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Exploring the ROI in leadership development: a global energy company case study	[ "Leadership development", "Return on investment", "Action learning" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Leadership development and training programs continue to be a staple of organizations large and small despite considerable problems in demonstrating that they are worth the costs. Compared to demonstrating return on investment (ROI) in most fields, leadership and its development are more intangible, often harder to identify, and outcomes are not easily judged against a single, dollar and cents yardstick (on the complexity and contrasts in approaches to evaluating leadership development see Hannum et al., 2007 and compare the approach, for example, in Chapter 3 with the one advanced in Chapter 5).\n1. A clear and direct impact on business results: Course participants reported direct, clear and distinct ROI payoffs in terms of improved productivity, efficiency (reductions in costs and cycle time) and health, safety and environmental concerns as illustrated in the following quotes:... I was able to create and realize a vision for my work group to improve the automation of sample entry at the ... lab from 30-80 percent. This improved the timeliness and quality of lab data returned to the refinery on average by 35 percent. The results of these efforts can be estimated in the $2-3 million/yr.... we have seen reduced numbers of incidents related to Health, Safety and Environmental issues. This cost avoidance has been noticed in terms of fewer incidents and reduction of workmen's comp claims and medical costs.\n2. Expanded leadership capacity contributes to business results: Responses that grouped together in this category share an emphasis on better leadership that naturally improved performance and bottom line results. The effect on ROI is indirect. Enhanced leadership is not a business result in itself, but it leads to better business results:At the beginning of 2006, my team created a view of the year ahead by describing what a great outcome would look like. At the end of the year, they had achieved everything on the list. This was a real testimony to a \"Future by Design\".My learning contract was about having a more visible presence, and the increased confidence enabled me to speak out more assertively regarding business issues, which had a positive impact on the bottom line. Further, I believe that the course helped me focus on attributes of my staff which were impediments to their own ability to be productive, and I have been able to make my team more efficient and effective, working together to solve problems.\n3. Course content improves performance: The responses that fell together here share a reference to specific course concepts or skills as having a bottom line pay off. Respondents saw skills such as vision, enrollment, influence, effective listening, and \"managing conversations\" (basic elements in the course) as contributing to ROI. That specific skills and conceptual tools were still alive and working for graduates, some of whom had completed the course up to five years ago, attests to the sustainability of what was learned:Mission Control(tm) concepts as well as making powerful requests, allowed much improved prioritization and front-end loading of activities. Using Creating a Vision concept allowed for creation of a product that went well beyond the day-to-day delivery and great efficiency and training tool for others. This was also recognized with a ... [major company] award.It [the course] has reduced cycle time in making critical business decisions because the upward conversations to decision makers is more effective. The conversations are more effective because there is more effective listening and presence ...Course design for transformative and action learning\nConclusions: Although difficult to demonstrate that leadership development pays off in a large, complex organization, our subjects, all graduates of this leadership development program at a major, global energy company, had little trouble perceiving a positive ROI linked to what they learned in their course. We found this to be so in our investigation of all course graduates from the preceding five years as well as in a panel investigation of a graduate cohort that we tracked over 18 months after their course. Given these findings, the course and its design - especially the five factors we identified as a result of being participant-observers - warrant careful consideration by those seeking to realize returns from their investments in leadership development.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Leadership development courses are widely used despite lack of general agreement about their payoff or return on investment (ROI). The author's purpose is to explore and document the ROI of leadership development.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors used three different but complementary approaches - survey research, participant observation, and a panel study in triangulating on the ROI effects of a leadership course\nFindings: - The three core findings were that most all respondents (90 percent) reported that the course paid off in terms of ROI; content analysis revealed three broad sources of ROI; and five elements of course design seemed important linkages to ROI pay offs.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This research is limited because it is exploratory and breaks new ground. It suggests that the actual experience of participants in leadership development courses and course design should be further studied in research on the bottom line effects of leadership development\nPractical implications: - To enhance the ROI of leadership development pay attention to five elements of course design\nOriginality/value: - Participants in a well designed leadership development course readily connect their course with ROI. Human resource managers and researchers should pay more attention to the experience of participants in evaluating ROI.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Barnard's model of decision making: a historical predecessor of image theory	[ "Chester Barnard", "Image theory", "Decision making", "Management theory" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: While I was working with William Scott on our Barnard papers the image theory work was going on at the same time. So, I'm sure there was spillover in terms of ideas. But, I do not think Lee (Beach) and I explicitly talked about Barnard because it was the decision literature that actually drove the work, and Lee [Beach] was the master of that literature. You can certainly make a comparison between the two and to the extent that image theory supports some of Barnard's ideas, it is certainly confirming of them. We did not think of it that way but that doesn't mean it is not true (Mitchell, 2010).\nBarnard's model of individual decision making: In his model published in the Notes, Barnard gives primacy to social environment as the most important contextual factor affecting individual decision making. In particular, he claims that \"certain kinds of social conditions primarily evolve and function as material or equipment of decisive behavior\" (p. 45). In other words, specific social context can trigger a decision-making process and influence it to evolve in stages. Barnard identifies seven stages that comprise the processes of making individual-level decisions. These stages are:1. The apprehension and acceptance of the end-in-view (goal adoption).2. The organization of the situation (goal context).3. The discrimination of the factors of the situation (filtering).4. The discrimination of alternatives (determining the best alternative).5. The integration of alternatives and end (to act or not to act).6. The translation of the strategic factors into terms of acts (implementation).7. The fixing of choice (execution) (p. 45).As these stages often occur simultaneously, each stage is \"discriminated only as merely analytical elements\" (p. 45). This means that Barnard's individual decision-making process is modeled to occur in interdependent stages. Most problems occurring in these stages of the decision-making process could be resolved logically, where Barnard defines logical as \"a conscious operation with concepts and facts, deliberate observations, investigation and testing\" (p. 46). This use of formal logic highlights the need for decisions to be justifiable in order to be accepted by others as reasonable decisions.Although the decision stages occur either simultaneously or sequentially, problems occurring in each stage have a definite timeframe. Barnard argues that a major role in resolving these problems is played by the decision maker's intuition, particularly relative to the timing of the stages (Novicevic et al., 2002). He therefore insists that problems in most stages are resolved intuitively, as a result of \"responsive, habitual [processes] [...] originating in sentiments, and not conscious\" (p. 46). In effect, the stages leading to the decisive behavior of individuals are not always conscious, but rather habitual, inspired or prescribed. These stages are shown in Table I and the role of intuition and other factors affecting problem solving in these stages are described in the following section of this paper.Stage 1: the apprehension and acceptance of the end-in-view (goal adoption)\nImage theory model of decision making: The origins of image theory\nComparison of Barnard's and image theory models of decision making: In the first part of this section, we first summarize and then juxtapose Barnard's and image theory's models of decision making. In the second part of this section, we compare these two models for congruence and incongruence to assess their similarities and differences.Summary of Barnard's model\nConclusion: In this paper, we have compared and contrasted a historical (Barnard) model of decision making and a contemporary (image theory) model of decision making. Our comparison reveals certain similarities, as well as certain differences between the two models. While there are similarities between the two models, we do not make the claim that image theory developed out of Barnard's model. Rather, image theory seems to bear out the thought process of Barnard as it pertains to individual decision making, and indicates empirical support for several parts of his model. A closer examination of these similarities and differences provides a justification to our claim that Barnard's model is an intellectually historical predecessor of image theory of decision making. For example, we found that image theory's value image uses the decision maker's guiding beliefs, values, and views of what is considered appropriate (Mitchell and Beach, 1990), which is very similar to what Barnard wrote much earlier (i.e. in Note I) regarding the acceptance of decision alternatives based on beliefs, social conventions, and attitudes.Our analysis, however, is not without limitations. Specifically, our analysis of Barnard's (1995) notes on decision-making behavior was primarily restricted to Notes I-V, which focus only on Barnard's basic definitions of and general discussion of decision making along with the seven stages of decision making. Future research should more closely examine Notes VI-XI in order to determine if additional congruence exists between Barnard's model of decision making and image theory.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine Chester Barnard's decisional model utilizing the lens of image theory. The main claim is that the individual decision-making model proposed by Barnard in his Notes on the Significance of Decisive Behavior can be evaluated within the framework of image theory.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper performed a comparative analysis of Barnard's and image theory's models of decision making to outline congruence and incongruence between Barnard's early conceptualization of individual decision making and the contemporary understanding of image theory.\nFindings: - The findings provide support to the claim that image theory is an appropriate framework to describe Barnard's model.\nOriginality/value: - The unique contribution of this study is that it provides the first theoretical analysis of Barnard's model of individual decision making. Barnard's model of individual decision making is little known because it was posthumously published in his Notes on the Significance of Decisive Behavior 35 years after Barnard's death.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Economic development and channel evolution in The People's Republic of China	[ "China", "Channel flow", "Economic development", "Government policy", "Marketing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between economic development and channel structure. A number of studies have raised the proposition that a country's distribution channel structure is a function of economic development (Douglas, 1971; Mallen, 1975; Kaynak and Hudanah, 1987; Olsen and Granzin, 1990; Samiee, 1993; Mallen, 1996). Identifying and explaining the factors that influence channel structure is one of the most important tasks of channel research (Anderson, 1985; Bucklin et al., 1996; Dwyer and Welsh, 1985; John and Weitz, 1988; Klein et al., 1990; Stern and Reve, 1980). As the economy evolves from a planning orientation to a market orientation, distribution structure reform is a critical factor in this process (Luk and Li, 1997; Cundiff and Hilger, 1988; Olsen and Granzin, 1991).\nChannel structure: A study of channel structure may focus on one or more of three dimensions: the types of channels used, the number of channel levels and the type and number of institutions that comprise the channel (Bello and Williamson, 1985). Studies of channel structure have also investigated channel length (Dwyer and Welsh, 1985; Olsen and Granzin, 1990, Sharma and Dominguez, 1992; Couglan and Lal, 1992), bureaucratization (John and Reve, 1982; Boyle et al., 1992) and ownership patterns. In this paper, channel structure is conceptualized as the number and size of marketing intuitions in the channel.Channel structure is important from a public policy perspective as many governments in developing countries have put in place vertical distribution systems, bypassing traditional channels. And distribution reform plays a very crucial role in a country's economic development. The failure of Gorbachev's perestroika was primarily due to a breakdown in the economy's distribution system (empty store shelves, widespread hoarding of goods, etc.). Such a breakdown in distribution was actually both a cause and effect of a general loss of public confidence in the former Soviet Union's economy (Holtzman, 1991), which finally contributed to the fall of Gorbachev and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some studies focus on the dimension of government economic policy and have demonstrated its influences on market entry decisions (Karakaya and Stahl, 1989; Root, 1994). In addition, several marketing scholars have studied the effects of the economic role of government and associated policy factors on distribution systems in different countries (Fubara, 1991; Mahmoud and Rice, 1991; Mitchel, 1991). In addition to its importance at the macro level to researchers and public policy officials trying to better understand the forces that shape the organization of the exchange system, channel structure is strategically significant also at the micro level to individual firms and hierarchies attempting to enhance profits and lower costs.Most studies of channel evolution have attempted to determine a relationship between economic development and channel length. However, as Olsen and Granzin (1991, p. 61) assert, \"the few empirical investigations have been severely limited in scope\". Only about half of the studies reviewed in Sharma and Dominguez (1992) were tested empirically, resulting in conflicting findings. Wadinambiaratchi (1965) and Olsen and Granzin (1991) found that channels lengthen as economic development occurs. On the other hand, Livesay and Porter (1969) found that channels shorten. Forman and Riegelhaupt (1970) and Douglas (1971) found that the function is U-shaped, i.e. channels first lengthen and then shorten as was also the case in Olsen and Granzin's (1991) empirical study of agricultural channels. Other difficulties in interpreting the findings stem from the diverse methodologies used. Some researchers focused on developed countries; others on developing countries. Most relied on cross-sectional data, while only Layton's (1989) and Livesay and Porter (1969) analyze time-series data. Such differences in methodology may account for the apparent differences in empirical findings (Boddewyn, 1981; El-Ansary and Liebrenz, 1982).\nDeterminants of channel structure: Sharma and Dominguez (1992) proposed that channel evolution is a function of economic development and consequent changes in shopping behavior, management style, government intervention and the degree of urbanization. Samiee (1993) proposed similar variables for studying distribution structures in developing economies. Neither Sharma and Dominguez nor Samiee empirically tested the propositions raised in their articles, but gave some suggestions as to how the constructs might be measured. Based on the literature of channel structure and distribution reform, we posit that channel structure is a function of economic development, mobility and environmental variables, which include government policy and urbanization. A test of these relationships is reported below.\nResearch model: Our research model posits that channel length is a function economic and environmental variables as conceptualized in Figure 1.Economic development\nVariable measures: Table I lists the criterion and predictor variables, hypotheses and variable measurement. The productivity of a nation's aggregate channel system is the composite of all channels. As a result, direct measurement is infeasible. Instead, proxy measures may be used (Sharma and Dominguez, 1992). In this study, we use a measure based on the ratio of the number of wholesale and retail establishments per Yuan 100 million sales as an indicator of distribution intensity, which we term channel throughput index (CTI). An increase in the CTI indicates that the average size of distribution intermediaries decreases, and vice-versa, a decrease in the index indicates that average size increases.\nModel specification and data used in the study: The hypotheses in this study were tested by using time series and cross-sectional data. In a country the size of the PRC, regional economic differences are significant (Jiang and Prater, 2003). This has resulted in uneven economic development between regions and variability in reform policy (Luk, 1998).The ordinary least squares method was used for multiple regression and correlation analyses. The linear regression function is given as:(Equation 1)t = 1980, 1981, 1982, ... , 1999 yearwhere:(1) Clt = value of the dependent variable in the t'th trial, or observation. Clt is channel structure (CTI).