Research Companion to Green International Management Studies, Essay Example

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to rationalize the use of business simulation models in professional practice. The researchers utilize an example implemented by the Banque Générale du Luxembourg in the form of a case study to demonstrate the benefits of this practice. The researchers found that simulation processes tend to be successful when the quality of the input data is high, when industrialized and complex processes are being analysed, when simulation objectives are clear, and when there is a high level of expectations management. Overall, the authors show that it is reasonable to apply simulation models in business practice in a variety of different settings. This article was selected because simulation models are of high interest in the business world because these computations help business owners and employees gain a more significant understanding of what is needed to increase the profitability of their organization. Furthermore, I noticed that the abstract is missing a lot of information that I would expect from a peer-reviewed journal article so I was interested in determining the quality of the remainder of information that was presented.

Abstract Critique

The purpose of the abstract is to provide a summary of the information contained within the research article to provide the reader with a quick understanding of the data that it contains. As such, the abstract typically contains information concerning the research question that is being asked, the hypothesis, the research procedure, the results, and a conclusion that explains the value of the results. In some cases, this section provides information about future studies that can be conducted using the information contained within the article in addition to the next steps for the authors. However, the abstract in this study was constructed in a manner that does not provide the reader with sufficient information about the study conducted (Waller 2001). The primary information that a researcher can retrieve from the article is that the study is on business simulation models and that the authors use practices employed by the Banque Générale du Luxembourg for a basis of understanding. Additional information that a researcher would need to identify the value of this article is significantly lacking.

Introduction Critique

The introduction is worded in a manner that ensures that even individuals who have not studied business are able to understand. By using simple words, the authors are able to connect with a wide variety of people and get them interested in their academic work. The first several paragraphs work to justify the need for simulation processes in the business world. The author explains that businesses were suffering from the limitations placed on them by production, so competition wasn’t a significant concern. As a consequence, there were often many businesses producing the same product and none of the products were of high quality. When businesses first recognized the value of pleasing the customer, however, organizations began to inset a high degree of interest in research that aimed to determine how to accomplish this goal.

In addition to introducing these ideas, the author also uses the introduction to outline the paper. However, he simply indicates where the reader could find information regarding the methodology used for the study in addition to other components. This approach appears disorganized and does not support the work that the author put into creating the paper (Lowry et al. 2007). In the introduction section, readers typically expect to gain an understanding of the background and rationalization for the project, the question being asked, and the hypothesis. Although the author has done an excellent job in providing the background and rationale for the study, presenting it in clear terms, he does not accomplish the other goals of the introduction, making it generally ineffective.

Section 2 Critique

While the abstract and introduction lead the reader to believe that this study will be an analysis of simulation processes, the second section of the study provides a literature review to further delve into the topic of simulation processes in addition to some more of the background information necessary for the reader to gain an understanding of the topic. This appeared to be an ineffective choice on the behalf of the author because this information would have been more beneficial in the introduction section. Furthermore, the abstract should have indicated that a literature review or meta-analysis was a major component of the periodical (Margetta, 1998). This section allows the reader to gain a better understanding of the use of process centred engineering in the computer industry in addition to how this is applied to banks (Serenko et al. 2011). However, it appears that this section could have been merged with the introduction to provide the reader with a more significant understanding of the topic in terms of paper organization. In addition, some of this information should have been contained within the abstract to create a greater understanding of context for the individuals who encounter this article during a literature search.

Section 3 Critique

Section 3 appears to be the most significantly beneficial section in the research paper because it provides the reader with an understanding of the steps that need to be taken in process analysis and design. The three steps that the author provides includes the need to “assess as-is”, “build to-be”, and to implement a “feedback loop”. The understanding presented in this section is not highly technical and it appears that the purpose of this article is to provide readers with a simplistic understanding of the methodology used to create simulations. A majority of these terms apply to the design process rather than the steps that need to be taken using a computer or using hand calculated mathematics (Keen, 1997). It is valuable for professionals in the field to have an understanding of the step by step actions they can take to implement simulation processes in practice (Garvin 1998). The way that such processes are presented in the article prevents the business professional from being able to take immediate action after reading this methods section. It is therefore challenging to determine the intent of the article based on the way it is written. It appears that it is meant for business professionals or other individuals that may want to incorporate these steps in their own practice, but the article lacks the information that will help these individuals accomplish this. Instead, this information is written in a very simple manner that would make it more appealing to individuals that are not familiar with the field. However, it is unlikely that someone that is not in the business field would benefit from the information contained within the article, so the style used to explain the information is perplexing.

