Management Concerns Diagram

Management Concerns Diagram (MCD) depicts the management concerns in an organization. It links the environment factors (Z1), organization capabilities (Z2), performance outcome (Z3a), and strategies (Z3b) into THREE different vital zones. MCD (Professor Ho, J., 2019)

Theoretical Framework Level-0

Theoretical Framework Level-0 (TF-0) depicts the core-focus domain in the MCD. It connects high-level research tasks with MCs and UMCs.
#MCD:Management-concerns Diagram
#MCs:Management-concerns
#UMCs:Urgent Management-concerns
TF-0 (Professor Ho, J., 2019)

Theoretical Framework Level-1a

Theoretical Framework Level-1a (TF-1a) explores academic ideas corresponding to each high-level research task. TF-1a (Professor Ho, J., 2019)

Theoretical Framework Level-1b

Theoretical Framework Level-1b (TF-1b) identifies research methods according to a particular academic idea. TF-1b (Professor Ho, J., 2019)

Theoretical Framework Level-1c

Theoretical Framework Level-1c (TF-1c) associates with research methods to formulate the whole theoretical framework. TF-1c (Professor Ho, J., 2019)

Executive Summary

Executive Summary is more focused on the recommendation. It contains multiple paragraphs, and its length is approximately one page. In contrast, the Abstract is usually written in one single paragraph. Executive Summary (Professor Ho, J., 2019)

Synopsis Form

Project Title:
An investigation to evaluate the with special regard to its influence on of

P1 - Company background

P2 - Your relatiosnhip with the company

P3 - Project background

P4 - Research methodology
Philosophies: e.g. Interpretivism
Approaches: e.g. Deductive (Top-down)
Theory > Hypothesis > Observation > Confirmation (from vague to specific)
e.g. All men are mortal > Peter was a man > Peter was mortal
Strategies: e.g. Survey (Interview / Questionnaire)

Referencing (20+)

Note:
Inductive reasoning: Observing that something is true many times, then concluding that it will be true in all instances. (Using the data to make a prediction)
Observation > Pattern > Tentative Hypothesis > Theory (from specific to vague)
e.g. Peter was Greek > Most Greeks eat fish > Peter ate fish

Project Proposal (Prep for Dissertation Report)

P1 - Project background
P2 - Literature review
P3 - Objectives (Outcome)
P4 - Research methodology
P5 - Time Plan

Form Consent

Form Consent

Form Participant
(Information Sheet, Consent, and Survey)

Example of Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire Survey

Form Gatekeeper

Form Gatekeeper

General Management Theories

Taylor’s theory of scientific management aimed at, improving economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. Taylor had a simple view about, what motivated people at work, - money. He felt that workers should get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and that pay should be linked to the amount produced. Therefore he introduced the differential piece rate system, of paying wages to the workers.
Taylor's Differential Piece Rate Plan:
1) If Efficiency is greater than the defined Standard then workers should be paid 120 % of the Normal Piece Rate.
2) If Efficiency is less than standard then workers should be paid 80% of the Normal Piece Rate.
Four Principles of Scientific Management are:
1) Time and motion study: - Study the way jobs are performed and find new ways to do them.
2) Teach, train, and develop the workman with improved methods of doing work. Codify the new methods into rules.
3) The interest of the employer & employees should be fully harmonized so as to secure mutually understanding relations between them.
4) Establish fair levels of performance and pay a premium for higher performance.

Henri Fayol known as the Father of Management laid down the 14 principles of Management. These 14 principles of management are used to manage an organization and are beneficial for prediction, planning, decision-making, organization and process management, control, and coordination.
1) Division of Work: Improves productivity, efficiency, accuracy, and speed
2) Equity: Employees should be treated equally and respectfully
3) Discipline: Makes the management job easy and make progress
4) Initiative: support and encourage employees taking initiatives
5) Authority and Responsibility: Efficient delivery of work with defined responsibility
6) Esprit de Corps: Develop trust and mutual understanding
7) Subordination of Individual Interest: Company over personal interest and respect the chain of command
8) Stability: offer job security to their employees
9) Remuneration: motivating factor linked to the individual’s efforts
10) Unity of Direction: Unified goals and motives for all personnel working in a company
11) Centralization: Balance between the hierarchy and division of power
12) Scalar Chain: Hierarchy steps should be from top to the lowest
13) Unity of Command: More than one boss brings a conflict of interest and confusion
14) Order: the positive atmosphere in the workplace boosts productivity

