The Link between BPR, Evolutionary Delivery and Evolutionary Development

In this paper we intend to show how the challenges of managing a Business Process Reengineering (BPR) project are consistent with the ones of a Systems Development project. As traditional management techniques were no longer appropriate in the changing business environment, companies employed BPR to achieve elevated business performance. Similarly, as traditional systems development approaches delivered disappointing results, system developers experimented with other models, including Evolutionary Delivery and Evolutionary Development, in order to enable successful technology exploitation by businesses. Both these business and systems initiatives embrace elements of cultural change, management flexibility, empowerment, organisational readiness, and technology introduction in a changing environment. We will present the similarities of the two initiatives and show how progress in one initiative could contribute in the progress of the other

The Necessary Architecture of Self-Regulating Teams

In this paper we present the meaning of self-regulation in Self- Regulating Teams (SRTs) and show the importance of self- regulating teams in a learning organisation. Self-regulating (also known as self-managing) teams guide and perform their own tasks without a visible leader. In the present dynamic business environment, SRTs promise to deliver higher motivation and empowerment to the individuals that participate in them as well as elevated performance and efficiency to the organisations that implement them. However, as management support and change in business culture are prerequisites for the success of SRTs, their implementation is not an easy task. Often, unsuccessful SRTs have been (in our opinion, wrongly) criticized as a source of ambiguity for organisations and as yet another management technique that does not deliver its promises. We start exploring the validity of such a criticism by discussing the shift from a training paradigm to a self- development paradigm in order to draw the picture of a learning organisation as an entity that facilitates learning of all its members and continuously transforms itself as a whole. We continue by showing the contribution that SRTs could make to the process of an organisation that aims to become a learning organisation. In this paper we adopt a cybernetic approach to describe the role of SRTs and to identify the necessary conditions for SRTs to work at all. We present the necessary architecture of SRTs; the architecture that is needed to deliver their promised advantages. We show how Gordon Pasks Conversation Theory could be applied to self-regulating teams and present how learning conversation could provide the framework for successful organisational evolution through team development and team self- regulation. We show how the establishment of such an architecture can lead to a better understanding of self-regulating teams and thus to their successful evolution and development within an organisation. We conclude by stating the implications of our analysis

Collective frames of reference, recognition, and managers' mental models of competition: a test in two industries

This work was supported by ESRC grant no. R000232883.Managers draw upon sources of collective knowledge to cognitively represent strategic issues. It has also be argued that cognition is embedded in social interaction, enabling managers to recognize of others’ cognitions. In two separate industries, this study found that the influences upon managers’ mental models of their competitive environment include industry membership, organizational membership, and management level. The results indicate further that recognition of others’ mental models may be more pronounced than cognitive similarity.School of Managemen

In Pursuit of Intercultural Competency During Study Abroad

Higher education institutions often promote their study abroad programs as a way for their students to achieve intercultural competency, which is seen as an important skill to have as the world becomes more globalized. The belief is that study abroad programs will lead to a greater chance of students gaining intercultural competency by having a large amount of in-person interactions with others from different backgrounds. Authors such as Deardorff (2008) and Benet (2009) note that if a student has a high level of intercultural competency, they not only have the desire to interact with those of other cultural backgrounds, but they are also able to communicate effectively, shift their frame of reference and behave appropriately in intercultural situations. However, once the student goes abroad, the sending institution often does not know if the student is actually achieving this competency. This qualitative study sought to answer the question of how undergraduate students might develop intercultural competency while studying abroad, and what steps can be taken to increase students’ intercultural competency. This work also contributes to the field by including a number of students’ voices, an element that is often lacking in similar studies. Findings from interviews with 11 students and two staff members at a small, public college show that a number of factors such as cultural mentors, interaction with international and local students, and the type of courses students take abroad can lead to greater intercultural competency gain. The student’s development and motivation while abroad also impacted the level of intercultural competency the student achieved

