Browsing by Author "Reeves, Richard"

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    Context analysis - A technique for analysing research in a field, applied to literature on the management of R & D at the section level
    (Cranfield School of Management, 1997) Falkingham, Leslie T.; Reeves, Richard
    Context Analysis is a new method for surveying a body of publications as a whole. The process consists of creating a database of information about the publications in a field of study and then looking for interesting relationships in the data. This paper presents our findings about one particular research field, Management of R&D at the Section Level. We investigated how the research activity is related to practitioner needs in this field and found evidence to support the views that the literature in this field provides a forum for debate rather than for the reporting of formal research, and that the publications generally conform to a different assumption about the nature of the R&D process than that held by practising R&D managers. We obtained confirmation of our allocation of facts and judgements about papers by sending a questionnaire to the authors of the papers. The paper discusses practical aspects of how to apply the method in other fields, and suggests that the method might be useful in informing the strategies of researchers and funders of research.
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    Factors for success in acquiring information technology
    (Cranfield University, 1995-12) Jawad, Ali Qassim; Reeves, Richard
    The acquisition of new IT systems is expensive and risky. Systems often fail to provide the expected services, or may commit an organisation to a particular long-term solution to its information management needs which can be very costly to change. The purpose of this research was to help organisations to manage the IT acquisition process with greater chances of success. In this research `Acquisition of IT' means the whole process of initiating, implementing and then using an information technology system. The approach taken was to identify success factors for IT acquisition. A large number of actual acquisition cases were examined, and a list was compiled of factors reported by people involved in these cases to affect their success or otherwise. The relative importances of these factors were then measured quantitatively by correlating the degree to which each factor was present in the cases, with the degree of success of the cases. This work has produced: a comprehensive list of factors to be considered; a method of defining what is meant by success for a given project; a description of the acquisition project lifecycle; and an identification of the different roles played by different people within an organisation. It is shown how to integrate these considerations into a structured approach to managing IT acquisitions. This integrated approach is called the Success Map. Three mini case studies were included, and one of these was analysed in the light of the findings. In a supplementary section, fifteen guiding principles for people involved in an IT acquisition are presented.
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    The four schools of thought in research and development management and the relationship of the literature to practitioners' needs
    (Cranfield School of Management, 1997) Falkingham, Leslie T.; Reeves, Richard
    Abstract We have found that publications in the literature on R&D management can be classified according to four different forms of reasoning about the R&D process, which we call schools of thought. We have also found that managers of research subscribe to the same four forms of reasoning. The fact that managers unconsciously think in one of four different ways about R&D management explains some of the problems that occur in practice. A preponderance of publications favour one school of thought, whereas a preponderance of practical managers favour a different one. This raises a doubt about the degree to which the published papers meet practitioners' perceived needs.
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    Manufacturing technology acquisition
    (Cranfield University, 2002-08) Mallon, Michael John; Reeves, Richard
    This thesis concerns the acquisition of newly developed production equipment in factories. Types of Manufacturing Technology Acquisition (MTA) can range from in-house development through to outright purchase from a supplier. MTA projects often fail because the new equipment fails to perform well enough or the expected financial benefits are not achieved. The purpose of this research has been to find out how to select the right manufacturing technology acquisition projects, and having chosen them, how to make them successful. Very little guidance on this subject was found in the literature. Therefore the approach taken was to adapt techniques widely used in the much more deeply researched field of New Product Development (NPD). The Success Factor method was applied by conducting interviews with managers in a number of factories to develop lists of factors thought to affect success or failure in their MTA projects. The Portfolio method from NPD was adapted to the case of managing a total MT`A budget, and developed through its use in three annual cycles of equipment acquisition in the researcher's Company. A formula for Expected Commercial Value in NPD was modified to become Expected Manufacturing Benefit, and tried out in practice. An important consideration in manufacturing equipment projects was discovered to be the replication of projects which had proved successful, and ways to incorporate this factor into the project selection procedure were developed. A detailed case study of a single project was carried out, which verified the validity of the findings at the level of a single project. This case study also revealed the considerable impact that corporate strategic events can have on technology acquisitions. This led to a case study on corporate strategy in the Company being carried out. Finally the findings were brought together to present a complete model for managing MTA.