Weber made a distinction between authority and power. Weber believed that power educes obedience through force or the threat of force which induces individuals to adhere to regulations. According to Max Weber, there are three types of power in an organization:
1) Traditional Power
2) Charismatic Power
3) Bureaucratic Power or Legal Power
3.1) Division of Labor
3.2) Formal Hierarchical Structure
3.3) Selection based on Technical Expertise
3.4) Management by Rules
3.5) Written Documents
3.6) Only Legal Power is Important
3.7) Formal and Impersonal relations

Elton Mayo's experiments showed an increase in worker productivity was produced by the psychological stimulus of being singled out, involved, and made to feel important. Hawthorne Effect can be summarized as “Employees will respond positively to any novel change in a work environment like better illumination, clean work stations, relocating workstations, etc. Employees are more productive because they know they are being studied.

Hierarchy of Needs
(Maslow, 1968)

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological (food and clothing), safety (job security), love and belonging needs (friendship), esteem, and self-actualization.
Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up.

Economies of Scale

Economies of scale are cost advantages reaped by companies when production becomes efficient. Companies can achieve economies of scale by increasing production and lowering costs. This happens because costs are spread over a larger number of goods. Costs can be both fixed and variable.

Ansoff Matrix
(Ansoff, 1957)

Ansoff’s matrix suggests four growth strategies with a broad spectrum across existing and new eras in both products and markets areas. The four quadrants mainly are Market Penetration, Product Development, Market Development, and Diversification.
The ability to quickly scan data and sense information about market trends is critical to a firm’s willingness and capacity to engage in CE activities. Firms use IT to collect data from multiple channels and elicit information about customers’ demands and preferences to increase the success of new product development. For example, GM uses a Web-enabled tool to collect data on customer preferences to better design new products.
Doyle and Saunders (1985) raise three critical areas for marketers about product development:
1) The improved products have to address consumers’ needs better.
2) The extension of product lines should respond to the consumer’s latent needs and attracts new customers.
3) Products should have unique proposition values for development, purchasing, and licensing.

Chen et al. (2015) find that IT capabilities positively influence a firm’s CE and, in turn, lead to improved product innovation performance. It thus sheds light on the value of IT capabilities for CE activities and product innovation performance.
According to Zahra (1991), CE activities are conceptualized to be directly related to important organizational outcomes such as growth and profitability. In addition, a firm’s CE activities are susceptible to the influence of external factors such as environmental dynamism.

VRIO framework
(Barney, 2002)

The VRIO framework is a strategic planning tool designed to help organizations uncover and protect the resources and capabilities that give them a long-term competitive advantage. Note that we’re not simply talking about a list of your strengths, which are things you do well but are not necessarily unique to your organization. Nor are we talking about advantages that are fleeting. Sustainable competitive advantages are those that competitors can’t easily duplicate in the foreseeable future; they are also a crucial element of business success.

The VRIO framework is a For companies to be able to transform these resources into a sustained competitive advantage, they must meet the four requirements of the VRIO Framework:
1) Valuable
“Is this resource valuable?”
A resource is considered valuable if it helps a business implement strategies that increase effectiveness or improve efficiency.
2) Rare
“How easy is it for competitors to obtain this exact same resource?”
Rare resources can give companies a significant edge over the competition. They’re able to deploy them and implement value-creating strategies not available to competitors.
3) Inimitable
Will it be expensive/possible for competitors to imitate or replicate?
Now, while possessing resources that are both valuable and rare allows companies to engage in strategies competitors can neither conceive nor pursue, it doesn’t immediately lead to sustained competitive advantage.
4) Organization
“Does your organization have the internal, structures, systems, and processes to exploit this advantage?”
Simply possessing the resources isn’t enough on its own to eke out a sustained competitive advantage. The business has to have the right processes in place to make it happen.

How to Use The VRIO Framework
#1 – Identify Resources
#2 – Conduct a VRIO Analysis
#3 – Protect Resources
#4 – Bi-Annual Review

Now it’s time to apply that framework, to your business. To do so, I recommend you follow this 4-step process:

Examples

HRM model HARVARD
(Beer et al., 1984)

Storey (1989) has distinguished between hard and soft forms of HRM, typified by the Michigan and Harvard models respectively. 'Hard' HRM focuses on the resource side of human resources. It emphasizes costs in the form of 'headcounts' and places control firmly in the hands of management. Their role is to manage numbers effectively, keeping the workforce closely matched with requirements in terms of both bodies and behaviour. 'Soft' HRM, on the other hand, stresses the 'human' aspects of HRM. Its concerns are with communication and motivation. People are led rather than managed. They are involved in determining and realizing strategic objectives.

