Horizontal Information Flow Research Articles

Analisa Rantai Pasok (Supply Chain) Bahan Baku pada Industri Kuliner Bebek dan Ayam Goreng (Studi Kasus : Depot Bebek dan Ayam Goreng Pak Qomar)

The aim of the research is to determine the flow of the duck supply chain which includes product flow, financial flow and information flow from duck breeders to the restaurant "Pak Qomar Duck and Fried Chicken Depot", to find out whether or not the supply chain is efficient and effective. happens from the breeder to the restaurant, and to find out the added value of the breeder, supplier, and the "Bebek Pak Qomar" restaurant. The results of this research are that there are 2 links that play an active role in the duck meat supply chain to the final consumer: (a) duck breeders and (b) duck suppliers. There are only two types of product flow in the duck meat supply chain at the "Bebek Pak Qomar" restaurant, namely the product flow in the form of live ducks originating from the farmer to supplier 2/3 and from supplier 2/3 to supplier 1, and to "Bebek Pak Qomar" restaurant for processing. The flow of information in the duck meat supply chain at the "Bebek Pak Qomar" restaurant is divided into two types of flow, namely the horizontal flow of information that occurs between fellow duck breeders and suppliers and suppliers and restaurant managers and the vertical flow of information that occurs at each eye. chain involved in the duck meat supply chain at the "Pak Qomar" restaurant. Financial flows in the duck meat supply chain at the "Bebek Pak Qomar" restaurant occur in 1 type of flow with the payment transaction system used during the distribution process greatly influencing the performance of each link in the chain. Measuring the amount of added value obtained using the added value calculation method xi and using BEP (Break Even Point) at the duck farmer level. The conclusion obtained from this research is the supply chain flow which includes the flow of products containing live ducks which are sent by breeders to suppliers and then to retail traders to be processed into processed duck meat at the "Bebek Pak Qomar" restaurant and served to final consumer.

SCENARIO PLANNING TO SUPPORT MANAGEMENT DECISIONS AT AN AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE

The transition to the market economy in the Russian Federation caused a sharp weakening and change in the content of the vertical components of the economic system and a disruption of the existing horizontal information flows. A specialist of an agricultural enterprise must solve the problems of forming the range and volumes of products and assess the existing and expected future market needs for these products. To do this he/she must have information about the current state of the external environment and forecasts for the future. The functioning of domestic agricultural producers under the conditions of economic sanctions applied to Russia has necessitated the rapid development of production for the purpose of import substitution. This necessitates the transformation and adaptation of agricultural enterprises to the changed external environment. In turn, this forces us to adapt the internal environment, including the use of modern management technologies, the development of progressive forms of management of agricultural enterprises. The effectiveness of the implementation of the process approach in the enterprise depends not only on the fact that the principles of process management of technological processes are used at the operational level and when planning operations. It should be noted that each change in process parameters affects the financial and economic condition of the entire enterprise. At the process control level, these changes cannot be foreseen. This explains the relevance of introducing the stage of scenario modeling to support and justify strategic decisions. The article proposes an algorithm consisting of three consecutive blocks aimed at successive diagnostics of the internal environment of the enterprise, direct design and implementation of processes and management of subsystems.

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR FORMATION OF EFFICIENT LOGISTIC CHAINS OF COMMODITY MARKETS IN EXTERNAL DIMENSION

