A New Social Contract for the American Workplace: From Paternalism to Partnering

As American business struggles to cope with global competition, technological breakthroughs, and various forms of deregulation, the workplace is being thrown into turmoil. Against this backdrop, 1994 is also on pace to set a record for publicly announced downsizings, most of them justified under the banner of restructuring. This study is the first comprehensive look at this evolving picture.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mlw_papers/1164/thumbnail.jp

Values, visions, strategies and goals: Is coaching a viable pathway?

There is no doubt that higher education is in a state of continuous change. Academics have to consider how they balance teaching, research, and community and professional involvement. Alongside this they have to offer leadership and manage change, which in turn demands an understanding of the shifting relationships between information, finance, physical and human resources and quality control. Some of the challenging agendas resulting from the management of these functions can be mapped against external, often politically-motivated shifts within the education culture. Others enter the realm of personal responsibility and personal choice.In this context, to be a successful researcher often means balancing the demands of leadership agendas breadth of knowledge, strategic planning and resource management) against the personally motivated activities of a research agenda (creativity, originality, discipline based identity and allegiances).In this paper we examine how existing support systems such as mentoring empower individuals to prioritise research or enable a balance to be made between management roles and research activity. Secondly we examine the role coaching might play in this context. The paper provides a case study of the coaching experience from the viewpoint of a senior academic who has recently made a transition between educational institutions. We offer insights into different management styles and examine strategies for leadership and working relationships, which includes reflection on working methods and the capacity for change as a form of personal development

Switches and mortar in the Internet's shadow : a study of the effects of technology on competitive strategy for the Internet's landlords

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2000.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-138).Communications technology has experienced a period of explosive growth, driven by a confluence of legal, political and technical factors including the following: the 1968 Carter Phone and 1980's competitive carrier decisions, the 1984 divestiture of AT&T, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the development and standardization of new technologies, and the proliferation of the Internet and World Wide Web. This thesis asks the fundamental questions: How has the rapid growth of the Internet and other communications technologies changed the competitive strategy of commercial tenants, and how have these changes affected commercial real estate developers? This study proposes that developers and landlords need to use more forward-looking theories of competitive strategy in order to understand the current and future real estate needs of technology-driven commercial tenants. Telecommunications deregulation and the growth of the Internet led to the creation of a new and rapidly growing high technology industry and commercial tenancy. Deregulation and the Internet also transformed the way traditional commercial real estate uses information technology, encouraged the forging of partnerships between commercial real estate professionals and "last mile" information technology contractors, and resulted in the creation of a new commercial real estate product-the telecom hotel.' Current literature suggests traditional commercial tenants might differ from Internet-based business tenants in four general areas of the development process: feasibility, site selection, design and building operations. The proliferation of the Internet as a catalyst for new real estate products, commercial tenants and partnerships, and the observed differences in development practices between traditional and commercial tenants are both clues to fundamental differences between these two tenants' competitive strategies. It is possible to understand these clues to tenant behavior by taking an in-depth look at how these two tenants compete in their respective industries. Traditional commercial business tenants appear to conform to Michael Porter's theories on competitive strategy and advantage. High-tech tenant's competitive strategies seem to be more accurately reflected by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad's model of competition for the future. These two theories, and the industries they represent, differ in four dimensions: Future versus Past/Present orientation, technology use, rate of growth, and resource use. In comparing three case studies on these four strategic dimensions, this thesis concludes that Porter's more stable, efficiency-oriented model does explain the strategy of Northwestern Mutual, a large insurance organization. Hamel and Prahalad's model better explains the hectic, high growth, future orientation of Akamai and YankeeTek Incubator as well as Teleplace, a telecom hotel service company. Hamel and Prahalad and Porter's frameworks explain significant discrepancies between predicted development practices based on current industry thinking, and observed development practices based on these in depth case studies. This thesis thus verifies a need by real estate developers and landlords to use forward-looking theories of competitive strategy when examining the current and future needs of hightech tenants.by Geoffrey Morgan and Benjamin V.A. Pettigrew.S.M

The Impact of videoconferencing on the corporate travel industry

The wave of the future for businesses is technology. New technology is evolving everyday and in particular, the videoconferencing industry is steadily growing. The corporate travel industry may be influenced by videoconferencing. The focus of this study was to identify the impacts of videoconferencing on management decisions for employee travel. A review of literature, focusing on information technology and videoconferencing was completed. Information was gathered by studying industry journals and current publications. A questionnaire was used to collect further research. The survey was sent to decision makers for employee travel. The questionnaire was designed to capture both present and future perspectives. The questions were developed to gather information regarding strategic planning, economic development, employee growth and customer satisfaction within a corporate travel department. These areas were used to determine the impact of videoconferencing on the corporate travel industry. Overall, the results determined that videoconferencing has no significant impact on management decisions for employee travel. However, the study determined two facts that should be considered by corporate travel departments and agencies when developing their companies corporate travel strategic plan. Recommendations for further studies were suggested. Additional research would help the corporate travel industry plan for the future

A Comparative Analysis of the Impact of New Technology Implementation on Organizational Structure and Corporate Decision-Making

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science & Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Industrial Technology by Michelle L. McCleese in the Spring of 2005

Understanding new venture market application search processes: A propositional model.

Technology-based ventures are confronted with complex decisions on how to apply their technology platform in highly uncertain and ambiguous market environments. Based on four case studies, a dynamic decision model is developed in which we highlight the similarities between the search and learning processes in venture development contexts and in new product development contexts. This entrepreneurial search and learning process is understood as consisting of sequences of episodes – characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity - and scripts – i.e. approaches to market application search. The model implies that a venture's adaptability - i.e. its ability to move efficiently and effectively between these episodes and their related scripts - influences its survival.Case studies; Decision; Decisions; Learning; Market; Model; Processes; Product; Product development; Research; Sequences; Similarity; Studies; Technology; Uncertainty;

Superior/Subordinate Communication in an Effective Organization

This thesis documents the communication climate of a Fortune 500 business to determine if it contains key components essential for effective communication. A model developed to identify components of an ideal managerial climate for effective communication between superiors and subordinates was used. The model was published in 1972 by Dr. W. Charles Redding of Purdue and applied to a rocket manufacturing plant\u27s communication climate that existed from 1991 to 1996. The findings contain evidence that validates Redding\u27s model 25 years after it was first published and provides a framework for improving communication effectiveness at the plant

Issues in NASA program and project management. Special Report: 1993 conference

This volume is the seventh in an ongoing series on aerospace project management at NASA. Articles in this volume cover the 1993 Conference: perspectives in NASA program/project management; the best job in aerospace; improvements in project management at NASA; strategic planning...mapping the way to NASA's future; new NASA procurement initiatives; international cooperation; and industry, government and university partnership. A section on resources for NASA managers rounds out the publication