The notions of Politics & Change - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda is on Politics and Change in Organizational Behaviour study:

1. On competition
• The positive features
• The pre-conditions for productive competition
• Competition for power
2. On organizational conflicts
• The symptons of organizational conflicts
• The causes of organizational conflicts
3. The tactics of conflict
• information control
• information distortion
• rules and regulation
• networks
• control of rewards
4. Strategies for managing conflict
• From conflict to competition
• Control of conflict
5. Channelling change
• Overarching goals
• A climate of experiment
• Sharing and privacy
• Implementing
6. Managerial implications

Reference

• Handy, C. (1993) "Chapter 10: On Politics and Change" Understanding Organizations, Pengiun Books

The notion of groups - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda is on the notion of group in the subject of Organizational Behavior:

1. The purposes of groups
• The organizational purposes
• The individual purposes
• The group purposes
2. The determinants of group effectiveness
• The group
• The task
• The environment
• The intervening factors
3. The 'group' ideology

Reference
Handy, C. (1993) "Chapter 6: On the Workings of Groups" Understanding Organizations, Pengiun Books

The notions of Power & Influence - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda is on the notions of Power and Influence in Organizational Behaviour study:

1. Power as a source of influence
• Physical power
• Resource power
• Position power
• Expert power
• Personal power
• Negative power
2. Methods of influence
• Force
• Rules & procedures
• Exchange
• Persuasion
• Ecology
• Magnetism
3. Implications
• How to choose method(s) of influence
• The individual response to influence

Reference
Handy, C. (1993) "Chapter 5: On Power and Influence" Understanding Organizations, Pengiun Books

Role theory - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda is on role theory in the field of Organizational Behavior:

1. The concepts of role theory
• Role set
• Role definition
• Role ambiguity
• Role incompatibility
• Role conflict
• Role overload
• Role underload
2. Role Stress
• Symptons of role strain
• Strategies to cope with role strain
3. The implications of stress
• Factors that lead to stress
• Personality variables on stress
• Implications for organizations
4. Perceiving people
• Implications of role perception
5. Interactiong with people
• Interaction with individuals
• Interaction with groups

Reference
Handy, C. (1993) "Chapter 3: On Roles and Interactions" Understanding Organizations, Pengiun Books

Fostering organizational learning via dilemma reconciliation

The methodology of Hampden-Turner (1990) is introduced in this brief note. His methodology is to make use of dilemma reconciliation to promote organizational learning



The 7-step dilemma reconciliation methodology are:

• Step 1: Eliciting through humor
• Step 2: Mapping
• Step 3: Processing
• Step 4: Framing/ contextualizing
• Step 5: Sequencing
• Step 6: Waving/ cycling
• Step 7: Synergizing

Related study note
Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

Note 4

Note 5

Reference
Hampden-Turner, C. (1990) Charting the Corporate Mind, The Free Press

Hybrid Management Accountants - the professional development path

Hybrid Management Accountants (HMA) are knowledgeable in various business disciplines, on top of their professional competence in Management Accounting. They include marketing management, strategic management, human resource management, operations management and information systems management, etc. HMA are desired because businesses need Management Accountants to comprehend business concerns wih a comprehensive and strategic perspective, and offer relevant Mnaagement Accounting support. This is also the main reason for Professional Management Accounting bodies to develop Strategic Management Accounting (SMA).  Such initiative as SMA is to overcome the MA support quality problems arising from narrow and, very often, inward focus of traditional MA practices.

The idea of HMA reflects a more general trend in Management Education to adopt a transdisciplinary approach in Management Education. The ideal of transdisciplinarity has also long been adopted in the Systems Movement. Moreover, it is clear that senior managers, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) included, are required to think strategically and holistically; thus, a narrow, functionally focused mindset will not quality a manager to take up a senior position in an organization. In this case, a HMA is more qualified to subsequently take up the job of CFO in enterprises.

In my view, there is a key problem facing part-time accounting students in their effort to develop hybrid management accounting competence (HMAC): lack of time. The prevailing business environment is complex and dynamic, and the knowledge repositories of individual business subjects, e.g. Management Accounting are expanding fast. Thus, how can part-time accounting students absorb knowledge from various business disciplines to develop HMAC. As I see it, the most important consideration is not about time; it is about mindset... Management Accountants (MA) should be open-minded about ideas from various business disciplines and be ready to consider them in their MA practices. My advice to MA: keep learning from various sources and business disciplines; the motto is "Just do it".


