Host Company Research Articles

Jesper Hedal Kløverpris, the winner of the SETAC Europe young scientist LCA award 2010

Jesper Hedal Kloverpris did his Ph.D. on “Consequential Life Cycle Inventory Modelling of Land Use induced by Crop Consumption”. It was an industrial Ph.D. project in collaboration between DTU Management Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark and Novozymes. He defended his dissertation in September 2008. The purpose of the dissertation was to investigate where and how much the global agricultural area changes as a result of increased crop consumption in specific regions. For Novozymes, his host company, starch is one of the most important raw materials for the fermentation processes producing the enzymes that are the main component of the company’s product portfolio. Coming from a country that has basically already incorporated all of its land suitable for agriculture, it was clear that increased crop consumption in Denmark would not affect the agricultural area within the country but most likely have an effect elsewhere. In order to be able to determine the environmental impacts of this effect and relate it to a functional unit of crops, it was necessary to estimate where land use changes would take place and how large they would be. It would thereby be possible to include these indirect land use changes in LCA.

But is it art?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review three articles on combining the arts and business worlds to examine what the most productive approach to bringing these areas together might be.Design/methodology/approachThe article presents cases from a project in Sweden, an individual leader in London and a business professor in a theatre to show that the arts are a potentially great resource for business leaders.FindingsIn Sweden, a project called Artists in Residence (AIRIS) teams an artist – perhaps a musician, painter, actor or dancer – with a regular company for a period of ten months. While in residence, the artist works on a culture project, which involves members of the organization. Recent examples of collaborations include an artist who worked at a food supermarket, a photographer at a healthcare organization, a musician at a dental heath care firm, and a choreographer at a construction company. The specific project has three distinct goals. For the business, it should create an arena whereby industry and culture can interact, and should work to enhance the creative capabilities of the organization. For artists, the project exists to provide new employment opportunities. In theory, it is a mutually beneficial scheme, funded in part by the host company and in part by taxes. But what about in practice?Practical implicationsThis paper offers several areas for exploration for business leaders, and suggests where further research might be helpful.Originality/valueThe article gives practical advice on mixing the arts with business.

Yerma (review)

Reviewed by: Yerma Kimberly Ramírez Yerma. By Federico García Lorca. Directed by Lilliam Vega. Teatro Avante, 22nd International Hispanic Theatre Festival, Carnival Center Studio Theatre, Miami. 26 July 2007. Teatro Avante, producer and host company of the acclaimed International Hispanic Theatre Festival, drew this year's festivities to a climactic close with its bold adaptation of Federico García Lorca's Yerma. In contrast to the festival's other highlights, which included a month-long series of new solo shows and original plays from six countries, the twentyseven-year-old and ever-evolving Avante reverently reimagined a classic Spanish text, revealing Lorcas piece as one that endures to challenge limiting stage conventions as much as any present-day work. Innovations in casting, costume, choreography, music, and properties extended Yermas dialogue into an entrancing hypersensory world, while choices made in developing a distinctive new voice for the play also reformulated its Spanish tones into a Latin Americanized production for a broader contemporary audience. Click for larger view View full resolution Yerma (Jacqueline Briceño) and María (Hannia Guillén) in Yerma. Adapted by Havana-based Raquel Carrió and directed by her frequent collaborator Lilliam Vega, Yerma's typically mammoth cast was reduced to an active ensemble of five actors representative of various Latin American backgrounds, while Lorcas representations of a rural Andalusian countryside were exchanged for a floating stage where both scenes and cultural cues shifted without any anchorable locus. The creative team instead signified alterations in character, place, and time by the integration of key costume props into stylized movement sequences. These nonverbal solutions elaborated the text, re-envisioning it through a modern eye while retaining its timelessness—with a result that was indulgently anatopic, but not anachronistic. Jorge Noa and Pedro Balmasedas set and costume designs (a joint effort; it was hard to distinguish where set ended and costume began in this production) and Humberto Gonzálezs choreography created a pulsing lyricism that complemented and transcended Yerma's already potent language. Avantes pared-down, minimalist approach solved not only the usual set of practical production demands, but also the greater challenges posed by Lorcas lyric drama. The script resists classification as a play; dubbed in 1934 by its author a tragic poem in three acts and six scenes, Yerma remains a performance text that evokes moods rather than portraying static places or characters. Teatro Avantes organic staging, unbound by representable space, time, and bodies, naturally dramatized this poems psychological scenes, all of which propelironically and inevitablytoward a violent, physical end. The original scripts chorus of gossipy laundresses manifested here, in a feat of role-doubling as provocative as it was economic, as second roles for the actors playing Victor, Maria, and the Old Pagan Crone. Resulting attitudes expressed by townswomen stood in stark contrast not only to Yerma, but also to the bodies of actors who portrayed them. [End Page 288] Click for larger view View full resolution Gerardo Riverón (center), Hannia Guillén, and Juan Pablo Zapata in Yerma. Gerardo Riverón delivered a powerful performance embodying only female characters (the Old Pagan Crone and one Laundress), confronting Yerma with a majestic, resonant voice behind sunglassed eyes and luxurious headdresses. His figure was cloaked in a drag that not only obscured gender, but age, nationality, and cultural influence. Costuming, especially in scenes of pagan ritual, was situated ambiguously across eras and communities, evoking pre- and post-Columbian Americas and indexing Aztec traditions. What unified these elements, and married them to the world of this play, was a very pregnant motif of lush yards of fabric, whose frayed edges and exaggerated lengths swept the stage in exhibition of their potential as raw material. Yerma (Jacqueline Briceño) reclined with her dress spread backward in a striking opening tableau, rising to reveal layers of cloth unfolding to drape her exposed body. The newly pregnant María (Hannia Guillén) introduced more fabric when she presented linen for baby clothes and entertained Yermas curiosities about carrying a child before she exited. Elaborating on Lorcas script, Carrió dramatized conflict, implied here as inner monologue, in a captivating dream scene: María returned with the linens bulging beneath her...

