Business Perspective (business + perspective)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A Simulation Model for Life Cycle Project Management

COMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2002
Ali Jaafari
This paper puts forward a simulation model specifically designed for holistic evaluation of project functionality within a life cycle project management framework. The authors describe a methodology for development of the aforementioned tool, referred to as a dynamic simulation modeling system (DSMS). The DSMS is geared toward modeling of service and manufacturing processes with hierarchical and modular modeling methodology; however, the underlying philosophy can be adopted for modeling any generic system. The enhanced modeling features and logical division of large systems into small process components and their internal linkage are the key contributions of this work. The aim of this development is to apply the simulation technique in order to evaluate the overall project functionalities from the dynamic business perspective. A set of business objective functions (i.e., life cycle objective function [LCOF]) has been employed as a basis for decision making throughout the project's life. Object-oriented programming language with the object-oriented database technology facilitates the necessary model capability. A brief case study has been used to demonstrate and discuss the model capability. [source]


A small business perspective on regulation in the UK

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, Issue 2 2001
Ian Fletcher
Despite 15 years of initiatives the issue of regulation remains near the top of the business agenda. This article explores the history of the issue, the drivers of government regulation, the success and failure of previous initiatives, research on the impact of regulation, the current scene and areas where there is scope for improvement. The slant is on small businesses and the need to bring more of a small business focus to policy-making. [source]


Closed-Loop Supply Chains: An Introduction to the Feature Issue (Part 1)

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2006
V. Daniel R. Guide Jr.
Closed-loop supply chains (CLSC) have product returns at the center of attention. Our view is that CLSC are best managed from a business perspective where organizations seek to maximize value recovery. The research in the feature issue, and our experiences, shows that there are still numerous, unresolved, managerially relevant issues that deserve further investigation. We also observe that there is a pressing need to validate the assumptions in our models using interdisciplinary, industry-driven research. The time is right for production and operations management to play a central role in the sustainability movement slowly taking hold in practice. [source]


National Competitiveness: A Question of Cost Conditions or Institutional Circumstances?

BRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2004
Edmund R. Thompson
The issue of national competitiveness is a matter of considerable importance to both managers and public policy makers alike. Business scholars reflect this importance by their annual production of international indices of country competitiveness. Nevertheless, the notion of national competitiveness is controversial and has both (i) a narrow, concise conception that relates primarily to cost conditions as determined by exchange rates, and (ii) a broader, more nebulous conception that comprises the institutional and systemic circumstances of an economy, such as legal, governmental, public policy and other factors framing countries' wider business environments. In practical managerial terms, national competitiveness is a combination of both these narrow and broad conceptions. However, exactly how important cost conditions as opposed to institutional circumstances are to national competitiveness from a practical business perspective has never been investigated and is not known. This study uses qualitative and quantitative data gathered from senior firm executives in a specimen economy to find out. Hierarchical regression analyses suggest that institutional circumstances are significantly more important than cost conditions to the competitiveness of an economy from a practical managerial viewpoint. [source]


Symbolic politics in environmental regulation: corporate strategic responses

BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 4 2003
Dirk Matten
Though not entirely new in political science in general, the concept of symbolic politics (SP) currently meets a vivid reception in law and economics. Yet little attention has been paid to SP from a business perspective. Elements of SP are found in nearly all fields of environmental legislation, and the paper will focus on those empirical examples that have a particular effect on markets, the competitive situation of businesses and corporate strategies in general. The consequences of SP for companies are analysed from two different perspectives. First, business will be seen as an addressee of SP. Specific corporate consequences and reactions are discussed. Second, corporations can be regarded as users of SP, as they assume increasingly a role as political actors themselves. This results from certain developments in environmental regulation as well as from the fact that globalization increasingly weakens national governments and their political power, while at the same time corporate actors assume more influence and responsibility. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]