References

1. On transdisciplinarity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transdisciplinarity
2. An article on role of MA (pdf): http://khademi.ir/management_accounting/Management_accounting.pdf

Leadership - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda is on Leadership in the subject of Organizational Behavior:

1. Leadership and Power
• Power and Authority
• Types of Power
2. The need for Power in Managerial Performance
3. Theories of Leadership
• Trait Theory
• Behavioral and Functional Theories
• Managerial Grid of Blake and Mouton
• Immaturity-Manturity Theory
• Linking Pin Theory
• Managerial Applications, e.g. Leadership Styles
• Contingency Theories
• Fiedler's Contingency Theory
• Cogntive Resource Utilization
• Path-Goal Theory
• Life-Cycle Theory of Leadeship
• Leader-Participation Style Model
• Attribution Theory
• Leader-Member Relations
• Leadership and Management
• Mintzberg's Manageral Role Set
• The role of the General Manager
• Implications for Management and Leadership, e.g. executive coaching, substiutes for leadership as supervision, empowerment and self-directed work teams
• Transformational Leadership and Organizational Change
• The dark side of transformational leadership
4. Narcissism and Ethics in Leadership
5. Gender, Power, and Leadership
6. Leadership: a synthesis of ideas

Related study notes
Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

Note 4

Note 5

Note 6

Note 7

Note 8

Note 9

Note 10

Note 11

Reference
Bowditch, J.L., Buono, A.F. and Stewart, M.M. (2008) "Chapter 7: Leadership, Power, and the Manager" A Primer on Organizational Behavior, Wiley.

Motivation - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda is on Motivation in the subject of Organizational Behavior:

1. Managerial assumptions about human nature
2. Static-content theories of motivation
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
• Alderfer's ERG Theory
• McClelland's Theory of Socially Acquired Needs
• Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory
• Managerial Applications, e.g. on work design and job enrichment
• Hackman et al. (1975)'s Job Characteristics Model
3. Process Theories of Motivation
• Expectancy Theory
• Path-Goal Theory of Motivation
• Goal-Setting Theory
• Managerial Applicaions, e.g. Management by Objectives
4. Environmentally based theories of motivation
• Operant Conditioning and Reinforcement Theory
• Managerial  Applications, e.g. Organizational Behavior Modification
• Punishment and discipline
• Social Comparison Theory
• Equity Theory
• Social Learning Theory
5. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards and Motivation
• Managerial Applications, e.g. gainsharing
6. Motivation and the Psychological Contract
• Organizational Commitment and the Psychological Contract
7. Choosing an appropriate motivational model
• Comparing motivation and learning

Some study notes
Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

Note 4

Note 5

Reference
Bowditch, J.L., Buono, A.F. and Stewart, M.M. (2008) "Chapter 3: Motivation" A Primer on Organizational Behavior, John Wiley & Sons.

Organization Structure - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda on Organization Structure is based on Daft (2004)

1. Basic components in the notion of organization structure
2. Information processing perspective to study organization structure
3. Organization Design Alternatives
• Required work activities
• Reporting relationships
• Departmental groupings
4. Functional Design
5. Divisional Design
6. Geographical Design
7. Matrix Structure
8. Horizonal Structure
9. Modular Structure
10. Hybrid Structure
11. Considerations of Structural Design applications

Study notes
Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

Note 4

Note 5

Note 6

Note 7

Note 8

Note 9

Related blog article: http://josephho33.blogspot.hk/2011/09/organization-structure-brief-note.html


Reference
Daft, R.L. (2004) "Chapter 3: Fundamentals of Organization Structure" Organization Theory and Design, Thomson.

UFO contents in dissertation reports: nature & treatment

The following notes discuss UFO contents in disssertation reports. The term was invented by me to examine some problematic contents in dissertation reports:

Note 1

Note 2

The notion of verstehen in Research Methods

The following are some study notes on the notion of verstehen in Research Methods:

Note 1

Note 2

Reference
Gill, J. and Johnson, P. (2010) Research Methods for Managers, SAGE.

Technology Management - some resources

The following resources are on the subject of Technology Management:

1. Basic description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_management
2. Elements of Strategic Technology Management (pdf): http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9789514262500/isbn9789514262500.pdf

IT Governance - some resources

The following resources are on the topic of IT Governance:

1. http://www.itgi.org/
2. A brief article: http://www.cio.com/article/111700/IT_Governance_Definition_and_Solutions
3. Why IT governance difficult to implement: http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/01/why-is-it-governance-so-diffic.html
4. On COBIT for IT Governance: http://www.isaca.org/Knowledge-Center/COBIT/Pages/Overview.aspx
5. On IT Governance software (an example): http://www.metricstream.com/solutions/IT_corporate_Governance_policy.htm

Main points noted (Parkinson and Baker, 2005)

Enterprise governance: the set of responsibilities and practices exercised by the board and executive management with the goal of providing strategic direction,ensuring that objectives are achieved,ascertainingthat risks are managed appropriately and verifying that the enterprise's resources are used responsibly.

IT governance is an integrated part of enterprise governance and consists of the leadership and organisational structures and processes that ensure that the organization's IT sustains and extends the organisation's strategies and objectives.

