Educating managers for business and government : a review of international experience

Managers, in both the private and public sectors, are increasingly recognized as critical in the use of scarce resources for national development. There is no unanimity of opinion, however, regarding the models or approaches to management education that are most appropriate in different environmental settings. This report encompasses management education for each of the following groups: the managers and future managers of large scale enterprises; entrepreneurs and small businessmen; and public administrators. It reviews worldwide trends and developments in management education for lessons in such areas as curriculum design, research and teaching methodology, and institutional policies and administration. Experience is drawn from recognized universities, educational organizations, civil service institutes, and corporations in several major countries and regions of the world.ICT Policy and Strategies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Teaching and Learning,Curriculum&Instruction,Primary Education

Cooperation platform for distributed manufacturing

The aim of the paper is to analyse contemporary trends in distributed manufacturing (DM) research and to present a concept to develop and test some task allocation, planning and scheduling algorithms for DM network organisations. Some concepts to identify key factor criteria and reasoning policies and rules for production/manufacturing decision support system are also undertaken. And finally, an aim is to draw a proposal for a development of a prototype decision support system with necessary communication and knowledge oriented modules to be implemented in an example of dynamic, DM and logistics network structure, particularly for very popular dynamic cluster forms in Poland. The developed concept of the organization of a multi-entity DM network will enable business-effective use of the system, supporting manufacturing decision making, consulting and offering information services in the control centre (the so-called Competence Centre) by constructing virtual reality and access to services in a distributed network of cloud computing type. Integration of the whole system into one information system will enable analysis and network resource optimization of manufacturing and logistics processes, new analytical functions, reduction of delays in the manufacturing system, management of changes and risks, and visualization of the current state of the DM system

Making the Mechanism of Enterprise Performance Management

This paper is devoted to the development and methodological ground of a conception of making the mechanism of enterprise performance management. It describes a model of implementation of performance benchmarking on the enterprise includes the sequence of operations, which enables to connect together several key management functions, and clearly divide the performance management process into several steps. It provides both direct and feedback to ensure continuity of performance management process. Author proposes an organizational mechanism to reduce the time and resources to implement the process of enterprise performance management that consists in an organization of the branch and regional benchmarking agencies (BBA and RBA). The BBA and RBA systems are functionally complement each other, and contribute to the accelerated development of various industries and regions: RBA increases the level of innovation development of efficient enterprises; BBA raises to this level remaining, less-efficient enterprises of the industry.benchmarking agency, economic efficiency, organizational mechanism, performance benchmarking, performance management.

Sustainable supply chain management needs sustainable logistics services. The strategic role played by logistics service providers

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine the concept of sustainable service co-creation in triadic business relationships in logistics and supply chain management. More companies seek to develop sustainable solutions that would not be sustainable exclusively for themselves but for the supply chain they belong to. In doing that – especially when dealing with services – they may need the external support from logistics service providers (LSPs). This paper aims to explore the innovative initiatives undertaken by LSPs in triadic relationship management with their customers and suppliers while co-creating sustainable services along the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – To investigate the research question, a systematic literature review and empirical exploratory investigation through case study will be conducted adopting the qualitative methodology, to explore trends and evolving paradigms. Findings – A literature review conducted in this paper enriches existing literature through an integration of sustainability in a viable system approach and logistics service provision, in particular, it investigates the ways in which sustainability is achieved. It is assumed that the triadic relationship among an LSP and its customers and suppliers requires significant modifications in collaboration and an innovative approach in operating procedures. Research limitations/implications – This paper is an exploratory study and limited in its scope to an example of a relationship that focuses mainly on three actors: the supplier, the LSP and the customer. However, it could be extended in terms of numbers of case studies investigated. Practical implications – The implications arising from the literature and the empirical research offer a range of current sustainable practices in the services sector. This could be a starting point for other research and company activities. Originality/value – There is little research that addresses the issue of sustainability and logistics service providers simultaneously, hence the present paper is meant to fill the gap by providing a foundation which actors of different supply chains could use as a benchmark. This study gives evidence of how logistics services may contribute to sustainable development. Key words – sustainable supply chain management, logistics service providers, viable system approach, co-creation, business relationship managemen

How reporting and controlling systems can be effectively designed to support the decision-making process: the case of a software SME

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsThis Work Project (WP) addresses the challenges faced by companies, particularly software houses, in reporting, decision making and controlling project performance activities. It focuses on issues regarding design and implementation of management control systems to support those activities and help achieve strategic goals. The WP suggests courses of action to be followed to improve the quality of information provided by such systems for budgeting and costing projects, and evaluate their performance. A case study approach (Ryan et al. 2002) was followed, applying Pinheiro’s (2007) control plan to a real company. The findings may apply to other companies facing similar constraints