Topicality. Modern trends in the formation of institutional support for logistics chains of commodity markets, led to the urgent need to consider them on the example of the food market. The integration of domestic agricultural enterprises into value chains is fundamentally important for the development of Ukraine's agricultural industry. Participation in such logistics chains provides a synergistic effect that allows participants, stakeholders to join forces to achieve their goals and objectives and generally improves competitiveness in food markets, including foreign ones. Possibility of control of a logistic chain of creation of the added value and rich positive experience of development of integration allows to activate available commodity potential objects and objects. Economic policy and the interest of stakeholders in logistics product chains, which is why it is formed and implemented through the prism of institutional support in the external dimension.Аim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the theoretical and methodological provisions and to develop practical recommendations for the formation of logistics chains to add value to the provision of foreign commodity markets in their markets.Research results. Analysis of the problems of efficiency of global agri-food value chains and a specific market participant, allows you to study agricultural enterprises in this chain and the links between them to see how and when they can be strengthened to achieve production and marketing efficiency; or to facilitate a more efficient vertical and horizontal flow of information, production factors and resources. Such an analysis may reveal efficiency constraints related to a specific feature of global agri-food value chains in commodity markets. Both developed and developing countries must be able to take advantage of global food value chains. Recent data show that as countries participate in global value chains of commodity markets, the growth rate of their gross domestic product increases. Value chains play an important role as a source of job creation. Thus, trade and supply in food hubs within the logistics chains of food markets stimulates the development of logistics as a critical component of global chains, as it is extremely important to supply products in the right quantity, the right quality, on time. The study also focuses on general market factors that affect the efficiency of specific value chains in the external dimension: legislative, regulatory and political environment; availability and quality of support services such as funding, training and information technology.Conclusions. Thus, the formation of efficient logistics chains allows to strengthen ties, cooperation between agricultural enterprises and multinational corporations through a transparent regulatory and investment environment in Ukraine. The ability of agri-food entities to withstand the effects of negative institutional factors, crises, adaptively and promptly make adjustments and respond to changes in the market environment in the agri-food market. The concept of integrating the mechanisms of domestic agri-food markets into global value chains makes sense, as it can bridge the gap between government policy and the realities of the food business.

Knowledge Management and Competitive Advantage of Listed Consumer Goods Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria

The study investigated the effect of knowledge management on the competitive advantage of Nigerian consumer goods businesses. A survey research design was used for the study. The management staff of six major consumer goods firms were included in the study’s population: Flour Mills Nigeria Plc., Cadbury Nigeria Plc., Guinness Nigeria Plc., Nestle Nigeria Plc., Honeywell Flour Mills and PZ Cussons Nigeria from which a sample of 384 was drawn using power analysis. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the respondents. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts and simple percentages. In addition, covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) was used to achieve the study’s objectives. The findings from the study revealed that knowledge acquisition (β = 0.541; p = 0.001), knowledge sharing (β = 0.672; p = 0.001), knowledge creation (β = 0.774; p = 0.001), knowledge codification (β = 0.450; p = 0.001) and knowledge retention (β = 0.853; p = 0.001) had a significant positive effect on consumer goods company’s competitive advantage. The study concluded that knowledge management played an important role in enhancing competitive advantage when adequately managed. It was recommended that the authorities in charge of the consumer goods companies ensure management staff quickly get any information needed within their working environment and ensure a horizontal information flow. In addition, the management should constantly develop new knowledge and ideas as well as providing appropriate communication and information technology (IT) gadgets to boost competitive advantage.

Internal Communication Effectiveness Model for Construction Companies: A Case Study of the Korean Construction Industry

Internal communication is pivotal to a company's performance during construction projects. Although internal communication is known to be strongly affected by the type of business, it is still unclear which influence factors have a greater impact. This research aimed to investigate the causal relationship between internal communication effectiveness and company performance for the different business types within the construction industry, namely owners, contractors, and architects/engineers. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the influence factors of 52 measurement variables and 11 latent variables. Based on the results of 317 completed surveys collected from 15 construction-related firms, the authors successfully investigated crucial factors in company performance according to the different business types. The results showed that vertical information flows are more influential in organizational performance than horizontal information flows due to hierarchical organizational characteristics common to most construction-related firms. The results assist managers in evaluating their internal communication based on the company's business type and developing organizational strategies to mitigate any communication-related issues. This research contributes to the construction industry's body of knowledge by demonstrating the influence factors crucial to internal communication effectiveness for different business types.

