...2 ICTs AND GLOBAL WORKING IN A NON-FLAT WORLD Geoff Walsham Judge Business School University of Cambridge Cambridge, U.K. Abstract This paper rejects the hypothesis of Thomas Friedman that ICT-enabled globalization is driving us toward a flat world. Instead, it is argued that the world remains uneven, full of seams, culturally heterogeneous, locally specific, inequitable, not well-integrated and constantly changing. This argument is supported by an analysis of three areas of ICT-enabled global working, namely global software outsourcing, global IS roll-out, and global virtual teams. The paper then builds on these analyses to put forward an agenda for future IS research on ICTs and global working based on three research themes: identity and cross-cultural working; globalization, localization and standardization; and power, knowledge, and control. The paper concludes that the area of ICTs and global working offers the IS field a major research opportunity to make a significant contribution to our understanding of a set of crucial issues in our more globalized world. Flat world, globalization, global software outsourcing, global IS roll-out, global virtual teams, IS research agenda, identity, cross-cultural working, standardization, power, knowledge, control Keywords 1 INTRODUCTION The changes taking place in the global economy, including those in the burgeoning services component, are the subject of much debate by a wide range of commentators including journalists, practitioners...
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...Analysing the Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Roll-outs in Multi-National Companies Fergal Carton and Frederic Adam University College Cork, Ireland f.carton@ucc.ie fadam@afis.ucc.ie Abstract: Large organisations, in particular multi-national corporations, have been at the forefront of the ERP movement since its origins. They have used these highly integrated systems as a way to achieve greater levels of standardisation of business processes across sites and greater centralisation of IT resources. The most common scenario for an ERP implementation in a large multi-national firm is the phased roll-out, whereby the modules of the application are implemented in all the sites in a series of waves. A standard implementation, as designed by Headquarters, is replicated in each site. This standard implementation uses a base configuration, sometimes referred to as a template or blueprint, which cannot be deviated from in any of the sites. These monolithic implementations can be quite traumatic for individual sites where local practices, sometimes quite well established and rich in organizational learning, must be abandoned. This may lead to large scale organisational problems, which must be ironed out if the full potential of the enterprise-wide system is to be obtained. In an attempt to tease out the issues in the global implementation of ERP systems, we carried out a number of case studies at Irish manufacturing sites of multinational firms where management sought ways...
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...This title is part of the IDH Case Study Series, published in December 2010. Another title in this IDH Case Study Series is: • nilever sustainable tea, Part II: U Reaching out to smallholders IDH also has a Best Practices Series, whose titles include: • Marketing sustainability • Sustainable sourcing among SME’s • Beyond auditing • Sustainable trading • Retailers and sustainability • Sustainable sourcing and procurement Case study Unilever sustainable tea Part I: Leapfrogging to mainstream y Tania Braga, B Aileen Ionescu-Somers and Ralf Seifert, IMD’s Center for Corporate Sustainability Management Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative (Initiatief Duurzame Handel) Utrecht, The Netherlands www.dutchsustainabletrade.com office@dutchsustainabletrade.com Foreword A tipping point happens when a critical mass of people begin to shift their perception of an issue and take action in a new direction. As I look across the global landscape, I feel that we are approaching a tipping point concerning global sustainability. It is catalyzed by at least three important realizations by business, government, and civil society: The first is a realization that the world is finite and that a growing population with a higher ambition for living standards will inevitably lead to a world which will be resource and carbon constrained. The second is the realization that to solve the challenges for this future world we need systems solutions. We cannot solve individual...
