Management Qualities Research Articles

A sweet deal? Sugarcane, water and agricultural transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Globally, the area of sugarcane is rising rapidly in response to growing demands for bioethanol and increased sugar demand for human consumption. Despite considerable diversity in production systems and contexts, sugarcane is a particularly “high impact” crop with significant positive and negative environmental and socio-economic impacts. Our analysis is focused on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which is a critical region for continued expansion, due to its high production potential, low cost of production and proximity, and access, to European markets. Drawing on a systematic review of scientific evidence, combined with information from key informants, stakeholders and a research-industry workshop, we critically assess the impacts of sugarcane development on water, soil and air quality, employment, food security and human health. Our analysis shows that sugarcane production is, in general, neither explicitly good nor bad, sustainable nor unsustainable. The impacts of expansion of sugarcane production on the environment and society depend on the global political economy of sugar, local context, quality of scheme, nature of the production system and farm management. Despite threats from climate change and forthcoming changes in the trade relationship with the European Union, agricultural development policies are driving national and international interest and investment in sugarcane in SSA, with expansion likely to play an important role in sustainable development in the region. Our findings will help guide researchers and policy makers with new insights in understanding the situated environmental and social impacts associated with alternative sugar economy models, production technologies and qualities of management.

A conceptualisation of relationship quality in construction procurement

Relational contracting is often regarded as means to improve performance and profit margins in managing projects. A continuum of contracts in construction projects attempts to provide fit for purpose relationships to different working conditions; hosting levels of relationship quality. This study aims to explore contracting methodologies within construction procurement in search of practical and manageable relationship quality attributes. Initially relational attributes such as teamwork, commitment and trust along with seven main strategies for achieving these attributes are extracted from relevant studies. In the second stage construction expert interviews suggest that performance satisfaction is also a practical attribute and necessity of relationship quality. The study proposes a framework of actions and seven strategies which can facilitate the attributes associated with relationship quality. Finally based on the framework and three case studies five levels of transaction, action, strategy, attribute and relationship are demonstrated for relationship quality evaluation in construction project's procurement practices.

From Quality Management to Managing Quality

In recent times, quality has become a fashionable subject in the higher education system: many university, faculty or department leaders offer this subject a greater importance than they previously did. People attend courses and seminars on Quality Management Systems looking for a recipe which can be applied to higher education. In reality, quality is a serious, complex and difficult matter which is now part of the university management system. This paper tackles the subject of quality management in the educational system as a cybernetic system and proposes a model of quality within the development cycle of university products. It has been shown that the competitiveness of universities in the condition of their globalization and gradation depends more and more on the quality of university management.

Role of Knowledge Management in building up effective Leadership Styles: A Study of Modi Continental Tyres Pvt. Ltd.

Knowledge management (KM) and leadership in any organizations is an integrated perspective and can not be separated from each other. Raw information may be widely available to a number of agencies, but only some organizations will be able to convert the information into relevant knowledge and to use this knowledge to achieve their aims. The processes by which they do this are known as KM strategies. Major empirical studies and reviews are critically reviewed and placed within a theoretical framework derived from both early and more recent work in the field of Knowledge management and Leadership. Certain issues of linkage between Knowledge Management and Leadership will be taken in the form of questionnaire and few other research questions will be explored in this study. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Knowledge Management and Leadership Qualities. This relationship has been approached from a multidisciplinary perspective, to produce an accurate picture of the nature of relationship they possess and how it should be managed. Furthermore, we explore the factors influencing this relationship and suggesting some measures to make effective Leaders. This study will have some interesting findings and results obtained from the literature review and will show that there is a perfect relationship between Knowledge Management and Leadership. T – Test/chi square test will be applied according to the kind of data collected appropriately towards the end to check the validity of the hypothesis as the number of respondents will be less than 30. Finally, the hypothesis will be accepted or rejected on the basis of the calculations.

A Roundtable Discussion: The Qualities of Great Managers.

A Roundtable Discussion: The Qualities of Great Managers.