Developing serving culture: focus on workplace empowerment

Purpose Based on the data gathered from healthcare organizations, the purpose of this paper is to identify new antecedents of service quality. The proposed model posits that workplace empowerment should increase a level of employee helping behaviors, thus supporting the development of a firm’s serving culture. Consequently, while focusing on two forms of workplace empowerment, the study empirically tests mediating paths that link structural empowerment and psychological empowerment with service quality via serving culture. The findings expand the understanding of how companies could better manage evolving demands of their customers. Furthermore, the project provides clear guidelines to practitioners by suggesting how firms should allocate their organizational resources to boost service quality. Design/methodology/approach The study uses the original survey data collected from healthcare organizations to empirically test the mediating paths linking structural empowerment, psychological empowerment and service quality via serving culture. The data were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings Although the initial model assumed that both types of workplace empowerment should play equally important roles in the development of serving culture, the data reveal the statistical significance of structural empowerment. Thereby, findings emphasize that in health care, employees must be provided with access to key organizational resources (e.g., vertical and horizontal information flow) to drive up quality of service. Originality/value This research is one of a few empirical studies examining antecedents of serving culture. An overall implication of the study should be a reinforced call for more empirical studies that could identify how companies could develop serving culture. Furthermore, the paper proposes that managers must remove structural barriers that may exist in their organizations to empower employees to better manage changing customer needs.

Efficiency of Knowledge Inflow Structures

Environmental uncertainty is increasing day by day in increasing competition conditions. Under the uncertainty, corporate executives are confronted with the problem of taking long-term strategic decisions that are both instantaneous and capable of maintaining their assets. Particularly under uncertainty, limited information and focusing on short term and near environment are the most important problems faced by the sustainability of today's companies.The aim of this study is to create a model where managers can create organizational structures that can turn environmental uncertainty into a risk by positively affecting organizational performance. As a result of the study, it has been observed that the institutions where the bottom-up and horizontal information flow structures are formed and the centralization levels are reduced have more detailed information in the sectoral framework and the organizational performance perceived in the context of innovation, quality and productivity has increased.

Data-based ethical decision making, lateral relations, and organizational commitment

PurposeFocusing on ethical issues when making organizational decisions should encourage a variety of positive outcomes for companies and their employees. The purpose of this paper is to determine the degree to which data-based ethical decision making, lateral relations and organizational commitment are interrelated in organizations.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from business professionals employed at multiple locations of a financial services firm operating in the USA. Mediation analysis (based on structural equation modeling) was used to test the proposed relationships.FindingsResults indicated that employees’ perceptions of data-based ethical decision making were positively related to perceived lateral relations, and that perceived lateral relations were positively related to organizational commitment.Research limitations/implicationsGiven that information was collected using only a self-report questionnaire, common method bias could be an issue. In addition, the study’s cross-sectional design limits conclusions about causality. Another limitation involves the study’s homogenous sample, which decreases the generalizability of the findings. Finally, variable responses could have been impacted by individual frames of reference and other perceptual differences.Practical implicationsResults suggest that information flow enhancements should support or be consistent with horizontal information flow enhancements, and that together these factors should increase employee commitment.Originality/valueGiven the dearth of existing research, this interdisciplinary investigation is important because it fills gaps in the management literature. This study is also important because the results could inform decisions regarding the use of data analysis in ethical decisions and lateral forms of organizational structuring to improve work attitudes.

Improving the quality of the information flow among top managers

Purpose of the paper: The paper aims to identify the factors that can affect the quality of horizontal information flows at top management level and suggest a method for their removal. Methodology: From a theoretical perspective that draws from studies on managerial information systems, on top management horizontal communication and on total quality management, a method (narrative action research method, NARM) has been proposed, which is based on the direct involvement of the participants in the flow, in this specific case top managers. The method has been tested on 18 large organizations. Individual interviews of top managers and collective meetings with them were set up to assess their degree of satisfaction in relation to the quality of the flow. Findings: This method has allowed to find that the factors which the quality of the information flow depends on are mainly organizational-relational in nature, thus highlighting the circular causality relationship between the quality of the information flow and organizational well-being. Research implications: From a theoretical-conceptual viewpoint, this study has focused on the issue of the strategic information flow and its problems from a relational perspective that appears to have received less consideration in literature. Practical implications: The method has proved effective in improving the quality of the process, with benefits in terms not only of decision-making capacity but also of organizational climate. Originality of the paper: The method is the result of the original combination of the action research principles of change promotion and narration and problem solving techniques, which are respectively at the base of role-playing and quality circles.

