Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management

 

Special Issue on: "Emerging Issues and Methodological Challenges in Organisational Management: Cases, Experiences and Propositions"

Guest Editors:
Osvaldo Luiz Gonçalves Quelhas and Alex da Silva Alves, Fluminense Federal University, Brazil
Paulo Selig, Santa Catarina Federal University, Brazil

Organisational management pratices began to evolve with the Taylor approach, which was based upon theories of time and methods. Labour costs played a large role in total product cost, as is still the case today in some older sectors of the economy. Nevertheless, it became clear that businesses needed to extend organisational management into other areas, such as materials control (planning and production control, layout, quality) and financial aspects (costs, inventory, savings).

In the more advanced areas of today’s industrial sector, labour costs do not exceed 10% of total costs. The management of contemporary organisations can be seen as a scale with two balances. On one side: cost reduction; on the other: the increase in value. Traditional firms normally invest in the former, while modern, competitive firms attempt to increase the value of their products and services.

The increase in value is associated with technological innovation and the development of new products and services. Added value can also be achieved via transport systems that carry goods from places where they are abundant to places where they are scarce and then, of course, charging a higher price for those goods.

The principal goal of an organisational management strategy is to create efficiency within the enterprise. In order to improve competitiveness in today’s world, it is necessary to improve upon certain factors that were considered fixed parameters under the previous paradigm. These factors include product design, a mastery of technological development, improving marketing and logistics, improving stakeholder relations, good corporate governance, transparency, meeting profit targets, and social and environmental responsibility.

Today, competitiveness is principally determined by: the development of new materials and processes; the automatisation of production; logistics and marketing; the development of a good reputation; risk management for the continuity of business; adequate financing of production and distribution; and currency considerations in cross-border trade. It will continue to be necessary to invest in these areas in the coming decades. The absence of stimulus measures designed to improve competitiveness caused an accelerated process of deindustrialization in many countries beginning in the 1980s. Correcting this problem requires a broadening of the scope of activities of the operations manager.

The purpose of this special issue is to offer present high-quality contemporary research articles addressing innovation and the development of organisational management in the current context, taking into consideration some specifically described conditions. In particular, we are looking to publish articles of empirical research with a clear theoretical contribution based on qualitative and/or quantitative data. The theoretical base for the submitted articles must be up-to-date and relevant in order to add value to the development of the science of organisational management.

Subject Coverage
Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

• Social responsibility and the enterprise
• Risk management and the environment
• Urbanism and sustainable construction
• Energy efficiency
• Waste management
• Environmental economics
• Environmental economics training
• Environmental education
• Environmental management
• Clean production
• Project management
• Strategic management of people
• Total quality management
• Information systems
• Marketing and products
• Strategy and competitiveness
• Corporate finance
• Process management
• Knowledge management
• Ergonomics
• Safety and occupational health management
• Quality of life at work
• Management of socially friendly projects

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Important Dates

Manuscripts due by: 5 August, 2013

Notification to authors: 7 October, 2013

Final versions due by: 9 December, 2013

Papers submitted earlier than the submission date will be put through the review process on rolling basis and authors may expect feedback sooner.