Harvard HRM is an American model.

HRM model WARWICK
(Hendry et al., 1990s)

This model was developed by two researchers, Hendry and Pettigrew of University of Warwick (hence the name Warwick model). Like other human resource management models, the Warwick proposition centers around five elements:
1) Outer context (macro environmental forces)
2) Inner context (firm specific or micro environmental forces)
3) Business strategy content
4) HRM context
5) HRM content

Warwick HRM is an European model.

Consumer behavior in electronic commerce
(Costel et al., 2010)

Costel, N., Rozalia, N. and Muntean, M., 2010. E-Commerce: Winners’ Choice. Department of General Economics, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Dunarea de Jos University.

A modified model of online consumer behavior and decision making
(Darley et al., 2010)

Darley, W., Blankson, C. and Luethge, D. 2010. Toward an Integrated Framework for Online Consumer Behavior and Decision Making Process: A Review. Psychology and Marketing, 27(2), pp.94 - 116. Doi: 10.1002/mar.20322. [Accessed 04 January 2022].

The multi-dimension threats classification model
(Jouini et al., 2014)

Jouini, M., Ben, L., Rabai, L. and Aissa, A., 2014. Classification of security threats in information systems. Procedia Computer Science, 32, pp.489-496.

Kano Model
(Kano, 1980)

The Kano model indicates that world-class services must meet all three types of needs, not just what customers say. It is important to emphasize that the service provider must identify not only current customer expectations, which are critical to success, but also potential expectations that might excite customers (Shahin and Zairi, 2009).

STRIDE as a Threat Modeling Methodology
(Garg & Kohnfelder, 1990)

A well-structured network follows a three-level security strategy:
1) Prevention: Stop an attack from succeeding.
2) Detection: Detect and inform the administrator if the attack once takes place.
3) Mitigation: Ability to minimize the loss & recover from the attack.

Khan, S., 2017. A STRIDE Model based Threat Modelling using Unified and-Or Fuzzy Operator for Computer Network Securit. International Journal of Computing and Network Technology, 5(1), pp.13-20. Doi: 10.12785/ijcnt/050103 [Accessed 14 January 2022].

Organizational culture typology framework
(Cameron and Quinn, 1999)

Marín, G, Hernández, A., Valle, I. and Castillo, M., 2017. Organizational culture and family business: A configurational approach. European Journal of Family Business, 6(2), pp.99-107. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejfb.2017.05.002 [Accessed 30 December 2021].

Information Technology Competency (ITC) affects the Commercial Success of Innovation (CSI)
(Fernández-Mesa et al., 2014)

The IT competency (ITC) is built from how Information Technology Management (ITM) manages IT resources (knowledge, operations, and objects). It positively affects the Commercial Success Innovation (CSI), affecting product innovation.
The R&D department should therefore apply techniques to speed up the product development process. Effective use of ITC within the R&D department can reduce the time needed to develop a product and also helps to build a collaborative environment by means of electronic newsletters or knowledge-sharing portals, for example. This kind of environment encourages creative thinking and accelerates the efficiency and effectiveness of innovation processes (Li et al., 2006), positively affecting product innovation.
Huang (2011) suggests that internal learning increases the technological innovation capacity of an R&D team and this may result in an increase in product innovation.

Fernández-Mesa, A., Ferreras-Méndez, J., Vidal, J. and Chiva, R., 2014. IT competency and the commercial success of innovation. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 114(4), pp.550-567. Doi: 10.1108/IMDS-09-2013-0389 [Accessed 15 January 2022].

Product innovativeness and performance impact salesperson selling intentions
(Fu et al., 2008)

Despite the growing academic interest in drivers of NPD success, the role of the sales force during new product launches has not received sufficient attention (Atuahene-Gima, 1997).
The sales force's efforts convey positive information to customers, enhance their attitude toward adopting the new product, and eventually, influence new product performance positively.
One underlying assumption many scholars share in the new product literature is that new product innovativeness leads to better new product performance (e.g., Chandy and Tellis, 1998).

Fu, F. Q., Jones, E., and Bolander, W., 2008. Product Innovativeness, Customer Newness, and New Product Performance: A Time-Lagged Examination of the Impact of Salesperson Selling Intentions on New Product Performance. The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 28(4), pp.351–364. Available at: [Accessed 11 January 2022].