Designing Contentious Politics in Post-1989 China

This article proposes a new approach to studying China’s contentious politics in the post-1989 era. This approach treats China’s central government as an institutional designer whose policies on social conflicts shape popular contention. This approach offers four insights. First, protests can provide useful information to the state about citizen grievances, but only if they are costly enough to ensure that only serious claimants engage in them. Second, protesters routinely forego strategies that would give them a stronger bargaining position because the state benefits from maintaining a consistent policy of rewarding only protests that pursue weaker strategies. Third, the contradictory “safety valve” and “single spark” metaphors for protest can be reconciled by distinguishing between the vertical flow of information from citizens to state and the horizontal flow of information from citizen to citizen. Finally, the article suggests why protests have been tolerated when apparently safer information-gathering institutions exist.

Climate-Change Communication Within Public Natural Resource Agencies: Lessons Learned From the U.S. Forest Service

ABSTRACTBy analyzing interview and survey data from U.S. Forest Service employees, we examined the strategies used for communicating about climate change within the agency and their effectiveness from the perspective of agency employees. We found a limited awareness among employees regarding climate policy. We found that horizontal information flow through informal social networks was an important way in which climate-change information was communicated. We also found a lack of confidence among employees in their ability to provide feedback to agency leadership. Our results suggest that (1) agency leadership’s ability to set priorities and deliver positive vision is important for increasing employee awareness and inspiring actions, (2) the agency could play a role in facilitating formal and informal networking among employees, and (3) using advanced information technologies may contribute to information flow horizontally and vertically, formally and informally.

Proposal of Organization Framework Model, using Business Processes and Hierarchical Patterns to provide Agility and Flexibility in Competitiveness Environments

It is very known that the administration of the Organizations is structured in the departmentalization and specializations, coming from the traditional model developed by F.W. Taylor and his followers .The information flows is basically top down and bottom up, following the pyramidal model .When the Business Process model is implemented together with a new Information System, the sequence of activities of the business processes are performed in a horizontal flow in the various departments of the organization; consequently, the management based on business processes provokes the rupture of the departmental barriers and specializations, that are characteristic of the pyramidal organization. Due to these facts, a dichotomy is established, because the formal organization remains pyramidal, with vertical flow of information, while the Information Systems make operational the management by Business Processes, with horizontal information flow [1].A new organization model appears as necessary, to conciliate the better characteristics of both models, and diminish the impact of the non-alignment of other ones, as horizontal and vertical information flow, information flow constraints due to silos of power characteristics of pyramidal model, between others. The new model, named as Organization Framework, proposes the definition of plans or levels composed by Business Processes that will be hierarchically superimposed from the first Technological Infrastructure level business processes, following with Production Management, Financial and Strategic and Political levels. Each plan have the horizontal information flow composed of respective business processes, and the vertical information flow connection between plans is made through the respective business processes, that connects information (or activities) between business processes of each plan. The hierarchy between plans is made starting from the Technological Infrastructure Plan, understood as the foundation of the Organization Framework, supporting the Management plan, that supports the Financial Plan, that supports, on other hand,the Strategic Planning and Directions plan. So, the Organization Framework establishes rules of precedence that fixes the business processes ordinance and hierarchy, in a different mode of those established by the traditional hierarchic model.This article proposes the development of the Organization Framework with the intention of reduction or even the elimination of the dichotomy between the Pyramidal Management and Business Processes Management models, searching the necessary close association between these two administration models. The adoption of the Organization Framework tends to provide more agility and flexibility to the organization and the easier approval of the Business Processes Management model by the superiors levels of the organization, mainly for business reasons, due to the increase of agility and flexibility, necessary to compete in the very competitiveness environment of the years 2000. As part of the implementation strategies, it is discussed the need of training and educational programs to the higher level management, to stabilize the sense of need of a new Business Model, to attend the external environment pressures.

