Interdepartmental Coordination Research Articles

Investigating the Impact of Lean Management on Innovation in Vietnamese SMEs

Internationalization in society and economy has fostered promptly the production volumes and product diversification due to the complexity in customers’ design. Lean management has been known as effective and efficient tools in the management of customer value by reducing cost of the resources necessary to achieve the needs of customers. Today innovation has been considered as driving force of business success in every industry in the context of high competition. The link between lean management and innovation capability has been recently proposed in some literatures, which show that some aspects of lean management may negatively affect and some may positively affect a company’s capability to be successful with certain types of innovations. This paper develops a framework to analyze the impact of lean management on innovation capability in Vietnamese small and medium enterprises. Five propositions has been presented and tested in the sample of 122 SMEs engaged in lean management. The findings suggest that due to implementation of lean management the changes of organizational structure and inter-departmental coordination have positive effect and the changes of human resources management and organizational culture have negative effect on the innovation capability.

Joined-up Government of utilities: a meta-review on a public–public partnership and inter-municipal cooperation in the water and wastewater industries

ABSTRACTPrivate-sector participation in public services delivery has been criticized due to unfulfilled expectations. In response, joined-up government is being introduced as an alternative approach to providing water and wastewater services. This approach involves the establishment of horizontal (i.e. inter-municipal cooperation) and vertical (i.e. public–public partnership) integration. Drawing on a meta-review focused on the water and wastewater industries, this study shows that both arrangements have positive aspects, such as cost savings. However, contractual schemes and inter-departmental coordination efforts must be carefully managed or they will fail. In addition, research on cooperation between public bodies is scarce and must be better coordinated concerning study aims and methods.

Evaluation of the environmental impact assessment system and implementation in Myanmar: Its significance in oil and gas industry

Myanmar's political and economic transformation and drastic expansion of foreign direct investment in natural resource sector necessitate systematic safeguards to mitigate impacts from its development activities. Myanmar promulgated the first national EIA law and procedure only recently, in 2016, and the country's institutional and financial capacity is extremely limited to implement effective EIA. This article evaluates Myanmar's EIA system against a set of evaluative criteria developed by Wood (1995) and modified by Annandle (2001). The evaluation was based on the review of the literature, investigation of EIA legislative and administrative framework, and several other sources of data and information. Opinions of professionals from international and government agencies, and researchers are also solicited. The paper then evaluates the rate of EIA disclosure in O&G sector and whether EIA in Myanmar is significance in mitigating the impact of O&G operations on the environment. The review of EIA system indicates that Myanmar generally has sound legal and administrative framework for EIA, however, its practical implementation reveals several major challenges and weaknesses. The presence of more than one standard EIA procedure and lack of inter-departmental coordination and consultation are also major concerns. Overall, the quality of EIA reports and the level of disclosure in O&G sector is higher than that of other sectors in Myanmar. Through the analysis, the paper summarizes the fundamental challenges faced by companies and government, opportunities and good practices in implementing EIA systems and propose recommendations to strengthen EIA performance. The findings of this study expect to contribute to strengthening EIA system and performance in Myanmar and other developing countries, especially in Southeast Asia.

Effects-Driven Participatory Design: Learning from Sampling Interruptions.

Participatory design (PD) can play an important role in obtaining benefits from healthcare information technologies, but we contend that to fulfil this role PD must incorporate feedback from real use of the technologies. In this paper we describe an effects-driven PD approach that revolves around a sustained focus on pursued effects and uses the experience sampling method (ESM) to collect real-use feedback. To illustrate the use of the method we analyze a case that involves the organizational implementation of electronic whiteboards at a Danish hospital to support the clinicians' intra- and interdepartmental coordination. The hospital aimed to reduce the number of phone calls involved in coordinating work because many phone calls were seen as unnecessary interruptions. To learn about the interruptions we introduced an app for capturing quantitative data and qualitative feedback about the phone calls. The investigation showed that the electronic whiteboards had little potential for reducing the number of phone calls at the operating ward. The combination of quantitative data and qualitative feedback worked both as a basis for aligning assumptions to data and showed ESM as an instrument for triggering in-situ reflection. The participant-driven design and redesign of the way data were captured by means of ESM is a central contribution to the understanding of how to conduct effects-driven PD.

DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN EXPERIENCE ANALYSIS OF PLANNING AND REGULATORY RESEARCH IN PHARMACEUTICALS

Aim. To conduct an analysis of the management of innovation activities for innovative medicines market launch in Russia and abroad. Material and Methods. The methods of cognition (including methods of empirical (observation, comparison) and theoretical research (analysis, synthesis, aggregation)), expert assessments, SWOT analysis were used in the research. Results. The analysis of domestic and foreign experience in planning and regulating research in the field of pharmaceutics is carried out. Despite the fact that at present a powerful ramified state apparatus for regulating scientific research and development in the field of medicine has been formed in the Russian Federation, the pharmaceutical science remains divided. This leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of research in the field of pharmaceuticals. At the same time, in developed countries, interdepartmental coordination and advisory bodies (councils, commissions) are active, often at the highest level. This testifies to the high attention given in these countries to interdepartmental interaction and intersectoral projects in the field of research and development. Conclusion . Foreign R & D support systems are characterized by a number of differences from domestic mechanisms. A number of recommendations based on the experience of foreign colleagues for future measures to modernize existing and introduce new mechanisms for state support of research in the field of pharmaceuticals in Russia are proposed.

The Survival of Market Orientation through Artificial Selection

IntroductionMarket has been conceptualized as an organizational culture and a resulting behavior for creating superior value for customers (Kohli & Jaworski, 1990; Narver & Slater, 1990). Throughout the years of research, it has been shown to have a positive impact on performance (Kirca, Jayachandran, & Bearden, 2005). As the importance of a market in business becomes evident, more attention is being given to the question of can it be Quantitative research has shown that top management focus, inter-departmental coordination, and a market-based reward system act as antecedents to a market (Kirca et al., 2005). However, qualitative studies on the mechanisms of developing a market (Gebhardt, Carpenter, & Sherry, 2006; Kennedy, Goolsby, & Arnould, 2003) have only recently begun to appear.1One problem with prior research is that it does not consider organizational path dependencies. In some cases, path dependency may make it almost impossible to develop a market orientation. The most extreme case is when a homogeneous sales organization, which for many years had the opposite of a market orientation, namely a selling orientation, aims to develop a market orientation. According to the theory of evolution in organizational change literature (Van de Ven & Poole, 1995), even when a market is formed locally, it may be selected out by natural selection. In such circumstances, just how can a market be developed? Examining this issue will add new angles to the existing literature on market orientation.This study presents a case of a Japanese automobile dealer that has shifted from a traditional selling to a process-focused market (Kosuge, 2011). What occurred at this company between 2001 and 2009 was not natural selection. Out of 54 shops competing with one another, only three started to develop a form of market orientation. They were performing poorly and, therefore, could have been selected out, if left to their own devices. However, the top management allowed the three shops to survive and deliberately made an effort to spread the form of market within the organization. In other words, institutional isomorphism occurred in these 54 shops through artificial selection.Phase 1: Resistance from a Great MajoritySales staff at this company was given short-term quotas for new car sales. Their primary focus was on achieving those quotas. The sales force disregarded customers' needs and did whatever could to sell what the company wants to sell. There was a lack of organizational effort to understand market trends and create value for customers. Just as with other companies in this industry, the company had pursued to maximize sales over the past decades. However, the top management started to doubt the long-term sustainability of this business approach and began a program to shift toward a market in 2001.2In an organizational culture where results are everything, the sales staff, who had focused only on their performance, perceived this program to be contradictory to the traditional sales style. Also, when the top management emphasized the importance of processes, it was met with resistance.Think about it. Don't you wonder what process there is in a sales company? It's ridiculous! How many have you sold?...So no matter what you try, if your numbers don't improve, it's all the same to the guys upstairs.You can't do anything if all you're thinking about is short-term goals like having to reach a certain sales target every day.The greater the emphasis on a process orientation, the more the sales force held on to their traditional sales style, noting that they can't complain as long as we just achieve good results.In addition, a team orientation means that salespeople work together to contact customers, share their know-how with each other, and function as an organization. …