Koha enterprise resource planning system and its potential impact on information management organizations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on Koha enterprise resource planning system and its potential impact on information management organizations in Kenya against the risks and myths associated with the solution. Design/methodology/approach The study focused on selected scan and analysis of information management organizations using Koha enterprise resource planning system in addition to document or desk review analysis. Expert opinions and ideas of information professionals, especially information systems and information leaders, also provided vital knowledge. Findings Koha enterprise resource planning system as the premier and leading free and open-source software is transforming and integrating information services in knowledge-based organizations. Driving significant forces include economical benefits, global customer base, free use and distribution, technical and online support, compatibility and integration with other technologies and global access to information and organization of knowledge. The study also established that the risks and myths associated with the system such as compatibility and integration with other technological solutions are no longer possible challenges. Koha provides business intelligence and cloud computing solutions over proprietary or commercial systems for managing and supporting information in organizations. Research limitations/implications This study purposively focused on selected information and knowledge management organizations using the Koha free and open-source enterprise resource planning system in addition to expert opinions and ideas of stakeholders in the information industry. Practical implications Koha enterprise resource planning system provides alternative solutions to information organizations already burdened with limited financial resources. In addition, it proves to the entire world that the solution that was developed for rural and small-based information organizations has developed into a leading knowledge enterprise resource planning solution. In information management organizations, Koha enterprise resource planning system is the strategic asset whose growth and use has increased tremendously across the globe. Social implications Potential widespread application and usage of the Koha enterprise resource system that was initially developed for rural and small information organizations is proof enough that the free and open-source software movement can produce best solutions that are economically viable over proprietary systems. Significant impact of the enterprise system across the globe indicates that information management organizations, information professionals and leaders are satisfied with the system. Originality/value In the knowledge-based economy, where technological systems and solutions are fundamental for quality delivery of services to the customers, information professionals must and as always provide the necessary technology, leadership and management qualities. Across the world, Koha free and open-source enterprise resource planning system is increasingly gaining momentum in information management organizations, and Kenyan information professionals are no exception.

The effects of authentic leadership and organizational commitment on turnover intention

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore whether authentic leadership in hospitality is composed of four distinctive but related substantive components (i.e. self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral); the impact of authentic leadership on employees’ organizational commitment (OC); the impact of employees’ OC on their turnover intention (TI); and the indirect effect of authentic leadership on employees’ TI via OC.Design/methodology/approach– The authors tested a sample of 236 students working as employees in hospitality in the USA, on the idea that authentic leadership increases OC which in turn decreases TI. The participants were asked to rate the manager’s leadership style and the frequency of their leadership behavior.Findings– Results of structural equation modeling provide support for the positive effect of authentic leadership on OC in the hospitality industry, and suggest that OC mediates reduced TI.Practical implications– The findings in the present study are extremely useful to managers, human resource managers, and organizations as a whole. Practitioners looking to increase employee OC and decrease TI can do so by augmenting the authentic leadership qualities of managers.Originality/value– The results of this study suggests a variety of significant theoretical contributions as well as critical leadership and organizational implications. The effects of authentic leadership were empirically tested on employees’ OC and the effects of that OC on TI.

Leadership competences of sustainable construction project managers

The building industry has been acknowledged as being vital in stimulating societal change toward sustainable development in a global context. From a theoretical perspective, this study extends leadership competencies and transformational leadership qualities as hierarchical, reflective constructs, integrating ten associated components. The research analysis was completed using a sample population of 70 project managers in sustainable building projects. The model shows that leadership competencies, as well as the transformational leadership qualities of project managers as second-order reflective constructs experience a direct impact on the success criteria for sustainable buildings. In addition, the results indicate that the intellectual competence of project managers plays the most significant role in sustainable building achievements. In general, the present study extends some of the significant components from leadership assessment in the context of construction project managers in sustainable building projects and has generated a new model to facilitate the process of sustainability in the industry.

Social Work in Contemporary Russia

The article demonstrates the potential of a neo-Weberian approach to the study of professionals working in the field of social work. Based on materials obtained from a regional survey, we have been able to gather certain economic, status, and cultural characteristics of the profession and its interrelationships. The study showed that social work is characterized by a low income, a lack of prestige, and a relative degree of autonomy; the profession is also characterized by a limited sphere of influence, a predominance of institutional regulatory mechanisms, and informal mechanisms. Appeal to the normative-legal context of professionalization leads to the conclusion that practical competence prevails over analytical and managerial qualities for the majority of professionals in the field; however, the majority of these professionals are highly experienced in terms of the structure of social work.

Integrating fuzzy MCDM methodology to investigate quality management practices in Indian digital service SMEs

Managing quality has become an imperative for digital enterprises in service sector to gain competitive advantage and to achieve long-term business success. Considering the pressing need; issues are investigated here. This paper develops a concurrent framework to explore and prioritise quality management factors in context to Indian digital service SMEs by combining AHP-TOPSIS under fuzzy environment. The multistage methodology, propounded in this article delves into unexplored indicators of contextual quality management practices leading to new contribution towards the findings in a much refined manner. Furthermore, the model has been validated using NGT in order to reinforce the findings.

