Paradigms, metaphors & puzzle-solving in Business Research

The following notes cover the topic of paradigms, metaphors and puzzle-solving in Business Research:

Note 1

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Note 3

Students should study Anderson (1995) for a detailed elaboration of the ideas noted in the above notes.



Reference
Anderson, P.H. (1995) "Ontology and research strategy - paradigmatic consequences to social inquiry" in Elfring, T., Jensen, H.S. and Money, A. (editors) European Research Paradigms in Business Studies, pp. 29-47, Handelshojskolens Forlag.

A strategic management accounting review on conglomerates

The following notes cover the main Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) topics on the subject of Conglomerates:

• Topic 1: Management Accounting (MA)/ financial evaluation on developing centralized services to the whole conglomerate group.
• Topic 2: MA/ financial review of the portfolio of investment by the conglomerate group, covering an assessment of overall risk involved.
• Task 3: MA/ Financial Management efforts to design appropriate financial performance measures for the various strategic business units (e.g. as investment centres).
• Task 4: MA efforts to develop appropriate transfer pricing/ service charging schemes for corporate centralized services to other business units.
• Topic 5: MA evaluation on whether to spin off the centralized services function as a separate business unit, which then has freedom to also offer their services to the external markets.

As the topic of conglomerates and the related topic of corporate-level stratey have been much examined in the Strategic Management literature, the five topics identified above and the related strategic management concerns and strategic mangement thinking, with obsession on how to gain sustainable competitive advantage, are related more explicitly to the application of relevant Management Accounting practices and techniques in Ward (1993). In this case, Ward's (1993) work, though brief, promotes Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) thinking and SMA practices.


Reference
Ward, K. (1993) "Chapter 11: Conglomerates" Strategic Management Accounting, Butterworth-Heinemann.

A strategic management accounting review on single focus businesses

The following notes based on Ward (1993) cover the topic of Single focus business supported by strategic management accounting:

Note 1

Note 2

Note 3

In short, different market segments in the "single-focus" company's business portfolio require different financial performance measures and different management accounting function support. This theme of different financial performance measures for different internatl/ external situation has been much discussed in the strategic management accounting (SMA) literature, e.g. in balanced scorecard and strategic cost management references.

It appears useful to study the literature on product life cycle management to gain a better understanding of this topic of SMA review on single focus businesses. In this case, pls also refer to: http://josephho33.blogspot.hk/2012/08/product-life-cycle-management-study.html



Reference
Ward, K. (1993) "Chapter 9: Single focus businesses" Strategic Management Accounting, Butterworth-Heinemann.

A strategic management accounting review on vertically integrated businesses

The following ideas and issues are related to an examination of vertically integrated businesses from the Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) perspective:

1. The need to provide economic justification, e.g. earning a higher financial return, on adopting an vertically integrated business model (VIBM) as a strategic move for an enterprise.
2. Adopting a VIBM can weaken an enterprise's  existing competitive strength.
3. Adopting a VIBM can increase total business risk for an enterprise with more concentration of investment in a specific industry.
4. Subsequent monitoring of financial performance arsing from the adoption of VIBM needs to consider the  appropriate transfer pricing design between strategic business units in a VIBM.
5. Early pioneerig companies in  a new industry find it necessary to adopt a VIBM as there are no/ few outside suppliers. Later on, an enterprise needs to decide if it would be better to reduce reliance on the VIBM (i.e. performs more outsourcing/ external sourcing). There is a need to conduct financial and management accounting evaluation to meet this need for strategic evaluation.
6. Transfer prices are used on economic decisions on issues such as the allocation of resources within an enterprise group and whether a particular function should be outsourced. An enterprise should concentrate its resources on those opportunities that create the maximum contribution to profit for the enterprise group as a whole.

The ideas above need to be examined in details from the perspective of how strategic  management accounting (SMA) thinking and SMA techniques/ SMA methodologies can support corporate strategic decision making on vertical business integration. Such Management Accounting (MA) systems and efforts to support this kind of strategic decision making can establish SMA as relevant to strategic management in enterprises and rightly earn them the label as "Strategic" MA.





Related diagram

Reference
Ward, K. (1993) "Chapter 10: vertically integrated businesses" Strategic Management Accounting, Butterworth Heinemann

Effective problem-solving based on systems thinking

The following notes on effectiven problem-solving are based on systems thinking:

1. The problem formulation and solution derivation grid
• Dimension 1: formulating the problem: right; wrong
• Dimension 2: deriving the solution: right; wrong

2. 5 categories of solving the wrong problem precisely
• Selecting the  wrong stakeholders
• Choosing a narrow set of options
• Phrasing incorrectly a problem
• Setting too narrowly the scope of a problem
• Failing to adopt systems thinking

Students need to study Mitroff (1998) to learn details of the thinking behind the ideas above.