RETRACTED: Automation of emergency response for petroleum oil storage terminals

In the recent decades, several fatal accidents have occurred around the world at petroleum storage sites leading to fire, explosion and toxic release scenarios. Such accidents result in huge loss of lives and property, along with widespread environmental damage due to improper coordination and communication in the emergency response. Therefore, emergency response planning is an integral and essential part of the safety and loss prevention strategy and comprises of the actions taken to manage, control and mitigate the immediate effects of an incident.An emergency requires a crystal clear hierarchy of command and organizational-procedural guidelines without any ambiguities. This paper highlights the need, structure and development of an automated networking system, called the electronic-Incident Command System (e-ICS), through case study of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) Jaipur storage terminal accident. Based on the previously proposed Incident Command System, e-ICS further strengthens coordination and communication in emergency responses. The response mechanism, through Confirmation, Command, Tactical and Support Nets for vertical and horizontal flow of commands and information has been described. This paper also discusses the importance of the Emergency Operations Center and Emergency Management Computation System in expediting the information flow. Thus, recommendations for improving coordination in crisis management are proposed.

Komunikasi Vertikal dan Horizontal dalam Membentuk Gaya Kepemimpinan Berbasis Kearifan Lokal: Studi pada Binus University

Productivity of the company depends on a leader's attempt to control staff via two-way communication. Binus University as a university that relies on IT-based communication has several advantages: cost, distance, and time reduced. However there are also a few problems, such as unreadable nonverbal communication and lack of formality and respect between subordinates and superiors. This study aims to determine vertical and horizontal communication in Binus University which form leadership style based on company local wisdom so that the company may become an institution of higher education that counts. In addition, study aims to determine how corporate culture may establish the company local wisdom in Binus University. Study used descriptive-qualitative method by doing interview and observation to some key informants. Results show that Binus University implements vertical and horizontal flow of information for communication openly and equally within the university. Leadership in Binus always embeds culture that becomes values of Binusian which are composed of 5 points: trust in God, sense of belonging, sense of closing, benchmarking, and continuous improvement in every meeting between leaders and employees. Binus University has also implemented three components forming company local wisdom, namely transformational leadership, culture and corporate structure, and effective knowledge transfer method.

The barriers to tacit knowledge sharing in franchise organizations

Contemporary discourse among knowledge management and franchising scholars points to five key barriers that obstruct franchisors and franchisees from leveraging tacit knowledge as a resource for competitive advantage. Cumberland & Githens (2010, 2012), in their seminal works, identified these as Trust, Maturation, Communication, Competition and Culture. Usually, these barriers have been considered holistically as influencers of tacit knowledge transfer. Thus there has been limited debate on the individual influence of each factor and scant robust testing of these barriers to determine whether they are indeed distinct factors. This paper revisits the ideas that have led to the identification and justification of these barriers, and explores the complex relationships that often exist between franchisors and franchisees, and also between franchisees themselves. Finally, this paper will offer some novel ideas on how these barriers could be mitigated, and tacit knowledge transferred, through better structuring of vertical and horizontal information flows.

Effect of Work Group Processes on Work Place Satisfaction and Performances - Evidence from University Class Groups Studies

This study investigates the impact of work group composition on work place satisfaction and performances using results from experimental study of students from three groups in University of Gothenburg Sweden management class working groups. Work group composition is measured here by considering factors such language, nationality and culture among group members. Language had a positive and significant effect on workplace performance; this was also probably true since effective communication skill was likely to make working groups work in a hitch free manner. While culture on the other hand has a negative and statistical significant effect on workplace satisfaction, this was likely to be true since punctuality, individual comportment, and work ethics were likely factors that member of working groups take seriously when working as a team in groups. The horizontal flow of information (knowledge transfer) was also found to depend on work group output performances. This was reasonable, since how efficient work groups and sub groups within the groups efficiently carried out their tasks will depend on the horizontal flow of information in groups. The evidence presented in this study shows that issues of nationality was not relevant to individual group members overall satisfaction in participating in groups nor was it vital to overall group performances. The results could be beneficial to organization management particularly those that wish to improve overall output productivity since class work groups experimental studies are a miniature study of organizations, the implications of this study is that language and culture could improve organizational output productivity substantially since language could contributes significantly to organizational performances and work ethics is also likely to create workplace satisfaction which can contribute in a significant way to organizational output.

EU Water Governance: Striking the Right Balance between Regulatory Flexibility and Enforcement?

