Walk or Talk? The Effect of High Performance Work System Strength on Organizational Effectiveness in Selected Banks in Sri Lanka

The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of High Performance Work System (HPWS) strength for Organizational Effectiveness (OE) from the managerial perspective in the banking industry in Sri Lanka. The author used a case study approach for data collection with archival analysis of records and semi- structured interviews with the CEO, Head of HR, two board members and three focus groups (top, middle, and lower level managers across various functional areas) in each bank which altogether covers 44 key informants. The findings support the proposition that the importance of a strong commitment by all the managers across the managerial hierarchy to transmit relevant, consistent and valid Human Resource Management (HRM) messages and information across the organization leads to more effective organizational effectiveness. Case study informants reported links between HPWS strength and OE. Key Words: High Performance Work Systems, High Performance Work System Strength, Organizational Effectiveness, Banking Industry, Sri Lank

Extending Health Information System Evaluation with an Importance‐Performance Map Analysis

Evaluation of a health information system is necessary for determining effective use and for enhancing the productivity of medical practitioners. However, the current system evaluation toolkit does not recommend specific areas required for further improvement. The objective of this chapter was to identify those constructs and their attributes that were the most suitable candidates for managerial intervention by applying partial least squares structural equation modeling. In doing so, the quantitative survey was adopted from the past studies together with new items creation representing system quality, records quality, service quality, and knowledge quality as the predictors while effective use and user performance as the outcomes. When extending the findings in importance‐performance map analysis, two‐system quality attributes (workflows fit and work styles fit) and all‐knowledge quality attributes exhibited higher importance rank for managerial actions. The chapter also provides a valuable recommendation for the policy and decision‐makers at the managerial level on how to apply the proposed system evaluation method in producing more efficient strategic‐planning strategies for further system upgrades and new implementation at health facilities

Individual Entrepreneurship Capacity and Performance of SMEs

This paper analyses the importance of human capital and organizational capital on the determination of SME’s performance, by proposing and testing a conceptual model about Individual Entrepreneurship Capacity, and its impact both on non-economic and economic performance. This constitutes an innovative approach in the sense that uses information collected at the individual level, that is, the entrepreneur. Moreover, it constitutes a first attempt for facing the caveat in the literature on the relationship among types of capital and entrepreneurial performance. A model where the individual entrepreneurship capital is defined as a function of two types of capital: Human and Organizational; is proposed and empirically tested. For the Human Capital we consider three dimensions: (a) Individual Characteristics; (b) Managerial Push; and (c) Managerial Pull. As concerns the Organizational Capital, four dimensions are considered: (i) Individual Entrepreneurial Behavior; (ii) Collective Entrepreneurial Behavior; (iii) Managerial Practices; and (iv) Organizational Culture (in terms of the Superstructure and the Socio-Structure). The use of the stepwise method provides the selection of significant variables that impact on SME’s performance. When only non-economic indicators are considered for measuring the performance, in what respects the human capital we find out that the only significant variable is: enthusiasm at work. In what concerns the organizational capital the significant variables are: efficient organizational structure; participative management; incentives for interdisciplinary discussion and dialogue; and frequent meetings of working groups. For its turn, when economic indicators are considered for measuring the performance, we find out that the significant human capital determinants are: entrepreneur’s intuition; and propensity for innovating activities. In terms of organizational capital determinants we reveal that the significant variables are: efficient organizational structure; and use of external indicators for improving entrepreneurial performance. The main policy implication of the paper is the possibility of creating, at an individual level, new incentives and motivational tools based on the identification of the most important variables of human capital and organizational capital, for fostering SME’s performance.Human Capital, Organizational Capital, Performance, SME

Smart Systems:The Role of Advanced Technologies in Improving Business Quality, Performance and Supply Chain Integration

Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and Smart Systems (SSs) have become an important focus for industry, especially in the manufacturing and retail sectors. The aim of this paper is to analyse the importance of SSs and their related technologies in improving business performance. Through an initial systematic review of sixty-one papers, the authors identify six key determinants that lead to the effective application of SSs in business systems, namely, the application of effective managerial skills, supply chain integration, financial analysis, business performance, strategic and operational capabilities, and technologies. The work then goes on to develop an industry case study that informs thinking on the capabilities of smart technologies in collaborative working environments and then onto the development of a practice-focused framework for future research. This study identifies that the implementation of SSs within organisations not only improves business performance but also their supply chains through the effective integration of business activities and systems, and through the degree to which communication and decision-making is facilitated between humans and devices. This leads to the improvement of quality, speed of information, and information sharing. This study also finds that there is a lack of systems standards that currently govern IoT and SSs integration and data security within businesses

Smart Systems:The Role of Advanced Technologies in Improving Business Quality, Performance and Supply Chain Integration

Technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and Smart Systems (SS) have become an important focus for industry, especially in the manufacturing and retail sectors. The aim of this paper is to analyse the importance of SS and their re-lated technologies towards improving business performance. Through an initial systematic review of sixty-one papers, the authors identify six key determinants that lead to the effective application of SS in business systems namely; application of effective managerial skills, supply chain integration, financial analysis, business performance, strategic/operational capabilities and, technologies. The work then goes on to develop an industry case study that informs thinking on the capabilities of smart technologies in collaborative working environments and then onto the development of a practice focused framework for future research. This study identifies that the implementation of SS within organisations not only improves business performance but their supply chains too through the effective integration of business activities and systems and, through the degree to which communication and decision-making is being facilitated between humans and devices. This leads to the improvement of quality, speed of information and, information sharing. The study also finds that there is a lack of systems standards that currently govern IoT/SS integration and data security within businesses

