Retail work constitutes an estimated 10.5 per cent of the UK workforce (British Retail Consortium, 2011). The literature suggests homogeneity in the nature of HRM in the retail industry with low formal skills, pay and trade union density associated with this context (Skillsmart Retail, 2010; Department for Business Innovation and Skills, 2010). Furthermore, the downward pressure on the working conditions of employees is observed across front-line work in general and this, seemingly does not improve with competitive strategy (Kelliher and Perrett, 2001; Lloyd, 2005; Lloyd, Warhurst and Dutton, 2013). However, the service work literature reveals diversity at the workplace level in the performance of emotional labour (Bolton, 2000) and the different types of customer (Bolton and Houlihan, 2005). Yet there are gaps in the literature related to how the performance of emotional labour compares and contrasts across retail organisations through different management control mechanisms as well as how the employee-customer interaction may explain diversity at the workplace level. The thesis draws on a comparative case approach of four case study organisations in the retail industry each reflecting different market positions in clothing and electrical product markets. A total of 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers and employees across the case study stores. In addition the methodology also included the analysis of the customer perspective which is traditionally missing in the work and employment relations literature (Korczynski, 2009) This included collecting data using eighteen customer shopping reports, a method based on qualitative diaries. The overall aim of the study was to compare and contrast management, employee and customer perspectives across different retail organisation contexts and explore how the nature of HR and the performance of emotional labour are framed and reframed by the dynamics and negotiations that take place between these three actors. The findings reveal homogeneity in the nature of HRM with no improvement in recruitment and selection, training, pay and collective employee involvement going up the quality chain in the retail industry. This confirms other studies in the service industry more generally (Kelliher and Perrett, 2001; Lloyd, 2005; Lloyd et al, 2013). However within this downward pressure on the nature of HRM there were elements of diversity in the management requirements for the performance of emotional labour and the conceptualisation of the customer which shaped the employee-customer interaction in much broader terms than Strategic HR theorists might have assumed. To understand diversity across the retail organisations it was necessary to analyse the nature of employee-customer interactions within the context of management performance strategies. This revealed that many of the nuances between the case study retailers related to the ways the customer shapes, and is shaped, by the performance of emotional labour. The thesis will argue for the continued relevance of the concept of triangular relations which has been recently criticised (Belanger and Edwards, 2013) because it recognises the three actors that shape the performance of emotional labour at the level of workplace relations.

In the United States, 20% of newly established small businesses, including small businesses in the life insurance industry, fail within 2 years, and over 50% of them fail during the first 5 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to identify and explore the strategies that life insurance brokerage owners use to sustain business operations beyond 5 years. Porter's 5 forces model served as the conceptual framework for exploring this subject matter. Owners of 3 separate small life insurance brokerage firms in Texas, who sustained their businesses beyond 5 years, participated in semistructured interviews. A secondary source of data was relevant company documents. Methodological triangulation and member checking assured the reliability and validity of the interpretations. Through thematic analysis and supporting software, 5 themes emerged: exceptional customer service, relationship-building, efficient promotional strategies, regular training of salespersons, and hiring the right employees. The application of the findings of the study could contribute to positive social change by reducing unemployment and thereby catalyzing an economic environment supporting employees, families, and communities.

隨著資訊科技的發展，會計資訊系統的功能愈來愈強，所提供的資訊也不限於財務報表還包括了管理報告，本研究探討會計資訊系統提供何種資訊給使用者、會計資訊系統所面臨的問題、及會計資訊系統對於企業實現其競爭策略的幫助。 本研究以台灣五家上市公司為樣本，實地訪談企業資訊部門之人員來探討上述的問題，研究結果發現： 1. 五家受訪企業會計資訊系統電腦化皆有十年以上的歷史，能夠提供企業使用者日常業務所需要的大部份資訊。 2. 資訊使用者對於會計資訊系統不滿意之處有三：(1)系統無法滿足使用者所有的資訊需求，(2)系統開發改善速度緩慢，(3)需求的申請遭到資訊部門的拒絕。 3. 受訪人員表示，會計資訊系統能提供使用者決策之攸關資訊，對企業競爭策略之實現有幫助。 / In recent yrear, the function of AIS has been improved. AIS can provide not only financial reports, but also managerial reports. This study empirically examines of 5 enterprises' AIS to understand the AIS in Taiwan. The empirical results show that: 1.AIS could provide user useful information to help decision making. 2.AIS improve process is not fast enough to satisfy users' needs. 3.AIS could help enterprises' Competitive Strategy.