МЕТОДИКА ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ВІДПОВІДНОСТІ ПРОФЕСІЙНО ЗНАЧУЩИХ ЯКОСТЕЙ ФАХІВЦІВ З УПРАВЛІННЯ ПЕРСОНАЛОМ ТА ЕКОНОМІКИ ПРАЦІ ВИМОГАМ РИНКУ ПРАЦІ

The article is dedicated to the conforming of the professionally important qualities of specialists in personnel management and labor economicsto the requirements of labour market. Attention is accented on development of new models of education quality control at participation of employers. In the article is proposed to diagnose the actual level of knowledge, abilities and skills for students during the practice. Establishment of actual level of knowledge deviation on every educational stage, nonconformity of abilities and skills of student from normative requirements were studied. The complex of the correcting actions to the elimination of the student’s knowledge deviation was developed. Some educational actions to rise in the standard of an actual level of knowledge, abilities and skills to the normative requirements were proposed. The most essential requirements to the professionally essential qualities of personnel management and labour economicsgraduating students were marked out. The necessity of specialist’s training program adjustment is provedon the basis oflevel diagnostics professionally essential qualities.Qualimetry method of professionally essential qualities estimation to employer demands is worked out.The qualimetry method was used to estimate the real profession skills ofspecialists in personnel management and labour economics. Author proposes to conduct monitoring of qualimetry estimation changes every year to obtain error-free information about students’ educational level. The qualimetry method for estimation of the professionally essential qualities is proposed to use in the form of matrix. The matrix includes the data from the higher educational institutes and employers. The offered qualimetry method could be used for the estimation of efficiency of educational process and monitoring of the current state of the system of education.

Integrating fuzzy MCDM methodology to investigate quality management practices in Indian digital service SMEs

Managing quality has become an imperative for digital enterprises in service sector to gain competitive advantage and to achieve long-term business success. Considering the pressing need; issues are investigated here. This paper develops a concurrent framework to explore and prioritise quality management factors in context to Indian digital service SMEs by combining AHP-TOPSIS under fuzzy environment. The multistage methodology, propounded in this article delves into unexplored indicators of contextual quality management practices leading to new contribution towards the findings in a much refined manner. Furthermore, the model has been validated using NGT in order to reinforce the findings.

SOCIAL ACTIVITY OF STUDENT YOUTH

The article is devoted to disclosure of features of social activity of modern student's youth. At the beginning of the article different classifications of social activity forms are described, that proves their great diversity. To identify specifics of social activity of modern student's youth we used the results of the survey conducted among university students in Kirov. We analyzed the readiness of students to participate in social activities; the popularity of various social organizations in the student environment; the expectations related to social activity and subjective self-determination of the level of social activity of student's youth. It should be noted that to date, indeed public youth organizations are well represented in our country. As for the student youth, then, of course, the most common of the non-governmental organizations in this environment are the bodies of the student government. They are represented by student councils, trade unions, student scientific society, student centers and personnel agencies, councils of dormitories and other organizations. The majority of respondents to impose requirements youth organizations develop their leadership and managerial qualities as well as promote selforganization of young people. This proves the need for the development of youth public organizations of competent state youth policy.

Pedagogical Conditions of Training Future Managers of Foreign Economic Activity for Cross-Cultural Communication

The study reveals the pedagogical conditions of training future managers of foreign economic activity for cross-cultural communication. The analysis of the scientific research in this field has shown that the essence of the pedagogical conditions has not been generalized or systemized yet. On the base of the invariable vectors of the pedagogical process, the pedagogical conditions of training future managers of foreign economic activity for cross-cultural communication are outlined. They are: creating multicultural surrounding in the process of training managers for gaining experience in cross-cultural communication (organization); adaptive gradual management of the educational activity with due regards for personal, professional, communicative qualities of future managers of foreign economic activity (management); subject and subject interaction, directed at the optimal management of cross-cultural conflicts (communication).

Interactive smart battery storage for a PV and wind hybrid energy management control based on conservative power theory

ABSTRACTThis paper presents interactive smart battery-based storage (BBS) for wind generator (WG) and photovoltaic (PV) systems. The BBS is composed of an asymmetric cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter (ACMI) with staircase modulation. The structure is parallel to the WG and PV systems, allowing the ACMI to have a reduction in power losses compared to the usual solution for storage connected at the DC-link of the converter for WG or PV systems. Moreover, the BBS is embedded with a decision algorithm running real-time energy costs, plus a battery state-of-charge manager and power quality capabilities, making the described system in this paper very interactive, smart and multifunctional. The paper describes how BBS interacts with the WG and PV and how its performance is improved. Experimental results are presented showing the efficacy of this BBS for renewable energy applications.

