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Thesis-1972-Rath.pdf (10.37 MB)

Management innovation through industrial management research in the individual firm and its specific application to market opportunity assessment studies

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thesis
posted on 2011-02-07, 10:13 authored by Alex E. Rath
In this Thesis the Researcher describes the work done in the course of an Industrial PhD. program with the University of Technology, Loughborough, Upon completion of a period of training, the Researcher joined an industrial firm with the view of investigating ways of Management Innovation in the practical environment. The Industrial PhD. scheme being a new concept, based on investigation of practical problems within industrial enterprises and this study being the first of its kind, greater emphasis has been laid on the description of the Research Environment, and the actions and reactions of the Researcher and the Medium. The study was carried out over a period of four years, one academic year of post-graduate, post-experience training at the University, followed by three years of industrial investigation. During the period of industrial investigation the Researcher was a full time employee of the "Co-operating Firm". The Research Environment is described in Part I of the Thesis. In his initial capacity with the Co-operating Firm, the Researcher could not put forth his plans on the strength of his own functional responsibilities, but merely as proposals from an employee of the Company. The organisational pattern of the Company did not cater for a central planning function. The Researcher studied the firm's requirements and devised a proposed program of work to provide an input to a Corporate Plan which was to follow. The Market Plan to be developed was intended to provide a focal point for the firm's Corporate Plan. Subsequent organisational changes within the firm, allowed the Researcher to reach a position where first he was given advisory responsibility for Market Planning, and finally direct functional responsibility for implementation. From the outset, the Researcher provided Management with specific surveys and investigations in defined areas of imminent interest to the Organisation, which were acknowledged as being useful although seldom implemented. The Researcher succeeded in demonstrating the need and the feasibility of greater use of Scientific Management in the firm, and his own capability in contributing in its implementation. The organisational changes which occurred, took cognizance of this development and gradually the Researcher's programme was incorporated in the Company's Corporate plan. The Researcher's work embraced, (a) The formulation of an overall Market Plan and (b) A specific topic of research within the overall Plan. Market Opportunity Assessment studies constituted the specific topic of research. The method developed provided a working tool needed in the implementation of the Market Plan. The Market Plan required applied research in two additional specific areas, (a) The development of a Linear Programme for Product Mix Optimisation and (b) An Input Output Matrix disaggregation for the Company's product lines, for Long Term forecasting purposes. (Continues...).

History

School

  • Business and Economics

Department

  • Business

Publisher

© Alex Ephraim Rath

Publication date

1972

Notes

A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University.

EThOS Persistent ID

uk.bl.ethos.470024

Language

  • en

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