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ADVANCED
MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
VOLUME 64
NUMBER 2 SPRING 1999
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to AMJ Contents
Economic Value Added (EVA): Its Uses and Limitations
Like the earlier term, "residual income, " EVA
measures the difference between after-tax operating income and the cost of assets used in
generating that income (based on asset investment and the cost of capital). It has some
advantages over ROI, but it also has some limitations as a decision-making tool, such as
an overemphasis on short-term results. It should be valuable when used with a balanced set
of measures that provide a complete financial picture.
Peter C. Brewer, Gyan Chandra, and Clayton A. Hock
Virtual Teams: An Information Age Opportunity for
Mobilizing Hidden Manpower
Forming a team to solve a problem that cuts across
departments is nothing new, but forming a team in which the members may never see each
other, or perhaps are unaware that they are on a team, is a new concept. Thanks to
technology - audio, video, and desktop conferencing; multimedia e-mail; and who knows what
in the future - virtual teams can now be constructed across space (even national
boundaries), time and different organizations. Such teams overcome many of the limitations
of traditional face-to-face teams, such as friction and security problems. However, a
favorable operating culture is necessary for success.
Sean B. Eom and Choong Kwon Lee
Japanese Transplants and Union Membership: The Case of
Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation
American labor unions have been losing members since 1975 for
many reasons, including a shift from a manufacturing to a service-based economy, a change
in labor laws, and increasing sophistication of anti-union tactics. Nowhere have unions
been less successful than in trying to organize Japanese transplants, particularly Nissan.
This contrasts sharply with union power in American automotive companies. Many aspects of
the Japanese corporate culture and work ethic have forestalled union encroachment, thereby
aiding growth and profitability.
Joe Laws and Thomas Li-Ping Tang
Relationship Marketing and Data Quality Management
In today's highly competitive environment, "relationship
marketing" is becoming the new mantra. But to be an effective relationship marketer,
companies must know their customers well; they must have high quality, reliable customer
databases. Too many companies do not realize that their total quality management programs
depend on their data quality management. They need to capture and manage their data with
zero defects.
Omar E. M. Khalil and Talha D. Harcar
How Do Full-Time Employees 34 Select Part-Time MBA Programs
in Hong Kong?
An explosion of part-time MBA programs in Hong Kong has
caused local authorities to exercise some regulation over their legitimacy and content.
Most programs use some type of distance learning mode, such as correspondent or electronic
course work, contractual lectures with local instructors, or visiting instructors giving
intensive lectures or tutorials. How do students choose among them? A survey shows that
university prospectuses followed by suggestions by friends are the principal decision
making factors; advertisements and family advice are least important. Thus, universities
participating in this market should provide accessible and informative literature about
their programs.
Randy K. Chin and Allen F. Stembridge
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