A case study of service failure and recovery within an international airline

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the effectiveness of internal processes of service quality recovery for an international airline.Design/methodology/approachAn action research methodology was adopted. The research involved: a review of available service quality literature; the identification of causes of failure/errors within the host company; the development of key lessons and management guidelines.FindingsIt is argued that, for service recovery to be effective, it must be external (to the customer) as well as internal (to the organisation). The need to incorporate employees and not overlook their significance, power and influence on the delivery of quality service is highlighted. Through comparison with another airline the findings re‐assert that service quality excellence can only be achieved through employee satisfaction, commitment and loyalty as a result of senior management commitment, focus and drive.Research limitations/implicationsThe methodology applied was appropriate, generating data to facilitate discussion and from which to draw specific conclusions. A perceived limitation is the single case approach; however, Remenyi argues that this can be enough to add to the body of knowledge. For further investigation, there is an ongoing opportunity for future research in the area of service quality, failure and recovery, as well as the service quality gaps within the airline.Practical implicationsKey lessons and management guidelines for improving service quality are presented.Originality/valueThe paper describes how an international airline has tangible service quality failure and recovery systems in place, but fails to capitalise on the data and information generated.

Market-Seeking Motives and Market-Related Promises and Actions in Foreign Direct Investment Privatization in Central and Eastern Europe

ABSTRACT The process of privatization through foreign direct investment (FDI) in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has been organized around interactions of three legally entitled parties, i.e., foreign investor, host government, and host company. The triadic nature of those interactions is addressed in studying the relationship initiation and development. The FDI privatization relationships and the attempts of the three parties to satisfy their objectives have become critical for the survival and successful development of the privatized entity post-privatization. This paper adopts the analytical concept of the interface between motives, promises and actions in the process of relationship development focusing on the role of market seeking motives and market-related promises and actions in the FDI privatization process. Seven cases from Bulgaria are used to unveil the relative significance of the analyzed interface. When assessing FDI investments in CEE foreign investors should assess not only the macro- and microenvironmental conditions, but also pay particular attention to what parties want to gain and what they say they would bring to the venture. The complementarity, compatibility and congruity of motives, promises and actions are suggested to be essential in the successful development of FDI privatization relationships.

Model-based melt rate control during vacuum arc remelting of alloy 718

Vacuum arc remelting (VAR) is used widely throughout the specialty metals industry to produce superalloy and titanium alloy cast ingots. Optimum VAR casting requires that the electrode melting rate be controlled at all times during the process. This is especially difficult when process conditions are such that the temperature distribution in the electrode has not achieved, or has been driven away from, steady state. This condition is encountered during the beginning and closing stages of the VAR process, and also during some process disturbances such as when the melt zone passes through a transverse crack. To address these transient melting situations, a new method of VAR melt rate control has been developed that incorporates an accurate, low-order melting model to continually estimate the temperature distribution in the electrode. This method of model-based control was tested at Carpenter Technology Corporation. In the first test, two 0.43-m-diameter alloy 718 electrodes were melted into 0.51-m-diameter ingots. Aggressive start-up and hot-top procedures were used to test the dynamic capabilities of the control technique. Additionally, a transverse cut was placed in each electrode with an abrasive saw to mimic an electrode crack. Accurate melt rate control was demonstrated throughout each melt. The second test used an electrode size and grade proprietary to the host company. Because it was not stress relieved after the primary casting process, the electrode was known to possess multiple cracks that make accurate melt rate control impossible using standard VAR controller technology. This electrode was also successfully melted with good melt rate control using the model-based controller.