Reforming tax systems - the World Bank record in the 1990s

The main constraint on world Bank operations in tax and customs administration is the Bank's inadequate institutional framework for accumulating knowledge from loan operations, concludes this review of the Bank's record on reform of tax systems in the 1990s. The Bank's theoretical basis for reforming tax and customs administration is still rudimentary. Recent theories stress the importance of institutions that harness voice and improve transparency and contestability, but there is little evidence that reform of these factors alone makes tax administration more effective. Improvements are needed in pre-project diagnosis and project design, especially for examining accountability, administration costs, managerial autonomy, performance incentives for staff, taxpayer equity and services, and environmental factors. Pre-project work could draw more systematically on lessons from previous experience. Institutional components of project design have been biased toward organization, manpower upgrading, and procedures related to information technology. Too little attention has been paid to improving accountability, administrative cost-effectiveness, and anticorruption institution-building. Projects have made inadequate use of different kinds of performance indicators, with little uniformity in those applied. Methods used to evaluate project outcomes could be better and more uniform. Suggestions for future Bank operations: 1) doing better background work and articulating a strategy and comprehensive framework for Bank involvement in reform of tax administration. 2) Possibly supporting and strengthening regional tax administration associations, which could serve as catalysts for change. 3) Strengthening partnering and supporting private sector consultant organizations, so they can manage major components of administrative reform. 4) Institutionalizing the accumulation of knowledge about tax administration (which might require changing staff recruitment, the mix of staff skills, and training plans). The authors provide recommendations for improving project diagnosis, design, performance indicators, and appraisal, as well as a short list of projects that serve as guides to good practice.Enterprise Development&Reform,Decentralization,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Banks&Banking Reform,National Governance,Public Sector Economics&Finance,Municipal Financial Management,Tax Policy and Administration

Which attributes are important to tourists in a mature seaside destination? A case of Opatija in Croatia

Tourist\u27s perception of destination attributes provides valuable managerial information for the tourism destination planning process. Destination attributes evaluation assists the management to recognize the tourist\u27s satisfaction and thereby to direct the course of destination competitiveness. Mature seaside destinations suffer from the lack of differentiation, which is corollary of losing position in the competitive tourism market. The present study evaluates the attributes of the seaside destination Opatija from the tourist\u27s perspective. Following this, a sample of 252 randomly chosen tourists were asked to complete a structured questionnaire. Destination attributes were evaluated using the gap analyses and Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). The study identified four actors of Opatija attributes: destination basic attributes, thematic attractions, culture and local gastronomy and accessibility. On the basis of factor analysis and grand mean values, IPA was designed. Neither factors were identified in Quadrant I Concentrate Here nor in Quadrant IV Possible Overkill. In Quadrant II Keep up the Work were identified Destination basic attributes and Culture and local gastronomy, while in Quadrant III Low Priority were identified Accessibility and Thematic attributes. The results of the research highlight the necessity of differentiated strategic development of destination attributes. The article includes managerial implications of the findings and suggestions for future research in related context

Issues in Managerial Compensation Research

[Excerpt] Compensation is at the core of any employment exchange (Milkovich & Newman, 1993; Simon, 1951). It is probably the most basic reason people agree to become employees and it serves as a defining characteristic of any employment relationship (March & Simon, 1958). Recently, managers have been bombarded with a profusion of ways to pay employees. There is team-based pay, broad-banding, pay at risk, paying for competencies, paying for skills, and even The New pay. Understanding which of these have the potential to add value and which are relatively more effective is a tough task, like untying the Gordian knot. Rather than simply cutting through the problem (Alexander the Great\u27s tack), managers often seek guidance from research. Yet, researchers have also been bombarded - not just with new practices, but also with new theories. Included in this theoretic barrage is agency theory, tournament models, contingency theory, institutional theory, procedural justice, political influence theory, organizational demography, resource dependency, psychological contracts, and the resource-based view of the firm. The list seems almost endless. If Lord Keynes is correct that theories drive practical peoples\u27 decisions, understanding which of these theories is useful and which is not is important for both compensation researchers and practical decision makers

Environmental Accounting and Financial Performance of Oil and Gas Companies in Nigeria

Environmental accounting serves as a systematic approach in managing the environmental aspects of company activities. The shift in business economics towards environmental issues has led to the realization of the increasing importance of research in environmental accounting. This study employs the use of questionnaires in order to receive direct (primary) information from companies that produces environmentally friendly products. The findings in this study suggests among other things, that lack of environmental reporting and disclosure standards significantly affects the reporting and disclosure uniformity of environmental related information in financial statements, annual reports and accounts. Thus, environmentally friendly organizations who voluntary disclose their environmental activities enjoy high level of competiveness. Still, such disclosure is guided by the social responsibility and commitment on the part of entities that work as strong agents for polluting the environment. Conclusively, issues related to financial performance, managerial accounting, external and internal auditing, tax and financial accounting need to be studied further in order to deal with other environmental issues effectively. This study thereby gave some recommendations among others is the recommendation that government should make environmental reporting in annual reports compulsory since most organizations hardly report their environmental activities in their reports. Keywords: Environment Accounting, Disclosure, Financial Performance, Oil and Gas. DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/10-10-21 Publication date:May 31st 201

Corporate governance, stakeholding and the nature of employment relations within the firm

This paper investigates the effect of different forms of corporate governance on the structure and nature of stakeholder relationships within organizations and the consequent impact on employment relations within the firm. In this, HRM assumes a dual role in delivering improvements in production efficiency and in fostering employee commitment to the organization and its objectives. However, different forms of corporate governance prioritise stakeholder interests in ways that may bring these two objectives into conflict. To address these questions, we examine the interrelationship between corporate governance, HRM practices and HRM outcomes in a comparative analysis of companies operating under alternative forms of governance, including private sector, public sector and family-owned firms. The empirical analysis is based on the UK Work and Employment Relations Survey (WERS98)