Reference
Mitroff, I. (1998) Smart thinking for crazy times, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Strategic Information Systems Framework - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda is on Strategic Information Systems (SIS) Framework:

1. The nature, functions and limitations of frameworks for Strategic Information systems
2. Examples of foundation frameworks
• 5-Force Model of M. Porter
• Interorganizational system (IOS) framework of  Cash and Konsynski
• Generic Corporate Strategies of M. Porter
• Trilevel Framework of Parson
3. Examples of SIS opportunity-seeking frameworks
• The Value Chain model of M. Porter
• Strategic Thrusts of Wiseman
• Strategic Option Generator of Wiseman
• Strategic Opportunities Framework
• Marketing Opportunities Framework
4. Strategic Information Systems Support Mechanisms
• External Systems
• Internal Systems
5. The Customer Resource Life Cycle Model
6. 5-Phase Planning framework
7. Strategic impact/ value frameworks
• Strategic Impact Grid
• Impact-Value Framework
• Risk-Assessment Framework
• Information Intensity Grid
• McFarlan's 5 questions
8. Stakeholder Management Framework
9. Strategic Necessity Framework of Clemons and Kumbrough
10. Business Technology Platform Mapping
11. Contingency Factors Frameworks
• Industry-Specific Factors
• Critical Success Factors
• Causal Model of competitive advantage
• The Seven-S Framework

Reference
Neumann, S. (1994) "Chapter 3: Strategic Information Systems Frameworks", Strategic Information Systems, Maxwell Macmillan International

Ergonomics - some resources

The following infomation and resources are on the subject of Ergonomics:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_factors_and_ergonomics
2. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/
3. http://www.ergonomics.org/
4. http://www.iea.cc/01_what/What%20is%20Ergonomics.html
5. Academic journal:
• http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/terg20
• Human Factors, published by SAGE

The significance of reading academic journal articles

During your Degree programme, you are required to read academic refereed journal articles. Why is it important for students to do so? Reasons are as follows:

1. The quality of academic journal articles is assured via the vigorous peer-reviewed process
2. The quality of these articles is assured because the literature review and research methods carried out in producing these articles are more more vigorously formulated and explicitly explained
3. The line of reasoning of these articles tend to be more exploratory, logical, critical, innovative, and clearly expressed.
4. Academic journal articles demonstrate (i) how proper literature review can be conducted and (ii) very often how sophisticated theory-driven analysis can be carried out. Reading these academic articles help you to improve your research skills.
5. These articles tend to explain clearly their academic and/ or practical values.
6. Their academic writing style is appropriate for dissertation report writing, which students doing final year dissertations need to master.
7. These articles have mainly been produced by serious writers, and often the reported works are funded by various organizations. They can be the products of much intellectual efforts, as supported with sponsored funding. Thus, these reports very often present content of high research and practical value.

Because of that, academic journal articles have academic and practical values that cannot be offered by textbooks, which tend to be more explanatory in nature. In literature review exercise (e.g. for doing final year dissertation projects), students need to study relevant academic journal articles; they cannot solely rely on textbooks and/or professional journals for this purpose.

I understand that academic journal articles are not easy for students to read and that not all academic journal articles have good academic and practical values. Still, it is important for undergraduate students (and graduates) to learn how to read academic journal articles; it is important for Master degree students (graduates) to read academic journal articles as a hobby/ habit. Finally, it is important for PhD students (graduates) to learn how to write academic journal articles.

Undergraduate students who do not read academic journal articles are not undergraduate students; Master degree students who do not develop a habit/ hobby to read academic journal articles are not Master degree students. Finally, Ph.D. students who do not know how to write academic journal articles of publishable quality are not Ph.D students. Reading academic journal articles is an important activity for continuous professional development of University students/ graduates. Learning how to find useful academic journal articles from university e-library is at the same time a research skill that strengthens students/ graduates' problem-solving capability in work settings.

Now, some of my Master Degree students do not even know how to use university e-library, and some overseas universities in Hong Kong do not offer e-library to their Undergraduate students..