Internal coordination and legitimation strategies: assessing the influence of individual commissioners in the policy formulation process

While the Commission’s influence on Council decisions has attracted considerable scholarly attention, its internal dynamics are still not well known, in particular regarding the individual entrepreneurship of Commissioners. Aiming to contribute to the literature on the Commission’s inner workings, this article draws comparisons between the levels of influence that two Commissioners were able to exert in the course of two legislative drafting processes; one of these efforts resulted in the Commission proposal for a Climate and Energy Framework, and the other aimed at introducing a Smart Border Package. Based on document analysis and interviews, it is argued that the influence of a particular Commissioner is best explained by a combination of institutional and discursive analysis. While low levels of interdepartmental coordination serve to increase the discretion of Commissioners, their level of influence also depends on their ability to justify their position with value-based arguments.

CONFLICT PREVENTION POLICY IN THE UK

Over the next decade, the UK has learned significant lessons in the field of crisis and conflict prevention, in particular about the importance of avoiding recurring conflicts in fragile states that often find themselves in a vicious circle of violence and underdevelopment. As a result, the UK revised its investment priorities in order to focus on fragile and conflict-affected states and strengthened interdepartmental coordination – particularly between DFID and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) – to focus on the links between security and development. Conflicts have a destructive effect on years of development efforts and on the overall security of a country or region. Development is favoured by trade and, therefore, by the free movement of goods and people, which requires a certain level of security

Public health interventions to protect against falsified medicines: a systematic review of international, national and local policies.

Falsified medicines are deliberately fraudulent drugs that pose a direct risk to patient health and undermine healthcare systems, causing global morbidity and mortality. To produce an overview of anti-falsifying public health interventions deployed at international, national and local scales in low and middle income countries (LMIC). We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for healthcare or pharmaceutical policies relevant to reducing the burden of falsified medicines in LMIC. Our initial search identified 660 unique studies, of which 203 met title/abstract inclusion criteria and were categorised according to their primary focus: international; national; local pharmacy; internet pharmacy; drug analysis tools. Eighty-four were included in the qualitative synthesis, along with 108 articles and website links retrieved through secondary searches. On the international stage, we discuss the need for accessible pharmacovigilance (PV) global reporting systems, international leadership and funding incorporating multiple stakeholders (healthcare, pharmaceutical, law enforcement) and multilateral trade agreements that emphasise public health. On the national level, we explore the importance of establishing adequate medicine regulatory authorities and PV capacity, with drug screening along the supply chain. This requires interdepartmental coordination, drug certification and criminal justice legislation and enforcement that recognise the severity of medicine falsification. Local healthcare professionals can receive training on medicine quality assessments, drug registration and pharmacological testing equipment. Finally, we discuss novel technologies for drug analysis which allow rapid identification of fake medicines in low-resource settings. Innovative point-of-purchase systems like mobile phone verification allow consumers to check the authenticity of their medicines. Combining anti-falsifying strategies targeting different levels of the pharmaceutical supply chain provides multiple barriers of protection from falsified medicines. This requires the political will to drive policy implementation; otherwise, people around the world remain at risk.

Managing International Development Projects

The discipline of project management has got into new areas over time, but core problems like delay and cost overrun continue to be there. In the international development projects like those related to poverty alleviation, managing projects is much more complex. This article tries to understand the project management practices followed in the implementation of international development projects. Based on the comparative study of four projects—Participatory Approach to Human and Land Development (PAHAL, Rajasthan), Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) watershed projects, Rajasthan District Poverty Initiative Project (DPIP, Rajasthan) and Sujala (Karnataka)—the article finds various problems ranging from interorganizational conflicts, lack of interdepartmental coordination, fund-crunch, frequent changes in implementation guidelines, etc. Delay in progress was invariably found and progress was made through diluting quality. The main reason behind this was the dynamic nature of interventions and rigid project design. By adding a flexible organizational design for managing international development projects, rather than focusing on cost-effective economic structure, the performance can be improved.