The relative importance of antecedents to cross-cultural adjustment: implications for managing a global workforce

This study extends previous research on cross-cultural adjustment through a field study of 196 American business executives on assignment in Japan, Netherlands, and South Korea. The results demonstrate the relative importance of learning orientation, self-efficacy, parent and host company socialization, work, and non-work variables, on three facets of cross-cultural adjustment (work, interaction, and general). While past research has consistently shown that family adjustment is by far the strongest predictor of cross-cultural adjustment, this study reveals that socialization at the host company, previously proposed yet unmeasured, may be as strong as a predictor. Implications for practice and directions for future research are offered.

Faculty Internship in Industry

Based on the authors' experience at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), an effective way for members of engineering technology faculties to keep abreast of new developments in their field is to establish a faculty internship programme. The internship programme at MTSU, fully supported by the university's industrial advisory council, is set up to be a very simple and paper-free process. Every semester one faculty member spends the entire semester working as an engineer at a local firm and continues to draw his or her normal salary from the university. The firm, in turn, reimburses the university for the cost of replacing the faculty member with an adjunct. Since the faculty member is employed as a contractor in the host company, he or she retains the employment benefits from the university.

Tailoring product development to strategy: case of a European technology manufacturer

A large body of work on new product development (NPD) has identified a number of general success drivers, which imply `best practice' approaches in NPD. In particular, a newer market or a newer technology renders a project riskier and, therefore, requires a higher hurdle rate on returns. Furthermore, a good NPD process exhibits customer orientation and demand pull, cross-functional co-operation, top management support, existence of a champion, good planning and execution with a strong project manager, and the use of a well-defined process with formal measures. Radically new NPD projects require less structure and more exploration than incremental projects. This article examines whether such general `best practices' are directly applicable to a specific company. We study 90 NPD projects across many different business units in a large diversified European technology manufacturer. We find that the market positioning of new products depends more on the specific portfolio needs of our host company than on general principles of riskiness. In addition, we identify three predominant NPD process approaches in the company, but success differences among them are `muddled' by the non-targeted way they are used. We conclude that there is no `best practice' NPD process. Rather, a company should develop a customized NPD project portfolio and a corresponding mixture of processes, which together meet its strategic innovation needs. We develop a systematic procedure that can help a company to achieve such strategic alignment.

Assisting economic transformation in central and eastern Europe: correlates of program usefulness

This exploratory study examined correlates of value reported by participants from an international management and business development program. Data were collected from 51 managers from the Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union who participated in a six‐week program held in Canada. The program emphasized market economy concepts, Western management principles and placement in a Canadian host company. Program participants reporting greater value were at higher organizational levels, worked more hours per week, had stronger entrepreneurial and technical‐functional orientations, acquired more skill and knowledge from the program and used program content to address specific back‐home projects.

A win‐win project: developing redundant managers in a work context

A Kent TEC project “EXPAND”, developed with European Social Fund funding under its ADAPT strand and managed by Hilary Temple Associates, has successfully completed its first of two pilot years. It places redundant or early‐retired managers as business mentors in small and medium enterprises to assist them with expansion activities. These “Grey Angels” also undertake an individualised management development programme using the Senior Management Standards and other appropriate benchmarking tools. The totality of the project helps the Grey Angel identify further education or training needs, seek re‐employment, self‐employment, or continued consultancy with the host company. It also increases self‐esteem. The companies benefit from the manager’s accumulated wisdom and expertise, not just for the specific project but in general business development terms. Some Grey Angels also act as mentors to youngsters placed with the company under a Youthstart programme also managed by Kent TEC.

Manufacturing technology sourcing practices in the USA

Some companies are heavily reliant on the capabilities of their manufacturing technology for product competitiveness. Likewise, the capabilities of a manufacturing technology are dependent on the sourcing policy that the host company practices. This paper describes research that has explored a wide variety of US companies to understand manufacturing technology sourcing policies and how they have been formed. This research finds that there is a preference amongst the US organizations studied not to become involved with equipment manufacture, though some examples of full integration do occur. These policies are not determined by formalized decision processes, rather they are formed implicitly during technology choice. In this research, factors that influence a technology source have been identified. These drivers are then used to establish a methodology that will help practising managers to form a technology sourcing decision. This methodology takes into account the business demands placed on a technology, along with the characteristics of the host company's supplier base.