在有限的資源、人力與時間之內，企業必須立即回應市場。回應的時機、選擇的策略符合，才能進入進階賽繼續在不斷變化的環境下迎戰並回擊。每個企業比喻為一個點，每個企業點的「立基」有大有小，但都有限度。立基面積大可能是贏得上一階賽事的優勢，但下一輪考驗的可能是夠小才能勝出，這時，優勢頓時變弱勢。 進入進階賽中的企業，這一階比的可能是人脈與連結。能在這一輪競賽脫穎而出的靠的可能是將點延伸更遠、可能是將一點變多點、也可能是就近不動卻連結出更大的面。在變動的環境中，選擇最遠、最多或不動的思考與決策天天在上演。在新的戰場上，合作以達到目標，用更快更好的方式進行，用開放與互信的模式取得更多盟友認同，目標不應只是立即獲利的數字，必須著眼長遠的未來。合作其實是另一種模式的競爭，因此，選擇競爭策略的變更時間與力道也讓關係更複雜。 個案A公司從創立至今20餘年，在點的立基上不斷隨著市場的推進或要求而轉變。它經歷了幾次的全球性經濟衰退中洗牌而能站立，或許正因為它的動。它在幾次產業需求變動後仍然站立，也許是因為它的不動。面對下一個賽事，個案A公司能否迅速備戰並且創出下一階更寬廣的優勢？ 本研究透過產業的回顧、企業里程碑的反思、自我競爭能耐的分析，企圖驗證動態能耐理論是否能運用於中小企業。藉由理論與實務的對照，個案公司是否能取得更多具參考價值的建議。 / With limited resources, manpower and timing, corporate needs to respond to market rapidly. Only when the respond timing and selected strategy fit to the situation, corporate then is qualified to enter next race. Compare an enterprise to a dot, it can be big or small but founded with limitation. Big size may be the merit to win this battle, but can turn to a weakness in next race. The next race might be about connections. Strategy to win this race may be connecting farther; one dot to multiple dots, or stands still to wave a bigger sphere. Choosing a decision to either move or still is an everyday task. In the new battlefield, cooperation to achieve goal in a faster, better way to proceed. Win more alliances with open and mutual-trust attitude, we need to focus on long-term future than an instant profit figure. Yet, cooperation is just another form of competition. Decision of when to change the competitive strategy and level of the responding force gets complicated. Case A founded 28 years ago. The position it stands on is moving along with the market force. Maybe because of it’s decision to move that made it survived from several global economic crisis. Maybe due to the decision to hold still that allowed it stays. Question is that if case A is capable to react in the next race and even finds more strength? This dissertation attempts to verify if the theory of dynamic capabilities is applicable to general enterprises from retrospect of the automotive industry, introspect of case A milestones, to self-analysis of its competitive capabilities. By Comparing theory to empirical performance, shall case A achieve more valuable suggestions?

No description available.

智慧型手機時代來臨後，華人手機品牌廠有如雨後春筍般的冒出。本篇論文以小米、華為、宏達電作為個案研究對象，研究目的在於了解三間個案企業是如何在競爭激烈的全球市場中生存下來。關於研究發現，詳述如下： 小米是一家軟體導向的企業，採用互聯網行銷的方式，將銷售對象集中在網路顧客群，避開了屬於一級戰場的實體通路。最初在網路上建立口碑，待產品推出後，運用高性價比的特點吸引顧客，接著採用「饑渴行銷」的策略，以限量的方式去刺激顧客的購買欲望。然而，小米不靠販賣硬體獲利，主要的收入來源在於內容服務、應用程式、遊戲。 華為是一家硬體導向的企業，以販賣電信設備為主要經營業務。2009年進入到智慧型手機業務後，以「機海戰術」為領導方針，在不同價格區間都可以看到華為品牌的手機款式。2013年，施展雙品牌策略，「華為」和「榮耀」分家，主打高階手機P系列、D系列、Mate系列為華為品牌；主打中低階及網路市場為榮耀品牌。此外，華為旗下子公司海思擁有晶片自製技術，垂直整合能力在未來將會是華為角逐通訊市場的最大優勢。 宏達電是一家硬體導向的企業，屬於早期投入到智慧型手機業務的華人品牌廠，在歐美國家中具有一定的知名度。2011年曾經高居全球前五大智慧型手機品牌，競爭優勢在於工業設計及軟硬體整合，不管是手機的立體音效、鏡頭、金屬機殼都有自己的風格。雖然，在2012年第四季退出全球前十大智慧型手機品牌廠，但卻是台灣少數能夠走出國際的品牌大廠之一。 三間個案公司的競爭策略及商業模式各不相同，但卻讓世界看到了華人不是只有代工，也有能力在品牌和市場行銷做出令人印象深刻的成績。

