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ADVANCED
MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
VOLUME 63
NUMBER 1 WINTER 1998
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to AMJ Contents
Managing Internal Consulting Organizations: A New Paradigm
From the 1950s through the 1970s, companies made increasing
use of internal consulting groups (ICGs) as opposed to hiring outside consultants.
However, in the 1980s, their weak management and organizational structures were exposed by
intense global competition and merger mania, and they fell from favor. Now, the
mega-outsourcing trend has revived interest in and use of ICGs, but the successful ones
follow anew paradigm. They adopt the same manage-marketing, and profit principles as
outside, autonomous consultants to assure efficiency and independent, focused advice.
H.P. Johri, J. Chris Cooper, and J. Prokopenko
Is Your Company Ready for an Intranet?
Intranets are a hot item in corporate America today,and it's
not hard to understand why. By applying technology developed for the Internet to internal
information functions, companies and other organizations can greatly facilitate both
static and dynamic communications. Company date, employee benefits and training, job
postings, telephone directories are but a few of the many areas suitable for an intranet.
Before plunging ahead, however, organizations should carefully weigh the pros and cons,
including expense and support needs, to be sure an intranet inappropriate for their needs.
Uma G. Gupta and Frederic J. Hebert
Managerial Success: A Profile of Future Managers in China
Although the path has not been smooth, managerial skills
remain in demand in China today. In light of both the political turmoil and progress in
recent years, it would not be unreasonable to expect a difference in the success factors
for managers between 1987 and 1993. In fact, a longitudinal study of factors determining
success (managerial supervisory ability, intelligence, initiative, self-assurance,
decisiveness, achievement motivation, self-actualization, and need for security) did not
find significant differences in the business undergraduates sampled in two universities.
But the students scored lower on success factors than U.S. students.
Filiz Tabak, Janet Stern Solomon, and Christine
Nielsen
Assessing Organizational Vulnerability to Acts of Terrorism
The use of violence to further political or social
objectives, which is roughly how terrorism is defined by the U.S. Department of Justice,
is on the rise today and cannot be ignored by organizations. Using the author's model,
organizations can analyze their vulnerability to terrorism and take appropriate steps to
contain the risk. The areas that need to be evaluated are the threat of terrorism
(including the form it may take), potential targets, environmental factors, organizational
exposure, and organizational preparedness.
Robert S. Fleming
Planning by Design: Time-tested and Ready for the 21st
Century
Many a great program has failed not because it lacked merit,
but because it lacked an effective plan. One solution is to plan the planning process, and
one approach to this is called Pre-engineered Planning. This type of planning by design is
based on three fundamentals (understand, devise, accept), a four phase framework, and five
sections, although the process can be shortened into six steps for simple projects. To
succeed, support from management and a committed team leader are necessary.
Richard Muther
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