AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF STRATEGIC PLANNING BEHAVIOUR IN SMEs IN SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA CONTEXT

1993 ◽  
Vol 01 (02) ◽  
pp. 255-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
B C GHOSH ◽  
AIK-MENG LOW ◽  
TECK-MENG TAN ◽  
CHEE-ONN CHAN
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Information Gathering ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Chief Executives ◽  
Spouse Support

Strategic planning literature is extensive but how small and medium sized firms (SMEs) behave in response to environmental changes and how they incorporate such changes in their medium to long term plan has been insufficiently studied, in the writers’ view, especially in Singapore/Malaysia context. This research is dedicated towards finding a framework for such analysis and testing such framework in 15 local/regional companies. After an extensive literature review from sources which are both international and local, a fairly lengthy questionnaire was developed. As stated, 15 companies’ chief executives (or in their absence, someone equivalent) were interviewed and at the end of each interview a set of structured questions were asked to be filled in. The whole interview process itself took more than a month. The results have been analysed and highlighted. One main finding is that SMEs continue to be family-centred in a local/regional context especially. Among other findings were the process of information gathering which was chiefly informal, the dominance of CEO-centred management, opportunity-seeking and risk-taking in identifying strategies and finally, the role of the spouse-support. This research is multi-faced and deserves to be further explored. Herein lies its limitation as well as its promise. A research of this nature cannot claim to be fully conclusive and hence its natural incompleteness indicates further research continuation.

scholarly journals Marketing Ethics and Relationship Marketing - An Empirical Study that Measure the Effect of Ethics Practices Application on Maintaining Relationships with Customers

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Alshurideh ◽  
B. H. Al Kurdi ◽  
Anu Vij ◽  
Zaid Obiedat ◽  
Abdallah Naser
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Relationship Marketing ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Marketing Ethics ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Telecommunication Sector ◽  
Ethical Practices

<p>The purpose of this study is to measure the effect of ethics embedded practices on maintaining long-term relationships with customers. Based on an extensive literature review, four elements of marketing ethics, namely, honesty, autonomy, privacy and transparency were identified and examined by utilizing a sample of 360 participants. Adopting a quantitative approach, the study conducted on telecommunication sector subscribers revealed that the elements of marketing ethics affected an organization’s ability of maintaining long-term relationships with customers and had a strong influence on feedback, transparency and privacy. The results also showed the crucial role of generating feedback from customers for creating and maintaining long-term relationships. The results will enable marketers to not only analyze the importance of adopting ethical practices in their strategies but also the relative relevance of these practices as perceived by customers.</p>

scholarly journals The crucial role of genome-wide genetic variation in conservation

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (48) ◽  
pp. e2104642118
Author(s):  
Marty Kardos ◽  
Ellie E. Armstrong ◽  
Sarah W. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Samantha Hauser ◽  
Philip W. Hedrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Adaptive Potential ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Functional Genetic Variation

The unprecedented rate of extinction calls for efficient use of genetics to help conserve biodiversity. Several recent genomic and simulation-based studies have argued that the field of conservation biology has placed too much focus on conserving genome-wide genetic variation, and that the field should instead focus on managing the subset of functional genetic variation that is thought to affect fitness. Here, we critically evaluate the feasibility and likely benefits of this approach in conservation. We find that population genetics theory and empirical results show that conserving genome-wide genetic variation is generally the best approach to prevent inbreeding depression and loss of adaptive potential from driving populations toward extinction. Focusing conservation efforts on presumably functional genetic variation will only be feasible occasionally, often misleading, and counterproductive when prioritized over genome-wide genetic variation. Given the increasing rate of habitat loss and other environmental changes, failure to recognize the detrimental effects of lost genome-wide genetic variation on long-term population viability will only worsen the biodiversity crisis.

scholarly journals The Role of Chloroplast Membrane Lipid Metabolism in Plant Environmental Responses

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 706
Author(s):  
Ron Cook ◽  
Josselin Lupette ◽  
Christoph Benning
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Photosynthetic Apparatus ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Membrane Lipid ◽  
Chloroplast Membrane ◽  
Class Composition ◽  
Environmental Responses

Plants are nonmotile life forms that are constantly exposed to changing environmental conditions during the course of their life cycle. Fluctuations in environmental conditions can be drastic during both day–night and seasonal cycles, as well as in the long term as the climate changes. Plants are naturally adapted to face these environmental challenges, and it has become increasingly apparent that membranes and their lipid composition are an important component of this adaptive response. Plants can remodel their membranes to change the abundance of different lipid classes, and they can release fatty acids that give rise to signaling compounds in response to environmental cues. Chloroplasts harbor the photosynthetic apparatus of plants embedded into one of the most extensive membrane systems found in nature. In part one of this review, we focus on changes in chloroplast membrane lipid class composition in response to environmental changes, and in part two, we will detail chloroplast lipid-derived signals.

