The UK moves from March to December Budgets

Barring any very unexpected developments, next month’s Budget Speech by the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be the last such speech to occur in March for the foreseeable future (and perhaps for ever) in the UK. As part of last year’s budget package, the Government published a White Paper on budgetary reform (HMSO, 1992) which announced that in future, Budget Speeches would be made in December of each year rather than in March as at present. However, the tax year will continue to begin in April, so that the lead time between the announcement of tax proposals in the Budget and the coming into force of most of them will be extended from about three weeks to about 16.

Does quality drive employee satisfaction in the UK learning sector?

The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence to assess the nature and extent of the link between employee satisfaction and organisational performance. This paper examines the link between staff satisfaction and organisational performance, presenting findings from 21 colleges of Further Education that have participated in both a survey of staff satisfaction (covering over 2,600 staff from these colleges) and in a diagnostic benchmarking exercise using the “Learning PROBE” methodology. The results suggest that whilst each of the measured aspects of work are regarded as being important by a majority of survey respondents, the level of “satisfaction” displayed in each of these attributes is indicated by only a minority of those surveyed. The findings support the existence of a link between staff satisfaction and organisational excellence. Staff satisfaction levels are most strongly associated with the leadership and service processes indices, and even more so with the overall organisational diagnosis. This suggests that colleges that are implementing “good practices” covering a range of managerial aspects, and who are achieving corresponding organisational results, are likely to be closer to satisfying their staff. Practices relating to people, performance management and organizational results also show association with staff's satisfaction gap, although not as significantly as above. The results suggest an holistic approach to implementing business practices appears to be more effective than concentrating only on deploying good practices in only a single area of the managerial process. The value of the paper is to the UK Further Education Sector in that it identifies those organisational practices, which improved, can in combination address to some extent the work satisfaction levels of their employees

Six Pillars of Social Policy: The State of Pensions and Health Care in Canada

William B.P. Robson, a co-author with David Slater of a series of papers on pension issues, has written an ambitious survey of the state of Canadian economic policy in the areas of pensions and health care. He argues that it is appropriate to tackle both issues in the same paper because they are both major spending programs strongly related to the life cycle of Canadians, and face challenges arising from the aging of the population. Robson notes that the pension debate uses the metaphor of three pillars to describe a comprehensive pension system: a safety net to guard against destitution in old age; a mandatory employment-related system to provide basic replacement income; and a voluntary system supported by provisions that reduce the double-taxation of saving. The main elements of public policy related to pensions in Canada cover these pillars. He recognizes that all three of the pillars cannot be directly applied to health care, but he argues that the three-pillar metaphor is still a fruitful perspective because it facilitates constructive responses to the pressures confronting Canada’s health system and illuminates interactions between the pension and health systems. Hence his title “six pillars of social policy”. Based on his examination of Canada’s pension and health-care systems, Robson makes a number of recommendations. First, he advocates more prefunding in both the pension and health areas to cover the future cost of the aging baby-boom cohort. Second, he recommends a gradual increase in the normal age of eligibility for pension benefits. Third, he recommends the creation of a second pillar, a mandatory contribution scheme in the health area as a way to avoid the development of a means-tested system that would exacerbate the disincentives to work and save. Fourth, he puts forward the idea of a new type of saving vehicle that provides tax-relief on distributions rather than on contributions so that Canadians can avoid the high marginal effective tax rates associated with means-tested programs.Health, Health Care, Health-care, Healthcare, Canada, Pensions, CPP, Retirement, Mandatory Contribution, Aging, Ageing

Realigning the manufacturing priorities of SMEs as a result of the 2008 UK economic downturn

This study provides consideration of the impact made by the uncertain business environment experienced in recent times in the UK on manufacturing priorities within its SME sector. This uncertainty centres on the economy’s volatility during the recessionary period from 2008 onwards. A consequence of this is a realignment of manufacturing priorities, initiated by senior management within in the sector, accounting for sectoral conditions and associated market response. The study is based on a mixed methods research strategy, comprising a survey of 104 UK-based manufacturing SMEs and 17 interviewees with senior employees from these participating organisations. The study contributes to existing knowledge by building upon existing theoretical constructs of manufacturing strategy, specific to the manufacturing sector, and establishing a realignment of associated priorities around cost, flexibility, delivery performance and quality

New Applications for Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) in Higher Education: Understanding Student Satisfaction