A stakeholder approach to building community resilience: awareness to implementation

Purpose The paper aims to examine one local government’s efforts to increase local-level engagement in building community disaster resilience. Presenting the empirical evidence of stakeholder engagement activities that increase risk awareness and encourage collective action, the study addresses a key priority for the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (Hyogo Framework for Action 2) to identify methods for increasing local-level implementation of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, case study approach is used to explore the case in depth. A review of literature from the multidisciplinary areas of communication, social and political theory frames data collection and analysis. Data collection includes observation, document analysis and interviews with policymakers, practitioners and local stakeholders to document achievements and lessons learnt from all perspectives. Findings Preliminary results indicate that strong political leadership and inter-departmental coordination have contributed to engaging local-level participation in disaster risk reduction in the Municipality of Amadora, Portugal. Findings indicate that the implementation of a wide spectrum of public engagement initiatives has increased awareness of hazard risks amongst specific demographic groups and improved community and government capacity to identify and implement risk reduction strategies. Research limitations/implications As this study is a work-in-progress and data analysis is in the early stages, interview transcripts included in this paper are limited to members of the team and their Director, Amadora Town Councillor for Civil Protection Services. Practical implications It is commonly acknowledged that to date, achievements of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2010-2015 largely remain at the national level and have not reached local levels in a substantial manner. Addressing the need for more industry-led research to explore examples of successful stakeholder participation, the paper’s findings can be used by emergency management practitioners who recognise the need to merge climate change adaptation, risk reduction and local-level engagement to encourage public participation, inclusiveness and proactive planning. Originality/value Co-authored by an Australian academic and a member of Amadora’s Campaign Team, the paper is a combination of empirical data from one city’s practical experience to develop and implement communication strategies in developing and implementing strategies to build community disaster resilience, analysed within a framework of communication, social and political theory.

Population-based dietary approaches for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases.

As the incidence of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes continues to rise at an alarming rate in South-East Asia, it is imperative that urgent and population-wide strategies are adopted. The most important contributors to the rise in noncommunicable disease are a rise in mean caloric intake and a decrease in physical activity. The evidence for population-based dietary approaches to counter these factors is reviewed. Several structural and cohesive interdepartmental coordination efforts are required for effective implementation of prevention strategies. Since low- and middle-income countries may lack the frameworks for effective and integrated multi-stakeholder intervention, implementation of population-based dietary and physical-activity approaches may be delayed and may be too late for effective prevention in current at-risk cohorts. Evidence-based strategies to decrease energy intake and increase physical activity are now well established and their urgent adoption by Member States of the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region is essential. In the context of Sri Lanka, for example, it is recommended that the most effective and easy-to-implement interventions would be media campaigns, restrictions on advertisement of unhealthy foods, taxation of unhealthy foods, subsidies for production of healthy foods, and laws on nutrition labelling that introduce colour coding of packaged foods.

Strategies to Increase the Competitiveness of Taiwans Free Trade Ports Based on the Fuzzy Importance-Performance Analysis

International trade is very important to an island like Taiwan. To improve Taiwan’s competitiveness and economic development, it is vital that the government sets up free trade ports. Therefore, improving the free trade ports’ international competitiveness is a crucial subject. In this study, an evaluation framework was developed after discussing the literature and expert interviews. Expert questionnaires and the Fuzzy IPA research methods were used to explore strategies that enhance the competitiveness of Taiwan’ free trade ports. Based on research results, initial improvements can be made on (a2) Establish an interdepartmental coordination mechanism, (a3) Integrate free trade zones, bonded zones and logistics parks into a special economic zone, (a4) Actively join various free trade organizations, (e2) Introduce reputable logistics service providers, expand the supply of goods, build public warehousing facilities and develop a multi-national container consolidation (MCC) and international logistics system and (e3) Develop cargo outsourcing to apply the “Front Shop, Back Factory” concept, at the free ports.

