During the last two decades, organisations in developed countries have tried different management approaches to improve their business performance, although these approaches have not always been successful. Mostly, these approachess uch as Total Quality Management (TQM), Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), and Strategic Planning (SP), have been implemented as separate initiatives and in isolation of a holistic framework to manage change in the organisation. Also, in many cases, such approaches focus on technical aspects neglecting the people dimension. In addition to the lack of attention to potential problems that exist due to national cultural differences. In order to diagnose the viability of such approaches and remedy potential causes of failure, the researcher developed A Comprehensive Model for Improving Business Performance in Industrial Organisations. A research methodology has been constructed to reach the research objectives. Content validation of the model has been achieved through the literature, a survey that was conducted with UK prominent experts, and a survey that was conducted with UK-based companies. The new model is constructed to reflect development on existing models and approaches,a nd to add other aspectsth at haven ot beenc onsideredb efore. As such, the model eliminates the gaps in the existing business models by integrating several improvement approaches into the organisation's business plan. The model is also characterised by identifying a causal relationship between its components, and providing a step-by-step modular approach for achieving improvement. The cultural dimensions have been also included, at both corporate and national levels. The model was tested for its Applicability within Jordanian Industrial Organisations. Differences related to culturalfactors such as power distance, individualism and collectivism, corporate factors, and other non-cultural factors such the country's level of development, were found to influence the model's applicability. At the end, recommendations for practical modifications and adaptations are presentedw ith a view to develop a Model for Jordan.

In recent years, practitioners and researchers alike have turned their attention to knowledge management (KM) in order to increase organisational performance (OP). As a result, many different approaches and strategies have been investigated and suggested for how knowledge should be managed to make organisations more effective and efficient. However, most research has been undertaken in the for-profit sector, with only a few studies focusing on the benefits nonprofit organisations might gain by managing knowledge. This study broadly investigates the impact of knowledge management on the organisational performance of nonprofit organisations. Organisational performance can be evaluated through either financial or non-financial measurements. In order to evaluate knowledge management and organisational performance, non-financial measurements are argued to be more suitable given that knowledge is an intangible asset which often cannot be expressed through financial indicators. Non-financial measurement concepts of performance such as the balanced scorecard or the concept of Intellectual Capital (IC) are well accepted and used within the for-profit and nonprofit sectors to evaluate organisational performance. This study utilised the concept of IC as the method to evaluate KM and OP in the context of nonprofit organisations due to the close link between KM and IC: Indeed, KM is concerned with managing the KM processes of creating, storing, sharing and applying knowledge and the organisational KM infrastructure such as organisational culture or organisational structure to support these processes. On the other hand, IC measures the knowledge stocks in different ontological levels: at the individual level (human capital), at the group level (relational capital) and at the organisational level (structural capital). In other words, IC measures the value of the knowledge which has been managed through KM. As KM encompasses the different KM processes and the KM infrastructure facilitating these processes, previous research has investigated the relationship between KM infrastructure and KM processes. Organisational culture, organisational structure and the level of IT support have been identified as the main factors of the KM infrastructure influencing the KM processes of creating, storing, sharing and applying knowledge. Other research has focused on the link between KM and OP or organisational effectiveness. Based on existing literature, a theoretical model was developed to enable the investigation of the relation between KM (encompassing KM infrastructure and KM processes) and IC. The model assumes an association between KM infrastructure and KM processes, as well as an association between KM processes and the various levels of IC (human capital, structural capital and relational capital). As a result, five research questions (RQ) with respect to the various factors of the KM infrastructure as well as with respect to the relationship between KM infrastructure and IC were raised and included into the research model: RQ 1 Do nonprofit organisations which have a Hierarchy culture have a stronger IT support than nonprofit organisations which have an Adhocracy culture? RQ 2 Do nonprofit organisations which have a centralised organisational structure have a stronger IT support than nonprofit organisations which have decentralised organisational structure? RQ 3 Do nonprofit organisations which have a stronger IT support have a higher value of Human Capital than nonprofit organisations which have a less strong IT support? RQ 4 Do nonprofit organisations which have a stronger IT support have a higher value of Structural Capital than nonprofit organisations which have a less strong IT support? RQ 5 Do nonprofit organisations which have a stronger IT support have a higher value of Relational Capital than nonprofit organisations which have a less strong IT support? In order to investigate the research questions, measurements for IC were developed which were linked to the main KM processes. The final KM/IC model contained four items for evaluating human capital, five items for evaluating structural capital and four items for evaluating relational capital. The research questions were investigated through empirical research using a case study approach with the focus on two nonprofit organisations providing trade promotions services through local offices worldwide. Data for the investigation of the assumptions were collected via qualitative as well as quantitative research methods. The qualitative study included interviews with representatives of the two participating organisations as well as in-depth document research. The purpose of the qualitative study was to investigate the factors of the KM infrastructure (organisational culture, organisational structure, IT support) of the organisations and how these factors were related to each other. On the other hand, the quantitative study was carried out through an online-survey amongst staff of the various local offices. The purpose of the quantitative study was to investigate which impact the level of IT support, as the main instrument of the KM infrastructure, had on IC. Overall several key themes were found as a result of the study: • Knowledge Management and Intellectual Capital were complementary with each other, which should be expressed through measurements of IC based on KM processes. • The various factors of the KM infrastructure (organisational culture, organisational structure and level of IT support) are interdependent. • IT was a primary instrument through which the different KM processes (creating, storing, sharing and applying knowledge) were performed. • A high level of IT support was evident when participants reported higher level of IC (human capital, structural capital and relational capital). The study supported previous research in the field of KM and replicated the findings from other case studies in this area. The study also contributed to theory by placing the KM research within the nonprofit context and analysing the linkage between KM and IC. From the managerial perspective, the findings gave clear indications that would allow interested parties, such as nonprofit managers or consultants to understand more about the implications of KM on OP and to use this knowledge for implementing efficient and effective KM strategies within their organisations.