A High-Level Overview of How the New Accounting Standard Update on Revenue Recognition Impacts the United States Healthcare System

In May of 2014 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a long-awaited joint updated standard on revenue recognition, ASU 2014-09 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers. While almost all entities will be affected to some extent by the new standard, particularly the changes in required disclosures, this research seeks to examine the impact the new standard will specifically have on the healthcare industry. By highlighting areas of significant challenge a better understanding will be gained of the impact health care service entities will experience as they transition to a new standard

Awareness, use, and perceptions of biodiesel: A comparison of consumers in Belgium and the United States

Belgian (N = 61) and American (N = 134) fuel consumers were interviewed in the summer of 2012 to determine their awareness, use, and perceptions of biodiesel. Consumers who were aware of biodiesel were asked their perceptions. A significantly P \u3c 0.0001) higher percentage of Belgian consumers (78.7%) reported owning or driving a diesel vehicle compared to American consumers (9.0%). Belgian and American consumers moderately agreed biodiesel is a high-quality fuel. For both Belgian and American consumers, there was no significant association between owning a diesel vehicle and being aware of biodiesel or having purchased biodiesel. Although Belgian and American consumers agreed that using non-food crops for biodiesel is justified, Belgians were significantly less supportive than American consumers of using food crops for biodiesel. Both Belgian and American consumers disagreed with the statement “I would never use biodiesel”, and the two sets of consumers moderately disagreed that diesel engines would not run properly on biodiesel. Belgian and American consumers agreed that global warming is increasing; however, American consumers were more positive about the potential of biodiesel to reduce harmful exhaust emissions and global warming. Belgian consumers moderately agreed and American consumers agreed that biodiesel is better to use because it is made from renewable resources. Belgian and American consumers generally show similar perceptions of biodiesel, with the exception that American consumers were more positive toward the environmental and renewable aspects of biodiesel use. Recommendations for further research include gaining a better understanding of the potential positive influences that impact consumers’ perceptions of biodiesel

“It gave me a much more personal connection”: Student generated podcasting and assessment in teacher education

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of an online initial teacher education class in New Zealand, exploring the potential of student-generated podcasts as a form of interactive formative assessment. Findings from interviews with teaching staff indicate that podcasting was useful for supporting multimodal learning valuing student voice and reflections. Podcasting enhanced the affective and relational connections in the online class, and empowered students to develop technical skills and confidence relevant in their teaching careers. As such, this study positions educators as future makers and as leaders in a climate of change. We suggest implications for student-generated podcasts in similar contexts

In the Eye of the Beholder : Prejudice, the In-Group Over-Exclusion Effect, and the Fat Threshold

This dissertation examined whether factors specific to the perceiver influence whom he/she labels as “fat.” Building upon research examining the role that one‟s level of identification with a group (Castano, Yzerbyt, Bourguignon, & Seron, 2002; Leyens & Yzerbyt, 1992) and one‟s prejudice level (Allport, 1954; Allport & Kramer, 1946) play in the process of categorizing others, this dissertation examined whether one‟s body weight centrality and prejudice against fat people influence whom he/she labels as “fat.” Further, to understand the mechanism explaining the link between these factors and the labeling process, this dissertation also explored whether motivational factors underlie whom a perceiver labels as “fat.” Undergraduate females who self-identified as “not fat” were recruited for two studies that addressed these goals. Study one examined whether perceivers‟ prejudice levels and body weight centrality levels influenced how they categorized others based upon body weight and whether this categorization process represented a threat to the self. Study two examined further examined the role of prejudice and body weight centrality in body weight-based categorization as well as whether the desire to protect the in-group from contamination motivates the categorization process. Hypotheses were tested through a series of multiple regression analyses. Findings suggest that both prejudice towards fat people and the importance that one places upon body weight in one‟s feelings of self-worth predicted the fat threshold. Further, evidence did not support the hypothesized impact of motivational factors on the link between prejudice or body weight centrality and the fat threshold. Implications and limitations are discussed