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    Maturity framework for e-Government in Oman
    (2004-05) Al-Rawahi, Hamed S.; Reeves, Richard
    The aim of this research was to develop a model for successfully managing the development of e-government in Oman. E-government refers to the transaction of government business with citizens by electronic means, including email and the internet. The outcome of a series of workshops for managers involved in IT in Oman was that a number of issues would need to be investigated before starting to implement e- govenment on a large scale, and there was seen to be a need to develop a systematic roadmap. The management of the Y2K project in Oman was then evaluated, and practical lessons were learned which would be applicable to subsequent national-scale IT projects. Ways of measuring the progress of countries regarding e-government, and a number of basic management models for introducing e-government, were found by researching the literature. These models covered fewer management aspects than had been found in this research. One important model was the Maturity Framework, which had been applied with some success for managing IT in one international company and one UK Government agency. It was decided to develop a maturity framework for e-government, incorporating the best ideas from the literature, and adding new ideas from the research carried out so far. Detail was added to the new framework, called the POTIRDMO framework, by research involving a large number of IT stakeholders in Oman. The completed POTIRDMO framework has been tested in use and has been compared against frameworks developed by other Governments. The new framework is more comprehensive than previous frameworks because it includes People and Organisational aspects of management, in addition to Technology aspects. It also defines the Characteristics of each stage, the Tasks to be done, and the Measures of completion. Road mapping and benchmarking functions are implicit within the model. It is now being used to manage the development of e-government in Oman.
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    Patent portfolio structure for single technology companies
    (Cranfield University, 2004-07) Hartwell, Ian P.; Reeves, Richard
    Single technology companies (STCs) are defined in this thesis as companies that (a) have the fundamental rights to a new technology, (b) have development of that technology as their core competence, (c) seek to exploit that technology primarily by licensing the patent rights, and (d) are driven primarily by 'technology push'. These factors often result in much of the value of the STC residing in its patent portfolio. This in turn may place significant - and often conflicting - demands on the Intellectual Property (IP) Manager of the company. A review of the literature reveals a lack of guidance for the IP Manager, exacerbated by inconsistent terminology. To provide the IP Manager with suitable tools, this thesis explores the logic behind patent portfolios, optimal patent portfolio structure for STCs and a risk management (RM) approach to patents. Three stages in the patenting decision process are identified together with associated responsibilities, some of which extend beyond the IP department. Fundamental concepts of external Risk Factors/intemal Objectives and Patent Relationships are also proposed. A real-life patent portfolio belonging to an actual STC is reviewed, with a previously abstract literature method being adapted to depict that portfolio. Several Patent Relationships are found and the hitherto unexplored characteristic of 'Advantage' is identified as a way of showing other Patent Relationships. When applied to a second real-life portfolio, this reveals a new model for patent portfolio structure - the three- dimensional Scope/Advantage/Integration diagram - as well as highlighting that portfolio structure is determined by Risk Factors and Objectives that will be different for each STC. The thesis finishes with an examination of patent risk, particularly patent invalidity. Invalidity modes in Europe and the US are considered in detail and a comprehensive review of patent data sources is carried out. Results from two previously unexplored data sources are found to be consistent with trends proposed in the literature.
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    Technology catch-up actions for manufacturing companies in Pakistan
    (Cranfield University, 2004-08) Iqbal, Numan; Reeves, Richard
    Technological development in manufacturing companies has been considered as a key contributor to the economic development of nations. Research has confirmed that the contribution of technological development to national wealth is more than 50 %. The objective of this research was to explore the steps which could help manufacturing companies in Pakistan to catch-up in technology with the leading companies in the world. The first step was the quantitative measurement of the status of technology in a sample of manufacturing companies in Pakistan through a new survey method. Numerous interviews with experienced senior factory managers in Pakistan then explored the issues, including barriers to technology improvement, their solutions, actions that could promote technology, and stages required for catch-up in technology. Three case studies included in this process helped in understanding the issues. The outputs were the lists of barriers, solutions, and actions, each organised in a new-found framework of issues essential in technology development, and a four-stage technology catch-up path. A survey then ranked the barrier and action factors in order of their importance. The most important ones were compiled in the form of action plans for factory managers and government policy makers. Similar barrier, solution, and action factors were then explored in the literature on manufacturing companies in successful East Asian countries using content analysis, and ranked in order of importance. This also resulted in action plans and a four-stage technology catch-up path. The results from the Pakistan research were then compared with the results from the literature, and combined to develop comprehensive action plans. This research found that catch-up in technology was possible through specific actions in defined directions by the factory managers themselves without explicit help from the government, although such support can be very valuable.