Special issue on benchmarking and partnerships

Citation

(2004), "Special issue on benchmarking and partnerships", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 11 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/bij.2004.13111faa.002

Special issue on benchmarking and partnerships

Given the competitive external environment, partnership working and networks are emerging as new organisational forms, with the boundaries between organisations becoming more porous and unclear. Issues, for example, for which the public sector used to have sole responsibility, are now the responsibility of partnership arrangements between agencies or with the private or voluntary sector. Thus, terms such as "cooperation, coalition, network, alliance, partnership and bridge" (Huxham, 1996) are becoming common parlance in theory and practice. However, our understanding of these in terms of their relative strengths and weaknesses together with the contribution of benchmarking to partnership working remains limited.

Papers are invited for a special issue of Benchmarking: An International Journal on "benchmarking and partnerships". The aim of this special issue is to investigate the critical issues and problems with benchmarking in partnership working and to present new and/or applicable knowledge on the innovative nature or otherwise of benchmarking in this relatively new arena. "Partnerships" can be interpreted in the broadest sense with even the smallest collaborative engagement between partners constituting a partnership.

Theory-building and empirical-testing papers are welcomed as well as case studies and best-practice experiences. Papers that generalise methods from the best practices of specific partnerships are of particular interest.

Contributing papers may deal with, but are not limited to, the following:

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  the role of benchmarking in partnerships;

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  public-private partnerships;

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  cross-sectoral collaboration;

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  internal process development;

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  performance and measurement;

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  risk management and accountability;

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  relationship building; competitive advantage.

Three hard copies and one 3.5 inch floppy disc copy of manuscripts in Microsoft Word must be submitted no later than Friday, 26 November 2004 and conform to BIJ requirements.

These guidelines can be accessed at www.emeraldinsight.com/bij.htm The manuscripts will be sent to two reviewers for double blind peer review. Subscribers should forward the names and details (address, e-mail contact, phone number) of two academic reviewers with their submission.

Guest Editors for the special issue:

Dr Joan Henderson, School of Management and Economics, Queen's University, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland. Tel: 0044 28 9097 2522; e-mail: j.b.henderson@qub.ac.uk

Shirley-Ann Hazlett, School of Management and Economics, Queen's University, Belfast BT7 1NN. Northern Ireland. Tel: 0044 28 9097 2524; e-mail: s.hazlett@qub.ac.uk

Professor Rodney McAdam, School of Business Organisation and Management, University of Ulster, Shore Road, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim BT37 0QB, Northern Ireland. Tel: 0044 28 9036 8146; e-mail: r.mcadam@ulster.ac.uk