Showing papers in "Industrial Management and Data Systems in 1982"

International Marketing Research— Effective Use of Secondary Sources

Abstract: British firms are fortunate in having access to a plethora of information regarding markets and marketing activities in overseas countries. And yet, there are always nagging doubts as to the extent to which such sources of information are effectively used. Perhaps, the choice is too wide. The myriad of directories, research reports, sources of sources and books on overseas markets is just too time consuming to study in detail. There is little doubt, however, that a systematic study of secondary source information before entering a foreign market can greatly enhance an executive's feel for the environment in which his product may (or may not) be selling. This article attempts to help those managers wishing to conduct international market research in the art of finding and using published sources of information.

Japanese Quality Systems from a Marketing Viewpoint

Abstract: In the decade after the end of World War II, Japan commenced a new kind of invasion of the West. Japanese companies, trade associations and government organisations began to send missions of industrialists, bureaucrats and scholars overseas to study advanced systems of industrial production. Japan needed to adopt as much state‐of‐the‐art technology as possible in order to take advantage of its abundant labour supply and to produce goods at low prices and of sufficient quality to penetrate world markets.

Joint Health and Safety Committees:: The Senior Management Role

Abstract: In recent years a major theme in the organisational development and change literature has been the need to produce improved models of the change process. A major source of the need for such improved models is the long overdue recognition of the fact that, although pressures for change occur in both union and non‐union establishments, “OD has had little to say about the role of unions and the part they play in OD”. This particular deficiency is especially unsatisfactory in view of the many longstanding examples of union‐management problem solving structures and arrangements, most notably joint health and safety committees. Moreover, the unsatisfactory state of the organisational development and change literature with regard to the position and implications of the union role is likely to become even more acute as a number of commentators have pointed to such joint problem solving structures as being very much the wave of the future.

The Man in the Middle — Some Accidents Caused by Simple Mistakes

Abstract: Introduction This article describes some incidents which occurred because someone made a simple mistake, such as forgetting to open a valve or pressing the wrong button. The mistakes were not due to lack of training or ability—in all the cases described the men knew what they should do and were capable of doing it, but had a moment of aberration or forgetfulness. The article discusses the probability of such mistakes and the action that should be taken to prevent them.

Training—Investing in the Future

Abstract: A new system for evaluating potential employees or assessing current staff for future promotions has just been announced by the Brussels based international management consultancy, Imaconsult, SA Called “Imagraph charting”, the system aids both professional and non‐professional interviewers in evaluating and summing up the real strengths and weaknesses of candidates for new jobs or promotions by decreasing the tendency to make errors of judgement in face‐to‐face interview sessions

Training—Investing in the Future

Abstract: There is no doubt that the key resources of any organisation are the knowledge and skills of its people, particularly the knowledge and skill to identify and meet the needs of the market. The knowledge and skill is not acquired by magic; it is, however all too often acquired from outside the organisation instead of tapping the latent talent from within. The key to finding and developing the talent is training.

Making Maintenance Work

Abstract: With many engineering companies now fighting hard for orders, the priority on production is to keep existing customers happy, with prompt deliveries. This means that maintenance, which has traditionally been second place to the urgent need to “get the goods out”, now risks being neglected. One maintenance manager puts it clearly. “We are always getting requests from production to keep machines operating, mainly on catch‐up work. But I have to explain that inadequate maintenance can mean a machine breakdown which might result in lost orders.”

Improving Productivity through Machine Monitoring

Abstract: With the squeeze on investment in new machinery continuing to bite, production managers throughout the UK are urgently examining different methods of improving performances on existing equipment as one way of containing costs. In this context downtime monitoring techniques which provide accurate, consistent data on machine performance are coming into their own. The latest devices, based on microprocessors, can cost only £600 for use on individual machines (as the number of machines increases the cost per machine decreases), with performance raised to as much as 95 per cent efficiency.

Psychological Attributes of Mergers — Part 2

Abstract: The merger brokers' task is to use his skills so as not to allow superficial attitudinising by the negotiating parties to solidify into rigid postures; because if they do, that is the end of the affair and both parties will leave the negotiating table disenchanted with themselves, with each other and with the merger broker. It is always imperative for both parties engaged in negotiations to help them overcome their lapses or mistakes without loss of face or dignity. This can only be accomplished if there is a trusted intermediary positioned in‐between, and upon whom all plausible and implausible errors and mistakes made by the negotiating parties can be blamed, if necessary.

What Can be Done to Reduce those Stockholding Costs

Abstract: Vast sums of money are paid out each year in the UK so that enterprises may hold stocks of materials, fuel, work‐in‐progress and finished goods. The holding costs of UK manufacturing alone for 1979 could well be in the region of £15bn, suffice it to say, an amount of great magnitude running into billions of pounds. There is a tendency on the part of materials management to over‐stock because “Thou shalt not run out of stock” is considered by many to be avoiding a cardinal sin. This means that in addition to carrying stocks which may not be required for some time the firms concerned also have to cover certain holding costs unnecessarily. Stocks kept on one side for “a rainy day” may in actual fact cost more in holding costs than their appreciation in value. Increased stock levels will in addition to increasing holding costs also increase risk, (see Figure 1).

Psychological Attributes of Mergers — Part 1

Abstract: The reasons why mergers have a hazy, hostile or indifferent image in the minds of many otherwise rational people will not allow superficial, simple or easy explanations. As a business activity, in one form or other, mergers have been with us for a very long time, though the wider recognition of limited liability 120 years ago in the earliest general companies Act gave it impetus and acceleration. Thus, experience of mergers between companies and their impact on the participants in them have now been forming for over a century.

The Importance of Lifting Equipment in Factories Today

Abstract: Provision of lifting equipment to handle materials efficiently and with minimum physical effort must be one of the most important considerations in industry today. On the one hand there is the growing pressure on management from workers, their trade unions and safety representatives, to provide lifting equipment to ease their daily tasks; on the other an increasing awareness of the greater efficiency and reduced costs that can be obtained by employing modern mechanical handling equipment of all capacities.

Innovative Management in Human Resource Terms

Abstract: The industrial relations and organisational behaviour literature contain frequent references to terms such as best practice employers, model employers, progressive firms, innovative management, etc. These firms are seen to be those that place a very high priority on good human resource management right across the board, and thus have been highly innovative in the policies, structures and arrangements that they have introduced in their dealings and relationships with employees. More formally, they can be seen to constitute the system of management that Likert has labelled System 4. According to Likert the organisational climate of such a system of management can be measured by a number of elements including decision making practices, where persons affected by decision are asked for their ideas, and there is concern for persons, whereby attempts are made to improve working conditions and organise work activities sensibly.

Customer Service: A Tool of Marketing?

Abstract: Many companies have no customer services objectives or strategies and the service performance received by customers is ample evidence of this fact. Companies which formalise their approach, on the basis of a cost/benefit study of the marketplace, usually find considerable marketing benefits. A customer service “package” can be created that links delivery frequencies, and lead times, back‐up inventory, response to complaints and technical service in a reliable way. Consistency seems to be the key marketing weapon although a host of other variables have impact, such as consolidation and delivery flexibility.