How can one know if a whole chain of managers is weak? In practice, the chain of command seems to handle the logic of effective organisation and control adequately. Usually a single “weak link” manager (a manager whose controllable performance variables are substandard) is easily identified....

Three principles are presented to help companies achieve sustainable, differentiated service in the 1990s. The “service brand” concept is introduced and the contrast made between a service brand and the conventional product brand. Practical methods to mobilise company‐wide support for the...

For any company, measuring its performance with respect to customers’ expectations is crucial in selecting suitable strategies and technologies that it will employ in producing and marketing the right product mix. This certainly holds also for the company studied here, GEC‐Marconi Aerospace...

Technological change has permitted organizations to design jobs in different ways and control work performed in remote locations. This article examines how telework can be used to provide benefits to organizations and their members. In it I present the findings of a study of a large Canadian...

Purpose – The paper seeks to show pitfalls in the application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to efficiency analysis and performance measurement as well as ways to steer clear of these pitfalls. Design/methodology/approach – The paper outlines guidelines for avoiding pitfalls in the...

Describes a framework for analysis which is capable of measuring the value‐adding capability of the entire manufacturing chain. This provides a means of benchmarking organizational performance irrespective of market‐related profit margin. The method of analysis provides: a measure of...