Mini Case Study Research Articles

Innovation and new product development: Sky+, a mini case study

Innovation and new product development: Sky+, a mini case study

Problems, Experiments, Role Playing for General Management (Problemas, Experimentos, Juegos De Roles Para el Proceso Administrativo)

The book offers, for students and teachers of general management, a suitable material for problem based learning. The material comes in a form of problems, experiments and role playing. A problem is a mini case study, which narrates a difficult organizational situation. In order to solve the problem, the students feel the need to study the theory and apply the theory. By the way, the students build up their analytical and propositional competences. An experiment is an incomplete guide of the situation, which describes the rules of the game and assigns roles to the students. The students make decisions according to the rules and come to certain results. The decisions made and the results achieved are useful for the teacher in order to illustrate the working of some management laws and principles. An experiment is useful for the student who wants to acquire analytical competences. A role playing is a theatre script which describes a difficult organizational situation. The script is structured in such a way that, in the process of the search of the solution, the students would interact, negotiate, discuss, apply theories and suitable tools, and makes decisions. The exercises go accompanied by the correct answers to the questions. The correct answers are not limited to give the correct version. They identify the judgment elements that the teachers need for the discussion with the students.

Does Counterinsurgency Theory Apply in Northeast India?

Does Counterinsurgency Theory Apply in Northeast India?

Mission Possible: Transforming Women and Building Communities

Although women make up over half of the U.S. workforce, they continue to encounter difficulties, including male domination as well as inequities in pay, benefits, and other rewards (Bierema, 2001). Billett (2002) suggests opportunities to advance are subject to workplace practices that reproduce inequities through contested workplace relations (p. 28). Women may not receive appropriate guidance from experienced co-workers or may not be offered the chance to practice tasks that would help them advance. They experience higher rates of unemployment for several reasons, including lack of necessary education and training, as well as leaving and reentering the workforce for personal reasons (Elder & Johnson, as cited in Bierema, 2001). According to Bierema, homemaking and caregiving responsibilities further complicate career patterns for women. Bierema identified several themes in the literature related to how women learn to overcome obstacles in the workplace. Two of these themes are relevant to the study reported here. First, relationships are important to women's psychological and social development as well as their identity and sense of self. The second theme is a particular kind of relationship--mentoring. Potential solutions to the problems women face in the workplace are based on these relationships. For example, Bierema recognized that depending on their developmental level, women have different needs in mentoring relationships. In her study of women's perceptions of themselves and their work, Egan (1996) identified three types of women, each needing a different type of mentoring. Constructivist knowers have a high level of self-efficacy and actively seek out mentors. Procedural knowers are not as self-assured as the constructivist. They thrive in an informal relationship with a mentor who provides guidance and helps her set goals. The third type of women in Egan's study, a subjective knower, is unlikely to sacrifice relationships for a career. Of the three types, the subjective knower is lowest in self-efficacy. However, a mentor will recognize talent and sponsor her. Two approaches to adult development suggested by Baumgartner (2001) are also relevant to this study. First, teachers who practice the contextual/sociocultural approach recognize that social inequities based on race, class, and gender affect the way adults develop and learn (para. 22). Similarly, Alfred (2002) states, educators must seek to understand the cultural world within which individuals have grown and developed (p.5). Second, Baumgartner's integrated approach focuses on how mind, body, spirituality, and socio-cultural influences affect the development of adults. Community education programs, like the one described below, address the holistic adult learner and her surrounding environment. Purpose The purpose of this article is to report on how one non-profit, community based organization helps disadvantaged women become professionals. This article grew out of a class assignment. Each student in Barbara's class, Education and Community, conducted a mini-case study. The goal was for students to understand how education and community are related while simultaneously building research skills. Monica, a student in the class, investigated the local Memphis affiliate of Dress for Success, Professional Women's Group (PWG) to determine how it meets the needs of a unique community of women who were seeking to develop professionally. Community organizations are popular sites for non-formal adult education. Taylor (2006) recognizes the importance of non-formal education because it is responsive to the needs of the learners and demonstrates a nonhierarchical relationship between the learner and the facilitator (p. 292). Community programs provide a wide variety of skills and knowledge that lead to personal as well as professional development. Some examples are cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and swimming lessons offered through the American Red Cross, household financial management training offered to families who are Habitat for Humanity homeowners, and Read to Achieve sponsored by the Memphis Grizzlies. …