The wood-based building products industry has experienced significant turbulence over the past several decades as a function of multiple forces including among others globalization, product and process innovation, and shifting customer and consumer interest and demands. Collectively, these changes have challenged the historical tenets which have defined industry strategy and competition in the realm of basic products and contributed to consolidation and labor reductions. Consequently, an onus has been placed on industry participants to better understand and adapt to the new competitive landscape or risk loss of competitive advantages built on the practices suited to historical tradition. However, a limited range of work that considers the machinations of turbulence and resulting strategic implications has been directed toward the industry particularly where differentiation of products is limited. A contributing factor for this deficiency is the relative stability that has defined the industry for generations due in part to limited strategic variation beyond cost and production, limited cycles of technological and product innovation, commodity nature of many products, and passive manner of consumption. Accordingly, there is value in work that takes a critical and empirical view of industry changes in the context of both strategic and competitive implications, how participating firms address challenges, and what factors influence consumer purchase decisions. This work addresses this need through examination of each element, industry, firm, and consumer, in the context of turbulence, competition, and strategy and delineates previously unidentified considerations for competing in the new landscape. At the industry level, drivers of industry turbulence and subsequent strategic challenges, adaptations, and opportunities are identified and reviewed. Analysis suggests that improved strategy which considers organizational and product differentiation beyond cost and production efficiencies permits greater stability and increased leverage in the turbulent competitive environment. Recognizing a need for improved strategy, the firm level analysis employs a primary qualitative approach to isolate previously unidentified firm qualities analogous to successful deployment of a market orientation strategy using the resource based view of the firm as a framework for analysis. Connecting strategy to the consumer and product, theoretical consumer behavior constructs (consumption, behavior, and involvement) were connected to conceptualize dimensions of product differentiation capable of holding consumer appeal and acting as behavioral drivers in the passively consumed arena of primary wood-based building products. Taken together this work provides a view of strategic considerations within the wood-based building product industry that extends beyond previous work in several ways. First, by considering industry environment, firm strategy, and consumer behavior and product differentiation collectively in the manner described, this work provides a more vertically complete strategic perspective for industry participants. Second, within each chapter, findings and case based examples relevant to each element are presented. / Graduation date: 2012

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:52:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ClaudiaGG.pdf: 454885 bytes, checksum: 0fa6de0bedf5f5a4edccecea0dc67cb4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-01-08 / That work has as objective to investigate and to analyze the strategies which they were developed by companies of lodging means with ends of social responsibility in Rio Grande do Norte (RN). Therefore, it got data along with the Office of Tourism of the Municipal district of Natal , the Office of Tourism of RN and the cadasters of the firms of the lodging means in the district of Ponta Negra. In after research of field, it verified the enterprises that now develop lodging activities in that quarter in Ponta Negra. It applied Instrument of research which it was elaborated based on the set of indicators of social responsibility of Ethos Institute, structured with binary questions and some open ones. It shows as results which actions the investigated companies develop. Confronting these results with researched theoretical referencial, it points an intermediate degree of socially responsible actions. Comparing with the evaluation accomplished by Ethos Institute, the investigated firms are in incipient condition, with punctual actions, however, they already present the awakening about this thematic / Tem como objetivo investigar e analisar as estrat?gias desenvolvidas por empresas de meios de hospedagem com fins de responsabilidade social no Rio Grande do Norte (RN). Para tanto, levantou dados junto ? Secretaria de Turismo do Munic?pio de Natal, ? Secretaria de Turismo do RN e aos cadastros das empresas dos meios de hospedagem no bairro de Ponta Negra. Em pesquisa de campo posterior, averiguou as empresas que atualmente desenvolvem atividades de hospedagem naquele bairro. Aplicou Instrumento da Pesquisa elaborado com base no conjunto de indicadores de responsabilidade social do Instituto Ethos, estruturado com perguntas bin?rias e algumas abertas. Mostra como resultados quais a??es as empresas investigadas desenvolvem. Ao confrontar estes resultados com o referencial te?rico pesquisado, aponta um grau intermedi?rio de a??es socialmente respons?veis. Comparando com a avalia??o realizada pelo Instituto Ethos, as empresas investigadas se encontram em condi??o incipiente, com a??es pontuais, por?m, j? apresentam o despertar em torno da tem?tica

