The paper provides an analysis of 30 job advertisements on corporate accountant positions as coll... more The paper provides an analysis of 30 job advertisements on corporate accountant positions as collected from an electronic source, seek.com. The paper presents an analysis of various aspects of job advertisements for corporate accountants including, the personal attributes listed by employers, academic and professional qualifications outlined as well as key tasks, roles, and responsibilities of the candidates for positions. The paper also examines different topics taught in HI5020 Corporate Accounting and their relationship with some of the aspects of the job adverts.
Research has clearly established that culture affects the application of management theories and ... more Research has clearly established that culture affects the application of management theories and practices. Work values, in particular, are an important part of cross-cultural understanding in that they are themselves measures of cultural dimensions, and also have strong implications for many areas of management, from employee motivation to organizational communication. In order to successfully implement management practices originating in a different culture, it is necessary to first identify domestic needs, values, and behaviors, and then adapt the management practices before implementation. In order to illustrate these traits, work value preferences of Croatians and Americans were tested. Similarities, but also significant differences were found between the two groups.
We recently launched the "First Choice" program as the next logical step in the strategic develop... more We recently launched the "First Choice" program as the next logical step in the strategic development of Deutsche Post World Net. This quality focused program is aimed at making us the fi rst choice for customers, the employer of choice for managers and employees and a fi rst choice investment for shareholders. It will support us in our goal of achieving an EBIT of €5.2 billion by the time it ends in 2009.
This paper examines the factors that affect not only entry but also the subsequent growth of reta... more This paper examines the factors that affect not only entry but also the subsequent growth of retail chains within international markets. Specifically, we focus on McDonald's expansion around the globe. Arguably, McDonald's has introduced the American concept of fast food and franchising to many foreign markets. Moreover, this firm has by now expanded throughout most of the world. Thus it is of particular interest to examine the international expansion path that this firm has chosen to pursue. The pattern of entry into foreign markets and growth that we observe contradicts the notion that McDonald's expanded abroad only after saturating existing markets. Instead, we find evidence that consistent with traditional profit maximization arguments for a multi-market firm, as we see McDonald's allocating resources to achieve growth across many desirable markets, particularly favoring those with higher GDP per capita. More importantly, we find that some of the factors that affect expansion post-entry are different from those that affect entry. We interpret these results as evidence that McDonald's optimally focuses on those factors that affect profitability post entry whereas it also considers factors that affect the sunk cost of entry ex ante.
This article evaluates the problems and challenges of international criminal prosecutions in Afri... more This article evaluates the problems and challenges of international criminal prosecutions in Africa.Part I examines the values of criminal prosecution. It examines whether international criminal prosecutions can be used as a vehicle to contribute to "national reconciliation and to the restoration and maintenance of peace." I concede that punishing perpetrators of evil is definitively a viable mechanism for combating impunity. In appropriate cases, the criminal process can be deployed to engineer compliance with the law and to deter would-be perpetrators of evil. I argue, however, that the objectives of using criminal prosecution to reestablish social equilibrium and promote reconciliation, though laudable and rhetorically inspiring, are simply unattainable. The hope that international criminal prosecutions will reconcile mutually distrustful ethnic groups with a long history of reciprocal hatred is quaint, perhaps even naive. International criminal prosecutions launched in Africa amidst much publicity and high expectations are on the verge of oblivion, perhaps irrelevance. After more than ten years of international criminal prosecutions in Africa, it is becoming increasingly obvious that criminal prosecution is a weak reed on which to hoist the strategy of reestablishing social equilibrium and reconciling intergroup hostilities in post-conflict African societies. A confluence of systemic and environmental factors have undermined the hoped-for influence of international criminal prosecutions in Africa. Part II examines the limitations of criminal trials. This portion presents a clear and rich exploration of the causes of violence in Africa and explains why international criminal law has not delivered as promised. It offers some explanations of factors that undermine the effectiveness of international criminal prosecutions, namely attitudinal, environmental factors, lack of cooperation from state governments, and limits of criminal prosecution. It urges all those involved in the fight against impunity in Africa to rethink the deeply flawed assumptions about the capacity of international law to bring about transformative changes in the conduct of citizens and group relations in Africa. Violence is so interwoven with the maladies in the continent -corruption, poverty, ethnic tensions -that it is doubtful if criminal prosecutions alone can serve as a chastening influence on the behavior of the leaders or the citizens trapped within the society. Building an effective strategy to reestablish social order in post-conflict African societies requires an understanding of the idiosyncratic environmental factors that animate violence, as well as recognition that criminal prosecutions cannot address the social pathologies that have disfigured Africa. It is these pathologies that will define and shape Africa's future, not the legacy of criminal prosecutions.