Adaptation of domestic state governance to international governance models

The purpose of the article is to provide the evolving international trends of modern management models and authorial vision of model of state governance system in Ukraine, its subsystems, in particular, the system of provision of administrative services that is appropriate for the contemporary times. Methodology. On the basis of scientific and theoretical approaches to the definitions of terms “state governance” and “public governance”, there was an explanation of considerable difference between them and, taking into consideration, the mentality of Ukrainian society and peculiar weak side in self-organization, the authors offered to form authorial model of governance on the basis of historically traditional for Ukraine model of state governance and to add some elements of management concepts that proved their significance, efficiency and priority in practice. Results. The authors emphasized the following two prevailing modern management models in the international practice: “new state management” and “good governance”. The first concept offered for consideration served as a basis for the semantic content of state activity that reflects more the state of administrative reformation. Practical meaning. A practical introduction of management to the domestic model of governance creates the range of contradictions that do not allow implementing herein concept. Pursuant to authors, the second one allows in considerable measure to reform state governance, considering historically developed peculiarities of this model. Moreover, the involvement of concept herein into introduction of informational and communicational technologies in the process of governance eliminates the necessity of power decentralization, it allows to form real net structure and, at the same, to keep vertical power structure, to involve citizens for formation and taking of management decisions, to form electronic communicational channel of feedback, to provide citizens with electronic administrative services. All indicated advantages of the concept certify about the necessity to reform state governance exactly in this field. Meaning/ Distinction. This article raises a question about the significance of formation and sequence of state policy in Ukraine aimed at creating an information-oriented society, space, as well as informational and technological infrastructure

Net structure of subject-to-subject relations in the management of the system of administrative services provision

The purpose of the work is to form the net structure of management of the system of administrative services provision on the basis of implementation of subject-to-subject interactions between state sector and civil society. Methodology. The methodology basis for the investigation is the abstract-logical analysis of theoretical and methodological backgrounds for management of relations and interactions. For the theoretical generalization and formation of net structure, there are used scientific recommendations of Ukrainian scientists regarding the necessity to implement subject-to-subject relations in the system of administrative services provision. Results. The investigations allowed confirming that the hierarchical structure of the state governance system does not give an opportunity to implement equal interaction between a subject of provision and a subject of an appeal as these relations have one – way communication and the feedback channel has a formal character. Moreover, the civil society is not considered by state sector to be a source of methods and ways to develop the system of state governance, in particular, the management system of administrative services provision. Practical meaning. The net structure of management will allow implementing the subject-subject relations in the system, under which the actions of the subject of provision – that means state sector – will be directed to the realization of rights and interests of the subjects of appeal. In their turn, apart from the performance of all legislative responsibilities that they should perform, they can carry out activities directed to the development of management activity in the system of administrative services provision and the whole system of state governance as an integral system of management. Meaning/Distinction. The provided model of the net structure will allow involving citizens in the processes of state governance and increasing the impact of the civil sector during the making of state and management decisions and, as a result, to confirm subject-to-subject positions in the relations

The Management Accounting Needs of Small Enterprises And the Role of Small Accounting Practices.

Management accounting research has previously focused mostly on large firms rather than SMEs despite the significance of SMEs in the UK economy. The high failure rate of small enterprises in the UK points to the need to increase their financial robustness. Small accounting practices (SAPs) would seem to provide a possible alternative source of management accounting information for businesses too small to afford in-house accountants, but the literature over thirty years suggests that this approach has not been adopted. The sparse research in this area has proposed disparate reasons for the limited use of SAPs, without providing a definitive explanation. The intractability of the barriers to the use of SAPs for the provision of management accounting information points to a mismatch between management accounting theory, which tends to be based on neo-classical economics, and the approach used in practice in small firms and SAPs. The research investigates these barriers, assessing the extent to which owner-managers carry out management accounting in small enterprises despite the opportunity costs involved and explores the reasons behind their tendency not to seek management accounting services from SAPs. It also evaluates the potential of SAPs to provide management accounting services and the reasons limiting their promotion. The research draws on a critical realist perspective using qualitative, multiple case studies involving semi-structured interviews to examine the degree to which neo-classical economic theory,old institutional economics and new institutional sociology can explain how the barriers have arisen and why they have remained. The findings expand existing research on management accounting by bringing into focus the interaction between actors and their structural context in small firms and SAPs, demonstrating how that shapes management accounting practices, particularly with regard to the barriers to the greater use of SAPs

Exploring Enterprise Life Cycle: Differences in Informal and Formal Institutional Measures of Business Ethics Implementation

Since science recognizes the fact that an enterprise passes through different life cycle stages, and that life cycle stages differ in terms of management systems, formal structures, control systems, documentation of transactions, and number of procedural hurdles, our main research problem was focused on differences in informal and formal institutional measures of business ethics implementation. The case study research methodology was applied to explore the differences of informal and formal institutional measures of business ethics implementation at different stages of enterprise life cycle. The pre-designed questionnaire was used in conducting face-to-face interviews with 40 managers who were in most cases also owners of the studied enterprises.