<p> The only two certainties in life are death and more uncertainty&mdash;with change the only constant. Rapidly changing environments require speedier response. We do not know what the future holds. Crafting strategy when the future is unknown and unknowable is challenging. The increasing uncertainty and turbulence has seen the gradual replacement of forecasting with scenario planning. Unfortunately, we are still trapped in the Taylorist paradigm that there is always one optimal strategy for any company to pursue. The global financial crisis of 2007-2009 provided a dramatic demonstration of the risk inherent in any strategic plan that relies on a unidimensional view of the future.</p><p> Using this crisis as a Petri dish, this research examined how well scenario planning worked. As the objective of scenario-based strategy development is to improve organizational agility (defined as the speed with which firms sensed and responded to an organizational crisis), the research measured how agile these firms were, measured against an established timeline and a sense and respond model, the Puthenveetil Model.</p><p> This study used a qualitative longitudinal case study method using purposive sampling of 14 firms that used scenario planning in strategy development and examined their strategies during the crisis <i>ex post facto</i>, only to find that most firms did not anticipate the crisis. Of those that did, only two&mdash;General Electric and Herman Miller, firms steeped in the learning/organization development culture&mdash;responded during the pre-crisis period. A surprising finding was that in six of the 14 firms, headcounts increased during this period. As to why so many firms failed to anticipate this crisis, there were three possible explanations: (a) the Cassandra Syndrome, (b) blind confidence in probability, and (c) reactive approach to change. The Puthenveetil Model could be used by individuals and organizations to prepare for the challenges of the VUCA world by hedging against the inevitable surprises that lurk in the background. Uncertainty is not an ally of confidence. Confidence is needed for commitment. Scenario-based thinking should help decision makers think clearly, feel confident, and act decisively.</p>

No description available.

The objective of this research is to explore the area of financial accounting, international accounting, and accounting technology transfer, with emphasis on accounting for developing countries, specifically Indonesia. Confining itself to external financial reporting, the study explores the influence of environmental aspects on accounting standards and practices, institutionally and technically. Analysis of the role and needs of preparers, users, auditors and government agencies, and of the interaction between institutional and technical aspects, conducted to ascertain their implications for accounting development in Indonesia. The empirical research was conducted using hypotheses as catalysts, to test the characteristics, general opinions and attitudes of the interested parties toward accounting standards and practices, accounting education and development of the accounting profession. The findings of the research suggest that accounting technology cannot be successfully transferred from a developed to a developing country without considering the influence of environment, particularly the role of government. Indonesia, heavily influenced by the US accounting, needs to improve its accounting system in order to make it appropriate for its own environment. Many deficiencies were found in the areas of accounting theory, accounting standards and practice, accounting rules and regulations, accounting education, professional accounting and the role of government. In order to improve the existing conditions, it must be recognised that those aspects are closely related, and that the only way to develop the role of accounting is to adopt an integrated approach. The study provides a series of recommendations, based upon the findings of the empirical research, which should provide a useful starting point towards such an approach.

Thesis (M.S. in Financial Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 1990. / Thesis Advisor(s): Liao, Shu. Second Reader: Bui, Tung. "December 1990." Description based on title screen as viewed on March 30, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Financial Management Information System, DBase IV, Data-Based Management System. Includes bibliographical references (p. 111). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2009. / "Publication number: AAT 3385838."

