scholarly journals Middle management’s role in strategy implementation projects: a behavioral analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 539-549
Author(s):  
Jan Kiehne ◽  
Ioana Ceausu ◽  
Ann-Katrin Arp ◽  
Timm Schüler
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Strategy Implementation ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Behavioral Issues ◽  
Agent Model ◽  
Principal Agent Model

Abstract The ability of businesses to adapt their strategy quickly and effectively to the changing environment in an ever more globalized economy has become one of the key success factors for sustainable competitive advantage and above average economic returns. Success factor oriented research has identified a number of obstacles that hinder effective strategy implementation and there is growing support in the research community that the behavior of middle management, who frequently take on key positions in strategy implementation projects, is of significant importance for success or failure. However, most studies have looked at the issue from a descriptive perspective, only few have analyzed the role of middle management from a normative viewpoint. This study builds upon Porter and Lawler’s qualitative model of managerial motivation which is transformed into a quantitative principal agent model to analyze the behavior of middle managers as key actors in executing strategic projects. The analysis highlights the necessity of adequate incentive systems for strategy implementation projects. Further, the importance of managing both objective and perceived implementation risk is demonstrated. Finally, the authors suggest distinguishing obstacles of strategy implementation into process issues and behavioral issues.

The Critical Success Factors in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 84-108
Author(s):  
Tuncer Asunakutlu ◽  
Kemal Yuce Kutucuoglu
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Ranking Systems ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Education Administrators ◽  
The University

This study reviews some of the prominent ranking systems with a view to shed more light on what may constitute a critical success factor in the field of higher education. In the first part, the ranking systems are reviewed and the key principles are explained. A brief description of how institutions use ranking information is also included. In the second part of the study, the subject of internationalization in the context of ranking systems is discussed. The main challenges of competitiveness in higher education and the increasing role of internationalization are expressed. The chapter also describes threats and opportunities for the future of higher education. This section also includes suggestions for higher education administrators. In the third part, the subject of ranking with particular focus on the university-industry collaboration and its effects on the future of higher education are discussed. The role of the industry and the changing mission of the universities in the new era are explained.

scholarly journals Analysing the Power of the European Union’s Diplomatic Service: Do the eu Member States Control the European External Action Service?

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hrant Kostanyan
Keyword(s):  
External Action ◽  
Principal Agent ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Agent Model ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Principal Agent Model ◽  
European Union Member States ◽  
The Eu

By applying the rational choice principal–agent model, this article examines the European Union member states’ principal control of the European External Action Service (eeas) agent. More specifically, the article applies mechanisms of agency monitoring, control and sanctions that are inherent in the principal–agent model to analyse the establishment and functioning of the eeas. These mechanisms aim to ensure the eeas’s compliance with its mandate, thereby curtailing its ability to pursue own objectives that are independent from the principal. The findings reveal that the eeas is tightly controlled by the eu member states. Moreover the European Commission has tools to exercise horizontal checks vis-à-vis the eeas. The application of the principal–agent model to control the eeas is not without its limits. The model falls short of conceptualizing the role of the European Parliament, which remains an outlier to this model.

A comprehensive insight into the Six Sigma DMAIC toolbox

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 406-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meryem Uluskan
Keyword(s):  
Six Sigma ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
And Control

Purpose As opposed to general literature reviews, by narrowing down the context only around the resources related to Six Sigma tools, this study aims to offer a strong discussion about Six Sigma toolbox which has a vital role in the success of Six Sigma. Design/methodology/approach Based on a comprehensive literature research, the most used tools; classification of tools; flow of tools with respect to define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) steps; tools as critical success factors and reasons of ineffective use of tools are reviewed. To stay focused and not to diverge from the research aim, 60 articles which are suitable to the context and flow of the discussion are selected during the construction of the study. Findings The study provides a detailed and integrated review of Six Sigma articles about tools. The most used tools are listed from different perspectives and resources, and the role of these tools has been discussed. After a broad review, a more practical and combined classification of Six Sigma tools is proposed. Next, the issue of using which tools during which steps of DMAIC is systematically addressed. Finally, emergence of tools as a critical success factor and the gaps in the literature related to tools of Six Sigma are pointed out. Practical implications Addressing important statistics and the facts related to the tools of Six Sigma helps new practitioners in particular to build a strategic filter to select the most proper tools throughout their projects. Originality/value This study is unique in investigating only Six Sigma toolbox and providing a literature review on this subject.

scholarly journals Sustainability of Public Services: Is Outsourcing the Answer?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 7231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Sánchez Soliño
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Agent Model ◽  
The Public ◽  
Principal Agent Model ◽  
The Cost

The outsourcing of public services has acquired a prominent position in the political agenda of many countries in recent decades. This paper contributes an analysis of the outsourcing of a public service under a theoretical framework based on a multitask principal-agent model. For the management of the service, a contract is assumed that includes certain incentives to the contractor linked to the outcomes in two types of activities: the first related to cost saving, and the second related to the improvement of the quality of the service. The main results of the paper show, in the first place, the conditions under which the outsourcing of a public service is economically unfeasible. Additionally, the paper shows that, under perfect information conditions, the optimal incentives include the contractor retaining all the cost savings. On the contrary, under conditions of asymmetric information on the quality of the service, the contract should stipulate a certain distribution of the cost savings between the public authority and the contractor. More in general, the formalization of the model presented in this work can contribute to a better understanding of the role of the contracts, and therefore to their improvement.