IT governance is largely about frameworks and processes (Parkinson, 2005)


3 components of IT governance:
* Leadership: suggesting vision, responsibiity and accountability
* Organization: suggesting staffing, resourcing and structures
* Processes: suggesting established standards and procedures
Other components: managing risks, measuring performance,delivering value


Some IT Governance questions
* How does top management get the CIO and IT organization to return some business value to it?
* How does top management make sure that the CIO and IT organizations do not steal the capital it supplies or invest it in bad projects?
* How does top management control the CIO and IT organization?


IT risk assessment requires knowledge of the vulnerabilities of technology, the potential failures in computer systems implementations and the corresponding business implications.



Reference
Parkinson, M.J.A. and Baker, N.J. (2005)"IT and Enterprise Governance" Information Systems Control Journal Vol. 3, pp. 17-21.

Digital divide - some notes and resources

The following notes and resources are on the topic of Digital Divide in eCommerce:

1. Brief description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide
2. Digital divide: where are we: http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-today
3. New Digital Divide (article): http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/opinion/sunday/internet-access-and-the-new-divide.html?pagewanted=all

Study notes
Note 1

Remark: other differences can be based on race, gender, and physical ability



Note 2

References
Busch, T. (2011) "Capabilities in, capabilities out: overcoming digital divides by promoting corporate citizenship and fair ICT" Ethics in Information Technology 13: 339-353, Springer.
Rao, S.S. (2005) "Bridging digital divide: Efforts in India" Telematics and Informatics 22, pp. 361-375.

Business law issues as related to eCommerce in HK

The following study notes are related to Business law issues as related to eCommerce in Hong Kong:

1. As related to the Contract of Law
• Law of which country should be applied
• The nature of advertisement on the Internet
2. Application of existing legal principles
• Finding appropriate rules by analogy
3. The legal framework as offered by Electronic Transactions Ordinance (Cap 553)
• Facilitation of Electronic Commerce
• On digital electronic signatures
• On admissibility of electronic records
• General rules and presumptions
• What if there is more than one place of business?
• What if there is no principal place of business?
• How can a document be signed over the Internet?
• The problem of Geography: the place of the originator and addressee
• The Establishment of the Postmaster General as a Certification Authority
4. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and guidelines on Virtual Banks
5. On Cybersquatting
6. The problem of privacy
• On Personal Data (privacy) Ordinance and how it protects consumers who provide personal data via Internet
• Issues as related to transfer of personal data outside Hong Kong
• Anti-spam measures in Hong Kong

Reference
Carver, A. (2004) "Chapter 7: The New Law Merchant and the Internet Revolution" Hong Kong Business Law, Longman

eCommerce security - some notes

The following study notes are related to the topic of eCommerce Security:


Study notes
Note 1

Note 2

Related resource: on perimeter security: http://www.ehow.com/about_6862556_primary-purpose-perimeter-security.html
[Quote: " A perimeter is the boundary that separates your assets from the outside world. The purpose of perimeter security is to deter, detect, delay and deny unauthorized access to the assets within the perimeter by persons bent on theft, vandalism, diversion, sabotage and other criminal acts."]


Note 3:

Related links:

• ISO 17799: http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=39612
• An example of an engineering based approach: Automated Secure System Development (ASSDM): http://books.google.com.hk/books/about/Automated_Secure_Systems_Development_Met.html?id=TidFHAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Note 4:

Note 5

Related resource:

• Workflow patterns are used to model business processes: http://www.workflowpatterns.com/
• Security analysis and design: https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Perform_security_analysis_of_system_requirements_and_design_(threat_modeling)

Readings:

1. Thomson, K.L., Solms, R.v. and Technikon, P.E. (2006) "Towards an Information Security Competence Model" Computer Fraud & Security, May, pp. 11-15
2. Zuccato, A. (2007) "Holistic security management applied in electronic commerce" Computers & Security 26, pp. 256-265
3. Axelrod, W. (2006) "Cybersecurity and the Critical Infrastructure: Look Beyong the Perimeter", Information Systems Control Journal Vol. 3, pp. 24-28

Information Systems Audit - some notes

The following information is on the subject of Information Systems (IS) Audit:

1. Basic description on IS audit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology_audit
2. Related professional body: http://www.isaca.org/about-isaca/Pages/default.aspx
3. On IS audit - an introductory article: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9133200/Information_Systems_Audit_The_Basics
4. A dissertation on IS audit (pdf): http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/auditing/taxonomy-information-systems-audits-assessments-reviews_1801
5. IS and Control Audit: http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GR/gr/services/enterprise-risk-services/it-control-assurance/information-systems-and-controls-audit/index.htm

The notion of trust in eCommerce - some resources

The following resources are related to the notion of Trust in eCommerce:

1. Developing trust measures in eCommerce (pdf): http://www.bus.iastate.edu/mennecke/434/S05/TrustScaleISR.pdf
2. Build trust in eCommere homepage: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2011/07/building-trust-on-ecommerce-home-pages.php
3. Trust in ecommerce - third party seals (pdf): http://www.business.mcmaster.ca/IS/head/Articles/Trust%20in%20e-Commerce-%20Evaluating%20the%20Impact%20of%20Third-Party%20Seals.pdf
4. Build trust in eCommerce website: http://www.technologymatters.com.au/45/website-help/how-to-build-trust-on-your-ecommerce-website/
5. eCommerce trust metrics (pdf): ftp://www.tik.ee.ethz.ch/pub/lehre/inteco/SS02/material/00832944.pdf

Related notes

Additionl information:

• High general trust: a belief in the benevolence of others' intentions
• Low general trust: an inclination to adopt a guarded, more skeptical view of others
• General website trust: an individual's broad, context-independent attitudes about the trustworthiness of typical websites on the Internet
• Familiar website trust: more specific perceptions about the trustworthiness of the websites and information systems individuals use on a regular basis.

Reference
Chesshire, C., Antin, J., Cook, K.S, and Churchill, E. (2010) "General and Familiar Trust in Websites" Know Techn Pol. 23: 311-331, Springer

Direct Marketing - basic notes

The following notes are on Direct Marketing (DM):

 

Basic definition: it is a way of acquiring and retaining customers with an integrated approach: analysis of individual customer information, strategy formation, & implementation that enables customers to respond directly.

 

 

Main characteriscs:
a. Adopt ideas from both the transaction and relationship philosophy of marketing
b. Make use of a database of individual customers records
c. Make use of both mass media and personal media for marketing communication

 

 

DM can  be employed in 3 ways:
a. DM drives the business
b. DM drives part or all of the marketing strategy
c. DM is used within the communication mix

 

 

 

References

• Tapp, A. (2008) Principles of Direct and Database Marketing: A Digital Orientation, Prentice Hall
• On DMA: http://www.the-dma.org/aboutdma/whatisthedma.shtml

A concern-coping methodology based on system complexity thinking

A concern-coping methodology based on system complexity thinking has the following main phases:

Phase 1: Problem-context exploration via rich picture building
Phase 2: Identification of a main concern, the related key topic theme for investigation and the main stakeholders involved

• Main concern to be examined (e.g. dissatisfied with the logistics performance of the company)
• Topic theme to study (accompanied with literature review effort) [The topic theme is related to the main concern identified)
• Unit of analysis (People, task, department, or organization, etc) [This concept comes from the Research Methods literature]
• Problem-solving unit (individual, team, or organization)

Phase 3: Formulation of the key concern in System complexity terms (based on Ho and Scull (1995).)

• To gauge the level of soft complexity as exhibited in the  key concern
• To find out to what extent the concern can be considered as a wicked problem

Phase 4: Developing coping strategies with variety engineering thinking (from Organizational Cybernetics) [This exercise can be complemented with the root-definition and conceptual model building exercise in Soft Systems Methodology]

• The conceptual model building exercise should draw on systems notions so that the conceptual models so constructed are able to work effectively.

Phase 5: Take actions to address concerns

• Actions so carried out can follow an action research  approach (which is essentially participatory in nature) if it is politically and culturally feasible to do so

Phase 6: Check and review consequences of actions
Phase 7: Revisit Phase 1 again


The methodology is intended to be grounded on Critical Systems Thinking; further elaboration of the system complexity notion and how system complexity is to be coped with by means of variety engineering can be found in Ho and Sculli (1995). Most likely, the concern-coping methodology proposed by me can be developed via case study research strategies, including action research strategy.

This note represents a preliminary effort by me to develop a concern-coping methodology based on Ho and Sculli (1995).

Reference
Ho, J.K.K. and Sculli, D. (1995) "System Complexity and the Design of Decision Support Systems" Systems Practice 8(5), pp. 505-516

Case study research strategy - some study notes

The following study notes are on Case Study Research Strategy:


Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

Note 4

Note 5

Note 6

Note 7

Reference

• Related blog article: http://josephho33.blogspot.hk/2012/09/case-study-as-research-metthod-some.html

The theme of "relevance lost" in Strategic Management Accounting

The following information are related to the theme of Relevance Lost and Regained in Strategic Management Accounting:

References

• Johnson, H.T. and Kaplan, R.S. (1991) Relevance Lost: The Rise and Fall of Management Accounting, Harvard Business School Press
• Broomwich, M. and Bhimani, A. (1989) Management Accounting: Evolution Not Revolution, The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
• Broomwich, M. and Bhimani, A. (1994) Management Accounting  Pathways to Progress, The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

Related notes
Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

Reference
Related article: http://www.topssrilanka.com/article25811-relevance-lost-in-management-accounting.html