The Role of the Internet in the Marketing of Independent Public Houses in the UK

The traditional public house has undergone significant change in the last three decades, making the transition from a male dominated drinking venue to a modern leisure provider. Many independent pubs now offer a variety of products and services to a range of market segments. In recent years there has been plenty of evidence of independent pubs embracing the concept of marketing in response to challenging competitive conditions and customer demands. Many have been very successful at implementing innovative marketing strategies for attracting and retaining customers. Promotional activity has also increased but appears to have been less innovative, concentrating mainly on word-of-mouth and sales promotions. The complex promotional mix used by many commercial organisations is beyond the budget of the majority of independent pubs. Advertising through the media of newspaper or radio is also too expensive and therefore independent pubs may have to seek alternative ways of making the consumer aware of their location and the hospitality that they offer. This paper seeks to explore the potential of the Internet as a marketing communications tool for independent pubs. A review of trade examples and a mini case study are presented to assess the extent to which independent pubs and customers have adopted this technology. The advantages of using this medium are discussed and examples of successful use of the Internet by independent pubs are presented. The problems of time, cost and IT expertise are considered as barriers to adoption.

Defining 'breakthrough' product design solutions

This paper seeks to define necessary definitions of what qualifies a design solution to be classed as a breakthrough. Three key areas are identified; one relating to functional connectivity and two to the concept of Evolution Potential - firstly to minimum threshold technology acceptability, and then secondly relating to potential relative to an incumbent design. The Evolution Potential process has been designed to enable objective assessment of incumbent and new technology solutions, relative to a globally generic discontinuous evolution benchmark. The paper contains a series of mini case study examples of breakthrough and non-breakthrough design solutions. A final section of the paper summarises breakthrough innovation tests that may be applied to future candidate design solutions and discusses issues relating to definition sufficiency.

EQuality: A Dialogue between Quality and Academia

This article has two objectives: to explore the changing power relationships within the quality management practices of United Kingdom higher education with specific reference to online learning and the role of learning technologists; and to explore some of the issues surrounding the potential to represent academic discourse through media other than conventional printed articles and, by so doing, open for discussion the potential conflict between the hierarchical power structure of academic publishing and the carnival of the academic internet. These objectives will be achieved through a ‘mini case study’ that reflects on the implication of representing some of the issues surrounding the emerging quality agenda through a video-mediated dialogue that can not, by definition, be included in the medium of academic print.

Strategic alliances in e-government procurement

Electronic procurement is a critical component of the government's supply chain initiatives. It provides an innovative solution in dealing with the inefficient public procurement that has received a lot of criticism and negative perception. Though e-procurement by government results in benefits such as increased efficiency, it faces great challenges in terms of managing the relationships with online vendors and application service providers. Strategic alliances models in private businesses can help illuminate possible solutions in managing these relationships in the e-government context. This paper investigates the types of strategic alliances that can be formed between government agencies and suppliers as well as the motivations behind the formation of such strategic alliances. This work also draws on previous literature in management and e-business to propose a set of critical success factors necessary for the success of these strategic alliances in the context of e-government procurement. This paper also outlines a mini case study set in the United States and suggests further directions for empirically validating the central arguments developed in the paper.

Neo-Liberalism and the Decline of Democratic Governance in Australia: A Problem of Institutional Design?