Customer behavior stimulus-response model
(Viksne et al., 2016)

Viksne, K., Salkovska, J., Gaitniece, E. and Puke, I., 2016. Comparative analysis of customer behaviour models. In Economic Science for Rural Development Conference Proceedings, 1(43), pp.231-238.

The Black Box Model of Consumer Behavior (Chen et al., 2016)

Five Force Model
(Porter)

Porter's Five Forces is a business analysis model that helps to explain why various industries are able to sustain different levels of profitability. The model was published in Michael E. Porter's book, "Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors" in 1980.1 The Five Forces model is widely used to analyze the industry structure of a company as well as its corporate strategy. Porter identified five undeniable forces that play a part in shaping every market and industry in the world, with some caveats. The five forces are frequently used to measure competition intensity, attractiveness, and profitability of an industry or market.

SWOT Analysis

1) It helps in organising your strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities into a well-organized list. It is usually a four-grid presentation.
2) It is a powerful yet simple tool that can help with the development of your organisation’s strategy.
3) Advantage/Outcome: SWOT analysis is widely used known for its easy analysis techniques. Moreover, it is easy to use. Unrestricted by the boundaries of business analysis, it can also be used for analysis at an enterprise level.

IT capability and organizational performance
(Chen et al., 2014)

Chen, Y., Wang, Y., Nevo, S., Jin, J., Wang, L. and Chow, W., 2014. IT capability and organizational performance: The roles of business process agility and environmental factors. European Journal of Information Systems, 23(3), pp.326–342.

Six levels of Organizational IT Maturity
(Ragowsky et al., 2012)

Ragowsky, A., Licker, P. and Gefen, D., 2012. Organizational IT Maturity (OITM): A Measure of Organizational Readiness and Effectiveness to Obtain Value from Its Information Technology. Information Systems Management, 29(2), pp.148-160. Doi: 10.1080/10580530.2012.662104 [Accessed 11 January 2022].

Technology Management Core Competency Model
(Doggett et al., 2013)

Doggett, M., McGee, P. and Scott, S., 2013. Technology Management Competencies. Technology Interface International Journal, 14(1), pp.70-79.

Information Technology influences HR system
(Wahaj, 2021)

Wahaj, H., 2021. Human Resources Management and Information Technology: An Overview of Developing Countries. International Journal of Research in Engineering and Science, 9(1), pp.01-06.

Human Resource Management System – Competence Planning Module
(Hustad et al., 2004)

Hustad, E., Munkvold, B. and Moll, B., 2004. Using IT for Strategic Competence Management: Potential Benefits and Challenges. ECIS 2004 Proceedings, 53. Available at: [Accessed 29 December 2021].

HCHRM system fostering HR capability for ambidextrous technological innovation
(Park, Bar and Hong, 2017)

Park, O., Bae, J. and Hong, W., 2017. High-commitment HRM system, HR capability, and ambidextrous technological innovation. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2017.1296880 [Accessed 29 December 2021].

Linking HRM and Performance
(Leede & Looise, 2005)

Leede, J. and Looise, J., 2005. Innovation and HRM: Towards an Integrated Framework. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, 14(2), pp.108-117. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8691.2005.00331.x [Accessed 22 December 2021].

A model of basic strategic HRM components
(Dunford et al., 2001)

Dunford, B., Snell, S. and Wright, P., 2001. Human Resources and the Resource Based View of the Firm. Journal of Management, 27(6), pp.701–721. Doi: 10.1177/014920630102700607 [Accessed 09 January 2022].

Evaluation of Sales Force Management
(SFM) Capabilities

Identified Factors for Information Management

Project Proposal - Project Background, Literature Review, and Methodology
(Professor Ho, J., 2019)

MBA Dissertation proposal - a fake sample (Professor Ho, J., 2019)

Harvard Referencing

Research Onion
(Saunders et al., 2007)

As we will apply theory to each MC, the deductive approach will be chosen to explain why the thing occurred. Then the theory is tested through research to see whether it is accepted, rejected, or revised.
According to the Research Onion, we can understand its architecture, relationship, and adoption.

Research Design - Methods and Groups Linkage

Research Method Design:
1) The linkage of research methods and the corresponding research groups
2) Summary of the research methods and groups related to 14 research objectives. A guide for designing interviews or questionnaire surveys covers the areas of “CORE” and “Ref” components.

The Harvard Referencing System
(The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2018)