scholarly journals The crucial role of genome-wide genetic variation in conservation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kardos ◽  
Ellie Armstrong ◽  
Sarah W Fitzpatrick ◽  
Samantha Hauser ◽  
Philip Hedrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Adaptive Potential ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Functional Genetic Variation

The unprecedented rate of extinction calls for efficient use of genetics to help conserve biodiversity. Several recent genomic and simulation-based studies have argued that the field of conservation biology has placed too much focus on the conservation of genome-wide genetic variation, and that this approach should be replaced with another that focuses instead on managing the subset of functional genetic variation that is thought to affect fitness. Here, we critically evaluate the feasibility and likely benefits of this approach in conservation. We find that population genetics theory and empirical results show that the conserving genome-wide genetic variation is generally the best approach to prevent inbreeding depression and loss of adaptive potential from driving populations towards extinction. Focusing conservation efforts on presumably functional genetic variation will only be feasible occasionally, often misleading, and counterproductive when prioritized over genome-wide genetic variation. Given the increasing rate of habitat loss and other environmental changes, failure to recognize the detrimental effects of lost genome-wide variation on long-term population viability will only worsen the biodiversity crisis.

scholarly journals The premises of the evolution and development of firm competences in strategic management

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (150) ◽  
pp. 141-149
Author(s):  
Rafał MATWIEJCZUK ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Practice ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Evolution And Development ◽  
Identification Approach ◽  
Business Practitioners ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose: The aim of the article is to identify the premises of the evolution and development of firm competences in strategic management. Design/methodology/approach: The article indicates the key role of competences in strategic management. An extensive literature review and an identification approach were used. Findings: Competences may significantly affect the achievement of the expected market and economic outcomes, as well as building a long-term competitive advantage of a firm. Practical implications: The results of the research presented in the article show the significant importance of the firm competences in strategic management and business practice. Originality/value: The most important conditions for the development of the firm competences in the field of strategic management were presented. The article is addressed both to researchers as well as managers and other business practitioners.</

scholarly journals THE FUTURE OF CITIES: THE ROLE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Clark
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future

Long term strategic plans are enjoying a renaissance in cities across the world. The strategic plans of London, Paris, Auckland, Johannesburg, Sao Paulo, Singapore, New York, and Barcelona are all examples of different ways that cities try to plot their own future. But what are the key ingredients of a strategic plan and how are they developed?

scholarly journals Wet avalanches: long-term evolution in the Western Alps under climate and human forcing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Fouinat ◽  
Pierre Sabatier ◽  
Fernand David ◽  
Xavier Montet ◽  
Philippe Schoeneich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Western Alps ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Avalanche Hazard ◽  
Coarse Material

Abstract. Understanding wet avalanche intensity and the role of past environmental changes on wet avalanche occurrence is a main concern especially in the context of a warming climate and accelerated environmental mutations. Avalanches are closely related to fast cryosphere changes and may cause major threats to human society. Here, we used the sedimentary archive of the alpine Lake Lauvitel (western French Alps) to establish the first long-term avalanche record in this Alpine region. For this purpose, we used a novel CT scan methodology that allows the precise identification of coarse material – from sand to pebble – transported to the lake and embedded within the finer continuous sedimentation. We identified a total of 166 deposits over the last 3300 yrs cal. BP. In parallel, a detailed pollen analysis gave an independent record of environmental changes. Based on modern observation, lake monitoring, seismic investigations and sedimentological evidences, coarse material deposits were attributed to wet avalanche events. Our results highlight the effect of vegetation cover on the avalanche hazard while a period of strong frequency increase occurred after 780 yrs cal. BP. In Lake Lauvitel, this period corresponds to a major forest clearance induced by the rise of human land-use. Climate forcing on the avalanche hazard was investigated before and after the vegetation shift. On a multi-centennial scale, wet avalanches preferably occur during periods of larger glacier extent, in which higher winter precipitations probably generate a sufficiently thick snow cover. On a sub-centennial scale, avalanches are more frequent during periods of relative warming, resulting in a destabilisation of the same snow cover in spring season. Our results highlight as well the role of forest cover to mitigate wet snow avalanches occurrence. In the context of predicted warmer temperatures, this study raises the question of whether a wet avalanche hazard increase may be expected in the near future especially at higher altitudes.