Purpose - The constantly evolving higher education sector is creating a need for new business models and tools for evaluating performance. In this paper, an overview of the importanceperformance analysis (IPA) model and its applicability as a management tool for assessing student satisfaction in the HE sector is provided. The objective is to apply IPA in a new and novel manner, undertaking analysis at three levels; the individual student, for individual attributes and at a construct or factor level which combines individual attributes that are correlated. A practical application is illustrated, assessing the gap between the importance placed on specific student satisfaction attributes and corresponding levels of student-perceived performance realised. Design/methodology/approach - The “service product bundle” (Douglas et. al., 2006) is refined based on focus group evaluation. Survey responses from 823 students studying across four Malaysian private Universities are analysed using Factor Analysis and the IPA model utilised to identify importance-performance gaps and explore the implication of the iso-rating line as well as alternative cut off zones. Findings - Factor reduction of 33 original measurement items results in eight definable areas of service provision which provides a refined and extended management tool of statistically reliable and valid, constructs. Research limitations/implications - The research is undertaken in a business school context. Further research could focus on other faculties such as computing and engineering or explore other elements of education-based performance. Practical implications - The research method and study outcomes can support HE managers to allocate resources more effectively and develop strategies to improve quality and increase student satisfaction. Originality/value - Distinct from other IPA based-studies, analysis is undertaken at three levels; the individual participant, for individual items and at the factor level

The impact of maintenance practices on operational and business performance

Maintenance and plant engineering are considered to be important parts of the strategy underlying successful manufacturing. The aim of this paper is to investigate the deployment level of good practice in these areas compared to other manufacturing processes and what impact they have on an organisation’s performance. It draws empirical results out of the data provided from a large-scale benchmarking study carried out in a specific region of the UK and tests part of these with case research. The findings are discussed, highlighting any variations between company size, sector and world-class status and the significance of any correlation found between practice and performanc

Environmental turbulence and the role of business functions in the manufacturing strategy debate: the case of UK-based SMEs and the Great Recession

This study provides an empirical assessment of the United Kingdom (UK) manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) sector, exploring the impact of environmental turbulence specific to the post–Great Recession (2008) era on changes to the way manufacturing strategy is formulated and implemented. The study identifies changes to the frequency, fluidity, formality and focus of manufacturing strategy review and how the various business functions play a changing role in contributing to this strategic process. A mixed-methods research approach is applied, incorporating a survey of 104 UK-based manufacturing SMEs supported by 17 in-depth interviews with senior managers. The research uses a parallel mixed analysis of the two data sources, thereby offering an alternative to the mono-quantitative approaches to manufacturing research that have dominated. The findings show that during, and emerging from, the post–Great Recession environment, the majority of manufacturing SMEs employ a fluid, highly frequent approach to manufacturing strategy review with increasing contributions from their marketing, sales and finance business functions driven predominantly by function-specific response to changes in the external environment, although internal drivers sill influence high-level strategy, finance and human resources. The implications of the study to theory, practice and general management suggest that the MSME sector is dominated by organizations experiencing continual impact from the external environment

Environmental turbulence: impact on UK SMEs’ manufacturing priorities

Purpose This paper aims to assess the impact of 2008 recession (Great Recession)-led environmental turbulence on the manufacturing small and medium enterprise (SME) sector and its related competitive priorities. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods research strategy, consisting of a survey of 104 manufacturing SMEs located in the UK, complemented by 17 in-depth interviews with senior management representatives from this survey group. Findings Senior managers have prompted a realignment of competitive manufacturing priorities accounting for external financial and market conditions. Differing competitive priorities post-recession are given to various areas of manufacturing decision-making, the greatest impact being on manufacturing costs. Manufacturing flexibility, performance in meeting customer deliveries and enhancing supplier selection are merited to increase priority with relatively little change for process technology, quality and environmental practices. Research limitations/implications The sample of survey participants was relatively small, therefore prohibiting an assessment of differences in competitive priorities by sub-sectors of manufacturing SMEs. This was offset by a healthy number of informative, in-depth interviews that provided a richness of examples and insight into the shifting priorities for the sector. Practical implications Clear priorities have emerged around reducing manufacturing costs, being more flexible in manufacturing and improving outward performance relating to customers and suppliers. Originality/value This builds on established manufacturing strategy constructs and points to necessary competitive priority realignment focused on the performance areas listed above