A study of factors affecting outcome in pediatric polytrauma

Background: Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Polytrauma affects the prognosis due to multisystem involvement. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted from January 2012 to December 2015. All cases of polytrauma below 12 years of age were included in the study. The data was analyzed in terms of age, sex, mode of injury, time of presentation, ISS scoring at presentation, USG, CT/MRI findings, analysis of type and severity of injuries in individual systems, associated system injuries, management, outcome and mortality. Results: 75 cases of polytrauma were included in the study. 48 (64%) were males and 27 (36%) were females. The commonest age group affected was 3-8 years. The most common mode of injury was road traffic injury (80%). The average time of presentation to the hospital was 4-7 hours. The most common injury was extremity injury (52%). The most common systemic injury was head trauma (40%).The commonly associated injuries with head trauma were extremity injuries followed by chest trauma. All five cases with pelvic trauma had genitourinary tract involvement.18 patients required minor surgical interventional procedures. 3 patients required laparotomy, 3 required neurointervention for evacuation of large hematomas and 5 patients required surgery for perineal injuries. There were 5 deaths in the series. Conclusions: Pediatric polytrauma is a significant cause of morbidity in children. Head injury is the most common injury and also the prime determinant of prognosis. Solid organ injury in children seldom requires operative intervention. Management of polytrauma requires active interdepartmental co-ordination. The prognosis in most cases is excellent.

Simulation in acute care pediatrics: New paradigms in care

Simulation offers tremendous promise to improve health care delivery especially in acute care areas. It can be an efficient mode to learn, probe and improve crisis resource management, unit risk assessment, establish an environment for discussing error without punishment, investigating human performance, assessing situation readiness, implement new protocols, test run new instruments, improve interdepartmental coordination, learn new concepts or procedural skills and also in establishing systems and usability of a new unit. Simulation based learning relies heavily on reflective practice, a key foundational concept of adult learning. PediSTARS India is actively working towards addressing the challenges of implementing simulation based interventions to better the care of sick children in India.

Requirements communication and balancing in large-scale software-intensive product development

ContextSeveral industries developing products on a large-scale are facing major challenges as their products are becoming more and more software-intensive. Whereas software was once considered a detail to be bundled, it has since become an intricate and interdependent part of most products. The advancement of software increases the uncertainty and the interdependencies between development tasks and artifacts. A key success factor is good requirements engineering (RE), and in particular, the challenges of effectively and efficiently coordinating and communicating requirements. ObjectiveIn this work we present a lightweight RE framework and demonstrate and evaluate its industrial applicability in response to the needs of a Swedish automotive company for improving specific problems in inter-departmental requirements coordination and communication in large-scale development of software-intensive systems. MethodA case study approach and a dynamic validation were used to develop and evaluate the framework in close collaboration with our industrial partner, involving three real-life cases in an ongoing car project. Experience and feedback were collected through observations when applying the framework and from 10 senior industry professionals in a questionnaire and in-depth follow-up interviews. ResultsThe experience and feedback about using the framework revealed that it is relevant and applicable for the industry as well as a useful and efficient way to resolve real problems in coordinating and communicating requirements identified at the case company. However, other concerns, such as accessibility to necessary resources and competences in the early development phases, were identified when using the method, which allowed for earlier pre-emptive action to be taken. ConclusionOverall, the experience from using the framework and the positive feedback from industry professionals indicated a feasible framework that is applicable in the industry for improving problems related to coordination and communication of requirements. Based on the promising results, our industrial partner has decided upon further validations of the framework in a large-scale pilot program.

Managing Dengue Fever by Using the One Health Approach and Electronic Surveillance

The worst and first outbreak of dengue fever (DF) was experienced in Lahore, Punjab in 2011. The weak disease surveillance program for DF resulted in 301 deaths out of 17531 reported confirmed patients in just 4 months of post-monsoon season. The government tackled this health crisis by ensuring interdepartmental coordination ranging from case management, vector control to advocacy and massive social mobilization campaign. The use of information technology in the form of smart phone application “SATSCAN” to track dengue surveillance activity was launched in 2012. All these efforts enabled the government to completely control dengue in 2012 in Lahore.

