Strategic Direction (strategic + direction)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Analysis and Commentary on WHO Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery

JOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 4 2003
Judith Oulton RN
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Venture Capitalists as Catalysts to New Venture Internationalization: The Impact of Their Knowledge and Reputation Resources

ENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2009
Stephanie A. Fernhaber
Venture Capitalists (VC) play an important role in influencing the strategic direction of the firms in which they invest. The findings of this study reveal that VCs can serve as a catalyst to new venture internationalization through the provision of knowledge and reputation resources. Furthermore, the international knowledge of a VC is more positively related to new venture internationalization when the VC is also reputable. [source]


Perspectives of UK Vice-Chancellors on Leading Universities in a Knowledge-Based Economy

HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2010
Lynn Bosetti
This paper draws upon the experiences and perceptions of ten university vice-chancellors in the United Kingdom on the challenges they face in providing leadership and strategic direction for their institutions into the twenty-first century. The paper reveals the perceptions and spoken words of these leaders as they identify the key challenges shaping higher education, their strategies for addressing these challenges, their struggle to maintain the core mission of universities and finally, implications for the future of higher education. [source]


Concurrent and disconnected change programmes: strategies in support of servitization and the implementation of business partnering

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010
Jawwad Z. Raja
For many leading engineering companies, the integration of services into product offerings is seen to comprise an important shift in the underlying business model. This movement has been termed the ,servitization of business'. Within this debate, however, scant attention has been given to the human resource (HR) implications of servitization. An exploratory case study illustrates the HR challenges associated with servitization and the way in which these interact with a concurrent change programme concerned with the implementation of ,business partnering'. The findings highlight the emergent complexities resulting from these two change programmes being rolled out simultaneously. Although contested across different divisions, the shift to servitization continuously disrupts the implementation of business partnering with little alignment between the two espoused initiatives. Furthermore, the rate of strategic change within the company in response to changing markets continuously acts to erode the coherence of the acclaimed move to business partnering. In consequence, the HR policies and practices struggle to maintain contact with the company's strategic direction. [source]


Organisational communication and supportive employees

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2004
Jan A. de Ridder
The importance of the social dimension of organisations is currently a strong focus of emphasis in the literature. From a managerial perspective, however, it is important that the community spirit within an organisation falls in line with its strategic direction. The study discussed in this article shows that high quality internal communication may be important in encouraging such a supportive attitude. What is considered ,good' internal communication does not directly engender more support for the organisation's strategic direction. However, evidence from research in five organisations (with 791 respondents distributed across 19 work units) suggests that there are two ways to foster support. One is to create a sense of commitment within the organisation; the other is to establish trust in the management. Both approaches appear to have a positive relationship with good internal communication. The quality of task-related communication is important in creating commitment. What is vital in creating trust, however, is the quality of non-task-related communication. The study at the focus of this article addresses the following question: does organisational communication help foster a positive attitude towards the strategic direction of an organisation? [source]


Journeying to professionalism: The case of Irish nursing and midwifery research

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 4 2004
Sarah L Condell RGN RM RNT BNS MA
This paper gives a ,discursive' account of the contemporary development of nursing and midwifery research in the Republic of Ireland in the context of advancing professionalism. Initially, the paper views the landscape by placing research in the current framework of Irish nursing and midwifery. It then examines the map of our present location by documenting a baseline. It ascertains the signposts that are in place by exploring the strategic direction for development. Finally, it uses the compass to orienteer the route through the various obstacles by examining the challenges of the role of the joint appointee leading the implementation of the national Research Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery in Ireland. [source]


Nursing Leadership in the Boardroom

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRIC, GYNECOLOGIC & NEONATAL NURSING, Issue 3 2004
Kathleen E. Thorman BSN
It is critical that nurse leaders, including chief nurse executives and service line directors, be part of the institutional decision-making process about resource allocation, strategic direction, and planning for the future. Nurse leaders can use numerous strategies to influence decisions made in the boardroom that affect the women's service line, including perinatal and women's health. These strategies include building on the importance of women's services to the organization, working in collaboration with senior leaders and key physician leaders, marketing, and reaching out to governing boards with information. Nurse leaders must continue to prepare for the future to thrive in the increasingly complex health care environment. [source]


Contemporary Governance and Local Public Spending Bodies

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 3 2000
Alan Greer
This paper draws on recent research conducted by the authors to examine the nature of board/executive relations in three different kinds of Local Public Spending Body (LPSB). Big variations are noted, between and within sectors, in the way in which boards organize themselves and the degree of power they have in relation to executives. In all organizations studied the executive played a crucial role both in managing day-to-day operations and in setting the organization's strategic direction. Chief executives exercised considerable influence over the recruitment of board members and the maintenance of consensual relations between board and executive. The dilemma of the voluntary board member with limited time and a lack of inside knowledge of the organization he/she is accountable for is examined. It is argued that the most effective boards contain members with a strong sense of their own legitimacy and enjoy a membership with a diverse range of interests and experiences. It is suggested that such models might combine the merits of greater democratic responsiveness and enhanced organizational effectiveness. [source]