Shallow vs deep education

A table produced by me based on my reflection on recent teaching experience

Shallow education vs Deep education

Shallow education	Deep education
On participants (students, teachers and the education centres) ·       Transaction-oriented ·       Motivated by low-level needs in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ·       Focus on outputs, e.g. a pass and a recognized degree from a university with good ranking ·       Individualistic ·       Myopic ·       As an economic agent	On participants (students, teachers and the education centres) ·       Development-oriented ·       Motivated by high-level needs in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ·       Focus on processes and the experience ·       Collectivist ·       Farsighted ·       As a cultivator
On the education process ·       Requires shallow thinking in study ·       Operate as commercial activity ·       Based on a relationship of service-provider(s) and customer(s) ·       The study process should be trouble-free and risk free ·       Need to guard against unfair practices, e.g. cheating in exam and plagiarism	On the education process ·       Requires deep thinking in study ·       Operate as a humanistic/ developmental process ·       Based on a relationship of mentor(s) and protégé ·       The study process should be inspiring and enjoyable ·       Need to guard against calculating mindset

Bullwhip effect - some resources

The following online resources are on the topic of Bullwhip effect, which is studied in the subject of Supply Chain Management:

1. Basic description: http://www.aalhysterforklifts.com.au/index.php/about/blog-post/what_is_the_bullwhip_effect_understanding_the_concept_definition
2. General information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullwhip_effect
3. A related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4K8pJ-wBHE&feature=related

Reasoning analysis in research works

The following discussion agenda is on Analysis of Reasoning in Research works:

1. On argument and rhetoric
2. Stages in analysis of natural lanuage reasoning
• Phase 1: identify reasoning  indicators
• Provisional inference indicators: conclusion indicators, reason indicators, suppositional indicators, model terms
• Phase 2: analyze reasoning structures
3. On strength of argument
• "Degree of support" of reasons:
• Nil
• Weak
• Moderate
• Strong
4. On suppositional arguments

Related note

Reference
Ryan, B., Scapens, R.W., and Theobold, M. (2002) "Chapter 11: The critical analysis of reasoning" Research Method and Methodology in Finance and Accounting, Thomson.

Activity scheduling in Operations Mangement

The following resources are on the topic of Activity Scheduling in the subject of Operations Management:

1. Types of operations scheduling: http://www.mbaofficial.com/mba-courses/operations-management/explain-about-types-of-operations-scheduling/
2. On planning and control (pdf): http://catalogue.pearsoned.co.uk/assets/hip/gb/hip_gb_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0273756192.pdf
3. Level scheduling vs chase scheduling: http://www.gaebler.com/Level-Scheduling-Versus-Chase-Scheduling.htm

Capacity Management in Operations Management

The following resources  are on  the topic of Capacity Management in the subject of Operations Management:

1. A brief article on capacity planning: http://www.gaebler.com/Capacity-Planning.htm
2. On capacity planning strategies: http://www.gaebler.com/Capacity-Planning-Strategies.htm
3. An article on capacity planning and control: http://www.smthacker.co.uk/capacity_management.htm
4. A brief article on capacity management: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-capacity-management.htm

Customer queue management - some resources

The following resources are on the topic of Customer Queue Management in Operations Management:

1. On customer queue management - a brief essay: http://www.gaebler.com/Managing-Queues-in-the-Service-Industry.htm
2. On queue management system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queue_management_system
3. On virtual hold system to support customer queue management (pdf): http://www.virtualhold.com/WhitePapers/VHT_Queue-Management-Strategies.pdf
4. Management of perception of waiting time (pdf): http://www.iei.liu.se/fek/frist/722g60/gruppernas_artiklar_och_presentationer_2007/1.111857/4976678.pdf

Related lecture note

Inventory Management - a discussion agenda

The following discussion agenda is on Inventory Management:

1. Reasons and objectives for holding inventory
• Objectives for holding cycle stock [stock that satisfies demand between replenishments]
• Objectives for holding safety stock
• Overall objective: to maximize corporate financial and operational performance
2. Types of inventory held in the supply chain
• raw materials
• work-in-process
• semi-finished goods
• finsihed goods
• MRO  inventory

Also study the related topics of bullwhip effect: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullwhip_effect and cross-docking: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-docking

Related lecture notes
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Note 4

References

1. Heath, G.J. and Danks, A. (2003) "Chapter 2.8: Inventory management" in Gattorna, J.L., Ogulin, R. and Reynolds, M.W. (editors) Gower Handbook of Supply Chain Management, Gower
2. Inventory management strategies whitepaper (pdf): http://www.uncg.edu/bae/isom/tisec/benchmark_article.pdf