The impediments to the competitiveness of the rail industry in Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Ghaderi ◽  
Jiangang Fei ◽  
Stephen Cahoon
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Synthesis Process ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Data Synthesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Rail Industry ◽  
First Time ◽  
Freight Market

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify current impediments to the competitiveness of the rail industry in the Australian non-bulk freight market. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review was adapted to identify the impediments and challenge themes from 1,081 studies available on the Australian rail industry. To select the studies relevant to the research question, a tollgate criterion was then deployed. Impediments were identified by a structured data synthesis process and a heuristic algorithm was developed to explore the possible relationships between the impediments and challenges. Findings – Four major themes are apparent, each of which presents the rail industry with challenges in the non-bulk freight market. “Infrastructural inefficiencies and the need for further integration” was ranked as the main rail industry challenge, while “environmental concerns and the associated costs of externalities” was the least. In addition, across the four themes data synthesis identified 43 impediments from purely policy related to technical and operational aspects. Research limitations/implications – The major implication of this review is the identification of impediments that have no linkage to the four industry challenges as revealed by stakeholders in the literature. That means that the rail industry has been dealing with a number of issues that have not been explored and studied in depth either by practitioners or academics. The underlying elements of impediments in this group are perceived as managerial, organisational and leadership factors. The rail industry has failed to manage its organisational ties across the system, both horizontally and vertically. This issue has been intensified as the result of complex interactions between different transport modes and operators associated with the non-bulk freight sector. Originality/value – For the first time in the Australian context, this study provides an en masse and summarised picture of impediments to the competitiveness of the rail industry in the non-bulk freight market by systematically reviewing the reports generated by different stakeholders in the last ten years. The outcomes will assist the rail industry and government to understand impediments impacting on the quality of rail freight services that may lead to collaboration on decision-making and investment strategies.

Large-cap vs small-cap portfolio performance: new empirical evidence from ETFs

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-94
Author(s):  
Gerasimos Rompotis
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Portfolio Performance ◽  
Exchange Traded Funds ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Risk Characteristics ◽  
The Usa ◽  
First Time ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeA well-documented pattern in the literature concerns the outperformance of small-cap stocks relative to their larger-cap counterparts. This paper aims to address the “small-cap versus large-cap” issue using for the first time data from the exchange traded funds (ETFs) industry.Design/methodology/approachSeveral raw return and risk-adjusted return metrics are estimated over the period 2012-2016.FindingsResults are partially supportive of the “size effect”. In particular, small-cap ETFs outperform large-cap ETFs in overall raw return terms even though they fail the risk test. However, outperformance is not consistent on an annual basis. When risk-adjusted returns are taken into consideration, small-cap ETFs are inferior to their large-cap counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsThis research only covers the ETF market in the USA. However, given the tremendous growth of ETF markets worldwide, a similar examination of the “small vs large capitalization” issue could be conducted with data from other developed ETF markets in Europe and Asia. In such a case, useful comparisons could be made, so that we could conclude whether the findings of the current study are unique and US-specific or whether they could be generalized across the several international ETF markets.Practical implicationsA possible generalization of the findings would entail that profitable investment strategies could be based on the different performance and risk characteristics of small- and large-cap ETFs.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine the performance of ETFs investing in large-cap stock indicesvis-à-visthe performance of ETFs tracking indices comprised of small-cap stocks.

Mapping lean experiences and emerging connections with clinical risk management in Italian context

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1091-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Crema ◽  
Chiara Verbano
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Clinical Risk Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Clinical Risk ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
Italian Context ◽  
Almost All ◽  
First Time