No description available.

Major challenges faced by organisations are employee motivation and performance. Motivated employees drive high productivity, customer satisfaction, and profits (Harter, Schmidt, & Hayes, 2002). As a result, organisations need to find empirically supported ways to motivate employees (Ambrose & Kulik, 1999; Luthans & Stajkovic, 1999; Stajkovic & Luthans, 2003). One approach to enhancing motivation at work is recognizing employees for good performance, Employee recognition is a form of non-monetary, informal reward in which a manager acknowledges and praises employees who have performed according to the company’s values and principles. The literature describing the benefits of employee recognition has argued that recognition as an incentive is often more effective than monetary rewards (Graham & Unruh, 1990: Jeffries, 1997: Stajkovic & Luthans, 1997). Leadership scholars have called for research examining group processes by which managers influence employee outcomes (Goomdman, Ravlin, & Schminke, 1987: Buzzo & Salas, 1995: Hackman, 1992). As current studies have simply investigated the direct effects of recognition on work-related outcomes, a central aim of this research was to explore the role of team-efficacy and goal commitment as mediators in the recognition-outcome relationship. Which the present research, two primary contribution to the existing literature linking recognition and employees outcomes are made. First, drawing upon goal setting theory, social cognitive theory, and attribution theory conceptual hypotheses were developed and empirically tested, proposing mediating effects of team efficacy and goal commitment in the relationship between recognition and employee outcomes. The second main contribution to research on employee recognition lays in investigating performance monitoring by the manager (as perceived by employees), as a moderator that influences the power of employee recognition. The moderating role of performance monitoring was based on importance of applying recognition immediately and contingently on good performance to be most effective (Locke, 1968: Locke & Latham, 1990; Luthans & Staijkovic, 1999). By monitoring employees’ performance, managers are provided with information that can form the basis for delivering recognition in a timely manner. The proposed relationships were examined in three independent occupational samples. The model was explored in two homogeneous samples and then validated in a larger heterogeneous sample. This provides the opportunity to generalise results from specific groups of employees to a broader population of employed workers. In total, three cross-sectionals studies were conducted across a variety of different professional back grounds; looking at a range of outcome variables which are, job satisfaction, role clarity, and employee well-being. In Study 1 (N=69), the sample consisted of employees from a large private hospital pharmacy. Results from Study 1 provided evidence for the predictive validity of employee recognition and the mediating role of team-efficacy and goal commitment in the relationship between employee recognition and the outcome variables. In Study 2 (N=103), data was collected from a global company producing and dealing with harvest machinery. Path model analyses were conducted to evaluate whether the findings of Study 1 could be replicated in a sample of employees from a different organisation. Another aim was to examine the moderating role of performance monitoring in the relationship between recognition and job satisfaction. The meditational results from this study replicated those from Study 1, pointing to the generalisability of the relationships between the variables. The relationship between employee recognition and sob satisfaction was mediated by team efficacy and goal commitment. Moreover, evidence was found that performance monitoring moderated between employee recognition and job satisfaction. As predicted, the relationship between employee recognition and job satisfaction was stronger under high levels of monitoring. To enhance external validity, Study 3 involved 243 employees from a variety of professions and industries. Another aim was to explore the research model with employee well-being as an outcome variable. As predicted, results from SEM analyses confirmed initial findings of team-efficacy as a mediator in the relationship between employee recognition and well-being. Furthermore, evidence was provided for the mediating role of team-efficacy between employee recognition and goals commitment and the mediating effect of goal commitment in the relationship between team-efficacy and well-being. As in Study 2, results showed that the relationship between recognition and well-being is stronger under high condition of monitoring. Overall, the findings of this research provide a unique insight into the important role of employee recognition in predicting work-related consequences, As such, these results expand our understanding of the processes by which employee recognition exerts its influence. Extending the notion of goal setting theory, social cognitive theory, and attribution theory it was found that team-efficacy and goal commitment mediated the relationship between recognition and outcome variable. In terms of practical implications, these results show that by providing recognition managers can raise employees’ motivation and well-being.o