This paper is a preliminary attempt to evaluate changing patterns of democratic governance, at least in Westminster-style parliamentary settings, and possibly more generally. It has two specific purposes: first, to propose a paradigm for evaluating the empirical evolution of democratic governance; and second, to illustrate the explanatory potential of this paradigm through a mini-case study of changing patterns of governance in one particular polity. The conceptual framework is drawn from March and Olsen's eponymous study (1995) from which polar (‘thick’ and ‘thin’) forms of democratic governance are derived. Four conjectures about its evolution are then explored. First, in its mass party phase, the pattern of democratic governance approximated the ‘thick’ pole. Second, the subsequent evolution of democratic politics has been in the direction of the ‘thin’ (minimalist or populist) pole. Third, the cause of this shift was a failure to adapt political institutions to changing citizen identities, which was masked by the ascendancy amongst political elites of the neo-liberal account of governance. Fourth, the paper considers the means by which democratic governance might be renewed. The approach is applied to explain changes in Australian politics over recent decades.

E-Based Solutions to Support Intercultural Business Ethics Instruction: An Exploratory Approach in Course Design and Delivery

This paper reports on the experiences of international MBA students following a hybrid design for a business ethics course, which combined class-based lectures with "out-of-class" discussion supported by asynchronous communication tools. The e-learning component of the course was intended to generate discussion on the ethical assumptions of course participants, with each individual required to post a mini case study reflecting an ethical dilemma which s/he had faced at work. Using questionnaire and interview data, we report on the learning experiences of participants following this experimental course. The results reveal a high level of intercultural dialogue between participants, with adopters showing greater awareness of their individual cultural biases in their case writing, a direct consequence of the on-line feedback and case discussion. These findings indicate that asynchronous tools have much to offer business ethics students, supporting ideas sharing and the exchange of cultural perspectives outside the physical boundaries of the classroom.

Brand Meaning Negotiation and the Role of the Online Community: A Mini Case Study

Brand Meaning Negotiation and the Role of the Online Community: A Mini Case Study

The Erosion of the Country of Origin Effect

Over the last two decades, Swedish capital has undergone a rapid internationalization. This has presented a significant challenge to the distinctive nature of the Swedish economy in general and its employment relations system in particular. A key question arising is: to what extent, and in what ways, are Swedish multinationals influenced by the distinctiveness of the country of origin in the way they manage their international workforces? We investigate these issues through examination of data gathered from a mini-case study of a large Swedish multinational. We show how the firm has adopted practices experienced in its foreign operations and deployed these throughout the corporation. This process has eroded, though not removed, the influence of the Swedish system on employment relations in the multinational, with the British and American systems appearing to exert a growing influence. We explain the findings with reference to managerial perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of different “national business systems.”

Evaluation of HIV/AIDS peer education projects in Zambia

This 1998 evaluation assessed the peer education programmes of HIV/AIDS projects run by four non-governmental organisations. A mini-case study approach was used and analysis was based on cross-case itemistic variables. The projects were assessed only in terms of immediate developmental outcomes to target groups rather than on long-term impact. The study concluded the following: (1) The projects had raised community awareness of HIV/AIDS; (2) Basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS was for the most part accurate; (3) There was anecdotal evidence of behavioural changes in terms of partner-reduction as reported by the projects, though the evidence was sometimes conflicting; and (4) There was evidence that certain traditional practices, which contributed to the spread of the virus (e.g. sexual cleansing and scarification), were becoming modified over time. The programmes were also instrumental in protecting human rights and enabling people living with HIV/AIDS to maintain human dignity.

Activity‐based costing: a tool for adaptive and generative organizational learning?

This paper examines activity‐based costing (ABC) as a tool for organizational learning. More specifically, it is suggested that ABC can help business organizations engage in adaptive as well as generative learning. ABC facilitates adaptive learning by supporting continuous improvement and the management of existing knowledge. It facilitates generative learning by supporting the development of a learning culture and the social context in which new mental models can be developed. Important guidelines for implementing ABC to enhance organizational learning are distilled from a mini case study of a health care services provider.