This study examined the influence of international market entry strategies on the financial perfo... more This study examined the influence of international market entry strategies on the financial performance of manufacturing multinationals in Kenya. 108 manufacturing firms which are located in Nairobi formed the population of the study. Questionnaire was used as the preferred data collection tool. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to facilitate data analysis. Results indicated that manufacturing multinationals used various international market strategies to venture into business. These strategies include licensing, whole owned subsidiaries, joint venture, exporting, direct investment and strategic alliances. Study findings also indicated that firms intending to go international do consider various factors when making a choice of a market entry strategy. These considerations include resources available, company competence, competition in the market, size of the host country, availability of possible partnering firms within host country, host country requirements and state of firm development.
This paper provides a review of the literature on project management practices and presents a com... more This paper provides a review of the literature on project management practices and presents a comprehensive bibliography and a classification under the PMBOK Guide framework. 130 articles on project management published in the Project Management Journal between 1997 and 2011 are analyzed and classified into nine knowledge areas and five process groups. The findings of this review clearly show that project planning is the most popular research process group and project initiation and closure are the neglected research topics.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the use of virtual building information models to develop ... more Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the use of virtual building information models to develop building design solutions and design documentation and to analyse construction processes. Recent advances in IT have enabled advanced knowledge management, which in turn facilitates sustainability and improves asset management in the civil construction industry. There are several important qualifiers and some disadvantages of the current suite of technologies. This paper outlines the benefits, enablers, and barriers associated with BIM and makes suggestions about how these issues may be addressed. The paper highlights the advantages of BIM, particularly the increased utility and speed, enhanced fault finding in all construction phases, and enhanced collaborations and visualisation of data. The paper additionally identifies a range of issues concerning the implementation of BIM as follows: IP, liability, risks, and contracts and the authenticity of users. Implementing BIM requires investment in new technology, skills training, and development of new ways of collaboration and Trade Practices concerns. However, when these challenges are overcome, BIM as a new information technology promises a new level of collaborative engineering knowledge management, designed to facilitate sustainability and asset management issues in design, construction, asset management practices, and eventually decommissioning for the civil engineering industry.
The paper provides an analysis of 30 job advertisements on corporate accountant positions as coll... more The paper provides an analysis of 30 job advertisements on corporate accountant positions as collected from an electronic source, seek.com. The paper presents an analysis of various aspects of job advertisements for corporate accountants including, the personal attributes listed by employers, academic and professional qualifications outlined as well as key tasks, roles, and responsibilities of the candidates for positions. The paper also examines different topics taught in HI5020 Corporate Accounting and their relationship with some of the aspects of the job adverts.
Research has clearly established that culture affects the application of management theories and ... more Research has clearly established that culture affects the application of management theories and practices. Work values, in particular, are an important part of cross-cultural understanding in that they are themselves measures of cultural dimensions, and also have strong implications for many areas of management, from employee motivation to organizational communication. In order to successfully implement management practices originating in a different culture, it is necessary to first identify domestic needs, values, and behaviors, and then adapt the management practices before implementation. In order to illustrate these traits, work value preferences of Croatians and Americans were tested. Similarities, but also significant differences were found between the two groups.
We recently launched the "First Choice" program as the next logical step in the strategic develop... more We recently launched the "First Choice" program as the next logical step in the strategic development of Deutsche Post World Net. This quality focused program is aimed at making us the fi rst choice for customers, the employer of choice for managers and employees and a fi rst choice investment for shareholders. It will support us in our goal of achieving an EBIT of €5.2 billion by the time it ends in 2009.
This paper examines the factors that affect not only entry but also the subsequent growth of reta... more This paper examines the factors that affect not only entry but also the subsequent growth of retail chains within international markets. Specifically, we focus on McDonald's expansion around the globe. Arguably, McDonald's has introduced the American concept of fast food and franchising to many foreign markets. Moreover, this firm has by now expanded throughout most of the world. Thus it is of particular interest to examine the international expansion path that this firm has chosen to pursue. The pattern of entry into foreign markets and growth that we observe contradicts the notion that McDonald's expanded abroad only after saturating existing markets. Instead, we find evidence that consistent with traditional profit maximization arguments for a multi-market firm, as we see McDonald's allocating resources to achieve growth across many desirable markets, particularly favoring those with higher GDP per capita. More importantly, we find that some of the factors that affect expansion post-entry are different from those that affect entry. We interpret these results as evidence that McDonald's optimally focuses on those factors that affect profitability post entry whereas it also considers factors that affect the sunk cost of entry ex ante.
