Purpose – This article aims to explore the impact of supply chain integration on the financial performance of Swedish manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach – The literature review provided the foundation for the development of the survey instrument and hypotheses for the study. In addition, the survey instrument was tested by the experts in the field and modified before it was sent to the managers in the survey group. Findings – The findings show that supply chain integration at any level is beneficial to the financial well being of the firm. Companies with total supply chain integration reported the highest level of financial performance. Research limitations/implications – Data were collected from Swedish manufacturing firms without regard to the size of the firm. The results show that supply chain integration is beneficial at any level. Practical implications – The findings will assist managers with decisions regarding supply chain integration and its role as a critical factor in improving the financial performance of manufacturing companies. Originality/value – Limited empirical studies have been conducted in this area, especially in Sweden. This study provides insight for manufacturing managers with regard to the importance of supply chain management and the competitive nature of business in the global market.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate bank customers' attitudes toward various bank services.Design/methodology/approach – The design includes a survey, which looked into determinants of customer satisfaction in the retail‐banking sector in the Middle East, with particular attention to the State of Kuwait. A total of 605 usable questionnaires were randomly distributed to retail customers at various banks within the country.Findings – Using descriptive statistics methods and ANOVA test, the findings of this paper suggest that in general customers in Kuwait (Kuwaiti and non‐Kuwaiti customers) are satisfied with services provided by the retail‐banking sector.Research limitations/implications – The research does not include samples of customers represented among all the bank branches in Kuwait due to cost and time limitations.Practical implications – The paper has implications for management in the banking sector in the State of Kuwait.Originality/value – The paper presents original research f...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to invite managers and practitioners to reflect on the meaning and implications of the concept of zero for individual and organizational spiritual growth.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on spirituality and complexity literatures, this paper stimulates non‐traditional thinking in organizational change and leadership. The paper uses the concept of zero as a creative metaphor for organizational development.FindingsThe paper introduces a systemic, unified, multidimensional, holistic, complex, chaotic and dynamic paradigm for organizations based on spirituality: paradigm zero. Zero represents paradox, transcendence, interconnectedness, balance, modesty, creativity, inspiration, and the essence and mystery of human existence.Practical implicationsThis paper invites managers to consider a futurist perspective called zero‐centered thinking that enables creativity and reflection in the middle of complexity.Originality/valueThis paper builds on cutting edge spirituality and complexity concepts to enable new thinking for twenty‐first century managers and professionals. Zero philosophy provides organizations a new trans‐disciplinary paradigm based on spirituality, complexity, chaos, systems sciences, quantum physics, emergence, and Sufism.

Purpose – This paper describes the proactive culture of support that has been effective in the regional development of a semi-rural area. Design/methodology/approach – Information used in this pape ...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the strategies of enterprises located in Hungary parallel with joining the European Union and to evaluate the preparation of firms for the competitive conditions within the EU.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a questionnaire survey including 301 enterprises. Top managers of medium sized and large enterprises answered the questions. Data were analysed by using mathematical and statistical methods, among them factor and cluster analysis. The paper discusses enterprise strategy by taking into account environmental conditions and internal characteristics of firms.Findings – The paper deals with both content and process characteristics of strategies. Attention is devoted to issues like strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, research and development, corporate governance.Research limitations/implications – Small enterprises are hardly represented in the sample. Emphasis is laid on the formalised systems of strategy development. Inform...

Venezuela ranks fifth in the world in oil proven reserves and has the largest accumulation of liquid fuel in the world. With its importance as an oil country, many countries including the U.S. have expressed concerns about Venezuela’s current economic and political situation. Using the popular SWOT analysis, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats facing the country, are identified. The discussion and conclusions summarize the observations and address the relative tradeoffs within the country. Finally goals and policies appropriate for Venezuelan reform are presented.

The study of top management teams, which began with confidence, optimism, and promise, has been plagued by criticisms arising from mixed or weak findings and poor explanatory power of firm outcomes vis‐a‐vis other variables. This paper argues that the disputed phenomenon of top management team relevance can be enhanced through the inclusion of several intervening variables. To achieve that end, several perspectives had to be synthesized in order to arrive at an integrated framework of nine key variables that may illuminate: (1) the circumstances as to when and to what extent top management teams have discretion to both make and implement strategic decisions, and, hence, have the greatest impact on a firm’s competitive posture, (2) the impact of such discretion on a firm’s competitive posture.

The purpose of this paper is to delineate policy recommendations for federal sector management, labor, and neutrals in the area of alternative dispute resolution and conflict resolution mechanisms in the maturing arena of federal sector labor‐management relations. The great desideratum in the arena of labor relations in the federal sector of the economy is harmony based on the resolving of conflicting interests of employees and their government employers.

In his essay, “How the United States Used Competition to Win the Cold War,” Warren E. Norquist argues that Ronald Reagan deliberately “used competition” to undermine the communist regime in the Soviet Union. But what does “competition” mean? The term usually refers to the strategies entrepreneurs and corporations deploy vis‐a‐vis their “competitors” in the market. However, Norquist doesn't provide a clear characterization of how states, in an adversarial context, compete economically with one another. His evidence suggests that the United States — typically a strong proponent of laissez‐faire economics — confronted the Soviet Union economically by deploying a surprising strategy, one congruent with mercantilism.