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...This title is part of the IDH Case Study Series, published in December 2010. Another title in this IDH Case Study Series is: • nilever sustainable tea, Part II: U Reaching out to smallholders IDH also has a Best Practices Series, whose titles include: • Marketing sustainability • Sustainable sourcing among SME’s • Beyond auditing • Sustainable trading • Retailers and sustainability • Sustainable sourcing and procurement Case study Unilever sustainable tea Part I: Leapfrogging to mainstream Tania Braga, By Aileen Ionescu-Somers and Ralf Seifert, IMD’s Center for Corporate Sustainability Management Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative (Initiatief Duurzame Handel) Utrecht, The Netherlands www.dutchsustainabletrade.com office@dutchsustainabletrade.com Foreword A tipping point happens when a critical mass of people begin to shift their perception of an issue and take action in a new direction. As I look across the global landscape, I feel that we are approaching a tipping point concerning global sustainability. It is catalyzed by at least three important realizations by business, government, and civil society: The first is a realization that the world is finite and that a growing population with a higher ambition for living standards will inevitably lead to a world which will be resource and carbon constrained. The second is the realization that to solve the challenges for this future world we need systems solutions. We cannot solve individual problems in silos. The...
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...This title is part of the IDH Case Study Series, published in December 2010. Another title in this IDH Case Study Series is: • nilever sustainable tea, Part II: U Reaching out to smallholders IDH also has a Best Practices Series, whose titles include: • Marketing sustainability • Sustainable sourcing among SME’s • Beyond auditing • Sustainable trading • Retailers and sustainability • Sustainable sourcing and procurement Case study Unilever sustainable tea Part I: Leapfrogging to mainstream Tania Braga, By Aileen Ionescu-Somers and Ralf Seifert, IMD’s Center for Corporate Sustainability Management Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative (Initiatief Duurzame Handel) Utrecht, The Netherlands www.dutchsustainabletrade.com office@dutchsustainabletrade.com Foreword A tipping point happens when a critical mass of people begin to shift their perception of an issue and take action in a new direction. As I look across the global landscape, I feel that we are approaching a tipping point concerning global sustainability. It is catalyzed by at least three important realizations by business, government, and civil society: The first is a realization that the world is finite and that a growing population with a higher ambition for living standards will inevitably lead to a world which will be resource and carbon constrained. The second is the realization that to solve the challenges for this future world we need systems solutions....
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...Elements and Drivers of International Business 1. Globalization of Markets: It refers to the merging of national markets into one huge global marketplace. Now selling internationally is easier due to falling barriers to cross-border trade. A company doesn’t have to be the size of these multinational giants to facilitate and benefit from the globalization of markets. It is important to offer a standard product to the worldwide. But very significant differences still exist between national markets like consumer tastes, preferences, legal regulations, cultural systems. These differences require that marketing strategies in order to match the conditions in a country. To illustrate, Wal-Mart may still need to vary their product from country depending on local tastes and preferences. 2. Globalization of Production: It refers to the sourcing of goods and services from locations around the world to take advantage of national differences in the cost and quality of factors of production. The idea is to compete more effectively offering a product with good quality and low cost. For example, Nike is considerate one of the leading marketers of athletic shoes and apparel on the world. The company has some overseas factories where has achieved a super production with low cost. Unfortunately Nike has been a target of protest and persistent accusations that its products are made in sweatshops with poor working conditions. The company has signalled a commitment to improving working conditions...
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...introduction to its inevitable decline (Winner, et al., 1988). Concurrent engineering (CE) as a concept has been made more aware in the more recent decades in terms of business practice and in literature. It is widely understood in many industries, from automotive, and material construction, as a common term for developing new products in a cross functionally integrated manner primarily through the use of multifunctional teams in the case of this literature with suppliers and overlapping previously existing sequential activities (Pawar. et al., 2002). Immediately visible results of successful CE implementation are improved quality, reduced time to market and reduced life cycle. Over the recent years, case studies documenting the successes and failures of CE have arisen, many highlight the importance of reduced time to market and the role of the purchasing department in doing so. In the previous literature, the use of CE in its early years benefitted companies in the automotive and aerospace industries, hence for this research the case of Rolls-Royce and project P2001 will be used as an example for the different elements of CE (Backhouse and Brookes, 1996). The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the elements of CE in reference to building supply-side relationship; primarily product introduction and product development. The research will also demonstrate the role of purchasing and how...
