A system engineering and process management approach is offered to mitigate risks for strategic decision making in large high technology based companies. This approach is based upon the risk mitigation methodology of project management together with a process approach to deploying a full scale engineering development for a complex hardware system. The cost of decision making is related to the specific industry and coaching points are developed and presented in a four-step longitudinal process. Risk mitigation guidelines are identified to help ensure a senior management team's success emphasizing agility for addressing nonlinear problems such as when innovation is required in both the technology itself and the business model.

As millions of individuals who have been given a diagnosis of attention deficit disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder enter the workforce, more individuals with these mental impairments are filing claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended in 2008 by the ADA Amendments Act. The ADA forbids employment discrimination based on an individual's disability and also requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Health care managers must be well prepared with knowledge of the employers' rights and responsibilities under the law. By exploring the legal challenges being made to employers' policies and practices and examining how the courts are resolving those disputes, managers can reduce the risk of expensive, time-consuming litigation caused by employment discrimination claims based on disability.

One of the most difficult undertakings for any employer is carrying out a decision to terminate an employee. Of all the employment-related actions taken by employers, the act of termination creates the greatest risk of legal liability. Many claims of employment discrimination filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission arise from the act of termination. In many federal courts, employment-related lawsuits account for more than 50% of all court filings; these lawsuits cover a wide range of subjects, such as failure to hire, defamation, breach of contract, and harassment, to name a few. However, most employees sue because they have lost their job or fear they will lose their job. Because these individuals have virtually nothing to lose, they often see filing a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or filing a lawsuit as the only viable option-often suing for wrongful discharge. With a thoughtful review of the issues and the legislation addressed in this article, health care managers can reduce the unnecessary risk of expensive, time-consuming litigation.

The current state of environmental laws has placed business in a quandary regarding compliance with the myriad of regulations directed at everything from the manufacture of new products, substances, or chemicals to the generation and disposal of waste. A variation from the guidelines imposed may result in liability, civil and criminal, for the unwary violator. In addition to possessing knowledge of current regulations affecting operations, managers must also track numerous future changes applicable to their processes in order to avoid missing the effective date of a new requirement. In general, vast resources must be expended in complying with the environmental laws, especially in manufacturing. Not only is regulatory compliance a major issue regarding the expense and speed of production processes, but the relationship between compliance and its effect on the overall quality of the production process, whether in terms of the process itself or the finished product, must also be explored. This paper will address the results of a survey completed by over 200 manufacturing firms located in Tennessee to determine effects of compliance with environmental regulations on business operations.

This study addresses the environmental regulations facing the manufacturing manager and examines the potential effect these regulations have on various aspects of operations and logistics management. A survey instrument directed toward Tennessee manufacturers will be utilized to explore the demands placed on managers by environmental regulatory requirements and determine the overall effect of compliance on the production process in terms of cost, efficiency, quality, safety and productivity. Although extrapolation to other industries may be limited, it is hoped that general `lessons learned' can be extracted for all managers.

Consumers execute routine last mile logistics in most brick-and-mortar supply chains. The online version of last mile logistics varies greatly, but still suffers from substantial challenges–one of these being theft, specifically porch piracy. In fact, each day more than 1.7 Million packages are stolen or go missing each day in the United States. In this paper, we look at a consumer’s decision, to buy or not to buy a drop box for online package delivery. We view this decision as an act of co-creation, something routine in both online and traditional retailing, the consumer co-creation of the supply chain. The purpose of this research is to examine the feasibility of using drop boxes, an alternative delivery system, to reduce retailer’s financial and reputation costs and increase consumer confidence in direct ordering. We determine that such alternative infrastructures signal a potential increase in revenues for online retailers. We also show that consumers are willing to pay for such drop boxes even as they co-create a variety of supply chains.