scholarly journals Living evidence of a fossil survival strategy raises hope for warming-affected corals

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. eaax2950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego K. Kersting ◽  
Cristina Linares
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Survival Strategy ◽  
Ecological Role ◽  
High Recovery ◽  
Recovery Capacity ◽  
Fossil Corals

Climate change is affecting reef-building corals worldwide, with little hope for recovery. However, coral fossils hint at the existence of environmental stress–triggered survival strategies unreported in extant colonial corals. We document the living evidence and long-term ecological role of such a survival strategy in which isolated polyps from coral colonies affected by warming adopt a transitory resistance phase, in turn expressing a high recovery capacity in dead colony areas. Such processes have been described in fossil corals as rejuvenescence but were previously unknown in extant reef-builder corals. Our results based on 16 years of monitoring show the significance of this process for unexpected recoveries of coral colonies severely affected by warming. These findings provide a link between rejuvenescence in fossil and extant corals and reveal that beyond adaptation and acclimatization processes, modern scleractinian corals show yet undiscovered and highly effective survival strategies that help them withstand and recover from rapid environmental changes.

scholarly journals Wet avalanches: long-term evolution in the Western Alps under climate and human forcing

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 1299-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Fouinat ◽  
Pierre Sabatier ◽  
Fernand David ◽  
Xavier Montet ◽  
Philippe Schoeneich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Avalanche Hazard ◽  
Coarse Material

Abstract. Understanding wet avalanche intensity and the role of past environmental changes on wet avalanche occurrence is a main concern especially in the context of a warming climate and accelerated environmental mutations. Avalanches are closely related to fast cryosphere changes and may cause major threats to human society. Here, we used the sedimentary archive of the Alpine Lake Lauvitel (Lac du Lauvitel; western French Alps) to establish the first long-term avalanche record in this Alpine region. For this purpose, we used a novel CT-scan methodology that allows the precise identification of coarse material – from sand to pebble – transported to the lake and embedded within the finer continuous sedimentation. We identified a total of 166 deposits over the last 3300 yr cal. BP. In parallel, a detailed pollen analysis gave an independent record of environmental changes. Based on modern observation, lake monitoring, seismic investigations and sedimentological evidences, coarse material deposits were attributed to wet avalanche events. Our results highlight the effect of vegetation cover on the avalanche hazard while a period of strong frequency increase occurred after 780 yr cal. BP. In Lake Lauvitel, this period corresponds to a major forest clearance induced by the rise of human land use. Climate forcing on the avalanche hazard was investigated before and after the vegetation shift. On a multicentennial scale, wet avalanches preferably occur during periods of larger glacier extent, in which higher winter precipitation probably generates a sufficiently thick snow cover. On a sub-centennial scale, avalanches are more frequent during periods of relative warming, resulting in a destabilization of the same snow cover in spring season. Our results highlight as well the role of forest cover in mitigating wet snow avalanches' occurrence. In the context of predicted warmer temperatures, this study raises the question of whether a wet avalanche hazard increase may be expected in the near future especially at higher altitudes.

scholarly journals Incentivising innovation in the construction sector: the role of consulting contracts

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Anund Vogel ◽  
Hans Lind ◽  
Cyril Holm
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
General Applicability ◽  
Standard Type ◽  
Optimal Contracts ◽  
Standard Contract ◽  
Engineering Consulting ◽  
Incentive Structures ◽  
Contractual Structures

The issue of whether contracts promote innovation and sustainability is an important but overlooked aspect for achieving energy and environmental targets, as well as for creating smart and sustainable cities. In this article, based on the principle/agent problem and Holmström and Milgrom’s work on optimal contracts it is argued that the current general conditions of architectural and engineering consulting agreements in Sweden (ABK 09)—a standard type of contract often used in developer/consultant relations—may not incentivize choices that support the long-term goals of society. Furthermore, although this exploratory study specifically analyses a Swedish standard contract, the question of how contractual incentive structures can optimize real-world performance is a general one, and thus the article’s findings have general applicability. This exploratory study also points to further research into how contractual structures impact climate-neutral buildings. In this way, Swedish consultants who use ABK 09 are incentivized to include low-risk, well-proven, and widely used technologies in order to minimize risks for themselves. This study contributes to resolving this dilemma by suggesting how ABK 09 could be restructured to change the balance between incentives and risk and incentivize innovation and sustainability. As mentioned above, the current study operates at a theoretical level. It discusses six possible changes that would better align the contract with the societal goals of innovation and sustainability.

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