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...MOUNTERAUX CHOCLATE CASE STUDY CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR PROFESSOR: SWAPNARAG SWAIN SUBMITTED BY ABHINAV SHUKLA ROLL NO 1 ABHISHEK CHAKRABORTHY ROLL NO 2 ADITI CHANDANI ROLL NO 5 ANURAG KHANDELWAL ROLL NO 6 NISHIT GANATRA ROLL NO 11 Question 1 Discuss the key challenges and marketing issues Andrea Torres must address at this time. Why do you think these issues and challenges are key to the success of the new product line? The major challenges: 1) Market Research: When the product is launched, at its inception stage the most important aspect in which every company should put in their focus is market research. Initially the company had chosen 20 people for one concept.. Considering the magnitude of the potential production this number is too low for a sample size which is the basis of any form of market research. It is important that we select the sample size for testing the product diligently after considering the fact that it would be a fair representation of the target population. The percentage of cocoa which was initially agreed by the sample size was 90 % but they wanted to test a new product with less percentage of cocoa (70%). This step could have been implemented when they were conducting market research. 2) Positioning: Positioning is the process by which one product acquires space in the minds of the consumer. Apollo should target the minds of the consumer based on the various analysis which are as follows: a) Population is changing its preferences...
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...Services Globalization Strategy Internationalization Localization 5 6 7 © Translation Service Offerings Highlights / Case Studies 2012 SAP AG. All rights reserved. 2 Agenda 1 2 3 4 Globalization @ SAP and Globalization Services Globalization Strategy Internationalization Localization 5 6 7 © Translation Service Offerings Highlights / Case Studies 2012 SAP AG. All rights reserved. 3 Business Trends That Foster SAP’s Value Proposition 1 Customers don’t want a product, they want to get a job done. 2 Growing speed and scope of global change. SAP offers the best solution portfolio to leverage these trends. With SAP, companies are ready for: Innovation at the speed of each business Transformation from built-to-last enterprises to built-to-adapt business networks Performance optimization closed loop from strategy to execution and back again The challenges of a globalized economy © 2012 SAP AG. All rights reserved. 4 Globalization @ SAP Facts and Figures Globalization is a key differentiator for SAP in a competitive market Global customer base in >140 countries > 60 country version covering legal requirements delivered 39 languages delivered for various solutions ~ 1100 persons are working on globalization topics Strong commitment to customers Enablement of SAP’s customers to continuously run a global solution according to their local/country specific needs Delivery of 1.000+ legal changes per year Globalization Services...
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...the semester. I am available basically when you need to meet. Sending an email may be the quickest way to reach me. Course Description This course will focus on the strategy and tactics needed for success in the international business environment. Strategic analysis will include the study of the economic, social, political, technological, and environmental settings of international business via text readings and case studies. Tactics will include completing a country-focused Political-Economic-Social-Technological (PEST) analysis and a company-focused Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis. These skills will then be applied to a simulation in which teams develop strategies for selecting countries for market expansion and development. Required Texts 1. Global Business Today (6th Edition), Charles W. Hill (McGraw Hill, 2009) ISBN: 007338139x. 2. FOUR (4) Case studies ARE REQUIRED and available to download from Harvard Business School Press, Ref. Number: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/relay.jhtml?name=cp&c=c22021. You will need to register first and use a credit card to download the cases. It is not permissible to photocopy another student’s cases: this is infringement of copyright and it is illegal. Highly Recommended: • There are also three (3) additional OPTIONAL readings available at the same Harvard Business School site. These readings will give you some background information on Japan (the focal company for the class project)...
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...High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c92feaa-fc0f-11e0-b1d8-00144feab49a.html#ixzz2Cu5c99bj Case study: Diageo By Abby Ghobadian The story: After a series of mergers, demergers and acquisitions, the management of Diageo, the conglomerate formed by the 1997 merger of Guinness and Grand Met, made a strategic decision to focus on premium alcohol drinks. Diageo was in charge of an expanding and wide-ranging collection of brands, some of which had broad appeal across many countries while others had more regional appeal, sometimes limited to just a few markets. The challenge: After both organic growth and acquisitions, three key dilemmas emerged by 2002. First, how to manage brands with significantly different appeal, such as Guinness, a brand with strong Irish roots but huge global appeal, or Buchanan’s, the leading Scotch whisky in Latin America. Second, how to rejuvenate tired brands and third, how to improve the market share of the most successful brands, such as Captain Morgan, J & B, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker. The initial strategy: To help managers maintain focus and allocate resources, Diageo developed three brand classifications: global priority, local priority and category. The global priority brands were the big sellers that were...
