticises the standard, decision‐theoretic view of “rational” agent action and, second, it sketches a positive model of agency in which agents employ (quasi‐)Kantian maxims to guide their conduct.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the use of strategic planning tools and techniques by hotels in Jordan and the nature of its relationship with managers' views of the strategic planning process.

A review of the literature relating to both strategic planning and strategic planning tools and techniques in both developed and emerging markets is provided. The empirical research was conducted via a questionnaire survey of Jordanian hotels in two cities; namely, Petra and Aqaba.

The main findings of this research are that the Jordanian hotels engage in the strategic planning process by using a number of techniques. The use of strategic planning tools and techniques relates more to the size of hotel and less to age and ownership type. There is a positive relationship between the use of strategic planning techniques and size of hotel. The managers of these hotels have generally positive attitudes towards the strategic planning process. The managers who believe in the benefits of strategic planning engage more in the practice of it.

The nature of this research is descriptive and the method used is a cross‐sectional survey. Therefore, future research could be conducted on a small number of these hotels by using a more in‐depth approach. Second, the sample was restricted to hotels in two cities in Jordan. Further research should include other regions in Jordan and should analyse the ownership types of hotels (such as independent versus chain) and its star rating.

This paper provides empirical evidence about the use of the strategic planning tools and techniques by hotels in an emerging market context.

The Nature of Business Policy Business policy — or general management — is concerned with the following six major functions:

The operating definition of manufacturing strategy in published research has often been too restrictive to accommodate the entire gamut of approaches used in practice. In particular, the manufacturing strategies of world class manufacturers do not fit the prevalent planning orientation suggested by many researchers. Claims a multifaceted view of manufacturing strategy is needed to depict accurately the strategic efforts of all manufacturers. Describes six distinct views of the manufacturing strategy: planning, proactiveness, pattern of actions, portfolio of manufacturing capabilities, programmes of improvement, and performance measurement.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the planning of the National Health reform – especially the “guarantee for care” reform within it – from the perspective of the concept of wicked problems. This concept asserts that it is of the utmost importance to see the true level of complexity of the problems in order to survive them. The paper tries to the answer the question of how the planners of the health care reforms see the problems they are trying to solve.

This is an interview study. A total of 12 people who participated in the planning of the examined reforms at some level were interviewed. The interview method was a semi‐structured thematic interview. The research analysis is theory‐originated content analysis.

The hypothesis is that the planners of the examined reforms do not focus enough on the complexity of the problems they tried to solve. The research, however, shows that the wickedness of the problems was often noticed. Unfortunately it was not taken as seriously as it should have been. In other words, the planners mostly saw that the problems were very complex, but even then the solutions were only like solutions for tame problems or messes.

The paradigm shift from Newtonian science – which sees the world as a deterministic system – to a more complexity‐endorsing view is on its way. The world is a dynamic and open system, which cannot be controlled. The paper makes its own contribution, from the perspective of health care problems and reforms, to advance this paradigm shift.

Children comprise a significant component of developing countries’ populations, but are rarely present in a substantive way in urban decision-making. The first step toward changing the exclusion of children in urban planning is through analyzing the roots of the problem. Applying a critical approach, this research aimed to explore and challenge the structural patterns of society that exclude children and marginalize them in the case of Iran. The present study interviewed Iranian urban planning professionals in a range of roles, to explore the roots of the persistent failure to incorporate children’s voices. The findings revealed various obstacles to including children: on the one hand, these impediments consisted of broad macro-level barriers derived from the cultural context; on the other, obstacles included micro-level barriers associated with planning processes and the urban management system. Together these embedded sociocultural roots provide insights into mechanisms maintaining a top-down approach and preventing it from shifting to a more inclusive and child-friendly approach in planning modern Iranian cities.