(2) GDP/n, Ur, G, Pa = the specified value of the independent variable in the t'th trial or observation.(3) GDP/n is GDP per-capita; Ur is the urbanization ratio; Pa stands for mobility (seats per-capita) and G is government.b0 = intercept of the regression equation.b1-6 = parameters of the regression equation, which indicates the contribution ratio of each factor.Data set\nFindings: Regression analysis results\nSummary and conclusions: The most significant findings from the above research are that channel structure is determined by economic development and to some extent, by government policy. Both of these factors work hand-in-hand to affect distribution reform. First, economic development provides the need for more efficient channels, first as more privately-owned intermediaries enter the distribution system, and later as the number of channel intermediaries contracts partly stemming from vertical integration and from a shakeout of less efficient enterprises. Second, government policy can be formulated to encourage these developments. In order to promote distribution reform, the government's \"open policy\", which allows for market access by foreign firms as well as local ones, should be continued. Moreover, the government has permitted, since 1986, the sale of goods by manufacturers directly to retailers, thereby making some state distributors redundant. In addition, chain stores sell a wide range of goods from necessities to durables, with food products accounting for 63 per cent and clothing 4 per cent of sales (Taylor, 2003). An increase in the proportion of chain stores in distribution channels will increase their leverage over manufacturers, perhaps leading to backward vertical integration (Sun, 2000; Xu, 2000). Moreover, the larger size of distributors and retailers will afford them buying power over manufacturers, resulting in both lower prices to consumers and better quality goods. While the above examples of market access were a condition for China's entry into the World Trade Organization, it is expected that most of the restrictions affecting the distribution sector will soon be phased out. Removing such restrictions will encourage more foreign investment, which in turn, will contribute to China's economic development. As Wan (1992, p. 307) had pointed put, \"no matter whether the state firms should be privatized or revitalized, a thriving, self-confident private sector holds the key for reform\".While these findings indicate that channel evolution for the country as a whole is a function of economic and environmental variables, some of the results of data analyses show that because a developing or emerging economy has sectors or regions that are in different stages of development, the effect of predictor variables may be different by region. As more cross-sectional data for China becomes available, this issue can be investigated further.Forty years ago, Bucklin (1965, p. 31) stated that the study of the structure of distribution channels was one of the most neglected areas of marketing scholars. Expanding our knowledge of the relationship between economic development and channel structure not only will contribute to the development of marketing theory, but also has practical implications. Understanding these relationships may aid in the more successful transfer of marketing techniques between countries at different stages of economic development. It may also reduce the reliance on trial and error in the implementation of marketing reform in emerging economies. Another question that can be investigated is the extent of efficiency in channels. As channels become shorter, how more efficient do they become? In order to answer these questions, more research of the sort presented in this paper should be carried out in additional countries, especially those in transition toward a market economy. In the case of China, follow-up research can be done as additional data becomes available. Such research would be a welcome addition to theories of channel evolution and structure.\nNote: 1. The regression analyses may be obtained by contacting the authors.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The objective of this study is to develop a model for analyzing the relative importance of facilitating and constraining factors that determine changes in the structure of distribution channels as a country progresses along the path of economic development.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Data on channel structure were collected on national, regional and municipal levels. The hypotheses in this study were tested by using time series and cross-sectional data. The ordinary least squares method was used for multiple regression and correlation analyses.\nFindings: - The most significant findings from the above research are that channel structure is determined by economic development and, to some extent, by government policy. Both of these factors work hand-in-hand to affect distribution reform. First, economic development provides the need for more efficient channels, first as more privately-owned intermediaries enter the distribution system, and later as the number of channel intermediaries contracts, partly stemming from vertical integration and from a shakeout of less efficient enterprises. Second, government policy can be formulated to encourage these developments. In order to promote distribution reform, the government's \"open policy\", which allows for market access by foreign firms as well as local ones, should be continued.\nResearch limitations/implications: - More cross-sectional data for China are needed in order to better analyze the impact of different economic sectors (at different levels of development) on channel evolution. As more data become available, these analyses will be possible.\nOriginality/value: - Very little is known about the factors that shape a nation's channel system. Improvements in distribution systems are crucial to upgrading marketing systems in developing countries. Understanding how improvements in distribution systems contribute to economic development can aid decision makers in developing countries to improve resource allocation. This study has contributed to the theory of channel evolution in developing countries.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Introducing a multimedia course to enhance health professionals' skills to facilitate communities of practice : Experiences of the first cohort of course participants	[ "Networks", "Technology", "Qualitative research", "Communication", "Open learning", "Continuing professional development" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Health professionals who exchange information and learn new ways to practice as they interact with trusted colleagues function as communities of practice (COP) (Aveling et al., 2012). COP are defined as groups of people who share concerns about a practice and who deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis (Wenger, 1998). In contrast to hierarchical relationships found in traditional work groups, professionals in COP build cooperative social connections where trust and interdependence facilitate knowledge sharing that leads to practice improvement. Health professionals in formally appointed COP, referred to by Aveling and colleagues as clinical communities, share common commitments to specific practice improvement goals and work collaboratively to achieve these (Aveling et al., 2012). Recent reports (McDermott and Archibald, 2010; Fung-Kee-Fung et al., 2008) provide convincing evidence that COP that are actively facilitated by appointed professionals who have skills in community facilitation are more likely to improve the practice and performance of their members compared with COP that function informally and are not recognized on the organization chart. Not surprisingly, health care institutions are encouraging their leaders to seek training in COP facilitation and foster clinical communities to establish a culture of continuous practice improvement (Nurani et al., 2012).\nCOP facilitator's course description, coordination and implementation and facilitation: Course description\nEvaluation methods: theoretical approach, data collection and analytic techniques: Theoretical approach\nFindings: Demographics of course participants\nFeedback from participants who failed to complete the course: Altogether, seven participants either voluntarily withdrew from the course or were classified as not completing because they failed to complete the assignments. They all provided information to the course coordinator regarding the circumstances for their failure to complete the course. Most frequently they cited time constraints and inability to access the online discussions from their place of work and inadequate computer equipment at home. Furthermore, they had failed to establish a home-based community of practice. The reasons for this were varied but were most often related to lack of organizational support or failure to get buy-in from colleagues, or both. This in turn made it difficult for participants to complete practicum based assignments, and their motivation for doing readings and keeping up with discussions likely suffered. The course coordinator observed that although these participants appreciated the theory of COP, they were generally unable to define a practice realm with members of COP that was compelling enough to get commitment from those members.\nSurvey results: The survey was sent to 15 participants who completed all or parts of the course. In total, 12 (80 percent) responded. All respondents indicated their intent to add COP facilitation to their resume, to offer their expertise to their organization and to mentor colleagues to build COP in their work place. The majority (\nParticipants who successfully completed all components of the COP facilitator's course: There was a lead \"community\" of six participants who formed the core membership (McDermott, 2000) of the course\nSuccesses and recommendations: This course was perceived by many to make a unique contribution to the field of COP facilitator training. The curriculum was considered to be comprehensive by most participants although a few expressed concerns that it was too in-depth and time consuming for health professionals seeking an introduction to basic COP facilitator skills. The COP facilitation model of the course itself, involvement of participants who have institutional support for COP facilitation, participants with some authority to contribute to meeting structure, outcomes and deliverables, and a sufficient duration of training (three months) to foster a personal transformation among participants, were all considered important to the initiative\nLimitations of the study: A certain selection bias is inevitable with this evaluation as those participating in the course were well aware of course objectives and expectations. Interviewees were selected because they were actively engaged in course discussions, applied course concepts and generated discussions based on course concepts and content. This is in keeping with the literature supporting learning that leads to behavior change in practice is most likely to occur among those who are actively engaged in the learning process (Haidet et al., 2002). While participants who withdrew from the course provided their reasons to the course coordinator, which centered on their time limitations and possibly unrealistic expectations of participation, a more extensive evaluation of those who did not complete all components of the course would have provided useful perspectives. This particular study chose to focus on the elements of successful participation and the analysis and discussion highlights elements for successful course delivery.\nConclusions: Health professionals, especially those from different backgrounds and experiences, benefit from learning together and exploring their unique and overlapping practices. COP provide a venue for interactivity between community members and have been shown to contribute to improved practice (Aveling et al., 2012). Facilitating COP in ways that encourage exploration of shared practice, or \"practice talk,\" beyond the tasks of operations or policy oriented meeting debates and discussions necessitates a shift in traditional facilitation (Parboosingh et al., 2011). To address these various needs of COP facilitators, a three-month on-line course was developed and implemented in Alberta, Canada, in 2011. Many participants acquired basic knowledge about community facilitation by completing the self-learning modules and assignments, traditional components of most online courses, but did not establish home-based COP and did not take advantage of the interactive components of the course which strongly anchored the course learning. Personal and narrative aspects of facilitation were emphasized by participants over learning the technical management web-based or social media components, though these were not viewed as disconnected elements of COP (Anderson et al., 2001). The online discussion aspects of the course were viewed very positively and accessed routinely by participants. Online discussions were aggressively facilitated however, which stood in to model the community vs technical or connectivity (Sandars and Langlois, 2006) aspects of the practice of COP facilitation. Facilitating \"practice talk\" at a distance was of particular relevance for the participants who were bringing health professionals together from across great distances in the western Canadian province.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Scholarship about communities of practice (COP) is uncovering evidence that interactivity between community members contributes to improvement in practice. Leadership and facilitation are crucial elements of successful COP implementation. The purpose of this paper is to describe an innovative COP facilitator\nDesign/methodology/approach: In response to this need and emerging evidence, an on-line COP facilitator\nFindings: A total of 15 of 22 participants perceived they acquired basic knowledge about community facilitation by completing the self-learning modules and assignments. Many did not establish home-based COP and only partially participated in the interactive components of the course. Six participants successfully completed the course by establishing home-based COP and actively participating in the social and interactive components of the course. They perceived they met course objectives and greatly benefited from participation in the course, in particular when they pushed themselves to facilitate in new and different ways, and when they were actively engaged with their home-based COP where they could practice and receive feedback.\nResearch limitations/implications: While the main reasons why participants dropped out or failed to complete all course components were reported, the experiences and perceptions of six participants who successfully completed all course components form the major part of the evaluation of the course and hence introduce bias. A more in depth analysis of why learners are reluctant to engage in participatory learning could be the focus of further studies.\nPractical implications: The following key recommendations emerged in the study alongside recommendations for further study of best practices in supporting COP facilitation. First, a formal interview before enrollment into the COP facilitator\nOriginality/value: The collaboration, networking and interactivity of interdisciplinary health care workers is of tremendous consequence to health outcomes and a vital concern to practitioners and administrators. Little is currently understood of the leadership and facilitation of the COP models and these discoveries lend a timely contribution to the field.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Entrepreneurial intention of Danish students: a correspondence analysis	[ "Denmark", "Students", "Correspondence analysis", "Entrepreneurial education", "Entrepreneurial intention" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The importance of entrepreneurial activity as a driver of employment opportunities (technological), innovation and national as well as international competitiveness has been widely acknowledged (Nabi and Linan, 2013; Wennekers et al., 2005). Thus, entrepreneurship is one of the drivers of economic growth (Carree and Thurik, 2003) and in the past decade, entrepreneurship conditions have become a focus for policy-makers (Schott and Jensen, 2008). This has led to investments in various activities in countries around the world to foster entrepreneurial activities and entrepreneurship among young people (World Economic Forum, 2009). Amongst others, Denmark invested in its entrepreneurship education - especially at the university level (Schott, 2009). Policy-makers expected that investments in entrepreneurship in general and entrepreneurship education in particular increase students' knowledge, motivation and intention to start a new business. However, these investments seem not to show a particular impact. Even if new venture creation has been slightly increasing in Denmark since the financial crises, the level is still below pre-crisis (OECD, 2015), a trend that is supported by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) reports. According to the GEM report 2014, entrepreneurial intention (EI) in Denmark is considered as the lowest among European countries (Singer et al., 2015). This might be the result of lower perceived capabilities and a higher fear of failure even though the opportunities were observed to be higher in Denmark compared to the average of European economies (Schott, 2011; Singer et al., 2015). Furthermore, entrepreneurship can be seen as a social activity that is influenced by the social environment (Roman et al., 2013). Thus, entrepreneurial activity can be hindered or facilitated by socio-cultural factors (Krueger et al., 2013). Schott (2011) argues that welfare state models and national cultures as contextual factors enable us to explain different forms of entrepreneurship. The Danish culture characterised as collaborative and egalitarian but also change-oriented and individualistic enhances entrepreneurial activity in general whereas the welfare state model might direct this entrepreneurial ambition to innovations in organisations (Kvist and Greve, 2011).\nTheoretical framework: The TPB (Ajzen, 2002) is - not only in social psychology - one of the most influential models for the explanation of human behaviour. The theory assumes and empirical studies have also shown this, that behavioural intention is the best predictor of human behaviour (Ajzen et al., 2009). Within the entrepreneurship research, this also applies to EI (Fitzsimmons and Douglas, 2011; Kautonen et al., 2013; Linan and Chen, 2009). It is particularly important to examine behavioural intentions with regard to the phenomena such as entrepreneurial behaviour because this kind of behaviour is rather rare, difficult to observe and it takes place in an unpredictable period (Krueger and Carsrud, 1993).