A dissertação tem como objetivo analisar o caso da Gestão de OPME (Órteses, Próteses e Materiais Especiais) em uma empresa operadora de planos de saúde (UNIMED RS), no contexto das condições sistêmicas e setoriais de competitividade e das escolhas estratégicas da empresa. Utilizando conceitos e esquemas analíticos de economia da estratégia, a dissertação procura mostrar como a gestão de OPME é importante para equacionar o trade-off entre custo e diferenciação, dada as escolhas estratégicas que caracterizam o posicionamento competitivo da UNIMED, no âmbito do setor de operadoras de planos de saúde e com as limitações impostas pelo agente regulador setorial. Os avanços na área de materiais médicos são impressionantes. A velocidade com que são lançados no mercado os novos materiais cirúrgicos (Órteses, Próteses e Materiais Especiais, OPME) é um reflexo da facilidade com que se tem acesso à informação nos dias de hoje. Estes materiais, são materiais de elevado custo, existem dúvidas quanto a sua efetividade e segurança para os beneficiários/pacientes e que acarretam um aumento geométrico dos custos das operadoras de planos de saúde que, devido ao controle rigoroso, governamental, não conseguem repassar esses custos aos seus beneficiários. O Sistema Unimed, identificando a necessidade de um processo estruturado que avalie a incorporação de novas tecnologias na área da saúde, e com o objetivo de manter o status da instituição como empresa que oferta aos seus beneficiários a melhor tecnologia médica disponível, criou a sua Câmara Técnica de Medicina Baseada em Evidências. Nesse contexto, este estudo aborda a experiência do Sistema Unimed com essa gestão e absorção de novas tecnologias. / The objective of the dissertation is to analyze the administration of OPME (Ortheses, Prostheses and Special Materials) in a health care company (UNIMED RS), in the context of the systemic and sectorial conditions of competitiveness and of the strategic choices of the company. Using concepts and analytic outlines of the economy of the strategy, the dissertation seeks to show how important the administration of the OPME is for the trade-off between cost and differentiation, given the strategic choices that characterize the competitive positioning of UNIMED in the ambit of the section of Health Plans and with limitations imposed by the sectorial regulator agent. The progress in the area of medical materials is impressive. The speed that the new surgical materials (Ortheses, Protheses and Special Materials) are introduced in the market is a reflex of the easiness to access information nowadays. These materials are materials of high cost, and there is still doubt about the effectiveness and safety of these materials for the patients, besides there is a geometric increase of the costs of the Health Plans and due to the rigorous governmental control these costs cannot be passed to the beneficiaries. The Unimed System, aware of the need for a structured process that evaluates the incorporation of new technologies in the area of health, and with the objective to maintain its status as an institution that offers its beneficiaries the best medical technology available, created its own Technical Chamber of Medicine Based on Evidences. In this context, this study approaches Unimed's experience in this administration and the absorption of new technologies.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:08:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 1998-12-22T00:00:00Z / O principal propósito deste trabalho é propor e conceituar as seguintes dimensões competitivas da estratégia de recursos humanos sob a ótica contemporânea dos conceitos de estratégia competitiva e de estratégia de manufatura: a constituição de rede de trabalho baseada em equipes, a aprendizagem organizacional e a gestão da cultura organizacional. No contexto da gestão estratégica de negócios, propõe-se que estas dimensões competitivas sejam estabelecidas juntamente com as estratégias das unidades de negócios e das prioridades competitivas da estratégia de manufatura, ou seja, qualidade, desempenho das entregas, flexibilidade e custo. Em estudo de casos, envolvendo quatro empresas manufatureiras do setor metal mecânico do interior do estado de São Paulo, identificam-se as dimensões competitivas das estratégias de recursos humanos e as prioridades competitivas das estratégias de manufatura, assim como sua combinação dentro das estratégias das unidades de negócios das empresas pesquisadas, com o objetivo de analisar a aplicabilidade das duas proposições teóricas deste trabalho: as dimensões competitividade da estratégia de recursos humanos e a sua combinação com as prioridades competitivas da estratégia de manufatura no contexto das estratégias de negócios. / This paper aims at proposing and conceptualizing the following competitive dimensions of the human resource strategy by using the contemporary concepts of competitive strategy and manufacturing strategy: the formation of a network based on teams, the organizational learning and the management of organizational culture. Within the strategic business management, these competitive dimensions must be established simultaneously with the business unit strategies and the competitive priorities of manufacturing strategy, i.e., quality, delivery perfomance, flexibility and cost. Four manufacturing companies of the metal mechanical industry, located at the interior of São Paulo state, have not only the competitive dimensions of their human resource strategy and the competitive priorities of their manufacturing strategies, but also their arrangement within the business unit strategies identified. The feasibility of applying the following theoretical propositions of this paper to manufacturing companies is analysed in this case study: the competitive dimensions of the human resource strategy and the arrangement of these dimensions and the competitive priorities of manufacturing strategy during the formulation of company strategies.