Section 4 Critique

The application of the simulation model to the Banque Générale du Luxembourg was a valuable contribution to the paper because it allows the reader to learn new information about simulation processes. By providing an example of the BGL process map, it becomes more likely for business professionals that are interested in using this technique to determine how they can apply these findings to their own practice. However, it would have been beneficial to have been provided a more extensive information regarding the construction of this process map in addition to the method used. This section of the paper is the one that allows individuals that read it to gain a new understanding of information that they can use directly, but it is seemingly not a major emphasis in the paper overall. Prior to this section, the author spends a significant amount of time introducing the topic instead of explaining what was done, why it matters, and how it contributes to the greater research field at large. As a result, the most interesting section of the paper is buried within a mass of somewhat disorganized information (Hendler 2007). This is not a positive effect because it is likely that a small number of professionals were able to access this information because they deemed it not worthwhile based on the information that came prior to section four (Stalk et al., 1992). The presentation of an article is essential because researchers aim to find information that they think they need. When this article was published, it was likely released in a paper journal, making the task of finding relevant research studies even more challenging for a majority of professionals in the field. Thus, it is likely that this paper did not receive the acclaim it deserved when it was published initially.

Section 5 Critique

As mentioned in the summary, section five is valuable because it simulation processes tend to be successful when the quality of the input data is high, when industrialized and complex processes are being analysed, when simulation objectives are clear, and when there is a high level of expectations management. This section is short, but provides professionals with information that they could implement immediately in their practice in order to obtain results that will help them more accurately predict the needs of the customer (Hammer 1996).

Conclusion

The conclusion describes the value of implementing simulation processes in the business setting that could be broadly applied to a variety of practices. However, it could be said that the results acquired from this particular study are internally valid because only one organization was used for this case analysis. Therefore, while it appears that the information presented in the conclusion is truthful, it would not have been possible for the researchers to gain this understanding from just the analysis they performed (DeLange 2011). It would have been valuable for their literature review to discuss a greater number of examples in which these results would have held true to gain more credibility in the publication.

Summary

It would have been beneficial for the article to have been structured more efficiently. A clearer presentation of the results would allow for meaningful findings to be more readily recoverable by researchers and professionals that wish to use the information reported in their own practice.

References

De Lange, D.E., 2011. Research Companion to Green International Management Studies: A Guide for Future Research, Collaboration and Review Writing. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Garvin, D.A., 1998. The process of organization and management. Sloan Management Review, Summer: 33-50.

Hammer, M., 1996. Beyond Reengineering: How the process-centered organization is changing our work and our lives. New York: Harper Collins.

Hendler, J., 2007. Reinventing Academic Publishing-Part 1. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 22: 2–3.

Keen, P., 1997. The Process Edge. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Lowry, P.B.; LaMarc Humpherys, S.; Malwitz, J.; Nix, J. 2007. A scientometric study of the perceived quality of business and technical communication journals. IEEE Transactions of Professional Communication, 50: 352–78.

Margetta, J., 1998. The power of virtual integration: An interview with Dell Computer’s Michael Dell. Harvard Business Review, 2:73- 84.

Serenko, Alexander; Jiao, C,  2011. Investigating information systems research in Canada. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 29: 3–24.

Stalk, G., Evans, P., Shulman, L.E., 1992. Competing on capabilities: The new rules of corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review, 1:62-73.

Waller, A.C., 2001. Editorial Peer Review Its Strengths and Weaknesses. ASIST monograph series. Information Today.