Board Overlaps in Mutual Fund Families

We examine a unique characteristic of mutual fund governance: a common set of di- rectors serving simultaneously on the boards of multiple funds within a fund family. At rst glance, this governance structure appears to bene t investors because it is associated with higher fund returns and better fund manager quality. However, funds with higher degrees of board overlap also charge higher marketing and distribution fees, which have been criticized as being the least transparent cost component for mutual fund investors. Board overlaps are also associated with detrimental unobserved actions by fund managers: window dressing and strategic performance transfer between funds occur more often in mutual fund families with greater degrees of director overlap. We conclude that director oversight of multiple funds is a mixed blessing.

THE EFFECT OF TEAM LEADERS ON MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE OF EMPLOYEES

These days, due to the technological developments and increasing competition, business managers have an important role in reaching the business goals. In order to reach the goals, managers should have leadership qualities and value motivation and performance of employees. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of leadership qualities of managers on motivation and performance of employees considering basic leadership qualities. Employees motivation increase depending on the leadership qualities managers have. It has been confirmed that there is a strong and directly proportional relationship between leadership or managers and performances of employees. The aim of this study is to understand how leadership qualities affect the motivation of employees.

Perceived qualities of older workers and age management in companies

Purpose– To explore whether the ages of human resources (HR) managers has an impact on their perceptions of the qualities/characteristics of older and younger workers (i.e., manager attitudes) and on the implementation of age management initiatives to the benefit of older workers (i.e., manager behaviors). The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approach– Based on theories concerning the origins of stereotypes and the concept of “in-group bias”, three hypotheses were tested on a sample of HR managers from 516 Italian companies extracted from the Gfk Eurisko database by using factor analyses and bivariate and multivariate tools.Findings– The age of an HR manager seems to influence his/her attitudes towards older and younger workers, because HR managers judge workers of a similar age to them more positively. In contrast, the age of an HR manager does not seem to play a particular role in the implementation of age management initiatives. In the companies considered, however, there is a tendency to adopt early retirement schemes when the HR managers concerned are younger, while in general there is a tendency to implement age management initiatives and show a greater appreciation of older workers in larger companies.Practical implications– The implementation of age management initiatives to the benefit of older workers may improve HR managers ' perceptions of those workers ' positive qualities. Furthermore, specific training may help HR managers recognize that both younger and older workers have useful albeit different strengths.Originality/value– This study provides new empirical evidence from the Italian context on the largely under-investigated issue of the role played by age in shaping HR managers ' attitudes towards older workers, and age management policies in particular.

Use of Species-specific Controlled-release Fertilizer Rates to Manage Growth and Quality of Container Nursery Crops

The objective of this study was to determine the optimal controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) application rates or ranges for the production of five 2-gal nursery crops. Plants were evaluated following fertilization with 19N–2.6P–10.8K plus minors, 8–9 month CRF incorporated at 0.15, 0.45, 0.75, 1.05, 1.35, and 1.65 kg·m−3 nitrogen (N). The five crops tested were bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), ‘Green Velvet’ boxwood (Buxus ×), ‘Magic Carpet’ spirea (Spiraea japonica), ‘Palace Purple’ coral bells (Heuchera micrantha), and rose of sharon (Hibiscus syriacus). Most plant growth characteristics (i.e., growth index, plant height, leaf area, and shoot dry weight) were greater in high vs. low CRF treatments at the final harvest. Low CRF rates negatively impacted overall appearance and marketability. The species-specific CRF range recommendations were 1.05 to 1.35 kg·m−3 N for rose of sharon, 0.75 to 1.05 kg·m−3 N for ‘Magic Carpet’ spirea, and 0.75 to 1.35 kg·m−3 N for bigleaf hydrangea and ‘Green Velvet’ boxwood, whereas the recommended CRF rate for ‘Palace Purple’ coral bells was 0.75 kg·m−3 N. Overall, species-specific CRF application rates can be used to manage growth and quality of containerized nursery crops during production in a temperate climate.

Gendered perceptions about female managers in Turkish sport organizations

Research question: This study examines the views of employees working in Turkish sport organizations on the qualities of sport managers, their preference for female or male sport managers, and their attitudes toward female managers.Research methods: A quantitative research design based on the data of 244 female employees and 492 male employees was chosen.Results and findings: The results of the Women as Managers Scale indicated that gender, education, marital status, the preference for female or male sport managers, and the type of organization significantly affected gender role stereotypes and attitudes toward women’s career advancement. In addition, the under-representation of women can be partly explained by dominant meanings, which are framed in the sport and sport experience given to a sport manager.Implications: In line with role congruity theory, management in Turkish sport organizations is stereotyped as a masculine domain requiring agentic characteristics and sport experience is more strongly attributed to men. As a result, employees have a general preference for male sport managers and male employees in particular have negative attitudes toward female managers.