Scope of policy convergence approach to freshwater management in rural Jharkhand

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study Indian aspects of policy convergence in the context of budgetary linkage of two nationalized flagship programs – Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Integrated Watershed Management Program (IWMP). Therefore, in lieu of inter-departmental convergences; issues related to water resource development of Jharkhand’s (India) rain-fed areas were addressed. Design/methodology/approach – Centered on policy convergence strategy, present study applied comprehensive review and analysis approach for formulation of research base. A conceptual framework was thus designed for analytical purposes and therefore advancing toward conjectural knowledge base. Findings – Application of inter-departmental policy convergence strategy suggested ample opportunities for optimal water resource development. Presence of abundant wage labor, rich indigenous water management techniques, tested replicable models, under-harvested rainwater potential, etc., appeared as catalysts of policy convergence. Yet, State’s lack of inter-departmental coordination and grass-root institutional framework will continually challenge policy convergences in absence of good governance. Originality/value – An initiative of Indian government; MGNREGA has received international attention due to its wider coverage including natural resource management, besides guaranteed wage employment. Targeted at freshwater management discourse of Jharkhand; present paper reviewed prospective inter-departmental policy convergence strategy within various arena of MGNREGA, by exploring associated scopes and challenges. Similarly for cost effectiveness, related to maintenance and lift-irrigation demands of rain-fed area development; the present study suggested optimum utilization of inter-departmental funding linkages for development of sustainable water resources.

Perceptions of Field Workers and Community Leaders Regarding Vector Control Activities in Urban Vadodara: Excerpts from the Field

Background: Malaria is a major public health problem in our country affecting all spheres of human life, with Plasmodium falciparum mortality being high. The outbreak proportions are quite alarming in urban areas, although the Urban Malaria Scheme was launched in 1971 to focus on Urban Malaria. Methods: A Qualitative study was devised to get an in-depth understanding of the overall functioning of the Urban Malaria Scheme run by Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan using Qualitative semi-structured study instruments over a period of 8 months from November 2008 to June 2009. The study was conducted in 12 ward areas of the city. To get first hand information on overall malaria control activities in the city, Focus group discussions were conducted with malaria inspectors, supervisors and field workers, while in-depth interviews were conducted with the medical officer-health, biologist, insect collector and local representation through one community leader from each ward. Data entry was done using Weft QDA software and emerging themes were analyzed using group codes. Results: Shortage of manpower was evident among all cadres of vector control staff, though availability of commodities and maintenance of equipments was satisfactory. The discussions highlighted a need for refresher training, attention required on part of engineering branch to curb illegal sewage line with storm water drainage. Onethird of the community leaders were aware of vector control activities, almost none were aware about anti-larval activities while less than half were aware about source reduction activities. Half of the community leaders were aware of IEC activities for vector borne diseases. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to increase staff strength and enact civic bylaws for vector control activities. Inter-departmental co-ordination with the Engineering and Sanitation branch and training of the different work cadres should be considered.

Integrated teaching program using case-based learning.

Background:At present, in a medical school, students are taught in different departments, subject-wise, without integration to interrelate or unify subjects and these results in compartmentalization of medical education, with no stress on case-based learning. Therefore, an effort was made to develop and adopt integrated teaching in order to have a better contextual knowledge among students.Methodology and Implementation:After the faculty orientation training, four “topic committees” with faculty members from different departments were constituted which decided and agreed on the content material to be taught, different methodologies to be used, along with the logical sequencing of the same for the purpose of implementation. Different teaching methodologies used, during the program, were didactic lectures, case stimulated sessions, clinical visits, laboratory work, and small group student's seminar.Results:After the implementation of program, the comparison between two batches as well as between topics taught with integrated learning program versus traditional method showed that students performed better in the topics, taught with integrated approach. Students rated “clinical visits” as very good methodology, followed by “case stimulated interactive sessions.” Students believed that they felt more actively involved, and their queries are better addressed with such interactive sessions.Conclusion:There is a very good perception of students toward integrated teaching. Students performed better if they are taught using this technique. Although majority of faculty found integrated teaching, as useful method of teaching, nevertheless extra work burden and interdepartmental coordination remained a challenging task.