\nMethodology: Sample\nResults: In the following, first, some descriptive results of the Danish GUESSS study are presented using the above-indicated theoretical considerations as a basis. In a first step, the description of the sample focusses on students' career choice intentions in general, EI in particular and TPB-related variables as well as the contextual variables. The results are reported across the background variables gender, age and fields of study.\nDiscussion: This study investigates career choice intentions and EI of students in Denmark using JCA. This offers several valuable contributions to the literature.\nConclusion: This study gives a comprehensive insight into Danish students' entrepreneurial motivation and intentions. Its observations point to the fact, that entrepreneurship education at Danish universities needs to be improved; not only through increased offers of higher education programmes, courses and activities in entrepreneurship education but also through customised offers dependent on the student's level EI and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. In addition to these practical implications, the differences between the levels of EI and related variables indicate an explanation for the contradicting results with regard to research on entrepreneurship education, which Lima et al. (2014) mention in their study. Lautenschlager and Haase (2011) criticise the current entrepreneurship education to be \"rather a contemporary fashion and far from being effective\" (Lautenschlager and Haase, 2011, p. 154). They propose that educational systems should promote creativity and problem solving instead of focussing on imparting knowledge. In addition to that, the authors of the present study suggest that entrepreneurship education should be more customised to the different needs depending on the level of EI and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. The development of self-efficacy should be a major area of concern. Self-efficacy plays a significant role in the development of social skills, which are at least of the same importance as \"hard\" skills, like writing a business plan, when it comes to entrepreneurship (Kolb, 2011; Robinson and Stubberud, 2014).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the entrepreneurial intention (EI) among Danish university students applying the theory of planned behaviour.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using cross-sectional data from the Danish Global University Student Spirit Survey 2013 (n=1,027) the analysis is based on a joint correspondence analysis (JCA) investigating the relationships between the variables.\nFindings: Results indicate that students prefer a career as employee showing a low EI. Both very high and very low EI are related to very high/low self-efficacy and perception of entrepreneurial climate and learning.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study points to an improvement of entrepreneurship education through customised offers dependent on the student's level of EI and entrepreneurial self-efficacy.\nOriginality/value: Moreover, this study has proven that the JCA is a useful method to analyse the relationship between EI and other related variables in an exploratory study.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
When social media traumatizes teens: The roles of online risk exposure, coping, and post-traumatic stress	[ "Coping", "Post-traumatic stress disorder", "Cyberbullying", "Online privacy", "Online safety", "Online sexual solicitation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Most adolescents use social media daily (Lenhart et al., 2010), which necessitates an examination of the potential \"dark side\" of social media use for teens. Adolescent internet use has been associated with decreased well-being (Kraut et al., 1998), and excessive use has been tied to depression (Young and Rogers, 1998), anxiety (Dalbudak et al., 2013), aggression (Lim et al., 2015), and social isolation (Kraut et al., 1998). Teens who use social media and similar platforms excessively may also develop addictive behaviors (Balakrishnan and Shamim, 2013), especially when they have fewer offline social ties (Yang et al., 2016) and suffer from social anxiety (Elhai et al., 2018). These addictive behaviors often lead to poorer mental health (Xue et al., 2018) and an increased risk of identity theft via malicious profiles (Rose, 2011). Teens may also use social media to fulfill adverse gratifications such as voyeurism and exhibitionism (Mantymaki and Islam, 2016). Negative effects of social media on mood have been related to the nature of teens' online interactions and viewing behavior (Lee et al., 2015), suggesting that exposure to certain online risks may be detrimental to teens' developmental growth (Burk et al., 2014). This has led to concern over the emotional and psychological effects of risks teens encounter online, including sexual solicitations (Rice et al., 2015), privacy breaches (Berriman and Thomson, 2015; Berry, 2004), cyberbullying (O'Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson, 2011), and explicit content exposure (van Oosten, 2015). Although parents may restrict access to certain websites, this may still not shield them from online risks (Peters, 2006), as many risks teens encounter online occur on social networking sites (Mitchell et al., 2014). Given the pervasiveness of social media use among teens (Forsyth et al., 2013), it is unrealistic to completely prevent online risk exposure. Thus, some researchers have shifted away from restricting teens' internet behaviors to addressing the risks that teens may inevitably encounter online, so that they can be resilient against them (Wisniewski et al., 2015).\n2. Background: the dark-side of social media for teens: Our research examines the potential dark side of social media and online engagement for teens. Recent research has begun to illuminate the potential psychological effects of social media use, such as a detrimental impact on adolescent self-esteem (Kross et al., 2013), and increased risk for depression (O'Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson, 2011). Social media sites encourage users to present the most positive aspects of their lives (Kramer and Winter, 2008), leading to dissatisfaction via social comparisons (Coyne et al., 2017) and \"Facebook depression\" (O'Keeffe and Clarke-Pearson, 2011). Adolescents may even develop social media addiction after excessive use (Balakrishnan and Shamim, 2013). While such psychological effects of social media use may be fairly insidious, social media can also directly expose teens to a myriad of risky online situations. In the next section, we provide a review of the adolescent online safety and risk literature to delineate these online risks.\n3. Application of theory and research framework: 3.1 Risk and adolescent resilience\n4. Methods: 4.1 Diary study overview\n5. Results: 5.1 RQ1: effects of online risk exposure on PTSD\n6. Discussion: Our results brought many novel insights. When examining our first research question (whether online risk exposure could lead to PTSD symptoms), we found that most online risks can lead to PTSD symptoms. Second, we found that these symptoms are not necessarily reduced by coping behaviors. Instead, as suggested by our third research question, teens tend to engage in behavior as a response to PTSD symptoms, rather than as a response to risk exposure. These results are consistent with the transactional theory of stress, which suggests that coping often occurs in response to stress, and not to the event itself. This suggests that teens tend to engage in online coping behaviors when they feel traumatized by risk exposure.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which negative online risk experiences (information breaches, explicit content exposure, cyberbullying and sexual solicitations) cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in adolescents. The study also explores whether teens' short-term coping responses serve to mitigate PTSD or, instead, act as a response to stress from online events.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study utilized a web-based diary design over the course of two months. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling with repeated measures.\nFindings: The study confirmed that explicit content exposure, cyberbullying and sexual solicitations (but not information breaches) evoke symptoms of PTSD. Analyses also indicated that teens engage in active and communicative coping after they experience post-traumatic stress, regardless of risk type or frequency.\nPractical implications: The authors found that teens took active measures to cope with online risks soon after they felt threatened (within a week). Actively coping with stressful situations has been shown to enhance adolescent resilience and reduce long-term negative effects of risk exposure. If these early coping behaviors can be detected, social media platforms may be able to embed effective interventions to support healthy coping processes that can further protect teens against long-term harm from exposure to online risks.\nOriginality/value: This is the first study to examine situational PTSD symptoms related to four types of adolescent online risk exposure within the week exposure occurred. By applying two competing theoretical frameworks (the adolescent resilience framework and transactional theory of stress), the authors show empirical evidence that suggests short-term coping responses are likely a stress reaction to PTSD, not a protective factor against it.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The long-term linkages between direct and indirect property in Australia	[ "ARFIMA", "Cointegration", "Commercial property indices", "De-smoothing", "Granger causality", "REITs", "A-REITs" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Australian property has emerged as an important asset class in the investment mandate of both local and international investors. By December 2012, the total market value of the Australian commercial property market was estimated to be A$681 billion (Higgins, 2013). The indirect market, represented by the listed Australian real estate investment trusts (A-REITs henceforth), was valued at A$92 billion, representing over 6 per cent of the Australian equity market by December 2013 (Ferguson, 2014). Globally, Australia is home to the second largest REIT market in the world, accounting for approximately 10 per cent of the total global REIT market capitalisation (Macquarie Equities Research, 2011).\n2. Review of relevant literature: Empirical studies lack agreement, whether REITs and direct property markets are integrated. Though, some studies find evidence of integration, the relationship is not contemporaneous and this can be attributed to the appraisal-smoothing bias of returns for direct property. While some studies support the use of REITs to predict returns in the direct property market, others argue that REITs are more similar to stocks and therefore should not be considered as an effective substitute for direct property investments.\n3. Data and methodology: The sample period of this study spans from December 1985 to June 2013. Quarterly returns for direct property were derived from Investment Property Databank (IPD). These returns comprised of both capital growth and income return components for the broad commercial property sectors: industrial, retail and office real estate. The A-REIT price index data were sourced from Thomson Reuters Datastream, and the Morgan Stanley Capital International share price index was used as a benchmark for Australian shares. We reconstructed price indices for direct property, A-REITs and shares with a base value of 100 at the start of the study period, so we can test for cointegrating relationships later. The ten-year Australian government bond yields were used to proxy as long-term interest rates. The Australian property market experienced two crashes over this sample period. To accommodate the impact of these events on the long-run linkages between real estate and financial assets, we include two dummy variables as exogenous variable in our cointegration tests and error correction models. These assume the value of one for the quarters during 1988 to 1991, and from 2008 to 2009.\n4. Results and discussion: In order to unsmooth the returns of the appraisal-based commercial property index, an ARFIMA(4,d,1) model was used after comparisons with AR, ARMA and ARFIMA models with lags of up to four quarters and one MA term. The selection of a model with up to lags of four quarters accounts for the possibility that appraisers rely on prior valuations conducted up to a year beforehand. Since IPD publishes the index data on a quarterly basis, it is expected that even if there is a nonsynchronous appraisal issue of constituents within the index, the measurement of individual properties are updated sometime within the reported quarter and so an MA(1) term will be sufficient.\n5. Conclusion: We have examined the impact of appraisal-smoothing bias, nonsynchronous appraisals and cross-sectional aggregation on quarterly direct property index returns for Australia from 1985 to 2013. Our study compared AR, ARMA and ARFIMA unsmoothing methods proposed by Bond and Hwang (2007). We utilise smoothed and unsmoothed direct property returns to determine if direct property, A-REITs, stock and bond markets are integrated in the long term. We also examine how direct and indirect property adjusts in the short-term when there are deviations from the long-run equilibrium.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Investment in Australia's property market, whether directly or indirectly through Australian real estate investment trusts (A-REITs), grew remarkably since the 1990s. The degree of segregation between the property market and other financial assets, such as shares and bonds, can influence the diversification benefits within multi-asset portfolios. This raises the question of whether direct and indirect property investments are substitutable. Establishing how information transmits between asset classes and impacts the predictability of returns is of interest to investors. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors study the linkages between direct and indirect Australian property sectors from 1985 to 2013, with shares and bonds. This paper employs an Autoregressive Fractionally Integrated Moving Average (ARFIMA) process to de-smooth a valuation-based direct property index. The authors establish directional lead-lag relationships between markets using bi-variate Granger causality tests. Johansen cointegration tests are carried out to examine how direct and indirect property markets adjust to an equilibrium long-term relationship and short-term deviations from such a relationship with other asset classes.\nFindings: The authors find the use of appraisal-based property data creates a smoothing bias which masks the extent of how information is transmitted between the indirect property sector, stock and bond markets, and influences returns. The authors demonstrate that an ARFIMA process accounting for a smoothing bias up to lags of four quarters can overcome the overstatement of the smoothing bias from traditional AR models, after individually appraised constituent properties are aggregated into an overall index. The results show that direct property adjusts to information transmitted from market-traded A-REITs and stocks.\nPractical implications: The study shows direct property investments and A-REITs are substitutible in a multi-asset portfolio in the long and short term.\nOriginality/value: The authors apply an ARFIMA(p,d,q) model to de-smooth Australian property returns, as proposed by Bond and Hwang (2007). The authors expect the findings will contribute to the discussion on whether direct property and REITs are substitutes in a multi-asset portfolio.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Financial mechanism for the relief expenditure in India: some observations	[ "India", "Natural disasters", "National economy", "Emergency measures", "Capital expenditure" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: India is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. The location and geographical features render it vulnerable to a number of natural hazards such as cyclone, drought, floods, earthquakes, landslides etc. (see Table I). There is hardly a year when some part of the country or the other does not face the spectre of drought or flood, due to the failure of monsoon or the surfeit of it in vulnerable areas. One or two cyclones strike the coastal regions every year. Similarly, floods are regular feature in various parts of the country. The fragility of the Himalayan mountain ranges is a continuing source of concern for their high vulnerability for earthquakes and landslides. The earthquake in Bhuj indicates that the areas considered safe are not really so.\nConclusion: Based on the past experiences, following are the issues which State Governments should emphasize in the implementation of the existing schemes:* The States combine more than one calamity together and project it as a calamity of rare severity for getting the assistance from NFCR. This trend needs to be stopped.* The States should strictly follow the guidelines of the Government of India in respect of scales and items of assistance.* The general concept of relief is that no Government can entirely compensate the losses caused by any calamity. Items of relief should cover only those items, which directly provide assistance to the affected population to kick-start their livelihoods.* Financial assistance out of the CRF for repair/reconstruction/immediate restoration of damaged public utilities and the lifeline etc. should be discouraged. Necessary budget provisions for the above mentioned should be made in the annual budgets by the concerned departments.* States should take preparatory and mitigation measures to reduce the adverse impact of natural calamity. For this purpose about 20 percent of annual CRF allocation must be earmarked.* Prior to releasing the assistance from NFCR, it must be ensured that the State Government concerned has fully utilized the funds made available to them under CRF.* All the State Governments should start the comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme, operated by Ministry of Agriculture, failing which no assistance should be considered for Agriculture sector in the wake of natural calamity.\nNew initiatives: * States advised to adopt Disaster Management Acts.