The Performance Impact of Content and Process in Product Innovation Charters

THE JOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007
Chris Bart
The significance of product innovation charters (PICs) cannot be overemphasized, as they provide understanding and a tool for setting organizational goals, charting strategic direction, and allocating resources for new product portfolios. In a unique way, a PIC represents a sort of mission statement mutation for new products. With the backdrop of strategy formulation and product innovation literatures, this article investigates the impact of both content specificity within PICs and satisfaction with the PIC formulation process on new product performance in North American corporations. A survey was undertaken among executives knowledgeable about their organization's new product development process. The respondents included chief executive officers, vice presidents, directors, and managers. The findings demonstrate that significant differences exist both in PIC content specificity and process satisfaction between highly innovative and low innovative firms. The study also shows that PIC specificity in terms of the factors mission content and strategic directives positively influences new product performance. Further, the study demonstrates that satisfaction with the process of formulating PICs plays a positive and powerful mediating role in the PIC specificity,performance relationship. The results suggest that product innovation charters, like their mission statement cousins, may be of more value than most managers realize. The study shows that achieving a state of organizational satisfaction with a PIC's formulation process is critical for obtaining better new product performance. Directions for future research also are suggested. [source]


Corporate greening and changing regulatory regimes: the UK water industry

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2009
Anja Schaefer
Abstract This article looks at the relationship between economic regulation, environmental regulation, company strategy and the environment in the UK water and sewerage industry. The regulatory field in this industry, following privatization in 1989, is highly complex and interdependent. The paper presents three case studies of company interpretation of and response to changes in this regulatory field, focusing particularly on the third review by the economic regulator, in 1999, which involved a reduction of the prices companies were allowed to charge their customers. This had significant but complex repercussions for environmental strategy and management in the companies, with different impacts on mandatory and non-mandatory activities. It also showed in relief the opportunities for building coalitions between companies and the environmental regulator, both in general terms and revolving around specific, local environmental issues and schemes. Companies' strategic direction was also found to have an impact on their response to the regulatory review. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]


Capabilities, processes, and performance of knowledge management: A structural approach

HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 1 2007
Young-Chan Lee
The purpose of this study is to examine structural relationships among the capabilities, processes, and performance of knowledge management, and suggest strategic directions for the successful implementation of knowledge management. To serve this purpose, the authors conducted an extensive survey of 68 knowledge management-adopting Korean firms in diverse industries and collected 215 questionnaires. Analyzing hypothesized structural relationships with the data collected, they found that there exists statistically significant relationships among knowledge management capabilities, processes, and performance. The empirical results of this study also support the well-known strategic hypothesis of the balanced scorecard (BSC). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 17: 21,41, 2007. [source]


The Australian Health Care Agreement 1998,2003: Implications and strategic directions for occupational therapists

AUSTRALIAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2000
Susan Brandis
Funding for public health services in Australia is provided to the States and Territories from the Commonwealth. Contractual obligations for how these monies are allocated are detailed in the Australian Health Care Agreement 1998,2003, which has replaced the Medicare Agreement 1993,1998. Key issues identified in the new Agreement, which will impact on occupational therapy services, include arrangements for mental health services, palliative care initiatives, casemix, health system reform, and private health insurance. Particular implications stem from the proposed reforms to the health system. These include the quality agenda, outcome-based funding and evidence-based practice. Other themes identified include future opportunities for occupational therapists working in health services and the imperative to form collaborative partnerships with consumers and other health care providers. The Australian Health Care Agreement is analysed and suggestions given for strategic directions for occupational therapists to consider. [source]


Psychiatric diagnoses in the context of genetic studies of bipolar disorder

BIPOLAR DISORDERS, Issue 6 2001
Anne Duffy
Precise definition of the phenotype is an issue of critical importance for the future success of genetic studies of bipolar disorders. So far, an uncertain phenotypic spectrum and genetic heterogeneity are realities that have hampered progress in genetic studies. While recognition of a broader spectrum of related illnesses is important for some applications, for genetic studies a narrow spectrum of illness closely tied to the genotype is paramount. This paper highlights current dilemmas and trends associated with phenotype specification and traces historical approaches. Finally, we explore a number of strategic directions in the diagnostic approach to bipolar disorders that may better serve genetic studies. [source]