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ADVANCED
MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
VOLUME
65 NUMBER 2 SPRING 2000
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to AMJ Contents
Sorrow and Guilt: An
Ethical Analysis of Layoffs
No one can deny that
layoffs hurt the person laid off and, to some extent, the person who must
deliver the bad news. But are they morally justified?
This depends on how the problem is analyzed. One structure uses
three philosophical approaches: utilitarianism (does the layoff accomplish
the greatest good for the greatest number?), rights and duties (do
employees have a right to their jobs, so employers have a duty to protect
them), and justice and fairness (are the layoffs proportional to the
problem and applied evenly?). Management's motivation must also be
examined, for example, will layoffs save the company, or will they make a
successful company more successful?
Using these disciplines with the company's actual situation can provide
moral guidance.
Joseph T.
Gilbert
Factors Affecting the
Adoption of advanced Manufacturing Technology in Small Firms
In today's fiercly
competetive environment, small firms need to be efficient but may not be
able tot take the major steps available to large firms, such as moving
operations to a low-cost country. Efficiencies need to be home
grown. A study by the authors found that increasing productivity and
improving a competitive position were the major reasons for small firms to
adopt advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT). Financial factors
were usually not a deciding factor, and deterrents could include lack of
information on new technologies and uncongenial labor relations or
workforce skills.
Sonny S. Ariss, T.
S. Raghunathan, and Anand. Kunnathar
Building a Balanced
Performance Management System
In the industrial age,
measurements of physical and financial capital were the principal ones
needed to help management maintain a company's competitive
position. In today's information age, however, management needs to
keep track of the skills, systems, and values that determine competitive
success. Management needs to design and implement a balanced system
that is tightly linked to the company's strategic objectives and that
measures such key nonfinancial factors as customer service, market
performance, innovation, goal achievement,
and employee involvement.
Bonnie P.
Stivers and Teresa Joyce
The Impact of an
Education and Training Program on Attitudes of Employees Toward Co-Workers
With AIDS
Since 1991, many
organizations have developed an AIDS policy that includes employee
education and training. Companies want to be sure they comply with
the Americans With Disabilities Act and also to discourage the negative
attitudes or destructive behavior that may arise from fears about
AIDS. Using Rusbult's Exit-Voice-Loyalty-Neglect Typology, a study
at a communications technology firm found that education programs neither
increased positive attitudes nor decreased negative ones, raising
questions about the value of such programs.
Tracy L. Tuten,
George R. Gray, and David W. Glascoff
The CPA Profession:
Responding to a Changing Environment
In real terms, revenues
have been flat for years in the tradition business of CPAs -- accounting
and auditing. While these services are still needed, clients also
want additional information on which to base decisions and solve
problems. CPAs are in a good position to provide assurance services
to help clients with risk assessment, business performance measurements,
electronic commerce, information systems, and so on. If CPA firms do
not supply these services, other firms will.
Lane D. Sauser
Internships: A Try
Before You Buy Arrangements
The high cost of
education means that parents, students, and schools are under pressure to
make sure the graduate is employable -- and sooner rather than
later. Internships have exploded in popularity in recent years
because they provide real-world experience that benefits all parties
involved. Currently three of four graduates has completed an
internship, up from one in 36 in 1980. Observing certain practices
can make internships more productive for students and the host
organization.
Malcolm Coco
Defining the Arts of
Quality: A Quality model at Longwood College
The College's Business
School developed a quality model in 1994 to prepare students to make
significant contributions to society. The key components are
market-driven learning experiences and skills, an effective organizational
structure, and a strong value system that reflects the core values of the
business community. Since implementing the model, some 96% of
students have obtained productive jobs in their majors within six weeks of
graduation.
Cynthia N. Wood, Berkwood M. Farmer, Edward D. Smith
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