* Relief Codes being changed into Disaster Management Codes by including aspects of prevention, reduction and preparedness.* States have set up committees for the purpose.* Model code being prepared at the Central level for circulation.* A National Disaster Management Authority (ND MA) being set up at the national level and State D MAs in all States.* Departments of Relief and Rehabilitation in States to be converted into Departments of Disaster Management with wider Terms of Reference to include mitigation and vulnerability reduction. Terms of Reference of the Twelfth Finance Commission changed to mandate that the Finance Commission looks at the entire disaster management cycle and not only relief and rehabilitation.* Creation of Disaster Mitigation Fund of 2,500 million USD.* Planning Commission has included a specific chapter on Disaster Management in the Tenth Five Year Plan document with emphasis on pre-disaster aspects.* States advised to draw up plan schemes for Disaster Management and include them in State Plans.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper proposes to study institutional financial arrangements in India at national, state and district levels for providing relief and rehabilitation to the affected persons during natural hazards.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - India's location and geographical features render it vulnerable to a number of natural hazards such as cyclone, drought, floods, earthquakes, landslides etc. The Government and people have learned a lot of lessons from the past experiences and have developed a financial system to provide relief to affected persons during/after natural disasters.\nFindings: - For seeking assistance from National Fund for Calamity Relief (NFCR), the concerned State Government is required to send a memorandum, indicating in detail the sectorwise damage, requirements of funds from NFCR etc. Lack of information, in most of the cases, leads to delay in processing the requests of the State Government.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The study is based on the data/information collected for the last ten years (1995-2005). The period is short for developing any hypothesis but sufficient care has been taken to consider vital factors.\nPractical implications: - A calamity of rare severity requires a high level of relief assistance from the State. Sound financial mechanism helps the Government to tackle the problem immediately and efficiently.\nOriginality/value: - The study highlights shortcomings in the financial mechanism for relief in India and suggests steps to overcome them.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Rhetoric, narrative and management: learning from Mad Men	[ "Management", "Rhetoric", "Narrative", "Kenneth Burke", "Mad Men", "Richard Lanham" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: persuasive rhetoric and narratives: The conferences on \"Rhetoric and narratives in management research\" and the related publications highlight the importance of research on \"the interpretation of situations, the creation of meanings, and the role of rhetoric and persuasion in the formation of personal and corporate identities, as well as the development of society\"[1]. Indeed, the conferences have introduced new conceptions of management as \"persuasive management, and new views on educating people focusing on virtues, judgment and sensibility\" (see footnote 1). Persuasion has been described by the organizers as: \"ubiquitous in all kinds of personal, professional and academic interactions, including, of course, those concerned with managing organizations and doing scientific research\" (Bonet et al., 2011, p. 7).\nBurke: symbol using animal: Burke's (1973) study of rhetoric starts from an analysis of literature and drama to comment on different aspects of life. From this perspective, literature becomes a form of sociological criticism. In fiction we find \"representative anecdotes\" which \"equip\" us: \"sizing up situations in various ways and keeping with correspondingly various attitudes\" (p. 304). Wayne Booth (in the Burkean tradition) elaborated on this metaphor and described all texts as essentially rhetorical acts: authors invite readers into a conversation and this interaction has ethical qualities. Literature creates \"the company we keep\" (Booth, 1988). More recently, Martha Nussbaum (1990) described novels as \"spheres of reflection\" about major themes in society (p. 11). In his analysis of the rhetoric of popular culture, Barry Brummett (2006) argues that \"[o]nce a way of understanding and reacting to a problem is encoded in a text, that text becomes a place to which others may also turn for motivation and perceptions\" (p. 180; see also Rutten and Soetaert, 2013). In a previous study on the Danish fiction series Borgen (Soetaert and Rutten, 2014) we linked this argument with the work of Richard Rorty who described a shift \"against theory and toward narrative\" (Rorty, 1989, p. xvi).\nLanham: attention and rhetoric: The new rhetoric of Burke and his focus on homo symbolicus can be linked with the more recent work by Richard Lanham, a scholar very much inspired by Kenneth Burke, who argues that Burke \"started the rhetorical conversation for our time\" (Lanham, 2006, p. 29). For Richard Lanham, rhetoric is in the air today, because persuasion and argumentation have become ubiquitous and omnipresent. In The Economy of Attention he explores the changing economics of our time - often described as an \"information economy\" - by suggesting that the term does not work anymore: \"information doesn't seem to be in short supply. It is precisely the opposite. We're drowning in it\" (Lanham, 2006, p. xi). Lanham (2006) suggests: \"What we lack is the human attention needed to make sense of it all. It will be easier to find our place in the new regime if we think of it as an economics of attention. Attention is the commodity in short supply\" (p. xi). From this perspective, Lanham highlights the role of styling and image-making in an economy where branding has become a central principle of marketing and corporate success. Advertising is all about getting attention and has become increasingly important in our society. Lanham (2006) introduces rhetoric as \"the economics of attention\" or the study of \"how attention is created and allocated\" and illustrates his perspective by describing the difference between stuff and fluff: \"you are trying to build something - the stuff is vital - but the attention structure the stuff creates, both in the making and the standing, is what finally matters\" (p. 59).\nMad Men: On the official website[2] Mad Men is described as: \"Set in 1960s New York, the sexy, stylized and provocative AMC drama Mad Men follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising, an ego-driven world where key players make an art of the sell.\" More specifically, the \"premise\" is presented as follows: \"The series revolves around the conflicted world of Don Draper (Hamm), the biggest adman (and ladies' man) in the business, and his colleagues at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Advertising Agency [...]. The series also depicts authentically the roles of men and women in this era while exploring the true human nature beneath the guise of 1960s traditional family values.\" Mad Men refers to Madison Avenue as central scene, which since the 1920s has become a metonymy for the American advertising industry. \"Madison Avenue techniques\" refers, according to William Safire, to the \"gimmicky, slick use of the communications media to play on emotions.\" The television drama Mad Men has been described as a representation and dissection of this Madison rhetoric (focusing on advertising and economic activities during the 1960s). In Mad Men the Greek agora has been transformed through the mass media.\nIdentitification and terministic screen: In the 1960s (today sometimes described as the Mad Men era) a new model of advertising appeared focusing on \"storytelling and brand identification.\" Indeed, advertising has become \"an influential part of our public symbol system\" defining our identities (Wills, 2011, p. 5). Advertisement has also become a form of entertainment (for some even an art form) and is also a tool for persuasion in a specific way. Burke (1969, p. 301; see also Wills, 2011, p. 5) wrote: \"In forming ideas of our personal identity, we spontaneously identify ourselves with family, nation, political or cultural cause, church and so on.\" The \"and so on\" became more and more essential in the 1960s: life styles - based on identification with products - became a major aspect of our identity construction. Burke's (1969) ideas about identification can be linked with how brand communities function. Burke categorized three sources of this identification: idealistic identification (based on shared attitudes, ideas and values e.g. in the same church or political party, etc.), formal identification (sharing organized events) and - particularly interesting for this article - material identification (resulting from owning the same goods, e.g. cars, clothes, computers) (Varey, 2002, p. 34).\nAttention economy: Mad Men can be read as an interesting illustration of how the attention economy was created in the 1960s, and the difference between stuff and fluff became more and more important and a central issue in advertising. As Adam Arvidsson (2006, p. 7) notes in his book Brands, the \"substance of brand value lies in consumer attention\" and in managing \"social communication processes\" that are \"external to the brandowning organization.\" His central hypothesis is that brands are \"immaterial capital\" and that they \"embody the fusion of the attention and the production economy, of aesthetics and economics more generally, long underway in the transition away from Fordism\" (Arvidsson, 2006, p. 7).\nHomo rhetoricus: Mad Men is a series about a profession, \"a show about work,\" and the connection between the characters \"isn't so much friendship but a common pursuit - they work in an advertising agency together\" (Graham, 2012a, b, p. 1). From cultural and communication studies we learn: \"Any portrayal by media and fed to the public is susceptible to being eaten by the public and then converted into a label that reflects what the public believes to be true for all individuals holding that particular position\" (Everidge, 2010, p. 5). Apart from the manner in which the practitioners of certain professions are portrayed, we should also realize that the fact that precisely these professions are selected, tells us something about what is in the air in a particular society.\nConclusion: Don Draper becomes a case study of what it means to be a homo rhetoricus (and the entelechy of the concept). He exemplifies what Stanley Fish (1989) has written about Lanham's homo rhetoricus: \"homo rhetoricus is a manipulator not only of reality but also of the rhetorical subject that enacts the reality\" (p. 42). Indeed, by exploring and playing with the means of persuasion and trying them on, Draper becomes the rhetorical subject. Socrates' adage \"the unexamined life is not worth living\" becomes a screen for Don Draper and others in the series who lack self-reflection: \"Their alarming lack of self-awareness makes the show a fertile ground for philosophical discussion[11].\"\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: In previous research on rhetoric and narrative in management research, cultural narratives have been studied as tools to reflect on rhetorical situations from the perspective of management. The purpose of this paper is to present a similar exploration of rhetoric while focusing on a modern example from popular culture: the television series Mad Men.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper first discusses rhetorical concepts from the work of Kenneth Burke and Richard Lanham as inspirational guides, thereafter, these concepts are used to analyze the case of Mad Men. Specifically, the main character Don Draper is analyzed as a homo rhetoricus in an attention economy.\nFindings: Don Draper becomes a case study of what it means to introduce a rhetorical perspective in advertising and management. It is argued that Don Draper's reflections in the series can be described as a \"perspective on perspectives\" or as a \"toggling\" between different rhetorical perspectives.\nOriginality/value: Previous research discussed the emergence of spinning and the appearance of the \"spin doctor\" as a major figure in society in general and fiction in particular. In this article, it is argued that the same is also true for advertising. Mad Men is introduced as a case study about the revival of rhetoric as a major skill and an important perspective in and for our personal, professional and social lives.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Typology of university students regarding attitudes towards food waste	[ "Consumer behaviour", "Factor analysis", "Food waste", "Attitude surveys", "Young people", "Cluster analysis" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Food safety, environmental issues, food prices and the discussion about concerns about hunger have increased the attention to food waste in the last years (Glanz, 2008; Gjerris and Gaiani, 2013). Food waste means that valuable and scarce resources, such as water, soil and energy, are being lost, which generates economic inefficiencies and have a negative environmental impact (WRAP, 2015; European Commission, 2015, 2017; European Parliament, 2017). Private households are the largest contributors to food waste in food supply chain, particularly in advanced EU countries, and the researchers agree that more efforts need to be done to reduce this waste and generate a sustainable food system (e.g. WRAP, 2009; Gjerris and Gaiani, 2013; Marangon et al., 2014; Jorissen et al., 2015; Principato et al., 2015; Gaiani et al., 2018).\nTheory of food waste: consumers' knowledge, awareness and concerns: Food waste may occur at various stages of production and distribution process: at food items acquisition, storage, use of materials, cooking and food distribution (Ferreira et al., 2013). Estimates of European food waste reveal that the share of EU food waste can be structured as: 53 per cent households, 19 per cent food processing, 12 per cent food service/catering, 11 per cent primary production and 5 per cent retail/wholesale (European parliament, 2017). Some estimations show that in Croatia, on average, about 380,000 tons of food is wasted in a year, whereas more than 53 per cent of food waste comes from households (HINA, 2017). These figures justify further research on food waste particularly at a household level.\nMethodology: In the literature, there is still no universal definition of food waste (Gjerris and Gaiani, 2013; Caldeira et al., 2017; Gaiani et al., 2018). In our research, we applied the definition of food waste used by WRAP (2009), where food waste includes household's, avoidable and possibly avoidable food waste that is or might be edible, and excludes unavoidable food waste derived from food preparation (such as bones, shells and skins) that is not edible. The choice of the definition was made to make our paper in line with Principato et al. (2015).\nResearch results and discussion: Factors that affect food waste\nConclusions: This study examined the knowledge, awareness and concern about food waste of university students as a significant part of young consumers' population in Croatia. In general, high awareness of the young people regarding food waste issues is observed. Generally, examined young people are more concerned about economic losses than about environmental problems or health issues.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the knowledge, awareness and concern of young consumers towards avoidable and \"edible\" food waste, and identify groups of individuals based on their attitudes. In addition, this study describes demographic and behavioural characteristics of each group.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data were collected by a questionnaire conducted among university students in Croatia. Factor and cluster analyses were applied to identify the groups of individuals with similar attitudes towards food waste.\nFindings: Results show that there are five factors that represent the knowledge, awareness and concern about food waste of young people - awareness of food waste problem; concern about economic aspects of food waste; health concern; concern about environmental impact of food waste; and awareness and concern about expiration date. Based on those factors, four groups of consumers were identified: consumers concerned about economic effects of food waste; unaware consumers neglecting food waste; well-informed consumers; and fully aware consumers, but not ready to take health risk.\nPractical implications: The results of the study can be used by marketers and policy makers when planning food waste reduction activities to focus their campaigns towards consumer niches, based on the typology of young consumers.\nOriginality/value: This study provides a typology of university students based on their knowledge, awareness and concern about food waste in Croatia, as an example of a transition and new EU member state, where the issues about food waste are relatively new and underexplored topic.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
