Management Quarterly

Environmental preservation and economic development are invariably linked to one another such that organizations which have sound environmental policies are the ones which have a competitive economic advantage over others. The link between the environment and economy is shown by a study of growth rates in states with strong environmental protection policies and those with less stringent environmental regulations. The study showed that labor productivity and gross state product are higher in s...

Developing a strategic perspective in the boardroom: rethinking the role of the agenda.

A general framework is proposed for a modified board agenda which has long-term strategies for meeting local issues and threats. An organization may survive competition through adequate and strategic planning as outlined in this modified board agenda. A traditional board agenda focuses more on internal and operational issues, which would be inadequate for an organization that needs to survive amidst competition. The modified board agenda includes an annual appraisal of the manager's performan...

Evaluating the REA buy down opportunity.

Rural Electrification Administration The benefits and disadvantages of prepayment or buy out of loans to the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) by members of the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Cooperation (CFC) are discussed. Prepayment of REA loans has financial and strategic implications which are affected by the discrepancy between the discount rate and the rate of the replacement debt, the means of amortizing the gain on prepayment and the recognition of the amortized gain on the income statement. Buyin...

Meeting the new paradigm challenges through total quality management.

Includes related article Total quality management (TQM) is an organization-wide strategic process that aims to deliver quality products and services to customers. The strategy involves top-level management as well as the lowest employee. TQM is implemented through a series of steps, with the goal of securing customer satisfaction through benchmarking or achieving the highest standard possible in the whole industry. This can be done by formulating a strategy specific to the company, developing the organization, and tr...

Three types of management planning: making organizations work.

The efficiency and success of an organization is dependent on planning, a process of thinking through all the factors of an issue prior to acting on them. Planning may be divided into three types based on focus, time span and the people involved. 'To-do-list' planning keeps tabs on accomplishments for a limited time span of days or weeks and is a useful tool for task delegation. Strategic planning involves long-term envisioning of the whole organization within the context of its environment. ...

Yesterday's gone: the risk associated with tomorrow's electric utility infrastructure.

Public utility companies and other consumer service-oriented firms should analyze various means that would allow them to assume cost-effective risks. In recent years, utility companies have found that they are unable to regulate competition and they cannot predict the future that would enable them to make wise decisions such as costly infrastructure investments. Thus, they need to implement effective risk management controls. Furthermore, since utility companies are basically service-oriented...