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the Italian state of art of Health Lean Management (HLM) and to analyze the Italian projects that connect this approach with clinical risk management (CRM). Design/methodology/approach – After introducing Italian healthcare system and its main challenges, relevant Italian experiences have been searched investigating regional health plans (RHPs), managerial reports, books, workshops, conference proceedings and hospital web sites. The degree of experience of each Italian region has been first studied. Further, field of applicability, objectives, tools, practices and results of the projects with first signs of HLM and CRM integration have been analyzed. Findings – Although interest in new managerial approaches is spreading in almost all the territory and new managerial solutions are fostered in many RHPs, HLM projects are implemented patchy in Italy. For what regards HLM projects with CRM connections, the Italian context seems aligned with the international one, apart from few features. First indications for the implementation of HLM projects with CRM connections emerged. Originality/value – Healthcare systems are facing multiple challenges in a context where public funds decrease but quality of care must be guaranteed. Combining different managerial approaches could solve these issues. In this research, for the first time, a map about Italian HLM adoption has been drawn, and Italian HLM projects with CRM connections have been analyzed. The results constitute one of the first contributions useful to develop guidelines for the implementation of projects pursuing efficiency, quality and safety objectives.

Cost efficiency and service effectiveness for university e-libraries in Taiwan

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-Feng Hsieh ◽  
Jiung-Bin Chin ◽  
Mu-Chen Wu
Keyword(s):  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Effectiveness ◽  
Related Data ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The University ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
First Time

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to construct a model of cost efficiency and service effectiveness for a university e-library to allocate e-resources cost and to attain quality of service enhancement and cater to the needs of readers with existing e-resources. Design/methodology/approach – The paper establishes an assessment model for the cost efficiency and service effectiveness of a university e-library in Taiwan. It then proceeds with an empirical study and analysis of related data collected from e-libraries of 16 universities. A discussion of the results of the study and suggestions for the adjustment of the university e-libraries follows. Findings – The paper combines two models of cost efficiency and service effectiveness for the first time to analyze and consider the output results created by the input cost of university e-libraries in Taiwan and their utilization by readers. Originality/value – The paper builds a figure for the relationship of e-library cost efficiency and service effectiveness at 16 universities in Taiwan and then divides it into four types.

scholarly journals De-commoditizing change management

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 793-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Robert Brown ◽  
Dennis Rose ◽  
Ray Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Failure Rates ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Of Leadership ◽  
Job Advertisements

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to begin the discussion about re-positioning change management in information technology projects and to propose a framework for improving the quality of decision making in change initiatives that may contribute to that re-positioning. Design/methodology/approach The paper analyzed all change management job advertisements in Australia in both the public and private sectors for May 2015, to identify which change management-related skills were being sought. The purpose was to try to identify any patterns that would confirm or negate the original observations, and to help develop a research question for a subsequent, substantive study. Findings Change management may be perceived as predominantly comprising communications, stakeholder management and training. The quality of leadership decision making in change initiatives may also be contributing to the consistently high failure rates. Research limitations/implications The analysis of job advertisements was a sample only, and requires more quantitative research. Practical implications The required alignment of leadership, ethics and change can only be achieved by first improving the quality of leadership decision making, which demands a values-based approach. Originality/value The paper highlights a restriction to the scope of practice of change management, and how that contributes to continuing high failure rates. The value is that it provides deeper insight into the commonly accepted “leadership alignment” issue, as well as demonstrating that this is probably the least practiced aspect of change management. The paper also challenges to build strong ethical foundations for the practice.

How did I become an abductive ethnographer? Reflections on a research journey

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lila Le Trividic Harrache
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peer Reviewing ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
First Time ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools ◽  
Initial Research

Purpose Drawing on part of a French doctorate research journey, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate how an initial research design gets to be questioned and deconstructed when confronted to fieldwork. Design/methodology/approach The paper reflects on the second year of the doctoral project when the theoretical research object that had been built during the first year was confronted to fieldwork, driving the author to reshape the initial research question. Findings The paper explains how doing ethnographic work helped the author to deconstruct the author’s own theoretical and epistemological assumptions. The author started to investigate on the uses of pupils’ “mental suffering” in French upper secondary schools and administration in order to understand the labelling process. The author explains how fieldwork, writing and peer-reviewing made the author realise that the author was not focussing on the appropriate categories. Throughout the reflection, the paper highlights the epistemological shift that this journey reveals. Originality/value This paper aims to contribute to methodological debates scrutinising the black box of the research process. It aims to be helpful to those experiencing for the first time the chaos of reformulating the research object.