CGIJ review	[ "Organizational learning", "Organizational development for effective clinical governance", "Accreditation", "Continuous quality improvement", "Clinical effectiveness", "Emerging healthcare delivery structures" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nDoes hospital accreditation improve the quality of care: Turkish nurses' views: Accreditation of hospitals to meet international standards for care is a significant component in the improvement of healthcare standards worldwide. Hospital accreditation commenced in the USA with the formation, in 1951, of the Joint Commission on hospital accreditation. This has now become the Joint Commission on accreditation of healthcare organizations (JCAHO). While UK, Australian, Canadian and European models have been developed to monitor quality in healthcare, standards for quality assessment were largely lacking in other areas of the world such as the Middle East. To address this, the JCAHO developed the joint commission for international accreditation (JCI). JCI has accredited hospital in countries as diverse as India, Thailand and Brazil. JCI accreditation has also been used extensively in the Gulf States.\nPsychiatric handover: is it a patient safety issue?: Handover of care is an essential part of the communication between health professionals in all disciplines. In 2006 The post graduate medical education trust board (PMETB), which is now part of the General medical Council (GMC) recommended a formal, multi-professional model of handing over care at the time of shift changes or whenever care is transferred from one group of health professionals to another. However, there are indications that handover may be particularly problematic in psychiatric services where multiple agencies and both community and hospital teams may be involved\nNurse led discharge: improving care in ENT services: Patient discharge can be a problem in hospital settings. Delays in discharging patients can block hospital beds, and contribute to surgical cancellations. In the UK, the Department of Health (DOH) recommends the use of a nurse-led discharge (NLD) service to alleviate some of these problems.\nReducing errors and adverse events: the role of clinical governance: Clinical governance has been a key healthcare policy for the past fifteen years. However, medical and other health professional error is still a key risk factor in both secondary and primary care. In fact recent evidence suggests that the NHS receives up to 3,000 complaints about care every week.\nUsing a Delphi survey to create a tool for educational governance in hospital settings: The Delphi survey is a research methodology used to gain consensus from a group of experts. Developed by the RAND Corporation in the 1950s, it has been used extensively in both industry and healthcare.\nExtended scope physiotherapists: a successful service providing high quality and cost-effective care: The demand for orthopaedic services is rising due to an ageing population. One solution has been an increasing use of extended scope physiotherapists (ESP) in both diagnostic primary and secondary care settings. ESPs receive additional training enabling them to work beyond their traditional scope of practice. This entails undertaking work such as diagnosis and referral traditionally done by medical staff. However the precise nature of the ESP role is usually shaped by local need, thus there is no detailed internationally agreed definition of what ESPs do.\nThe psychology of staff retention: When new staff sign a contract of employment their first thoughts are often about duties and responsibilities, rates of pay and working hours. However, there is another equally important contract that has a significant impact on job satisfaction. This hidden contract has to do with the perceived obligations that employers have to their employees. These are based on the employer's commitment to the employee. While this can be difficult to define precisely it may include aspects such as fairness, justice, equal opportunities for training and advancement, respect, or compassion.\nUsing lean management strategies in African hospitals: Lean management approaches adopted from the Japanese philosophy of kaizen or change for the best, have become increasingly popular in Western healthcare settings. Originally developed by Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota, kaizen supports making easy and effective changes to promote simple efficiency measures. In hospital settings this philosophy has been adapted to create the 5S approach to quality. The five steps are: sort, straighten, standardize, and sustain. A basic explanation is that the sort step enables elimination of any equipment or protocols that are no longer needed or useful. The straighten phase is about organizing equipment so that it is in a logical, easily accessible position. Shine encourages cleanliness and standardization introduces protocols so that everyone is working in the same way. In a modern healthcare setting these should be evidence-based. The sustain phase is perhaps the most difficult as enthusiasm for new initiatives can quickly dissipate, or initiators can move on to new projects or new healthcare settings.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Provides an overview of the content of the current issue of CGIJ.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This review is prepared by the review editor to highlight key points within each article.\nFindings: Enables readers to scan content and select articles of most interest or relevance to their needs.\nOriginality/value: CGIJ is the only Emerald health journal providing this service to its readers.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A classification framework for facilities and real estate management: The Built Environment Management Model (BEM2)	[ "Built environment", "Facility management", "Real estate", "Process taxonomy", "Building information modelling", "Maturity models", "Taxonomy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Facility and Real Estate Management (FM/RE) activities contribute to about 5-10 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of advanced industrialized countries. The total value of FM activity, including support services, is about 8.2 percent of the UK GDP (Harris, 2002). According to a survey of Berger (GEFMA, 2001), 70 percent of US companies and 50 percent of European companies consider their real property to be a strategic resource.Recognizing the significant impact that facilities assets have an organizational bottom lines and to the larger economy (Hinks, 2004; OGP, 2005), stakeholders have been emphasizing the need for a strong conceptual framework that could help organizations derive greater value from their facilities assets. Then (1999) highlighted the \"need for strategic business planning to incorporate and, indeed, integrate the facilities dimensions of business delivery\". The US Government identified the management of its real property as a \"high risk area\", and established a framework to \"overhaul real property business practices\" (Teicholz et al., 2005). Dettbarn (2005) identified the need to integrate \"the strategic, operational, and tactical aspects of managing ... real property portfolios\" to increase the performance of the real property function in supporting the organization's mission. Shoet (2006) describes a \"need ... for the development of methods for the strategic management and maintenance of buildings\". The International Facilities Management Association identified in 2007 the linkage between FM and an organization's strategy as one of the most important current FM trends. Multiple European FM organizations are working on a conceptual framework outlining the nature and scope of Facilities Management (CEN, 2006-2009; Kloet et al., 2008). In 2008, EuroFM identified the potential for FM/RE to play \"a leading role\" in managing the built environment and is currently working on a multi-year research project to \"develop a program to advance knowledge in facilities management\" (Alexander, 2009). In addition, the emergence of Building Information Modeling (BIM) necessitates a clear framework of FM/RE activities and products to structure integrated data models (Wirdzek, 2010).\nThe body of knowledge in facilities and real estate management: To help organizations understand the strategic value of its real property, Facilities and Real Estate Management communities have produced a rich body of knowledge. The International Facilities Management Organization provides a knowledge-based FM framework that is organized around core competencies (IFMA, 2010). The new European FM standard contains a set of definitions focusing on service delivery, quality management, process development and space and cost standardization (EN15221; CEN, 2006-2009). The Institute of Asset Management (2008) organizes subject knowledge in its recently published \"Competency Framework\". Multiple other professional organizations, such as BIFM, EuroFM, FMA, IREM, CoreNet, APPA or ASHE, to name just a few, produce often extensive FM knowledge, in most cases as responses to the specific business needs of their constituents (Then, 2004). The academic world also has made important contributions to the discussion of how to leverage the FM function as a strategic resource. Chotipanich and Nutt developed an inventory of FM functions and assessed how to best position these functions within an organizational context to generate strategic value (Chotipanich, 2004; Chotipanich and Nutt, 2008). Then (1999, 2004) proposes a set of integration models and process sequences to facilitate the alignment of facilities demand and supply. Becker (2003) borrows the concept of portfolio management to develop an FM model that can effectively respond to fast changing corporate environments. Dettbarn et al. (2005) introduces the concept of Key Process Areas and Process Maturity, borrowed from Capability Maturity Models, to define a comprehensive model to link capital investments with organizational strategy.\"\nProblem statement: the need for a unified management model: Despite the growing body of work, attempts to categorize FM/RE business functions and their strategic value have not yet resulted in a generally accepted framework. Two challenges are responsible holding back such a uniform framework.First, the currently proposed frameworks remain fragmented between different constituencies. Numerous labels such as \"Real Estate\", \"Property Management\", \"Corporate Real Estate\" or \"Facilities Management\" separate the field into parallel communities with often only marginally varying business focuses. These labels conceal the fact that all of these communities have a broad range of common interests:* Does the portfolio of facilities and infrastructure adequately support the organization's vision and mission?* Does the organization have the right mix of facility assets?* Is the organization able to obtain or build facility assets effectively?* Does the organization have appropriate facility services and spaces?* Are facilities and infrastructure components adequately maintained?* Do the facilities comply with regulatory standards?Second, many existing frameworks in FM/RE are conceptually ambiguous and lack taxonomical rigor. A review of 17 existing FM/RE models showed that a majority of existing FM/RE frameworks rely on simplistic taxonomies with often unclear or even conflicting organizing principle (Ebinger and Madritsch, 2011). In addition, the review found that frameworks proposed by the big FM/RE associations were mostly based on simple lists or tree structures and had little value beyond providing an inventory of FM/RE knowledge. Several recently proposed frameworks employed advanced taxonomical principles to explain the organizational value of facilities assets, such as the models proposed by the Institute of Asset Management (2008), the European Standards EN 15221 (2006-2009) or the National Research Council (2008). However, all of the advanced models relied on several, unrelated frameworks to express the strategic value of facilities assets and are rather difficult to access.\nGoals and objectives: The continued fragmentation of the FM/RE constituencies, as well as the lack of a simple framework, triggered a multi-year project by a research group consisting of two graduate programs and of multiple FM practitioners in the US and Europe, with the goal to develop an \"industry neutral\" framework, that would respond to the two challenges: the framework should reflect general practices in Facilities Management and Real Estate in neutral terms, and it should be taxonomically consistent and easy to understand. The proposed model would be descriptive, i.e. it would show how the facilities asset management functions relate to each other and how they generate strategic value.\nMethodology: Literature review\nThe built environment management model (BEM2): The key process areas of the facility life cycle\nDiscussion: BEM2 has strong parallels to previously proposed models. The \"Integrated Resource Management Framework\" developed by Then (1999) divides FM/RE into four roughly comparable Key Process Areas, as does the \"Capital Project Portfolio Management (CPPM) Model\" by Dettbarn et al. (2005). Ten's model explains the interactions between the KPAs with process sequences comparable to BEM2, even though he doesn't explicitly refer to the asset life cycle. Contrasting, the CPPM Model shows the relationships of its Key Process Areas as continuous interdependencies without highlighting process sequences. Finally, the models of the European FM norm EN15221-1:2006 and the National Research Council (2008) highlights the value stream of FM activities by clearly defining the interrelationships of operational, tactical, and strategic levels.BEM2 refines the ideas of the above models and combines them with other principles from related management disciplines (Project Management and Information Technology). The resulting model follows clearly defined taxonomic principles. It consists of a matrix with two dimensions (asset life cycle vs. organizational value stream), that is overlaid with a sequence of primary and supporting facility asset management processes. The exclusive focus of BEM2 on processes and value stream, and the visuals with the three levels of detail (Figure 1, 2 and 3) make this model easily accessible.During the course of the research project BEM2 was used to evaluate over 50 organizations in North America and Europe within a wide range of industries. The model was found effective in helping organizations better understand the relationships between asset management functions and to identify inefficiencies from gaps or overlaps between these functions. The process model also provided the process framework for the implementation of a comprehensive Facilities Building Information Model in a large healthcare system in North America (Reuter, 2010).\nConclusion and further research: The introduced model BEM2 responded to the two challenges stated at the beginning of the project: BEM2 provides an \"industry-natural\" framework, as it was found to be applicable to a wide range of industries, ranging from asset-intensive processing industries to businesses, where assets are incidental, such as professional services firms. Second, the model has a clearly defined taxonomy. It matrixes the asset lifecycle with the organizational hierarchy and allows therefore to identify the \"who\" and the \"what\" of the asset management function. This conceptual clarity makes this model an effective tool to identify organizational gaps and overlaps between asset management functions, and it can help to facilitate discussions between organizational entities of how responsibilities should be most effectively aligned.Similar to comparable process models in PPPM and IT, BEM2 can be used to measure the \"how well\" (i.e. the \"maturity\") of each process. The research team is in the process of developing a maturity framework, the \"Built Environment Management Maturity Model\" (BEM3), which allows organization to measure how well the FM/RE functions identified in BEM2 are performing. The BEM3 methodology and results will be presented in a subsequent paper.The authors are convinced that process models such as the proposed BEM2 may help to further clarify the standards of the FM/RE profession and to increase the maturity of its business functions.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to present an industry-neutral classification model for the management functions of the organizational built environment: the Built Environment Management Model (BEM2). The model is intended to highlight the strategic value of the built environment management functions and to assess how efficiently these functions interact and generate strategic value.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The research team reviewed a wide range of existing management models for facilities management and real estate (FM/RE) and related management disciplines. In a multi-year research project, the team refined the descriptive model in an iterative validation process between researchers and practitioners.\nFindings: - The BEM2 framework is an inventory of FM/RE functions. The model highlights the relationships between the four major key process areas and shows the strategic value stream of each particular FM/RE function. BEM2 has proven effective in helping organizations understand the scope and value of the FM/RE functions. The tool can be used to identify organizational gaps and overlaps between divisions, and it can help to facilitate discussions between organizational entities of how responsibilities should be most effectively aligned. It can also serve as an effective model to support the implementation of an integrated building information model (BIM).\nResearch limitations/implications: - The model is currently limited to a description of processes and is as such explaining the sequence of FM/RE business processes. It does not yet address the skill sets required to effectively perform these functions.\nPractical implications: - The BEM2 framework was successfully used as the business model for the major restructuring process of a large real estate organization. It has also proven to be valuable as a way to introduce students to the subject of FM/RE. The adoption of BEM2 can help to further clarify the standards of the FM/RE profession and to increase the maturity of its business functions.\nOriginality/value: - The BEM2 model transfers principles from related management fields and assembles them into a comprehensive process model for the FM/RE model. It contributes to the discussion on standardization and taxonomy development in the FM/RE discipline.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Looking out or looking up: gender differences in expatriate turnover intentions	[ "MNCs", "International assignments", "Turnover intentions", "Female expatriate", "Female talent" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Over the past few decades, women have made much progress in the traditionally male-dominated corporate world, with their increasing representation in the talent pool at the entry level. However, women's representation in senior and executive positions in business organizations has not increased in tandem with the increase in the number of women entering the corporate world (Bear et al., 2010; Eagly and Carli, 2007; Torchia et al., 2011). For example, women currently hold 23 (4.6 percent) CEO positions at S&P 500 companies, and held 25 percent of executive/senior-level management roles globally in 2015 (Catalyst, 2016). The key contributing factors to the under-representation of women in a business organization at the top are high rates of turnover among women and disproportionately lower rates of promotion among women than men (Ibarra et al., 2010; Krishnan, 2009; Lyness and Heilman, 2006; Ryan and Haslam, 2009). In terms of the expatriate population, although the percentage of female expatriates has risen steadily (Adler and Gundersen, 2007; Tzeng, 2006), an overwhelming majority of expatriates is still men at an estimate of around 80 percent (Welsh and Kersten, 2014).