Considering the challenges and threats currently facing water management and the exacerbation of uncertainty by climate change, the need for flexible yet robust and legitimate environmental regulation is evident. The European Union took a novel approach toward sustainable water resource management with the passage of the EU Water Framework Directive in 2000. The Directive promotes sustainable water use through long-term protection of available water resources, progressively reduces discharges of hazardous substances in ground and surface waters, and mitigates the effects of floods and droughts. The lofty goal of achieving good status of all waters requires strong adaptive capacity, given the large amounts of uncertainty in water management. Striking the right balance between flexibility in local implementation and robust and enforceable standards is essential to promoting adaptive capacity in water governance, yet achieving these goals simultaneously poses unique difficulty. Applied resilience science reveals a conceptual framework for analyzing the adaptive capacity of governance structures that includes multiple overlapping levels of control or coordination, information flow horizontally and vertically, meaningful public participation, local capacity building, authority to respond to changed circumstances, and robust monitoring, system feedback, and enforcement. Analyzing the Directive through the lens of resilience science, we highlight key elements of modern European water management and their contribution to the resilience of the system and conclude that the potential lack of enforcement and adequate feedback of monitoring results does not promote managing for resilience. However, the scale-appropriate governance aspects of the EU approach promotes adaptive capacity by enabling vertical and horizontal information flow, building local capacity, and delegating control at multiple relevant scales.

Tacit knowledge barriers in franchising: practical solutions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify barriers that hinder tacit knowledge transfer in a franchise environment and offer a compendium of solutions that encourage franchisees and franchisors to leverage tacit knowledge as a resource for competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from the research on franchise organizations there are five barriers to tacit knowledge transfer that present a challenge to both vertical and horizontal information flow in a franchise environment. It is suggested that when specific behaviors and processes are adopted to encourage sharing tacit knowledge it is possible to reduce tension and promote collaboration in the franchise relationship.FindingsBarriers to tacit knowledge transfer in franchise organizations include: Trust, Maturation, Communication, Competition, and Culture. Ideas for fostering knowledge sharing are offered.Research limitations/implicationsThe factors identified only partially explain why there may be resistance to sharing tacit knowledge between franchisees and franchisors. Solutions recommended will need further testing to assess their impact on creating cultures that embrace tacit knowledge sharing.Practical implicationsFor franchisors and franchisees to encourage tacit knowledge sharing they will need to recognize and value what each player contributes to the relationship.Originality/valueThe identification of specific barriers to tacit knowledge transfer in franchise environment sets the stage for future work that can expand on solutions in the franchise context that potentially has economic and psychological benefits for both parties.

Aligning management controls and information systems: contingent organisational design of business intelligence application architectures

Corporate management of today's multi-business companies has become increasingly complex, leading to a heavy reliance on formal management controls (MCs) such as planning and reporting. Business intelligence (BI) solutions promise a better support of those tasks by providing analytical applications, technologies, and processes. Although research on MCs is well driven by contingent design, comparable contingent BI design is missing. Existing research mostly focuses on general BI frameworks. As MCs determine an important share of the vertical and horizontal information flows of a corporation and of the functional requirements on BI, this article advocates a contingent design of BI application architectures derived from organisation-specific MCs. Therefore, this article outlines three typical designs of MCs (single industry, financial holding, and management holding) and derives three corresponding BI application architectures. Such a view improves the understanding of BI design and helps to facilitate aligned organisational design of MCs and BI.

Horizontal Flow of Semantic and Phonological Information in Chinese Spoken Sentence Production

A variant of the picture-word interference paradigm was used in three experiments to investigate the horizontal information flow of semantic and phonological information between nouns in spoken Mandarin Chinese sentences. Experiment 1 demonstrated that there is a semantic interference effect when the word in the second phrase (N3) and the first noun in the initial phrase (N1) are semantically related, while there is no effect when N3 and the second noun in the initial phrase (N2) are semantically related. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that there is a phonological facilitation effect only when the two phonologically related words are both in the initial phrase, and there is no effect when they are in different phrases. Reinforcing the findings of an earlier study of horizontal information flow by Smith and Wheeldon (2004), our results indicate that there is a temporal overlap in the access of the nouns in spoken Mandarin Chinese sentences and a flow of semantic and phonological information between these nouns. Moreover, our results are incompatible with a wholly parallel view of horizontal information flow and instead provide support for a view which is partly serial and partly parallel in nature.