International market selection for small firms: a fuzzy-based decision process

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 2198-2212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Marchi ◽  
Marina Vignola ◽  
Gisella Facchinetti ◽  
Giovanni Mastroleo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Process ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Single Case ◽  
International Market ◽  
Market Selection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
First Time

Purpose – This study aims to build and test an International Market Selection (IMS) decision process method that is able to capture, within a small firm’s risk-averse setting, the entrepreneur's experience, reduce cognitive biases, and preserve the flexibility of the decision, by combining the advantages of systematic and behavioural-based international market selection approaches. Design/methodology/approach – The unit of analysis is the IMS decision process of a small firm venturing abroad. We adopt a ranking approach based on three-step screening. We assess the markets through a multi-criteria approach with a wider set of variables aggregated within a tree-shaped model. To obtain the ranking, we use a Fuzzy Expert System (FES) as an evaluative tool. Findings – The results show that the proposed decision method is consistent with the entrepreneur’s strategic orientation and experience, while preserving the flexibility requested for decision-making in small firms. Unlike traditional behavioural IMS approaches, the method demonstrates an ability to reduce the cognitive biases associated with the use of a limited set of variables and unreliable evaluation models. Research limitations/implications – The single-case-study approach limits generalization of the findings. Practical implications – The proposed methodology helps the decision-maker to improve the quality of the IMS decision by reducing the effect of cognitive biases that usually affect traditional behavioural models. Originality/value – For the first time, a decision-process methodology based on an FES is applied to a small firm’s IMS problem.

The high performance organization: proposed definition and measurement of its performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Research Question ◽  
General Definition ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
First Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to arrive at a general definition of an HPO and a (practical) way to measure an HPO. Managers are looking for techniques to strengthen their organizations in a way that they cannot only cope with threats but could also quickly take advantage of opportunities, and thus, grow and thrive. The academic and especially the practitioner fields reacted on this “thirst for high performance knowledge” with a plethora of books and articles on the topic of high performance organizations (HPOs). These publications each came with their own description and measurement of HPOs, which created a lot of confusion among practitioners. Design/methodology/approach In this study the following reserach question is answered: how can an HPO be defined and its performance measured? So that with the answer, this paper can take away the aforementioned confusion. This paper does this by conducting an extensive systematic review of the literature on HPO, after which this paper synthesizes the findings into a proposal on how to define and measure the HPO. Findings This paper was able to obtain from the literature a list of definitions and measurements for an HPO. The common denominator in these definitions and measurements turned out to be respondents given their opinion on the effects of the organizational practices they apply on organizational performance vis-à-vis that of competitors. This paper concluded therefore that an HPO should be defined and measured relative to competitors and should be based on the perception of managers and employees of the organization: An HPO is an organization that achieves results that are better than those of its peer group over a longer period of time. Research limitations/implications With the answer on the research question, this paper fills the current gap in the definition and measurement literature on HPOs, and thus, has moved the research into HPOs forward, as researchers can use these research results in their future studies on high performance and HPOs. Originality/value Although there is a plethora of literature on high performance and HPOs no univocal definition and measurement of the HPO can be found. This study provides for the first time an academically well-founded definition and measurement method.

Employer of choice: does gender matter?

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 613-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Bellou ◽  
Irini Rigopoulou ◽  
John Kehagias
Keyword(s):  
Workplace Relationships ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Employer Of Choice ◽  
First Time