\nLiterature review and hypotheses: A recent literature review of decades of domestic turnover research (Hom et al., 2012) suggests a number of new and important directions for future research, including a call to focus on \"proximal withdrawal states\" of turnover behavior. These are motivational states preceding turnover, derived from desires to stay or leave the current organization. It is a behavioral intention that reflects the subjective probability of, and the most direct and immediate cognitive precursor to, actual behavior (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Typically, the correlations between turnover intentions and actual turnover are reported at around 0.50 in various meta-analyses (Griffeth et al., 2000; Steel and Nestor, 1984), making it the single most powerful predictor of actual turnover. Even if not all turnover intentions translate into actual turnover behavior, employee turnover intentions have other detrimental effects, such as hampered performance or lowered morale, which often affect other employees within the organization (Felps et al., 2009).\nMethods: Sample and procedure\nResults: Means, standard deviations, and inter-correlations of the study variables are reported in Table I. The mean score of turnover intentions for the total sample is 3.13 (SD=1.22), slightly higher than the neutral point. The satisfaction with company support mean is 2.79 (SD=0.79), slightly lower than the mid-point, whereas the mean score of repatriation concerns is 3.25 (SD=0.94), higher than the mid-point. The mean of perceived gap between within- and outside-company career-advancement opportunities is 0.53 (SD=1.04), indicating that respondents assessed outside-company career-advancement opportunities higher than within-company opportunities.\nDiscussion: Over the past four decades, expatriation research has paid limited attention to gender issues (Kraimer et al., 2016). Our study aims to shed light on an increasingly important, but yet under-researched topic in the expatriation literature, namely, gender differences in expatriates' turnover intentions. Our study is one of the first to focus specifically on gender differences in expatriates' turnover intentions. It contributes to the literature by expanding the research horizon beyond the initial phases of international assignments, such as female candidates' motivation and willingness to accept an international assignment, and female expatriates' adjustment in host countries. Our findings did not reveal any significant gender differences in the level of turnover intentions per se. However, we found significant gender differences in two of the three antecedents of expatriate turnover intentions examined. Female expatriates in our sample were not affected by repatriation concerns nor by relatively more attractive alternative job opportunities elsewhere in their considerations to leave the company. What matters to female expatriates is their level of (dis)satisfaction with company support during international assignments. For male expatriates in our sample, consistent with prior studies, their turnover intentions were significantly influenced by all three antecedents. As such, expatriate turnover intentions are not gender driven. Instead, the underlying mechanisms leading to turnover intentions appear to vary by gender. Consequently, we call for a more nuanced approach to gender issues in expatriate turnover intentions by highlighting gender as a moderator rather than as a main effect. Below, we discuss how our findings contribute to the current literature on gender differences in expatriation research.\nConclusion: The challenges posed by global talent shortage and thin female talent pools in the global business environment make it imperative for MNCs to understand how to use international assignments to develop their much-needed female talent, and, more importantly, to keep them. Our study shows that female expatriates do not differ in the level of turnover intentions, but they do differ in what matters for them to consider leaving. We call for a more nuanced approach to understand gender-related aspects in expatriate turnover process by focusing on the multiple mechanisms that might operate differently for female and male expatriates. Although research in gender differences in expatriation is by no means new, we still have some way to go before we can truly achieve a better understanding of the complexities that operate female and male expatriates' turnover process.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: With the steady increase in the number of female expatriates and multinational corporations' (MNCs') pressing need for global female talent, understanding the factors that attract and retain female expatriates is urgent. Drawing from the literatures on gender differences in (domestic) labor turnover and gender differences in social networks, the purpose of this paper is to investigate gender differences in expatriates' turnover intentions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors collected data via a questionnaire survey from an international sample of female (n=164) and male (n=1,509) expatriates who were on a company-sponsored international assignment at the time of completing the survey.\nFindings: The findings show that female expatriates' turnover intentions are mainly explained by satisfaction with company support. In contrast, male expatriates' turnover intentions are explained by repatriation concerns and perceived gap between within- and outside-company career-advancement opportunities, in addition to satisfaction with company support. The authors did not find any gender differences in the levels of turnover intention per se.\nPractical implications: Since males dominate the expatriate cadre of most companies, existing expatriate retention strategies are likely to be geared toward males. Companies that value and want to retain their female talent need to gain a better understanding of what matters to female expatriates in their decisions to stay or leave the company, and adjust their expatriation and repatriation management strategies accordingly.\nOriginality/value: The study is one of the first to empirically test the gender differences in expatriate turnover intentions. The authors propose two underlying mechanisms that explain gender differences in expatriate turnover intentions: social integration and career advancement. The findings point to an important new research frontier that focuses on gender differences in the underlying mechanisms of turnover intentions rather than in the level of turnover intentions.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Guideline development from an observational study	[ "Clinical governance", "France" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction, background and context: Clinical practice guidelines are systematically developed statements to assist physicians in their decision-making (Woolf, 1992). Although guideline development processes have improved over the past several years, the paucity of robust scientific evidence for many interventions remains a major limiting factor to guideline validity (Hayward et al., 1995). Randomised controlled trials are not available or cannot provide evidence at a level of detail sufficient to apply to the wide range of patients encountered in daily practice. To our knowledge, few attempts have been made to integrate physician practice data into the clinical guideline development process (Pazart et al., 1998). We assumed that observational study results can assist experts, especially in areas where robust scientific evidence is lacking.Venous thromboembolism is a common clinical problem among hospitalised patients (Heit et al., 2000). The clinical silence of deep vein thrombosis and the high risk of mortality of pulmonary embolism make prevention the most suitable response to this disease. Some clinical trials have shown that prophylactic heparin treatment affords an overall decrease in deep vein thrombosis in medical inpatients (Samama et al., 1999; Mismetti et al., 2000; Leizorovicz et al., 2004). However, robust scientific evidence on which subgroups of general medical inpatients could benefit from prophylaxis is currently lacking (Alikhan et al., 2003). Indeed, the multiplicity and the combination of risk factors involve heterogeneous levels of venous thromboembolism risk, making thromboprophylaxis risk-benefit ratio assessment difficult for different medical inpatient subpopulations (Bosson and Labarere, 2006). In this project, we aimed to develop a local clinical guideline for venous thromboembolism prevention in medical inpatients by combining physician practice data, routine lower-limb ultrasound examination, expert opinion and available scientific evidence. For this purpose, we performed classification tree analyses using original data from a cross-sectional study to integrate physician practice data into the clinical guideline development process. Classification tree analysis is a non-parametric method that can provide a comprehensive description of the physician practices of ordering prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism.\nMethods: Study design\nResults: Patient characteristics\nDiscussion: The guideline's intended goal is to reduce inappropriate care and to improve patient outcomes. Physician adherence to guidelines may be hindered by a variety of barriers, of which lack of confidence in the guideline development process is one of the most often cited (Cabana et al., 1999). Efforts to increase clinical practice guideline validity are needed especially in areas where robust evidence is lacking. The poor level of agreement among competing guidelines reported in previous studies indicates the need for more systematically developed clinical guidelines (Fahey and Peters, 1996; Unwin et al., 1998; Labarere et al., 2004a). In our study, integrating practice data contributes several important clarifications on which medical patient subgroups require prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism. First, our clinical guideline recommends prophylaxis for patients with recent myocardial infarction or acute stroke with lower-limb paralysis. These recommendations are in accordance with recent scientific evidence (Albers et al., 2004; Menon et al., 2004). Second, our guideline advocates prophylaxis for immobilised inpatients who have at least one additional risk factor (age over 69, current cancer, chronic heart failure, chronic respiratory failure, acute infectious disease, history of venous thromboembolism, or varicose veins) (grade B). This is in accordance with the 7th ACCP conference on Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy guidelines (Geerts et al., 2004). Third, our guideline recommends prophylaxis for ambulatory elderly inpatients with at least one additional risk factor (grade D). This subgroup of patients formed 17 per cent of our study sample. There is no published robust scientific evidence to recommend prophylactic treatment in these patients. Further randomised trials are needed to establish whether these patients could benefit from prophylactic heparin treatment. In the meantime, results of our observational study (prophylaxis used in 46 per cent of these patients and a corresponding rate of deep vein thrombosis equal to 14 per cent) are strong arguments for recommending prevention in these patients. Overall, 56 per cent of our study patients required prophylaxis according to our guideline. Failing to order prophylactic treatment in these patients, which was observed in 46 per cent of cases, was associated with a rate of deep vein thrombosis over 10 per cent. In contrast, deep vein thrombosis rate was 2 per cent in patients for whom the clinical guidelines did not recommend prophylaxis.Despite its attractiveness, this strategy of developing clinical guidelines calls for caution because of observational study limitations (Rosenbaum, 2002). First, current physician practices may not be optimal and their appropriateness should be assessed with regard to outcome measures. Second, outcome measures may be affected by confounding factors such as unmeasured deep vein thrombosis risk factors (Rosenbaum, 2002). This may explain why deep vein thrombosis was more frequent for prophylaxis users than for prophylaxis non-users. Further prospective external validation of our guideline is important prior to its implementation. Indeed, clinical guidelines frequently do not perform as well on new sets of patients as on the original set from which they are derived. Moreover, the efficacy and the safety of our guideline should be assessed since the risk-benefit ratio of pharmacological prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism is not established for several patient subgroups. This was not within the article's scope and we are planning to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our clinical guideline's implementation.In this study, classification trees provided insight into the underlying logic of physician ordering of prophylaxis. This has contributed to developing practice guidelines close to clinical reasoning. The classification tree method has inherent strengths and weaknesses. This method displays classification trees that are easy to understand and give an integrated picture of high-order interaction terms and nested covariates. Moreover, this non-parametric method is not sensitive to extreme outliers. Some authors argue that classification and regression tree methods have limitations (Marshall, 2001). First, classification rules derived from a tree are usually redundant or not regular because of the tree's hierarchical nature. Second, classification trees may highlight interactions that are not real. These interactions may simply be a consequence of the way trees are constructed by splitting subgroups, a process that inevitably leads to the combination of positive or negative covariates at terminal subsets. However, the resulting tree displayed in our study was symmetrical and therefore we were able to assess whether these interactions were and we were able to reduce redundancies by applying Boolean algebra.Several of our study limitations should be acknowledged. First, it is important to note that several risk factors were not selected in our guideline although they are cited in the literature (inflammatory disorders, hormone therapy and obesity). These unselected risk factors may alter prophylaxis use but were masked by the risk factors selected in the classification trees (Breiman et al., 1984). It is also possible that they were unselected because of their low frequency in our study population. We decided to discard them because we aimed to propose a simple, even non-exhaustive, clinical guideline adapted to targeted physicians' daily practice. Indeed, poor compliance with clinical guidelines results, to a large extent, arises from their complexity (Cabana et al., 1999). Second, using venous compression ultrasonography as the screening test in preventive studies has been questioned because of its limited accuracy in asymptomatic patients. As a result of recent improvements in compression ultrasonography, accuracy (Bressollette et al., 2001) an increasing number of clinical trials (Leizorovicz et al., 2004) and observational studies (Bosson et al., 2003) rely upon ultrasound outcome measures. Proximal deep vein thrombosis diagnosed by compression ultrasonography is considered an appropriate endpoint by recent clinical guidelines addressing prevention of venous thromboembolism (Geerts et al., 2004). Deep vein thrombosis not associated with clinical symptoms and signs has also been questioned as a reliable surrogate for clinical venous thromboembolism, while it remains widely assessed in clinical trials (Labarere and Bosson, 2007). A meta-analysis showing a decrease in the rate of systematically detected deep vein thrombosis is paralleled by a decrease in the rate of symptomatic venous thromboembolism events (Mismetti et al., 2000). Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are likely to represent the clinical manifestation of the same underlying disease process (Kearon, 2003).\nConclusion and recommendations: Integrating observational data may be an effective way to develop local practice guidelines, especially in areas where robust scientific evidence is currently lacking. For this purpose, classification tree analysis is an appropriate method for providing insight into the underlying logic of physician practices. However, treatment and care should be converted into recommendations with caution because of observation study limitations. For this reason, further prospective external validation of our guideline is important prior to its implementation. The generalisability of this guideline development strategy must also be demonstrated in other clinical fields.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - It is unknown whether data from observational studies can assist guideline developers in areas where scientific evidence is lacking. The purpose of this study is to develop a local clinical guideline for prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism based on observational study results.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors performed a classification tree analysis on original data from a cross-sectional study of risk factors, prophylaxis, and prevalence of deep vein thrombosis in 818 medical in-patients hospitalised in French teaching and community hospitals. The dependent variable was the use of pharmacological prophylaxis. The rate of any deep vein thrombosis detected by routine compression ultrasonography was used as an illustrative variable. Using group consensus of expert panelists, a practice guideline was developed based on the results of this study and a systematic review of the literature.\nFindings: - The resulting classification tree involved eight terminal subsets. The mean misclassification rate was 31 per cent in tenfold cross-validation and the area under the ROC curve was 0.75. The classification tree was converted into graded recommendations. According to these recommendations, 455 patients (56 per cent) required prophylaxis. The corresponding rate of deep vein thrombosis was 11 per cent (28/245, [CI = 8-16]) in 245 prophylaxis users and 11 per cent (23/210, [7-16]) in 210 prophylaxis non-users. Conversely, 363 patients (44 per cent) did not require prophylaxis: 63 actually received prophylaxis and six had deep vein thrombosis (2 per cent, [0.6-4]).\nResearch limitations/implications: - Further prospective validation of the guideline is important prior to its implementation.\nOriginality/value: - Integrating data from observational studies may be an effective way to develop guidelines when robust scientific evidence is lacking.