Emerald | Strategic Direction

A best practice guide for hiring consultants

Huw Hilditch-Roberts — 2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this viewpoint is to highlight the importance of best practice when hiring external consultancy. Design/methodology/approach – Reductions in spend by both public and private sector buyers is putting pressure on the consulting industry. Growing competition is leading consultancies known for their focus on strategic consulting to move into the implementation space and other some firms are broadening their areas of operation. With more consultancy firms chasing fewer contracts, it has never been more important for buyers to ensure rigor and good practice when engaging consultancies in order to select the best consultants for the issue at hand. Findings – This guide documents some of the key best-practice behaviors and processes for buyers of consultancy. Practical implications – Companies can ensure they hire the best consultants for their needs. Originality/value – The article provides sound practical advice on the need for hiring consultants.

Don't panic, it's only a crisis!: Does anyone really know how to sort out the global economy?

2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Get confidence back and the world's economic woes will start to get better. Well that's what some of the “experts” tell us. But do politicians or business leaders really know how to sort out the global mess? Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format.

The remarkable record of Emirate Airlines: Product differentiation and cost control deliver exceptional performance

2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and evaluate the competitive strategy of Emirate Airlines. Design/methodology/approach – The paper outlines Emirates' history and discusses the factors that have contributed to its remarkable record of profitable growth. Findings – How many state-owned enterprises do you know that grow their business every year and consistently make a profit? Or, for that matter, that win awards for their customer service? One example of this unusual species is Emirate Airlines – known as “Emirates”. In an industry suffering from high and rising fuel costs, economic recession and fierce price competition, this is indeed an achievement. How do they do it? Some have accused Emirates of unfair competition; the airline naturally denies this, arguing that its success results from superior competitive strategy. What, then, are the factors that contribute to the remarkable performance of Emirate Airlines? Practical implications – The paper draws attention to the airline's focus on high-quality product differentiation, other factors affecting its competitive success and the reactions of rival airlines. Social implications – The paper highlights the multicultural nature of Emirates' workforce and its reliance on expatriates to run the business. Originality/value – The paper provides an insight into the structural and competitive considerations that have allowed Emirates to become one of the world's largest and most successful airlines.

Open invitations to pursue new projects: From collaboration to disruption, there are many roads to innovation

2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This article aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – The briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – The article finds that innovation and knowledge management (KM) are inextricably linked, not least because KM involves an element of sharing. Organizations must pool their resources in order to most effectively harness the potential of new ideas and the commercial opportunities that they offer. Practical implications – The article provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

How Yakult helps reduce poverty: Unconventional partnerships target the poor

2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Business has a knack of coming up with clever idioms and jargon – triple bottom line, crowd sourcing, greenewal, glocal, guerrilla marketing and so forth. Customers referred to by the label base of the pyramid (BOP) are not to be envied, for that descriptive tag tells it like it is – they're impoverished people at the bottom of the pile. So, if they are too poor to be customers why would hard-headed businesses seek out a market there? Practical implications – The piece provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format.

How intelligent is your business?: Being smart in a world of too much information

2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – There are some schools of thought that say that, far from the commonly accepted definition and recognition of intelligence, there are as many as nine different types of intelligence exhibited by humans. Competing with straightforward definitions of someone who is smart or clever, are theories around emotional intelligence, spatial intelligence and logical intelligence. If these can exist for people, can they exist for organizations who employ them? Practical implications – This paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Opportunity knocks: Making PSFs innovate better

2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This article aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – The briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – In today's ultra-tough business world, innovation often holds the key to growth and competitive advantage. Along with qualities like enthusiasm and determination, knowledge is one of the most essential ingredients for any creative endeavor. Practical implications – The article provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

A different ballgame with its own set of rules: Doing business in emerging economies

2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This review is prepared by an independent writer who provides context and commentary. Findings – Once upon a time doing business in emerging economies was a simple game. Companies based in the developed world knew the rules and by and large, called the shots. Relocating manufacturing in emerging economies meant a supply of inexpensive labor, boosting profits for firms supplying markets in the developed world. Today the world of commerce is both more equitable and increasingly complex. Emerging economies are developing an awareness of their own powerful position in the manufacturing and commercial sector and western firms need to learn to play by a new set of rules to remain competitive. Originality/value – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Sri Lankan giant favors ethical route: Stakeholders approve but will it always pay dividends?

2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This article aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – The briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – The paper finds that advocates of corporate social responsibility (CSR) will always push the argument that it makes sense both economically as well as ethically. Companies who “behave well” will, in the long term, reap the benefits of their decent behavior. Practical implications – The article provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Interview with Hal Gregersen, author of The Innovator's DNA

Interview by William Strange — 2012-02-10 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide an interview with Hal Gregerson, author of The Innovators DNA. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides an interview with Hal Gregersen is professor of Leadership at INSEAD, who consults to organizations around the world on innovation, globalization, and transformation and has published extensively in leading academic and business journals. In this interview discusses, The Innovators DNA, a book which emerged from an eight-year collaborative study in which sought to uncover the origins of innovative – and often disruptive – business ideas. The interview is conducted by an independent interviewer. Findings – Through the book, which Hal co-authored with Jeffrey Dyer and Clayton Christensen, it was discovered that there are five skills that innovators traditionally engage in: questioning to provoke the status quo; observing like an anthropologist; networking for ideas not for careers; experimenting; and associational thinking i.e. connecting the unconnected. Originality/value – The paper highlights that the great innovators of the world not only think differently, but also act differently.

Business Services in European Economic Growth

Diary

The dilapidations pre-action protocol – the new regime

Competitive horizon

Carrying your long tail: delighting your consumers and managing your operations

Value creation and value capture with frictions

Untangling dynamic and operational capabilities: strategy for the (n)ever-changing world

Gender equality and corporate governance: policy strategies in Norway and New Zealand

When do interprofessional teams succeed? Investigating the moderating roles of team and professional identity in interprofessional effectiveness

Time to tell your CPOs to collaborate with suppliers: how to create value by collaborating inside and outside the organization

Hot or cold: is communicating anger or threats more effective in negotiation?

Mouse that roared (why Australian retailer Harvey Norman changed its mind about electronic commerce)

Strategic governance and management accounting: evidence from a case study

Analyse the future (data integration for improved market forecasting)