Purpose – This paper aims to set out to add to extant knowledge by delineating the content of employer of choice (EOC) regardless of sector and shedding light on the role of gender in the EOC profile. Becoming an employer of choice (EOC) is a strategy that can help organizations manage current and prospective employee expectations of their employment relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Responses were gathered from 896 working adults. The questionnaire was developed by the researchers to reflect the employment experience. Parallel analysis and factor analysis were used to analyze the content of the EOC, and t-tests compares EOC factors between male and female individuals. Findings – The results verify the multi-dimensionality of EOC and enrich its content. The most important facets of EOC for employees are the quality of workplace relationships, work prerequisites and satisfying work setting as the most important. With regards to how male and female employees perceive the EOC, both differences and similarities were found. Research limitations/implications – Key limitations pertain to its cross-sectional design, the fact that gender is examined in isolation of other forms of identity that may interact with gender, and the fact that all respondents were Greek and white-collar. Practical implications – The findings can support HR and marketing managers in their effort to attract talented individuals and retain and activate talented employees. Originality/value – Existing evidence identifies the profile of EOCs within specific sectors, while we construct an EOC profile that crosses sector boundaries. Moreover, it is the first time that research into EOC takes gender into consideration in a structured way to offer a clearer understanding of what is valued by individuals.

Using CFD model of furnace for improvement of the quality of alumina-containing sinter

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Aleksandrov ◽  
Valera V. Aleksandrov
Keyword(s):  
Stable State ◽  
Radiant Heat ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cooling Conditions ◽  
New Information ◽  
Technical Solutions ◽  
First Time ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Fuel Burner

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to improve the quality of alumina-containing sinter produced in a rotary kiln. Simulating sintering furnace assessment of technical solutions aimed at creating optimal phase composition of clinker. Design/methodology/approach – The computer model of the sintering furnace is developed. Influence of characteristics of material streams on thermal processes in the furnace was considered. Balance of energy, including heat conductivity, convection and radiant heat exchange has been solved in a stable state. Between actual and calculated variables of work of the furnace, good correlation was observed. Findings – The evaluation of the effect of increasing primary air and fuel burner extension to changes in temperature of the material. The modeling found that the most effective solution to reduce the temperature of the sinter is lengthening fuel burner to 5 m. Practical implications – The model can be applied to analyze and optimize the alteration of temperatures of materials and gases in an industrial furnace under various conditions. Originality/value – The article provides new information for specialists in the production of alumina. For the first time shows the influence of cooling conditions on the alumina-containing sinter quality. According to the results of computer modeling, it has been established that for creating of optimal cooling conditions of the sinter in the furnace, the length of coal burner must be not less than 5 m.

The social progress on the development of global competitiveness

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ícaro Célio Santos de Carvalho ◽  
Luiz Carlos Di Serio ◽  
Camilla Maria Cavalcante Guimarães ◽  
Karina Santos Furlanetto
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
The Social

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the competitiveness of nations and seeks to answer the following research question: how does the competitiveness of nations include improvements in the quality of life, thus influencing and contributing to social progress in both social and economic indices? Design/methodology/approach This paper collected secondary data from the World Economic Forum and the socioeconomic dimensions of the Social Progress Imperative Index and considered the dimensions of these indices, which were demonstrated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The main focus was on the documentary analysis that was carried out to explain the realities of 121 countries from 2014 to 2017 as taken from these indices, considering the 10 countries at the top and bottom. Findings This study showed the use of new measures for the performance of nations that are less dependent on economics and focus more on social development, which may be a trend for the future of nations, and produce a more holistic view for the study. “Innovation” is the factor with the weakest relationship with social progress, which is justified by a weaker relationship with one of the subcategories, “basic human needs”, when analyzed in isolation. However, when the authors analyze the best and worst nations, the authors observe that economic factors are still prevalent, with the “institutions” and “infrastructure” factors being effective for improving competitiveness and the quality of life. Research limitations/implications The findings represent a new, emerging configuration in country performance, but the study has its limitations, such as the use of only two pooled variables and the fact that it does not correlate their dimensions or variables. Originality/value This study can represents an expansion logic for measuring the performance of countries considering social factors. The main contributions of this study are its statistical evidence and documentary analysis of the relationship between economic and social variables. The main contribution of this paper is to show that over time (2014–2017) economic factors, as measured by the competitiveness index of nations, relate to aspects of social welfare, as measured by the social progress index.

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