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Modeling critical failures maintenance: a case study for mining	[ "Maintenance", "Modelling", "Simulation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: In this paper we deal with a critical failure of a system, which is presented during a certain finite time of equipment specific operating conditions. Criteria to assess criticality of a failure can be very diverse: maintenance direct and indirect cost, availability, reliability, safety, environmental impact, etc. Establishing the variables influencing the criticality function, and their relative weight within it, will be a main concern of the business management. It is clear that this function will surely change depending on the type of activity and on the current circumstances of the company (Crespo Marquez et al., 2003). Once determined a critical failure cause of critical equipment, we have to study the corresponding failure behavior. Occurrence of failures depend on existing failure causes. The failure causes are reasons why failures occur (EN 13306, 2001), and they are the necessary piece of information in order to avoid the failure or recurrence of failures (Rausand and Oien, 1996). To be able to collect the information relative to the failure causes of equipment, the maintenance database structure needs to be built properly. In order to do so, the reader is referred to the technical database structure of the European standard for \"Documents for Maintenance\" (EN 13460, 2002).We would like to mention some considerations concerning how the work in this paper was done, the process followed. We first have to say that this work has been a team work, and the team was composed by maintenance engineering people, maintenance managers (both from the mining company) and maintenance engineering consultants (from outside the company); second, it is important to mention that the team, in order to build and use properly simulation models, agreed to make sure that the work adheres to the sound principles for developing this kind of models. These principles are given by Law and Kelton (1993) and include the following steps to develop: purpose of simulation, simulation model, model assumptions, methodology for hypothesizing distribution and random variables, simulation languages and computers, program verification and validation, design of experiment and analysis of the output (See some examples of maintenance policy analysis through simulation modeling in Dessouky and Bayer, 2002; Marseguerra et al. 2002; Gharbi and Kenne, 2005 among others). More specifically, within the field of maintenance, Andijani and Duffuaa (2002) have remarked how many simulation studies on maintenance system ignored proper design of experiments, model validation and some ways of output analysis. The team paid special attention to these issues, and tried to build as much rigor as possible to this simulation case study. However, we cannot forget that this is a case study, done in a 24 h, 7 days a week operations mine and that of course impose some constraints when developing the work. Finally, one of the most important thins in this study was the fact that it was also considered a learning process for the team, more than a specific and punctual action item for the mine.The structure of the paper will be as follows: in the next section, Section 2, we extensively introduce the case study: the type of equipment, the operating conditions, the type of failures and their consequences, the data gathering sources, etc. Section 3 is dedicated to explain the modeling process, options adopted regarding modeling format, data population of the model, etc. Section 4 is dedicated to explain how the computer simulation model works and Section 5 contains the considerations of our simulation study, mainly in terms of scenario characterization, number of simulation and replications, etc. Section 6 presents the results of this work and their discussion and Section 7 discuss also some managerial implications. Finally, Section 8 contains the conclusions of the work, and last section is devoted to the bibliographic references.\n2 The case study description: 2.1 The type of equipment\n3 Modeling the problem with the maintenance engineering team: 3.1 Defining a modeling format\n4 Building a computer simulation model: The team decided to build a simulator[2] to reproduce the different transitions of the system over time, according to the maintenance action that the decision maker will chose each time the system arrives to a certain state. This simulator proceeds as follows:1. In case the system enters, in step n, into the operating state S1 (Figure 2):* generates random numbers and according to the corresponding probability density function, calculates time to failure T(n)[3];* estimates next transition (Figure 2) by comparing T(n) to T' and to maintenance time adopted by the decision maker (T13); and* accumulates the time the system remained in the operating state.2. In case the system enters, in step n, into the operating state S4 (Figure 3):* generates random numbers and according to the corresponding probability density function, calculates time to failure T(n)[4];* estimates next transition (Figure 3) by comparing T(n) to maintenance time adopted by the decision maker (T43); and* accumulates the time the system remained in the operating state.3. In case the system enters, in step n, into a maintenance state (S2 or S3):* identifies the maintenance state;* generates a random number in the interval [0,1] (Figure 4);* identifies the MA adopted by the decision maker in that step;* estimates the next operating state (Figure 4) by comparing the random number to the probabilities associated to restore the system to each operating state by each maintenance action (pA or pB for S2 and pC or pD for S3); and* accumulates the time the system remained in the maintenance state.\n5 Simulation study of maintenance management alternatives: In this case study, our idea is to simulate the system following certain types of policies suggested by the maintenance manager. Each experiment with one maintenance policy will consist of ten replications in the simulator, and each replication will correspond to a different generation of random number sets, producing the time intervals according to the pdf that we have defined in the model. For each experiment we will later assess a certain number of metrics that will be defined in next sections. Furthermore, for each metric we will calculate the 95 percent confidence interval for its results.5.1 Selecting maintenance policy profiles for our experiments\n6 Simulation results and their discussion: Once the simulation model was validated we produced the corresponding replications for each one of the maintenance policies and the results obtained for the different variables are presented in the next paragraphs and figures.6.1 Results for total cost\n7 Managerial implications: Since part of this research is done in collaboration with a maintenance management team, we do consider important to underline those aspects of the study that were relevant for those engineers and maintenance managers. We would summarize those as follows:* Characterizing the problem was found to be a very rich exercise to understand the mechanism of system transitions and how maintenance impacts those transitions.* Simulation models results were very useful to explore policy options. Optimization model result was taken as a reference, but simulation was considered a better tool for policy setting.* Characterization of maintenance metrics and using them to set up a strategy for maintenance was very interesting. Having the possibility to explore new policies when metrics could change their importance was considered very relevant.* Doing all this for finite number of time periods was very interesting too. Production environment in this study was very subject to changes over mid-term periods of time (new mine profiles, production shifts, etc.).* Simulation provided certain credibility to the potential use of optimization models. Replication of experiment was found \"a must\" and so it was the idea that both techniques could and should be used at the same time.\n8 Conclusions: This paper contains results corresponding to an exercise trying to get maintenance modeling tools closer to engineers and maintenance managers.The study helped to assess the importance of the utilization of these tools to improve operation results, and to reduce uncertainty in policy setting.The utilization of the simulation model, besides the optimization one, was found to be critical for the experiment to be understood, interesting and successful for the team involved in this project.Concerning directions of future research, results in this work suggest that building a multi-criteria optimization model for the SMDP could be important to explore more efficient policy alternatives. Current optimization models for SMDP in literature are based in the minimization of the total cumulative expected cost of the system for a given number of transition steps.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to present a case study where computer simulation is used to evaluate maintenance strategies targeted to cope with a critical failure of a repairable system.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The problem is characterized, modeled and simulated under different conditions and for finite time periods. The different states of the system and the possible transitions among these states are characterized. Transitions are conditioned by the failure dynamics and by the maintenance decision maker. The model is then formalized and the data requirements fulfilled.\nFindings: - The performance of several maintenance policies based on educated estimations about the equipment behavior, manufacturer recommendations, well-known previous maintenance practices, etc. benchmarked against the results of certain modeling and optimization tools.\nPractical implications: - Practical implications of this work have to do with following the entire modeling process and maintenance policy assessment with an engineering team, exploring options and opportunities to support the maintenance managers.\nOriginality/value: - Maintenance policy design exploration using semi-Markovian process simulation modeling.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A critical multimodal framework for reading and analyzing pedagogical materials	[ "Critical literacy", "English teaching", "New literacies" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The prevalence of multiple semiotic resources in current communicative practices has gradually led to the increasing emphasis on teaching and researching multimodal literacies from a critical perspective (Ajayi, 2015; Albers, 2011). Despite these efforts, however, there has not been a clearly defined critical multimodal framework. In other words, even though critical multimodality has often been discussed conceptually (such as what constitutes critical, multimodal and critical multimodal perspectives), how to put these conceptualizations into practice has not been addressed in a systematic manner. This is especially true of literacy practices related to reading/viewing/interpretation and may, in part, be due to the lack of a methodological framework for critical multimodal reading and analysis of texts.\n(Critical) multimodal interpretive practices: Different from L1 literacy education, which often relies on published literature such as picture books in the case of younger children, textbooks serve as the major source of L2 English learning (Akbari, 2008; Gray, 2013) regardless of age or proficiency level, influencing both \"the what and how of ELT\" (Copley, 2018, p. 43). Increasingly, the multimodality of ELT textbooks has been studied, most often for the synergy between the verbal and visual modes in co-creating meaning (Chen, 2010; Liu and Qu, 2014; Salbego et al., 2015). However, none of these works has taken a critical perspective. On the other hand, in the numerous studies that have examined ELT textbooks from a critical discourse analysis (CDA) perspective, the overarching goal of which is to identify power relations in texts, a multimodal approach has rarely been taken (Case et al., 2005; Ilieva, 2000; Gulliver, 2010; Taki, 2008; Xiong and Qian, 2012), perhaps due to CDA's \"strong disciplinary roots in linguistics...[which] tended to favor linguistic analysis\" (Weninger and Kiss, 2015, p. 57), even though Fairclough (2001), a major figure in CDA, did acknowledge the importance of multiple semiotic resources in meaning-making.\nConceptual and methodological frameworks: This article draws from Serafini (2010) and Royce (1998) as the basis of a critical multimodal framework. Specifically, Serafini proposed a tripartite framework for the \"reading, viewing, and responding to contemporary children's picturebooks\" (p. 88). Royce discussed a framework for conducting analysis of multimodal texts. In the following, I discuss each of these frameworks and how they complement in establishing a conceptual and methodological framework for critical multimodality.\nMethods: As stated earlier, the purpose of this article is twofold - to propose a critical multimodal framework and to provide an example of analysis based on the framework. This section describes the rationale for the selection of a text for analysis and the steps through which the analysis was conducted.\nFindings and discussion: Structural perspective\nConclusion and implications for pedagogy: This study proposed a critical multimodal framework for the understanding of ELT texts that examine the power relations constructed from the interaction between the verbal and visual modes. In the example demonstrated in this article, the synergy in the verbal and visual aspects of the text lies in the affordances of the visual to imply the inclusive and idyllic nature of the established social order in the target language culture, which then functions to rationalize the power relations constructed in the verbal component of the text. This reflects the discourses found in policy documents in the context in which the text is produced. The long-term consequence of such is inevitably the sustained hegemony of English and its speakers. The findings also demonstrate the significance of considering the larger context of text production and reception identified in the ideological perspective to make sense of how locally produced ELT materials reflect diverse discourses in different locales.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to propose a critical multimodal framework to understanding pedagogical materials that focuses on not only the verbal or the visual components but also the interaction between the two semiotic resources that constructs power relations as a result of intermodal interaction, and it further provides an example of an in-depth analysis of one text using this approach.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper proposes a critical multimodal framework that draws from Serafini (2010) and Royce (1998). Details about how the two works complement to form a critical multimodal framework are discussed, after which the paper analyzes one example from an English-language textbook using the proposed framework to demonstrate its strengths.\nFindings: The findings highlight the power relations constructed in texts as a result of the interaction between the verbal and visual components, specifically how the visual mode functions to rationalize the power relations constructed in the verbal mode. These findings also establish the significance for considering the larger context of materials production and reception identified in the ideological perspective to appreciate how texts reflect discourses in diverse locales.\nOriginality/value: This paper argues that even though critical multimodality has often been discussed conceptually in L1 literacy scholarship, how to put these conceptualizations into practice has not been addressed systematically. The paper also contends that critical perspectives to understanding multimodal texts are also important in L2 English-language teaching. The critical multimodal framework proposed thus serves as a conceptual and methodological framework for multimodal reading and interpretive practices in both L1 and L2 contexts.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Tomato attributes and consumer preferences - a consumer segmentation approach	[ "Sustainability", "Regional", "Food choice", "Latent class", "Choice experiment", "Climate-friendly", "Breeding" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: To choose one tomato over another may seem easy, but food choice is in fact complex because it is influenced by previous experience, beliefs, available information and the situation (Steptoe et al., 1995). Moreover, food choice consists of personal preferences, the knowledge the consumers have about the product and their own lifestyle (Brunso et al., 2004). Concerning the tomato, literature has been dominated by sensory analysis which describes the sensory characteristics of the tomato. (Fernqvist and Hunter, 2012; Oltman et al., 2016; Sinesio et al., 2007, 2010; Meyerding, 2016).\n2. Materials and methods: 2.1 Data collection and survey design\n3. Results: 3.1 Sample description\n4. Discussion: Climate-friendly production systems were an important topic. From consumers' view, plastic wrapping and air transportation were the most damaging aspects of tomato production. This result was consistent with an earlier study (Tobler et al., 2011). Most tomatoes sold in German retail outlets are wrapped in plastic. Since consumers believe this is one of the most climate-damaging factors in tomato production, a different packaging or selling tomatoes loose should be considered. Additionally, they see organic production as environmentally friendly, which confirms the results of another tomato-related study (Tobler et al., 2011). Energy consumption by heated greenhouses, on the other hand, is underestimated by consumers (Hassanien et al., 2016).\n5. Conclusions and implications: The HB estimates identified consumer preferences for tomato attributes. The most important tomato attribute of the whole sample was price, followed by colour.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Vegetables are an important component of a healthy diet. Given that tomatoes are the most purchased vegetable in Germany, the purpose of this paper is to focus on how consumers evaluate tomatoes during their food choice. Each consumer has different preferences and, in order to target them, it is necessary to identify consumer groups. The study segments tomato consumers into homogenous target groups.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A choice experiment was used to simulate the buying situation in a supermarket. The data were analysed using latent class analysis, as well as principal component factor analysis to measure food-related lifestyles. The sample consisted of 1,027 consumers and was representative of the characteristics of gender, age, educational level and income for the German population.