A group of talented young people at the former Halifax plc have been helped to make the challenging transition from trainee to manager thanks to the introduction of mentoring, which is becoming recognized on both sides of the Atlantic as a highly effective human‐resource‐development process.

Over the past decades several studies aimed to rank the importance of CIO's activities. One aspect that stands out in these studies is the difficulty in finding two studies that agree on the relative importance of CIO's activities. On the one hand, this can be explained by the CIO role...

Looks in depth at the operation of the first undergraduate degree in retailing to be operated at the Manchester Metropolitan University by distance learning exclusively for J Sainsbury plc. Draws on experience and maps the dimensions of how this was accomplished. Makes some suggestions for...

Technological advances have made a significant impact on the banking sector in recent years, with a key development being the introduction of technological and remote channels of interaction. While some research has been undertaken to establish the level of acceptance by customers of these...

Findings are presented from an empirical study focused on the banking behaviour of corporate customers in South Africa. The selection of banks and bank services were investigated: the most important factors in selection were found to be quality of service, quality of staff, the ature of...

One problem in studying quality circles (QCs) is the shortage of objective measures of success. Another is the fact that many previous studies have been longitudinal but based on only one site. Presents results of a large sample of over 5,000 QCs which capture some longitudinal aspects of...

Focuses on the implementation of forecasting systems and processes by large organizations. Reports the results of a survey of US firms which reveal that, despite advances in computer technology, judgemental forecasting continues to be the method managers prefer. Notes, however, that the...

Purpose – Technological process innovation (TPI) is a distinctive organizational phenomenon characterized by a firm-internal locus and underlying components such as mutual adaptation of new technology and existing organization, technological change, organizational change, and systemic impact....

An example is given of how monolithic organisations can cause things to grind to a halt by religious adherence to bureaucratic protocol, and how, on the other hand, a little nous and influence, by bending the rules, can get things done quickly.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline a growth strategy and a conceptual model for large consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms that involves venturing with brand entrepreneurs to access innovative or disruptive new brands called “strategic brand venturing” (SBV). It aims to...