Public sector performance improvement through private sector management practices: A satisfactory solution? (2007)
Journal Article

This paper examines the assumption that the injection of market discipline and private sector management practices will result in the transformation of public services. The present UK government looks for an opportunity to achieve synergy between the... Read More about Public sector performance improvement through private sector management practices: A satisfactory solution?.

Demystifying data analysis: An alternative approach for managers of manufacturing SMEs (2007)
Journal Article

Purpose - Effective decision making is a crucial activity for manufacturing firms of all sizes. To this end, statistical techniques, such as variance theory, cognitive maps, heuristics and process theory, are widely used. However, such techniques rar... Read More about Demystifying data analysis: An alternative approach for managers of manufacturing SMEs.

Changing Japanese management: Is the trend towards western-style management sustainable? (2007)
Journal Article

The trend towards Western management styles seems unstoppable after the successes achieved by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., since the appointment of a non-Japanese Chief Executive began its changing management ethos. This led to questions such as "What is... Read More about Changing Japanese management: Is the trend towards western-style management sustainable?.

Formal strategic planning: annual raindance or wheel of success? (2007)
Journal Article

The findings from the research presented in this paper indicate that strategic planning is now an established management tool with over half of all small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) engaging in formal strategic planning.
However, some SMEs fa... Read More about Formal strategic planning: annual raindance or wheel of success?.

The impact of ownership on small firm behaviour and performance (2006)
Journal Article

The impact of ownership on organizational performance has attracted the interest of a large number of scholars. The empirical research predominately focuses on the impact of ownership structures on organizational performance, and to a lesser extent o... Read More about The impact of ownership on small firm behaviour and performance.

Perceptions of generic strategies of small and medium sized engineering and electronics manufacturers in the UK: The applicability of the Miles and Snow typology (2006)
Journal Article

Purpose - To present the main findings of a study conducted in manufacturing firms in the UK to determine the applicability of generic strategies to small and medium sized firms (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach - The Miles and Snow strategic orien... Read More about Perceptions of generic strategies of small and medium sized engineering and electronics manufacturers in the UK: The applicability of the Miles and Snow typology.

Innovation in NTBFs: Does leadership really matter? (2006)
Journal Article

Innovation is considered to be a key contributor to both the long-term survival and development of superior competitiveness in New Technology-based Firms [NTBFs]. Many factors contribute to a firm's differential innovation performance. According to t... Read More about Innovation in NTBFs: Does leadership really matter?.

Measuring performance in competitive strategy research (2006)
Journal Article

When testing for strategy-performance linkages, attention is often given more to the measurement of strategy than to the measurement of performance. However, the selection of performance measures can dramatically influence the findings and conclusion... Read More about Measuring performance in competitive strategy research.

The strategic planning process: A navigational tool for competitive advantage (2005)
Journal Article

In today's turbulent environment, managers increasingly need reliable navigational tools to achieve competitive advantage. Many academics and practitioners consider strategic planning to be such a tool. This view is supported by empirical evidence th... Read More about The strategic planning process: A navigational tool for competitive advantage.

Leadership, decision making and internal stakeholder engagement (2005)
Journal Article

The debate on the relationship between stakeholder engagement, leadership and organisational performance is marked by a dearth of empirical studies testing the various propositions put forward. This paper attempts to address two aspects of this relat... Read More about Leadership, decision making and internal stakeholder engagement.

Innovation in SMEs: The impact of strategic orientation and environmental perceptions (2005)
Journal Article

Purpose – To investigate the role and impact of strategic orientation and environmental perceptions on innovation and supporting mechanisms such as process technologies and management practices, in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative a... Read More about Innovation in SMEs: The impact of strategic orientation and environmental perceptions.

The use and deployment of soft process technologies within UK manufacturing SMEs: An empirical assessment using logit models (2004)
Journal Article

This study assesses the adoption of different soft process technologies from a survey of 218 British engineering and electronics small and medium-sized firms (SMEs). The new process (soft) technologies that were modeled included total quality managem... Read More about The use and deployment of soft process technologies within UK manufacturing SMEs: An empirical assessment using logit models.

Short- and long-term performance in manufacturing SMEs: Different targets, different drivers (2004)
Journal Article

Contrary to popular belief, managing short-term performance differs significantly from managing long-term performance. It is not an extension of short-term performance over a longer-term time frame. This paper examines the steps of managing performan... Read More about Short- and long-term performance in manufacturing SMEs: Different targets, different drivers.

The impact of management techniques on performances of technology-based firms (2004)
Journal Article

The impact of management techniques on performances in technology-based firms (2004)
Journal Article

The study begins by examining the degree of profitability of technology-based firms. The results indicate that annual gross profit varies from breakeven to as much as £90,000 per full time employee. Two distinct clusters were identified; high perform... Read More about The impact of management techniques on performances in technology-based firms.

Testing the homogeneity of SMEs: The impact of size on managerial and organisational processes (2004)
Journal Article

The European Commission (EC) is updating the definition of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) following widespread consultation. The EC is focusing on a redefinition of the financial ceiling criterion rather than the ceilings in relation to th... Read More about Testing the homogeneity of SMEs: The impact of size on managerial and organisational processes.

Re-visiting the strategy-performance question: An empirical analysis (2004)
Journal Article

Strategic planning is assuming a greater importance for small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms as well as large firms. However, the lack of systematic strategic planning is considered by some commentators to be major reason for the failure of ma... Read More about Re-visiting the strategy-performance question: An empirical analysis.

Managing for performance: Corporate responsibility and internal stakeholders (2003)
Journal Article

Businesses today face more than just commercial and competitive pressures. Recent decades have seen an increasing emphasis on corporate responsibility and ethical, socially responsible corporate behaviour. Research suggests a positive link between re... Read More about Managing for performance: Corporate responsibility and internal stakeholders.

Strategic planning for SMEs (2000)
Journal Article

Relational pluralism: Organizational foresight in practice
Presentation / Conference Contribution

We examined how the organizing practices and social relationships of lower participants may influence strategic foresight. We then suggest relational incumbency as a transient conceptual framework to specify how the organizing social relationships an... Read More about Relational pluralism: Organizational foresight in practice.