Pathways for Improving Nigeria\u27s Procurement System

The manual procurement processes used by some private companies result in increased costs and contract fulfillment delays. The focus of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies procurement managers use to reduce costs and contract fulfillment delays. The population for this study was three procurement managers of private plastics companies located at Maitama, in Abuja, Nigeria. Weiss\u27s theory of change was the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews and an exploration of company archival financial documents. Data were transcribed, coded, and then validated through member checking, resulting in the emergence of 5 themes: change implementation strategies, strategies for reducing cost and contract fulfillment delays, change implementation barriers, employee-focused factors, and strategies for responding to the changing external environmental factors. The 2 most important themes identified from the study were change implementation strategies and strategies for reducing cost and contract fulfillment delays. These strategies could help organizational leaders who desire improved procurement process change to define long-term goals and then map backward to identify preconditions to achieve the preferred change. The implications for positive social change include increased sustainability for companies and the consequent potential to increase employment among youth, improve standards of living of the workforce, and reduce social vices in Abuja, Nigeria

The impact of supply chain structure on the use of supplier socially responsible practices

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the integration of social issues in the management of supply chains from an operations management perspective. Further, this research aims to develop a set of scales to measure multiple dimensions of supplier socially responsible practices. Finally, the paper examines the importance of three dimensions of supply chain structure, namely transparency, dependency and distance, for the adoption of these socially responsible practices. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on literature from several theoretical streams, current best‐practice in leading firms and emerging international standards, four dimensions of supplier socially responsible practices were identified. Also, a multi‐dimensional conceptualization of supply chain structure, including transparency, dependency and distance, was synthesized from earlier research. Using this conceptual development, a large‐scale survey of plant managers in three industries in Canada provided an empirical basis for validating these constructs, and then assessing the relationships between structure and practices. Findings – Multi‐item scales for each of the four dimensions of supplier socially responsible practices were validated empirically: supplier human rights; supplier labour practices; supplier codes of conduct; and supplier social audits. Increased transparency, as reflected in greater product visibility by the end‐consumer was related to increased use of supplier human rights, which in turn can help to protect a firm's brands. Organizational distance, as measured by the total length of the supply chain (number of tiers in the supply chain), was related to increased use of multiple supplier socially responsible practices. Finally, as the plant was positioned further upstream in the supply chain, managers reported increased use of supplier codes of conduct. Practical implications – As senior managers extend, redesign or restructure their supply chains, the extent to which social issues must be monitored and managed changes. The four categories of supplier socially responsible practices identified help managers characterize their firm's approach to managing social issues. Furthermore, managers must more actively manage the development of supplier socially responsible practices in their firms when the supply chain has more firms; and when brands have stronger recognition in the marketplace. Originality/value – The paper makes three contributions to the extant literature. First, the construct of social issues is defined and framed within the broader debate on sustainable development and stakeholder management. Second, social practices are delineated for supply chain management, and a set of scales is empirically validated for assessing the degree of development of supplier socially responsible practices. Finally, the link between supply chain structure and the adoption of supplier socially responsible practices is examined. This last contribution provides a basis for understanding, so that managers can extend and reshape current views about how social issues must be managed

Conflict resolution in six United Methodist colleges in North Carolina : a plan

This study was undertaken to explore conflict and conflict resolution in organizations in general, and United Methodist institutions of higher education in North Carolina in particular. Further, the study was an effort to develop a useful plan for conflict resolution for these institutions. The basic research method used was the survey of literature, with attention to the literature of organizational conflict and conflict resolution, the literature of private institutions of higher education in North Carolina, and the literature of existing, and proven effective, experiences used in conflict resolution

Case Study: Does Korea Telecom’s (KT) Sustainability Achievements Follow the Ten Steps Approach?

Many companies have reduced greenhouse gas emissions and gone paperless, shrunk packaging and eliminated hazardous substances from their products. They also have dramatically reduced the amount of water and energy they consume and the amount of waste they produce. They have attracted highly engaged employees and have written supplier Codes of Conduct and started monitoring supplier performance. This case study compares a practical application of Korea Telecom’s (KT) initiatives on sustainability with the theoretical viewpoint of the “Ten Steps to Sustainable business in 2013” from the Ivey Business Journal. As a result, we can see that eight out of the ten steps matched KT’s initiatives and provided support for KT’s top placing in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) for the third consecutive year. Thus, we can deduce that this theoretical viewpoint is to a large extent a practical application in the real world, and in this case, KT