Keith Sloan

Dispersion of continuous improvement and its impact on continuous improvement

Building on a volume of previous work on CI in the supply chain based on the CIMA model, this paper significantly extends the work of Sloan et al. (2005) and Sloan and Sloan (2006) by examining the individual contribution of all organisational departments to organisational CI. We also examine connections between CI dispersion in the organisation and motivations for the implementation of CI; organisational experience with CI; problems encountered with CI implementation; and support and tools used in implementing and monitoring CI. Findings of this study provide support for the proposition that dispersed CI enhances the business performance benefits of CI and that the experience of CI was more positive in firms where CI was dispersed, with fewer implementation problems and higher levels of support and measurement tools. Management in organisations should give serious consideration to strategies which enhance the spread of CI activities throughout their organisations.

Debate: Multi-criteria framework needed to assess alternative financing methods for large-scale projects

The minister was referring to the result of a tender exercise, what is in fact a procurement procedure called the ‘most economically advantageous tender’ (or ‘MEAT’). The MEAT procedure does not address the critical questions of effectiveness or benefits. To conclude that VfM is realized would require the contract to be complete and actual results compared to those anticipated in the original business case. Moreover, VfM is contingent on other factors, including the perceptions of stakeholders. What the minister could have said was that the procurement procedure had maximized the likelihood of VfM emerging.

On the relationship between financial and non-financial factors

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship of non-financial and financial factors to firm survival, provide evidence of factors related to financial success and distress for prominent Australian agricultural firms, and improve the predictive capacity of financial failure models. Design/methodology/approach - – The paper utilizes mixed method exploratory case studies across four Australian agricultural firms (two successful and two failed) listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Findings - – The authors found that the use of an Integrated Multi-Measured approach provided a higher classification rate for the failed group than those provided by an individual measure. We also discovered that non-financial factors associated with the agricultural organizations studied impacted their success or failure. These factors included managements’ involvement in organizational strategy and the composition of the board of directors. It was also apparent that management decision-making approaches may become frozen, or at best restricted, in the face of impending failure, dependent upon the stress level within the organization and the management skill base. Practical implications - – The cases studied indicated that non-financial factors of failure occurred prior to any financial predictors, intuitively indicating a relationship between non-financial and financial factors in Australian agricultural firms. Originality/value - – The identification of financial and non-financial factors and sound internal processes which distinguish successful and failing firms can be utilized for the development of an early warning predictor of organizational success or failure.

An appraisal framework for evaluating financing approaches for public infrastructure

Innovative financing solutions for public infrastructure megaprojects require new approaches to assess the various financing portfolios being proposed. This paper discusses a range of international financing models and presents a new multi- criteria appraisal framework for assessing alternative ways of raising capital. The proposed framework combines elements of a multi-criteria analysis and cost benefit analysis, and incorporates both monetary and intangible impact measures to facilitate the selection of a financing approach that is in society’s best interest.

Are organizations destined to fail

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the non-financial causes of organizational success or failure, provide a better understanding of the symptoms of financial distress and improve the predictive capacity of financial failure models. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes exploratory case studies in investigating the relationship of non-financial factors to organizational success or failure across a sample of sector-specific Australian firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. A two-tailed study was designed, in which seven cases from both extremes were chosen from three Australian business sectors: finance, property and manufacturing. Findings – Non-financial factors associated with the organizations studied impacted their success or failure. These factors included management skill, experience and involvement in organizational strategy, feedback and resultant activity, together with board of director composition. The identification of financial and non-financial factors and so...

Firm size and its impact on continuous improvement

Building on a volume of previous work on continuous improvement (CI) in the supply chain based on the continuous improvement in manufacturing activity (CIMA) model, this paper extends earlier work by examining the influences of firm size CI. Findings of this study provide support for earlier studies, which held that firm size generally has little influence on CI innovation activity. However, this study provides a finer grained analysis of the relationship between firm size and both the manner in which CI is undertaken and the benefits flowing from CI. This study reinforces previous evidence that management in organisations should give serious consideration to strategies which enhance the spread of CI activities throughout their organisations.