Diss.--Soziologie--Zürich, 1980. / Bibliogr. p. 281-303.

Diss.--Rechtswissenschaft--Frankfurt am Main--J. W. Goethe Universität, 1997. / Bibliogr. p. 215-237.

Th.--Sociol.--Paris--IEP, 1987.

Diss.--Freie Universität Berlin, 1992. / Bibliogr. p. 205-225.

This thesis seeks to contribute to the organisational trust literature by investigating the relevance of trust to organisations through executive self-reports, and exploring the potential congruities and incongruities of these self-reports with the existing trust literature. Further, the study allows for the participants to introduce unique conceptualisations of trust in organisations that may not appear in the literature but might be worthy of further consideration and research. The results of this study begin to fill an existing gap in the trust literature by considering the perceptions of the most senior executives in the corporate environment. A trust typology is proposed (Chapter 5) which distinguishes between characteristics of genuine trust and surrogate trust. Definitions widely cited in the literature are analysed against the typology, and the executives' definitions are compared to consider congruities and incongruities of definitions. The dynamics of trust are examined (Chapter 6), and an optimal trust path for transactions is proposed (Chapter 7). The possible economic impacts of trust in organisations are evaluated (Chapter 8) and new conceptualisations from executive reports are analysed. The extensive use of metaphors by the executives to convey trust is examined (Chapter 9). Alternative configurations of trust are examined (Chapter 10) and a model for optimal trust transactions based on the literature and executive reports are presented. The final chapter argues that future studies may benefit from the findings of this thesis, including key considerations in defining trust for research in organisations, recognising that executives may view trust as an asset that is strategically invested like any other corporate asset, expanding the scope of trust and its potential economic impacts on the organisation, and developing new models for building trust.

Background: Since 2008, more than half of the world's population now live an urban area. The consequences of this are strains on existing resources such as access to healthcare, housing and infrastructure. Therefore, access to data at the urban level is important for those involved in policy making in order to assess and address these issues. This is especially important for developing countries where resources are already limited without the added strain of urbanisation. This PhD study is nested within the EURO-URHIS 2 project, a DG Research, FP7 Programme project which is collecting data on a series of indicators deemed to be important to urban health. The first part of this PhD study investigates whether the EURO-URHIS 2 data collection tools designed for use in Europe can be replicated in Vietnam. During a preliminary fieldwork trip to Vietnam it was found that it would not be possible to obtain permission to interview policy makers or the urban population of Ho Chi Minh City within the study time frame. Therefore, the second part of this PhD study is to explore the use of existing data sources, functions and activities of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Vietnam. Methods: The EURO-URHIS 2 existing data survey was used to collect country and urban area level data from Vietnam. The data for the NGO study was collected using an online questionnaire hosted on a server by the University of Manchester. Results: The study found that it was possible to use the EURO-URHIS 2 existing data tool to collect a range of health indicator data at the country and urban level in Vietnam. The online study determined the role of international NGOs working in Vietnam and barriers to using existing sources of information. The study also found low levels of NGO engagement with other NGOs, policy makers, local authorities and Vietnamese government organisations. Conclusions: The successful implementation of EURO-URHIS 2 existing data survey allowed the examination of the potential health implications of urbanisation in Vietnam. The NGO study identified key areas where international NGOs in Vietnam were active, barriers to using existing sources of data and NGO relationships with other actors. The study also suggested opportunities for further NGO engagement.