<p> Outsourcing provides organizations the opportunity for cost-saving and increased opportunities to build a competitive advantage, while better utilizing limited resources and focusing efforts on their strategic goals. There was a risk associated with deciding to outsource human resources (HR) functions in the federal government, which can influence management&rsquo;s ability to make informed decisions and affect an organization&rsquo;s effectiveness. Social groups inside an organization can influence knowledge, innovation, and productivity. Research has shown nothing emerges from a social group except individual behavior, and individual behavior can influence the organization&rsquo;s growth in a marketplace. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the perceived risk to the federal government associated with deciding to outsource HR functions. This research was conducted using a qualitative method with a multiple case study design. Data collection and analysis focused on those federal agencies in the Washington, DC geographical area having at least 2,000 employees and outsourcing at least 40% of their HR functions (e.g., compensation and benefits, employee relations, and compliance) and support services (e.g., payroll, recruitment, and benefit administration). Once these organizations were identified, a review of historical documents related to outsourced functions covering a period of at least five-years will be performed using at a selected federal agency. Additionally, an observational research approach using naturalistic observation as teams of HR practitioners within the targeted agency was done as the practitioners performed duties within their everyday environment (e.g., approximately 3-5 teams with approximately 25 personnel as target sample size). Finally, one-on-one semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected HR staff and management (e.g., approximately 10-12 participants from the target agencies) was conducted. These interviews drew a deeper understanding of the shared experiences of the participants and the perceived influence outsourcing HR functions has on knowledge retention needed to be retained in the federal government. Knowledge gained from this study could add value to the body of knowledge for future HR professionals and management to make informed outsourcing decisions in the federal government. The findings of this research added value to the body of knowledge for future HR professionals to influence outsourcing decisions in the federal government. Additionally, this study may inspire future researchers&rsquo; study of the desired competencies of HR practitioners in the federal government.</p><p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This study ascertains financing behavior and Capital Structure determinants of a leading Jamaican corporation, Grace Kennedy Limited (GKL) in order to establish the extent to which the company follows the Static Trade-off theory (STOT), in which an optimal capital structure of the firm exists and can be derived by balancing the benefits of debt against costs associated with debt i.e. Bankruptcy costs and Agency costs and costs of underinvestment. STOT is compared with The Pecking Order theory (POT) which firm has no specific target debt ratio and capital structure is driven by the need of funds. The existence of Information Asymmetry, Signaling and relative costs associated with alternative methods and sources of funding lead the firm to have a preferred hierarchy for financing decision with the Internal Retained Earnings being preferred, followed by Debt and then Equity. GKL's financing behavior arguably follows the STOT, but more clear evidence supports the POT. The Firm has given preference toward the following funding sources and Corporate Principles, Financial Flexibility, Transactions Costs, Bankruptcy Costs, Credit Rating, Market Considerations and Timing are all seen as important fundamental factors (Determinants) in deciding about Capital Structure. Some concern is also given to Information about Asymmetry problems at international level. However, Agency Costs, i.e. Asset Substitutions, Wealth Transfers, and Over-investment are not found to be issues of major concern, as the Firm has good governance. Tax Shield benefits have no effect on the financial manager's decisions. Also an Industry Norm is not found to be important for GKL's Capital Structure decisions. The amount of debt in the Firm's capital structure is maintained at a low level according to a conservative policy. It is also driven by corporate strategic planning, and by the availability of profitable investments taking advantage of each funding source. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Low substantiation rates are pervasive across the federal Office of Inspector General (OIG) community due to high levels of uncertainty and limited data availability at the time of case selection. OIG management often selects cases based on intuition and past experience. Intuitive project selection has proven unsuccessful because the methods are often subjective, prone to bias, and lead to error. The high uncertainty surrounding case selection and the current selection method employed by OIG management teams results in a significant loss of investigative resources spent on unsubstantiated cases. This research presents a novel approach to predict OIG investigative case substantiation using natural language processing techniques and multinomial naïve Bayes to retrieve information from complaint intakes. It aims to improve OIG substantiation rates and reduce the cost associated with unsubstantiated cases. The model developed in this study significantly outperformed OIG management and was 20% more accurate in the prediction of substantiated and unsubstantiated cases. This model will augment investigative case selection and improve investigative targeting, increase impact of investigative work, and improve OIG investigative resource allocation. Its application will result in a significant savings by reducing the resources dedicated to cases with a low probability of substantiation.

This thesis examines the development of management in financial services and its implications on managers' activities and socialisation. The thesis uses gender and emotional labour as the main themes for the discussion of management in the financial services. The thesis reports on two ethnographic case studies within two UK retail banks. Analyses are based on data derived from interviews, observations and documents. Both the literature and data suggest that management in the service sector centres around the management of organisational cultures. Managers must disseminate the organisational values in order to extract excellent customer service from the front-line staff. Managers themselves are acculturated into the organisation and its values, in order to more easily acculturate their staff. The data indicates that although management appears to have been feminised, masculine values still dominate. Managers are socialised into organisational cultures in which human relations rhetoric looms large and both male and female managers employ 'feminine' management styles. Confusingly however, male managers' skills seem to be valued more and male-dominated business areas receive greater kudos. A disjunction between rhetoric and reality is thus evident. In addition, both management and emotional labour are presented as gendered in sociological literature. The data indicates that although management styles and practices are perceived to be gendered, there is little evidence to support the stereotypes. Both men and women can be seen to be performing emotional labour too, but it is the expectations of others and their different life experiences that can lead to gender differences in the way that emotional labour is displayed.