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...and systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) facilitate the desired level of integration. There are cases of successful and unsuccessful implementations. The principal reason for failure is often associated with poor management of the implementation process. This paper examines key dimensions of implementation of ERP system within a large manufacturing organisation and identifies core issues to confront in successful implementation of enterprise information system. A brief overview of the application of ERP system is also presented and in particular, ERP software package known as SAP R/3, which was the ERP software package selected by Rolls-Royce plc. The paper takes an in-depth look at the issues behind the process of ERP implementation via acasestudy methodology. It focuses on business and technical as well as cultural issues at the heart of the Rolls-Royce implementation. The casestudy also looks at the implementation time scales and assesses the benefits from the project both tangible and intangible. Keywords * ERP; * Information systems; * Implementation; * Success factors; * Rolls-Royce Enterprise information systems project implementation: A case ... — Document Transcript * 1. ARTICLE IN PRESS Int. J. Production Economics 87 (2004) 251–266 Enterprise information systems project implementation: A case study of ERP in Rolls-Royce Yahaya Yusufa,*, A. Gunasekaranb, Mark S. Abthorpec a Business School, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX...
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...|Mark Lim |10468237 | |Wei Zhe Poh |20605321 | |Jackie Tran |20597931 | |Janifer Yap |20841177 | BMW: Redefining Premium Brand Identity |Table of Contents | | | List of Tables and |4 | |Figures............................................................................................................... | | | BMW Case Study |5 | |........................................................................................................................... | | | Introduction |5 | |................................................................................................................................. | | | Company History |6 |...
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...KODAK VS. FUJI: THE BATTLE FOR GLOBAL MARKET SHARE by Thomas C. Finnerty Thomas C. Finnerty is a doctoral candidate in the Doctoral of Professional Studies Program, Lubin School of Business, Pace University, New York. This case was written under the supervision of Warren J. Keegan, Professor of International Business and Marketing and Director of the Institute for Global Business Strategy, Lubin School of Business, Pace University, New York, as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a business situation. ©2000 Dr. Warren J. Keegan. *The following case solely represents the opinion of the author and does not express the opinions of the Eastman Kodak Company of Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This case study reexamines the competitive relationship of the two giants of the photographic and imaging industry: Eastman Kodak Company and the Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. It uses the 1990 case study of Dr. H. Donald Hopkins of Temple University, “Kodak vs. Fuji: A Case of Japanese-American Strategic Intervention” as a reference point and attempts to update and clarify this relationship at the beginning of the 21st century. In the nine years since the Hopkins’ case study was published, Kodak has seen some troubled times, yet recently seems to have stabilized. Simultaneously, Fuji continues to slowly gain more of Kodak’s still-dominant market share. The evolution of the industry has been exciting and dynamic...
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...project implementation: A case study of ERP in Rolls-Royce Yahaya Yusufa,*, A. Gunasekaranb, Mark S. Abthorpec a Business School, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK Department of Management, University of Massachusetts, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300, USA c Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU, UK b Abstract Economic globalisation and internationalisation of operations are essential factors in integration of suppliers, partners and customers within and across national borders, the objective being to achieve integrated supply chains. In this effort, implementation of information technologies and systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) facilitate the desired level of integration. There are cases of successful and unsuccessful implementations. The principal reason for failure is often associated with poor management of the implementation process. This paper examines key dimensions of implementation of ERP system within a large manufacturing organisation and identifies core issues to confront in successful implementation of enterprise information system. A brief overview of the application of ERP system is also presented and in particular, ERP software package known as SAP R/3, which was the ERP software package selected by Rolls-Royce plc. The paper takes an in-depth look at the issues behind the process of ERP implementation via a case study methodology. It focuses...
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