When this classic text was first published in 1992, it provided a unique focus for the burgeoning concern for sustainability and sustainable organizational practices. The book’s impact continues to be felt today as large multinational corporations such as Wal-Mart and GE are making substantial commitments to the “triple bottom line” of economic success, social responsibility, and environmental protection, and sustainability has become a part of curricula in business schools around the globe. Featuring extensive new material throughout, this new edition of Management for a Small Planet is now widely available outside of North America for the first time. The book maintains the same unique vision and approach that made the original so influential. Unlike other texts on the topic, it employs a strategic, general management perspective within theoretical frameworks on how organizations can be instrumental in moving humankind toward a more sustainable world. Part I includes chapters dedicated to each dimension of sustainability: biophysical, economic, and social. Part II contains the specifics on the formulation and implementation of sustainable management practices, all grounded in the principles of organizational behavior, leadership, and business strategy. The book is an ideal text for any course concerned with environmental management and sustainable management practices. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1269/thumbnail.jpg

The management of information is critical to customer relationship management and business performance. Marketers are increasingly becoming engaging in information management from inception or being tasked with advanced technology infrastructure decisions that will effectively collect and analyze information. To address the increasing role of information and technology in marketing strategy, the focus of this research is twofold. First, we investigate the impact of uncoordinated information management on the quality of information available. Next, we explore how behavioral (e.g., trust, power, strategic alignment), relational (e.g., collaboration), and resource (e.g., data analytics skills, data decision-making culture) elements impact the role of information governance on firm performance.

Technology has been serving as a catalyst to support company growth and performance over the last 20 years. Through the increasing acceptance of digital platforms, society has witnessed the transformation of how people interact and companies conduct business. Beyond traditional business models, direct selling companies are expanding beyond face-to-face interaction, employing and promoting the use of technology (e.g., social media sites, mobile messaging, and company-sponsored websites) to reach consumers. People are seeking opportunities within this alternative marketing channel at an increasing pace. According to the Direct Selling Association, 20.5 million people within the United States are now involved in the direct selling channel. Technology is beginning to play a critical role in the direct selling marketplace, driving and impacting the relationships among the direct selling firm, its sales force, and its customers. In the context of direct selling, technology can serve as a vehicle to promote and enable CRM capabilities such as identifying new customers, creating customer loyalty, and establishing long-term customer relationships. Due to the increasing economic impact of the direct selling channel, it is critical to explore the relationship of technology and performance of direct selling consultants. Using a sample of 195 direct selling consultants, we examine the impact of various technologies on customer relationships and salesperson performance.

In my practice experience and exploration of literature, I discovered that there are limited examples and research about organisations that aim to change from a charity to a social enterprise. In addition to this, there are limited knowledge and understanding about what social enterprise and social entrepreneurship are and a lack of frameworks that will enable one to know a social enterprise and social entrepreneur when you see one. This research, therefore, is an exploration of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship in practice, arriving at working definitions and frameworks. It examines the process, experiences and challenges that come with an organisation - Age Concern Bexley - changing from a charity to a social enterprise. The research then shares the experiences and the challenges that come with such organisational change The research also examines and exposes my role and experiences - as the Chief Executive, social entrepreneur, leader and change agent, during this period. The research then provides an insight into the self-discovery, self evaluation and reflections of a social entrepreneur in practice, especially from the insider practitioners' perspective, thereby enabling seeing social enterprise and social entrepreneurship from the lens of a social entrepreneur. This research does not look into the issues surrounding governance during this change; as recent researches concluded that governance have little impact in this context( Young,2006). My view is that governance is importany and relevant; although the experience during this research does highlight that it was not a major issue. However,I would recommend it as an area of and for future research. The research combines empiricism and rationalism with iterations. In the research, I applied methodical pluralism as overarching research methodology by applying a portfolio of methodologies, using different methods to gather necessary data from different sources. The research contributest o practice with the establishment of a social enterprise service at Age Concern Bexley whilst also developing a set of high-level challenges that organisations that aim to explore social enterprise need to be aware of and how to manage them. The research contributes to theory by arriving at a working definition and framework of social enterprise. It also provides a better understanding of social entrepreneurship in practice and the role of a social entrepreneur as a leader and change agent. Other contributions to theory are the employment of metaphors to explain organisational change,the application of socio-psychological theory of labelling to explain the deviancy of social enterprise and social entrepreneurship and argument for sector differentiation, that is, social enterprise as a distinct sector. Some other contributions to practice are the showcasing of social enterprise in practice, the establishment of Bexley Social Enterprise Consortium, the establishment of an international development social enterprise organisation - Hephzibah - and the aim of establishing a social enterprise academy in Nigeria. These are to enable me put into further practice, what I have learnt through this research. The research concludes that the practice of social enterprise is here to stay, that social entrepreneurial organisations need social entrepreneurs in leadership and that it will be challenging for existing charities to convert in totality to social enterprises. 12