Book review and commentary: good strategy/bad strategy: the difference and why it matters

Strategy is in trouble: noted shortcomings include a failure to anticipate the fi nancial crisis, exposed defi ciencies in its economic heritage, and once lauded companies succumbing to complacency and inertia (e.g. Nokia and Kodak). In addition, the language of strategy (mission, vision, objectives, etc.) has become increasingly empty, promoting convergence and similarity as opposed to divergence and uniqueness. According to Rumelt, the real problem is not that companies are getting strategy wrong but that they ‘aren’t getting it all’ (Hill, 2011). With a 40-year track record and McKinsey’s designation as ‘strategy’s strategist’, Rumelt commands attention when discussing issues of strategy. His contributions are not known for their regularity (there is a 37-year interval since his last strategy text) but, critically, they are known for their impact. Conceptually, Rumelt’s (1979) work unpacking the dynamics of strategy evaluation is still a classic. Empirically, Rumelt (1982) was one of the fi rst to demonstrate a relationship between corporate strategy and profi tability. His 1991 paper ‘How Much Does Industry Matter?’ provided the much needed empirical impetus for the resource-based view of the fi rm, indicating that the characteristics of individual fi rms were actually more predictive of profi tability than traditionally assumed industry characteristics (Rumelt, 1991). The implication was that being good at what you do mattered a lot more than what industry you were in. This theme is transferred to Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, and here it is clear that ‘good strategy’ is the exception, while its antithesis is the rule. So how does the distinction between good and bad strategy play out

Diversity techniques for omnidirectional telemetry coverage of the HiMAT research vehicle

The highly maneuverable aircraft technology (HiMAT) remotely piloted research vehicle (RPRV) was flight tested and a number of technological advances applicable to future fighter aircraft were demonstrated. The aircraft control system uses airborne and ground-based computers which communicate via uplink and downlink telemetry. Antenna radiation patterns are normally much less than ideal for continuous reception or transmission for all aircraft attitudes. After flight qualification and testing on other aircraft, a frequency diversity concept and an antenna diversity concept were implemented on the HiMAT vehicle to obtain omnidirectional telemetry coverage

Polyvinyl Acetate Lattices as Adhesives for Pigment-Coated Paper

In recent years, the possibility of using synthetic latices as adhesives in the paper coating industry has caused much interest. The manufacturers of latices uncovered a new market by fostering developmental research in the field of pigment coating binders. Polyvinyl acetate latices were one of the group of products studied in this manner. In the past, experts in the field of coating believed that synthetic latices could contribute substantial improvements to some optical properties of coated papers over and above that of conventional adhesives. It was also felt that synthetic latices could exhibit higher pigment binding power than conventional adhesives. Recently, Hsia (1) found that polyvinyl acetate latex produced significant improvements of optical properties of coated papers over and above those of conventional casein based coatings. However, the pigment binding power of casein was found to higher than that of the polyvinyl acetate latex used by Hsia. The purpose of this study was to explore further, the significant results of Hsia\u27s investigation

Unlocking the black box: line managers and HRM performance in a call centre context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show the way to unlock the black box of HRM and performance linkages by exploring one of the key variables that mediates the link, namely whether line managers can stimulate improvements in firm performance by eliciting appropriate employee outcomes in a call centre context. Design/methodology/approach – The research draws on Purcell's "People-Performance Model" as a sensitising framework to inform an in-depth case study of a call centre. This provides a mechanism to unlock the HRM-Performance black box by focusing on the ability, motivation and opportunities for line managers to perform and any subsequent impact on employee outcomes. Data were collected over multiple site visits by means of multi-level interviews and a survey of telesales representatives (TSRs). Findings – Research findings indicate that one large client exerted significant control over the HRM policies developed within the call centre. Evidence suggests, however, that line managers'interventions ameliorated some of the negative aspects of work tasks and the HRM imposed by this dependency relationship. Research limitations/implications – This research is an exploratory attempt to better understand HRM-Performance linkages in one specific context. Results are not generalisable across contexts or even within call centres, which can vary extensively. Nonetheless, the research suggests that exploring line management behaviour is a promising avenue for more extensive research. Originality/value – This paper considers HRM-Performance linkages in a service context. Results indicate that both external relations and line managers are critical mediating variables conditioning HRM-Performance linkages, thereby lending support to the notion that hard and soft HRM practices are not necessarily irreconcilable

The Mass of the Universe and Other Relations in the Idea of a Possible Cosmic Quantum Mechanics

Recent observations confirm that galactic red-shifts might be quantized and hint a possible new form of quantum mechanics, which could probably explain these observed properties of the galaxies. This brief note investigates some expressions for the mass of the universe MU, which were obtained with the help of the definition of the new cosmic Planck’s constant ħg

A Derivation of π(n) Based on a Stability Analysis of the Riemann-Zeta Function

The prime-number counting function π(n), which is significant in the prime number theorem, is derived by analyzing the region of convergence of the real-part of the Riemann- Zeta function using the unilateral z-transform. In order to satisfy the stability criteria of the z-transform, it is found that the real part of the Riemann-Zeta function must converge to the prime-counting function

Detection of the Relativistic Corrections to the Gravitational Potential Using a Sagnac Interferometer

General Relativity predicts the existence of relativistic corrections to the static Newtonian potential which can be calculated and verified experimentally. The idea leading to quantum corrections at large distances is that of the interactions of massless particles which only involve their coupling energies at low energies. In this short paper we attempt to propose the Sagnac interferometric technique as a way of detecting the relativistic correction suggested for the Newtonian potential, and thus obtaining an estimate for phase difference using a satellite orbiting at an altitude of 250 km above the surface of the Earth