This article evaluates the problems and challenges of international criminal prosecutions in Afri... more This article evaluates the problems and challenges of international criminal prosecutions in Africa.Part I examines the values of criminal prosecution. It examines whether international criminal prosecutions can be used as a vehicle to contribute to "national reconciliation and to the restoration and maintenance of peace." I concede that punishing perpetrators of evil is definitively a viable mechanism for combating impunity. In appropriate cases, the criminal process can be deployed to engineer compliance with the law and to deter would-be perpetrators of evil. I argue, however, that the objectives of using criminal prosecution to reestablish social equilibrium and promote reconciliation, though laudable and rhetorically inspiring, are simply unattainable. The hope that international criminal prosecutions will reconcile mutually distrustful ethnic groups with a long history of reciprocal hatred is quaint, perhaps even naive. International criminal prosecutions launched in Africa amidst much publicity and high expectations are on the verge of oblivion, perhaps irrelevance. After more than ten years of international criminal prosecutions in Africa, it is becoming increasingly obvious that criminal prosecution is a weak reed on which to hoist the strategy of reestablishing social equilibrium and reconciling intergroup hostilities in post-conflict African societies. A confluence of systemic and environmental factors have undermined the hoped-for influence of international criminal prosecutions in Africa. Part II examines the limitations of criminal trials. This portion presents a clear and rich exploration of the causes of violence in Africa and explains why international criminal law has not delivered as promised. It offers some explanations of factors that undermine the effectiveness of international criminal prosecutions, namely attitudinal, environmental factors, lack of cooperation from state governments, and limits of criminal prosecution. It urges all those involved in the fight against impunity in Africa to rethink the deeply flawed assumptions about the capacity of international law to bring about transformative changes in the conduct of citizens and group relations in Africa. Violence is so interwoven with the maladies in the continent -corruption, poverty, ethnic tensions -that it is doubtful if criminal prosecutions alone can serve as a chastening influence on the behavior of the leaders or the citizens trapped within the society. Building an effective strategy to reestablish social order in post-conflict African societies requires an understanding of the idiosyncratic environmental factors that animate violence, as well as recognition that criminal prosecutions cannot address the social pathologies that have disfigured Africa. It is these pathologies that will define and shape Africa's future, not the legacy of criminal prosecutions.
This study examined the influence of international market entry strategies on the financial perfo... more This study examined the influence of international market entry strategies on the financial performance of manufacturing multinationals in Kenya. 108 manufacturing firms which are located in Nairobi formed the population of the study. Questionnaire was used as the preferred data collection tool. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to facilitate data analysis. Results indicated that manufacturing multinationals used various international market strategies to venture into business. These strategies include licensing, whole owned subsidiaries, joint venture, exporting, direct investment and strategic alliances. Study findings also indicated that firms intending to go international do consider various factors when making a choice of a market entry strategy. These considerations include resources available, company competence, competition in the market, size of the host country, availability of possible partnering firms within host country, host country requirements and state of firm development.
This paper provides a review of the literature on project management practices and presents a com... more This paper provides a review of the literature on project management practices and presents a comprehensive bibliography and a classification under the PMBOK Guide framework. 130 articles on project management published in the Project Management Journal between 1997 and 2011 are analyzed and classified into nine knowledge areas and five process groups. The findings of this review clearly show that project planning is the most popular research process group and project initiation and closure are the neglected research topics.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the use of virtual building information models to develop ... more Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the use of virtual building information models to develop building design solutions and design documentation and to analyse construction processes. Recent advances in IT have enabled advanced knowledge management, which in turn facilitates sustainability and improves asset management in the civil construction industry. There are several important qualifiers and some disadvantages of the current suite of technologies. This paper outlines the benefits, enablers, and barriers associated with BIM and makes suggestions about how these issues may be addressed. The paper highlights the advantages of BIM, particularly the increased utility and speed, enhanced fault finding in all construction phases, and enhanced collaborations and visualisation of data. The paper additionally identifies a range of issues concerning the implementation of BIM as follows: IP, liability, risks, and contracts and the authenticity of users. Implementing BIM requires investment in new technology, skills training, and development of new ways of collaboration and Trade Practices concerns. However, when these challenges are overcome, BIM as a new information technology promises a new level of collaborative engineering knowledge management, designed to facilitate sustainability and asset management issues in design, construction, asset management practices, and eventually decommissioning for the civil engineering industry.
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