The engineer availability process: A study of a predictive process

Outlines the main findings of a study of a process in a major organization (involved in the servicing of capital equipment) which seeks to predict customer demand for service calls and match these against engineering resources. The process is called the engineer availability process (EAP) and has been examined in two geographical areas of the host company. Among the findings is that, no matter what means are used to predict demand, there is always a need for a flexible revision of supply. This revision can be met between formal and informal clustering of engineers. The former delivers a consistent output of jobs per day across a clustered team whereas with informal clustering, the distribution across teams is less consistent and puts greater pressure on individual teams to match supply and demand.

Effective benchmarking: learning from the host’s viewpoint

Successful benchmarking exchanges require co‐operation from both the prospective benchmarker and the host benchmarkee. Adopting the viewpoint of a host company provides valuable insight into how to make benchmarking partnerships more effective, both for benchmarkers and benchmarkees. Provides specific ideas on how to structure benchmarking exchanges effectively based on in‐depth interviews with nine experienced host companies and survey data from 31 experienced host companies. Provides a generic process flow for handling benchmarking requests and discusses critical issues to be addressed in adding value towards a mutually productive benchmarking exchange.

Evaluating international managers' performance: parent company standards as control mechanism

The study argues that performance appraisal systems are a way to control international managers' behaviour and international operations in general. It examined the influence of three types of antecedents on the use of par-ent company standards as evaluation criteria, i.e. the power of international managers, international managers' commitment to the parent company and the company culture. The study used a sample of 162 internationals from four Belgian and one British parent company. The results indicated that international managers in high power positions were evaluated according to parent company standards. These managers were completing their foreign assignment in South America and Asia (uncertainty absorption), they had managerial jobs (centrality) and each was only one of a few other international managers in the host company (substitutabil-ity). Contrary to expectations,. they also showed a high degree of intercul-tural interaction.

A Case Study of the Typical Issues Involved in Quality Improvement

Work carried out to develop a quality improvement programme in a customised manufacturing situation is reported on. There were many influences on the host company that made quality improvement desirable. These included initiatives such as the United Kingdom′s National Quality Campaign, the “quality knock‐on effect” of companies which have made quality their number one priority, various examples of quality problems within the organisation, influences of other companies within the group of which the host company is part, and quality initiatives taken by individual managers. The main steps in developing the process are described along with the problems encountered.

Experiments with stock control policies and leadtime setting rules, using an aggregate planning evaluation model of a make-for-stock shop

A simulation model, driven by real order time series, of an actual make-for-stock shop is described. A broad spectrum of different sets of decision rules has been incorporated in the model in an attempt to represent as many as possible of the production controls which might be utilized by a production manager. Experiments designed to determine the impact on a production cost function of changes in decision rules can be conducted over a wide range of conditions, with the objective of assessing the robustness of rule changes. To illustrate the use of the model, the results of experiments in two areas of production control are presented. Changing the stock control policy used by the host company to a re-order level policy type was shown to lead to significant improvements in performance across the range of conditions examined, in the case of a low marginal cost of stock review. In experiments with leadtime setting rules, improvements in performance were obtained across the spectrum of experimental conditions when the leadtime distribution was altered to one based on batch work content and number of operations and the tightness of the mean leadtime was simultaneously increased.

Multinational planning— Developing a global approach

The paper blends theory and practice through the use of concepts and real examples. Several theories about International management have been forwarded. This study presents views about a multinational corporation's motivations to go abroad, evaluation of new venture proposals, and how its subsidiary organization can become more effective in the host company. Polar differences in cultural, political, legal and social economic systems are the more important reasons contributing to the difficulty of the transfers of managerial ‘arts’ and philosophies. Management science, technologies, product design, manufacturing technology, plant and equipment are much more transferable among vastly differing cultures and communities. Also, practical implications of the theory have been provided at the end of the article. Examples are provided of how planning should be done in an international business. Also, the paper illustrates with examples the nature of planning and decision-making in an international environment.

Communicating

A feature of specialised film production in the last few years has been the move made by a few major industrial film sponsoring organisations to transform their internal film units into production companies catering for other sponsors besides the host company. British Rail made this change with British Transport Films — although the new policy has kept the unit still working within the transport field. ICI, in creating Millbank Films as the successor to ICI Film Unit, have undertaken a similar move and, whilst the bulk of the unit's output has been concerned with different aspects of ICI's public relations and commercial interests, the latest series of films to be produced has introduced a significant newcomer to management film making. In this instance Millbank Films has cooperated with Sheppard Moscow and Associates Ltd, management consultants, in the production of a film series with associated publications designed for use in management training, and the films themselves are being distributed by Guild Sound and Vision, one of Britain's three major industrial film libraries with a rapidly expanding catalogue of management training material.