Language Management and Language Problems

This paper is an introduction to language management and to the papers in this and the previous volume of the Journal. It refers to contributors’ papers as the text evolves. It discusses first management of problems in discourse, then directed management with the help of a mini-case study and some examples, then surveys sources of language problems and their solutions according to a selection of functions of language. In the first volume, it brings up the communicative, symbolic, social and entertainment functions as sources of language problems. In this second volume, it continues with a discussion of the development function as a source of language problems. The paper then brings together discourse and behavior towards language in their socio-economic context in a unified restatement of the theory. The division of volumes is necessarily arbitrary, yet, each volume can be read independently of each other. This and all the papers together celebrate J. V. Neustupný’s contribution to language management.

Language management and language problems

This paper is an introduction to language management and to the papers in this and the next volume of the Journal. It refers to contributors’ papers as the text evolves. It discusses first management of problems in discourse, then directed management with the help of a mini-case study and some examples, then surveys sources of language problems and their solutions according to a selection of functions of language. In the first volume, it brings up the communicative, symbolic, social and entertainment functions as sources of language problems. In the second volume, it continues with a discussion of the development function as a source of language problems. The paper then brings together discourse and behavior towards language in their socio-economic context in a unified restatement of the theory. The division of volumes is necessarily arbitrary, yet, each volume can be read independently of each other. This and all the papers together celebrate J. V. Neustupný’s contribution to language management.

Beginning an Evaluation with RUFDATA: Theorizing a Practical Approach to Evaluation Planning

This article draws on research into evaluation and on the tacit practices used in an evaluation agency to develop an approach to initiating new evaluators into evaluation planning processes. Using these two sources as a base, this article suggests that it is possible to conceptualize evaluation as a series of knowledge-based practices. These knowledge-based practices form the resources of ‘communities of practice’, i.e. a group of practising evaluators. In that this conceptualization refers to any job, work or occupation, beginning to be an evaluator, just like beginning any job or work, requires the ‘novice’ to be inducted or socialized into the ‘community of practice’. Understanding evaluation activity in this way should provide the basis for some enabling ‘tools’ for thinking about an evaluation design. The learning as an outcome of ‘process use’ is, in fact, the way we might prompt access to a reservoir of experiential and other knowledge in order for evaluations to be carried out by new evaluators, within the normative frame of a group of evaluators. In essence, it involves a process of reflexive questioning during which key procedural dimensions of an evaluation are addressed, leading to an accelerated induction into key aspects of evaluation design. It enables initial planning to occur and an evaluation to ‘get off the ground’. RUFDATA is the acronym given to questions which consolidate this reflexive process. To that extent, the approach is a ‘meta-evaluative’ tool. It outlines RUFDATA as an example of such an approach and demonstrates its use by a ‘mini case study’.

Data Management: Executive Aid

Data management is the preferred name for a technique that is known by other names. It involves the rearranging of data until such point as it is possible to make sense out of the confusion of raw data. Provides a practical, worked example of data management in action. A mini case study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of various training methods used to improve standards of numeracy among junior managers. Iterations are provided to show, stage by stage, how data management operates. In parenthesis the statistical approach is outlined, but it is clear that data management has achieved a presentation of the data that is clearer, complete and more compelling. Professor Ehrenberg′s six golden rules conclude the demonstration, which executives will find useful in their day‐to‐day work.

Sterilisation: the Aberdeen experience, and some broader implications.

In her paper, Sue Teper outlines the various methods of contraception or fertility control and their relationship to sterilisation. She also considers a particular group of women in Aberdeen as a mini case-study. From these two aspects of sterilization develops a third--that of broader medical and economic issues. Sterilisation usually concerns patients who are free from illness, therefore the attitudes of medical personnel are much more relevant to whether or not the operation is performed on request purely as a means of fertility control, rather than for medical reasons where the patient may be at risk were a pregnancy to occur. Ms Teper calls for medical staff in this instance to clarify their own attitudes in decisions which involve surgical skills and healthy patients.

Evaluating the Effects of Company Promotional Activities: A Neglected Area for Research and Management Attention

The authors describe how management might approach the problem of systematically measuring the effects of certain long-range promotional activities. Little published research exists on this widely discussed topic. A mini-case study is presented describing the approach taken by Anheuser-Busch management regarding specific aspects of the promotional measurement problem.