scholarly journals Success Factors Affecting Public Projects of Construction Industry in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1321-1326
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
The Government

The global enhancement in the construction of megaprojects during the last few decades has triggered competition in project management. Achieving successful completion of projects is the fundamental need that requires understanding the critical factors that govern the productive accomplishment of tasks within due time and budget, simultaneously maintaining the quality and safety standards. Besides, the cost, time and quality, health& safety and environmental issues, and efficient project use are equally important factors that need special consideration to complete a project successfully. Several projects have demonstrated different barriers, especially in construction projects in the public sector in developing countries, such as Pakistan. Hence, this study investigated the criteria considered by the practitioners for measuring success in the construction project of Pakistan. A questionnaire survey involved 43 construction practitioners identifying the indicators relevant to measuring the success of Pakistani construction projects. The findings obtained through Statistical analysis (SPSS) and MS Excel revealed that the most common success factors of construction projects are the role of government, client capability, and project management. From a significance point of view, the role of government is reported as the most significant success factor. The government requires to exercise strict policy for getting work done successfully.

scholarly journals Evaluation of critical success factor through HOT-FIT method for the implementation of e-KOlab (electronic consignation, franchise, organizational network) as a strategy to scale-up SMEs

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (S2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farida Farida ◽  
Febrianty Febrianty ◽  
Sularso Budilaksono ◽  
Ni Kadek Suryani ◽  
A. A. A. Ngurah Tini Rusmini Gorda
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Success Factor ◽  
Critical Success Factor ◽  
System Quality ◽  
Organizational Network ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Factor Evaluation

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Critical Success Factors for the implementation of e-KOlab using the HOT-Fit approach so that indicators can be obtained that have a significant effect on the net benefits of the application for SMEs in Bali under the guidance of IWAPI Bali. The research sample is MSME actors under the guidance of IWAPI Bali who uses the e-Kolab application. MSMEs are spread across 9 regencies/cities, namely: Buleleng, Klungkung, Tabanan, Karangasem, Denpasar, Bangli, Badung, Jembrana, and Gianyar. Therefore, the sampling used the Saturated Sampling method so that there were 145 people who had indeed participated in the e-Kolab application testing and its utilization. The data analysis technique used in this study is SEM with the Variance or Component-Based (VB-SEM) approach with the PLS technique. The results of the Critical Success Factor evaluation through the HOT-FIT Method on the Implementation of e-KOlab as a strategy for SMEs to Scale Up indicate that there is a need for improvement in System quality, system use, the role of the Office, and the role of the Service. That is, 4 of the 13 hypotheses in this study were rejected.

scholarly journals Initiator or Intermediary? A Case Study on Network Relation of Environmental Regulatory Capture in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 9152
Author(s):  
Yu Tu ◽  
Benhong Peng ◽  
Ehsan Elahi ◽  
Weiku Wu
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Principal Agent ◽  
Regulatory Capture ◽  
Agent Model ◽  
Structural Hole ◽  
Principal Agent Model ◽  
Transmission Structure ◽  
Illegal Acts

Behind the environmental regulatory capture (ERC) lies a complex network of interactions and interests. Identifying the roles of stakeholders in the ERC network and their behavioral motives can illuminate the mechanism of ERC incidents, and provide policy recommendations for reducing other types of regulatory capture. Drawing on the regulatory capture and principal-agent theories, this study develops a triple-layer principal-agent model of environmental regulation practices in China. We further conduct a social network analysis (SNA) on the ERC case in the Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) of Bobai County, Guangxi Province, China to illustrate the hidden interactions and interest transmission structure among stakeholders in ERC. The results show that the ERC presents obvious characteristics of concealment and complexity, and individual capture often evolves into collective capture. Different stakeholders are in different positions and play different roles in the network. The environmental regulatory authority, the commissioned regulatory agency, and the agency of enterprises form the core power circle of the ERC network, in which the first two play the role of intermediary and the latter acts as an initiator. They together occupy the structural hole position and dominate the evolution of the ERC network. Peripheral structure stakeholders play the role of “bridge” and profit from the expanding ERC network. It is recommended that the principle of decentralization and the balance of power must be taken into consideration. Quantitative analysis methods such as SNA should be applied to clarify accountability when punishing responsible persons. More subjects are also encouraged to participate in environmental regulations and report illegal acts actively. Finally, a blacklist system should be established in the field of environmental protection for regulating the professional and social morality of all parties.

scholarly journals Paying Respect

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 135-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Ellingsen ◽  
Magnus Johannesson
Keyword(s):  
Economic Theory ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Principal Agent ◽  
Agent Model ◽  
Strong Case ◽  
Monetary Rewards ◽  
Principal Agent Model

Why do people work? Economic theory generally, and the principal–agent model specifically, emphasize the role of material incentives. But many academics, for example, work diligently year after year for a nearly fixed real salary, continuing to work hard as they approach retirement, although financial incentives are usually absent. We will argue that while economists have been right to focus on incentives, they have been wrong to focus so exclusively on material incentives. While workers appreciate monetary rewards, they also get utility from what (they believe that) others think about them. We lay out a body of evidence that, taken as a whole, makes a strong case that respect matters in the workplace, above and beyond material rewards. We discuss evidence that workers respond to attention, symbolic rewards, and trust—and even that material incentives in some cases lead to less effort. Finally, we argue that many of these observations can be captured in a standard principal–agent model, once the principals and the agents are assumed to care about respect or esteem as well as money.

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