\nFindings: Consumers perceive air transportation and plastic wrapping as most climate damaging in tomato production. Six different tomato consumer groups were identified and named according to the attribute they found most important, i.e. \"Balanced consumers\", \"Price-conscious consumers\", \"Taste enthusiasts\", \"Colour-sensitive consumers\", \"Price-conscious consumers with a taste preference\" and \"Colour- and price-sensitive consumers\". In three clusters, colour was the most important attribute. However, green and yellow tomatoes were rejected by all segments, indicating communication problems.\nOriginality/value: The results of this study provide breeders and marketers with valuable insights into the factors driving tomato choice. The information was based on a large sample and will help breeders to select the types of tomatoes that are in demand by consumers.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Talk it (Racism) out: race talk and organizational learning	[ "Organizational learning", "Language", "Race", "Secondary schools" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Education researchers use a range of terms and concepts to describe the communication processes that individuals and groups use to grapple with race, racism and racial identities. For the purpose of this study, we use \"race talk\" as a catch-all to describe these phenomena, which encompasses concepts such as wrestling with race (Buehler, 2013), courageous conversations (Singleton, 2014), as well as the range of linguistic deployments of color-blind racism (Picower, 2009). In the past two decades, race talk research has addressed myriad education-related questions. Evans (2007) examined how leaders talked about demographically changing schools. DeMatthews et al. (2017) explored the ways that school leaders evoked racial language to talk about school discipline policies and practices. Irby (2018) studied the ways that race-specific data served as cues to evoke teacher's use of race-visible sensemaking about discipline problems. Teacher education researchers, such as Mason (2016), Milner and Laughter (2015) and Picower (2009), focused their investigations toward the race-evasive language practices that teacher candidates in college classrooms use to maintain white privilege. In school settings, researchers have used observational approaches to understand the role of racial language in student-teacher dialogue in K-12 school classrooms (Thomas, 2015; Young, 2016) and in school organizations more broadly (Buehler, 2013; Pollock, 2004). Beyond school settings, Villenas and Angeles (2013) explored the ways that racial language framed educational issues in the broader sphere of media related to education and schooling.\nRace talk and organizational learning: We initiated this research based on the premise that talk among school leaders and teachers is a taken-for-granted routine of professional practice that is consequential for organizational learning and improvement. How people within organizations talk with one another influences what they are likely to accomplish (Coburn, 2006; Horn and Little, 2010; Kegan and Lahey, 2002). Yet, many school leaders do not account for how racial ideologies and their associated racial language practices inhibit or advance dialogues about school improvement efforts (Buehler, 2013). For school leaders, understanding and shaping teacher use of racial language is important because it is likely that failure to talk about race limits the potential for change to adequately address issues of equity (Payne, 2005). Leaders who do not intentionally develop teachers' racial dialogue miss opportunities to leverage the seemingly small, yet powerful, asset of race talk as way to advance equity-focused school improvement. Leaders can gain insight into racial ideologies by listening to what teachers do and do not say about matters of race and racism. Cultivating organizational capacity to talk about race with precision and specificity is a critical skill for leaders who are committed to improving the educational experience and outcomes of children and youth of color.\nStudy problem and research questions: While organizational change research omits racial considerations, and thus conceals the role whiteness plays in the continual reinforcement of a White racial equilibrium (DiAngelo, 2011), race talk in education research tends to emphasize problems associated with practitioner aversion to engage in race talk (Pollock, 2004; Bertrand, 2010; Howard and del-Rosario, 2000; Milner and Laughter, 2015; Thomas, 2015). By considering organizational learning research and race talk research in tandem, we can assert two claims. First, professional talk routines are important for building strong cultures of collegial collaboration that lead to organizational improvement. Second, teachers and administrators struggle to talk about race. Since race talk research emphasizes race-evasive behaviors, we do not know the benefits of race-conscious talk routines. Consequently, we know little about race-specific language as a routine of practice and its relationship to organizational learning and improvement. This study addressed these shortcomings by exploring the associations between racial language use and school based problem identification and analysis. We designed our study to answer the following questions:\nStudy methods: The data we analyzed for this study stem from focus groups at Douglass High School, which served approximately 800 students during the 2012-2013 academic year. The student body was comprised of a 75 percent white majority, 10 percent Hispanic, 9 percent black or African-American, 4 percent Asian or Pacific Islander and 2 percent of students identified as multiracial. The teaching and support staff of nearly 60 was almost 100 percent white. The school was located south of a small-sized city. Its catchment area included an isolated pocket of the adjacent city's low opportunity African-American community. It also served a recent influx of Spanish-speaking immigrant students whose families were attracted to recent economic opportunities spawned by the relocation of a large-scale firm that supports the US medical industry.\nFindings: Based on our review of literature, we speculated that conversations where participants used race-specific language would also reflect comprehensive understandings of school discipline, operationalized as multi-frame problem analysis. We found that race-specific and race-proxy language use was associated with higher frequencies of problem analysis and with higher frequencies of multiple problem analysis frames. Participants in race-mute conversations talked with the lowest levels of complexity about discipline problems. Figure 1 displays pairings of racial language use and problem analysis frames for the 28 conversational exchanges we analyzed. Each numbered rectangle represents a single conversational exchange. Each exchange contains two variables: racial language use and problem analysis frames. Each exchange contains one or more racial language use type: race-mute, race-proxy, race-specific or any combination of the three. Shading denotes the problem analysis frames coded within the exchange. Darker shading indicates higher uses of multi-frame problem analysis. For example, in conversational exchange nine participants used race-specific language and multi-frame problem analysis that drew on systemic and procedural frames to explore discipline problems.\nDiscussion and implications: We conducted this study because teacher education and organizational studies research points to the importance of developing the capacity of people to talk in particular ways as critical for individual and organizational improvement. Teacher education researchers argue that teacher ability to talk about race is critical for their identity development and teaching effectiveness (Bertrand, 2010; Howard and del-Rosario, 2000; Milner and Laughter, 2015; Picower, 2009; Thomas, 2015; Young, 2016). Developing the capacity to talk about race is important because teachers who are disproportionately white and female will continue to enter schools that require they teach to an increasing racially and ethnically diverse US student population (Banks, 1996; Gay and Howard, 2000). Organizational studies and school improvement researchers also make a case for the importance of cultivating professional routines of talk as a matter of organizational learning and improvement (Nelson et al., 2010). They argue that language use shapes problem identification and problem framing, which is consequential for how organizational members address problems, if at all (Coburn, 2006; Horn and Little, 2010; Kegan and Lahey, 2002).\nConclusion: leading racial language communities: Although we drew study data from a suburban school setting, this study holds implications for urban secondary school leadership and research because enrollment in suburban schools, even when well-resourced, does not translate into equitable access to educational opportunities for black and brown students (Lewis and Diamond, 2015; Lewis-McCoy, 2014). Many problems in urban schools exist in suburban schools, including low uses of race-specific language (Payne, 2005). School leaders should consider the three types of race talk named in this paper in order to determine how to respond in a manner that promotes the use of race-specific language. This might include asking clarifying questions, requesting detailed examples, or suggesting that staff reference students explicitly, rather than generally. Moreover, school leaders should make concerted efforts to use race-specific language and challenge staff to follow suit in order to get to the root of school problems. See Appendix 2 for a series of questions school leaders can reflect upon.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether race-specific language use can advance organizational learning about the racialized nature of school problems. The study addressed two questions: first, is teacher use of racial language associated with how they frame school discipline problems during conversational exchanges? Second, what do patterns of associations suggest about racial language use as an asset that may influence an organization's ability to analyze discipline problems?\nDesign/methodology/approach: Co-occurrence analysis was used to explore patterns between racial language use and problem analysis during team conversational exchanges regarding school discipline problems.\nFindings: When participants used race-specific and race-proxy language, they identified more problems and drew on multiple frames to describe school discipline problems.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper substantiates that race-specific language is beneficial for organizational learning.\nPractical implications: The findings suggest that leading language communities may be an integral, yet overlooked lever for organizational learning and improvement. Prioritizing actions that promote race-specific conversations among school teams can reveal racism/racial conflict and subsequently increase the potential for change.\nOriginality/value: This paper combines organizational change and race talk research to highlight the importance of professional talk routines in organizational learning.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Moderation effect of organizational citizenship behavior on the performance of lecturers	[ "Performance", "Organizational commitment", "Job satisfaction", "Organizational citizenship behavior", "Personality", "Moderation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Improvement of human resources (HR) will determine the progress of a nation because the government is concentrating its attention on the development of HR. Government is concentrating in accordance with Indonesian Government regulation No. 37 of 2009 which states that the university as an educational institution has a very big role in the development of HR and improving the competitiveness of the nation.\n2. Theoretical background: 2.1 Personality\n3. Material and method: 3.1 Material\n4. Result and discussion: 4.1 Measurement model\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to know the effect of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) moderating the effect of personality, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction on the performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research was conducted in the city of Makassar with the entire population as a lecturer with the status as a permanent lecturer foundation. By using the formula, Slovin found a sample of 295 respondents. Statistical analysis of inferential used to test the hypothesis of the research is structural equation modeling (SEM).\nFindings: OCB is the moderator variable in effect between personality, organizational commitment and job satisfaction on the performance. It means that the higher value of OCB affects the increasing effect of personality, organizational commitment and job satisfaction on the performance.\nOriginality/value: This paper's originality is shown on variables used, which are personality, organization commitment, job satisfaction, OCB, and performance. Furthermore, the method used in this research is using SEM, as well as the investigator sites located at two private colleges in the city of Makassar, namely, Indonesian Muslim University and Muhammadiyah University Makassar, South Sulawesi, where there are no previous studies that discuss the same topic on these locations.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Lessons for successful BOP marketing from Caracas' slums	[ "South America", "Marketing strategy", "International marketing", "Disadvantaged groups" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this issue.\nIntroduction: The \"bottom of the pyramid\" proposition (Prahalad, 2004) brought back the old idea (Drucker, 1958) that marketing to the poor in developing countries is the best way to simultaneously develop emerging economies and corporate profits. Dawar and Chattopadhyay (2000), Mahajan et al. (2000) agreed and argued as well that multinationals are ideally positioned to seek the fortune at the (hereafter the BOP) due to their advantages in scale and scope. However, they also argue that success with the distant, dispersed and very poor can only be profitable if MNC redesign their business models, products and services to drastically improve value and reduce costs. So convincing were these arguments and so great the apparent opportunity of billions of poor rural consumers yearning for consumer goods that BOP marketing was transformed almost overnight into a corporate priority for global firms.New research attacks both parts of the BOP proposition, but most relevant to this research, is its claim that the rural BOP will always be a profitless target because it is so impoverished that it is unable to purchase MNC consumer goods regardless of the financing offered or the cost reductions achieved. This criticism is based on the same reasoning that led multinationals to avoid the rural BOP in the first place: it is a terrible market. Can there be a worse market in which to seek supernormal profits than one that is distant, dispersed, desperately poor, largely illiterate and heterogeneous as well as economically, physically and politically risky? Considerable evidence, well and forcefully summarized by Karnani (2007), backs the assertion that it is hard to make profits in the rural BOP. Clearly, many of the most famous BOP success stories have, on close inspection, turned out to be either less successful than originally claimed or complete failures. As examples, Annapurna iodized salt never achieved leadership more than 10 percent market share. Unilever's multilevel distribution system (Shakti women) was planned to incorporate 500,000 women by 2005 but actually only reached 12,000. Only telecommunications and computation seem to fulfill the promise of the BOP proposition.How then should business react to these criticisms? The literature seems to be divided among three alternatives. One possibility is to give up on the BOP: some famous BOP marketing enthusiasts such as Unilever and Nestle were reported to be pulling out of the rural BOP to seek higher margins among wealthier consumers (Gangopadhyay and Wadhwa, 2004). Novartis, taking a longer perspective, gracefully decided to support rural development in the poorest countries through free or subsidized medicines based on the conviction that these economies will never become viable markets without this aid. Another alternative is to suggest that BOP proposition could work were appropriate procedures followed. Khanna, in Ricart et al. (2003), suggests that the key is to develop suitable intermediaries while Hart, writing in the same article, claims that incrementalism is the problem and the BOP proposition can only succeed when firms become \"deeply embedded\" with the BOP so that they can engage in \"co-creation\" and thus develop appropriate products and services. The final approach, advocated by the Boston Consulting Group, is to target instead the \"next Billion\", the catchy name given to the poor in emerging markets that earn more than $2 per day. Critics consider that this approach is equivalent to giving up on the BOP.This research offers a fourth approach: targeting the urban areas in emerging markets that house a growing proportion of the world's impoverished consumers. This is not the same as targeting the \"next billion\" for two reasons. First, many urban BOP residents are desperately impoverished, indeed starving, despite their relatively \"high\" incomes due to the high costs of city living. Indeed, commuting to work can cost an urban BOP consumer $2 per day. Second, targeting the urban poor specifically avoids the \"the next billion\" consumers that live in rural areas.The Venezuelan cases analyzed here indicate that many leading firms, including MNC, can and do earn enormous profits from the urban BOP. Moreover, these successes came easily; never requiring either novel products or drastic cost reductions.\nMethodology: This research focuses on the Venezuelan BOP, which is similar to the BOP's in other Latin American countries like Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico or Peru in that it is large, violent, \"informal\" (anarchistic) and urban. Given that theory about optimal BOP practice abounds, it would have been attractive to take a quantitative approach to disconfirm theory. However, the scant number of BOP cases available would not support a quantitative design. Given information constraints, I chose a research design based on multiple cases that can be treated as a series of experiments both to disconfirm theory (Yin, 1994) and to develop new theory by contrasting data with existing theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967).The only published Venezuelan BOP success when I began this research was Polar, the leading beer so that I had to develop the cases from local newspapers and magazines, governmental and private sources. To fill-out discovered cases, I regularly met with about two dozen top marketing officers of large service and fast-moving consumer goods firms before or after association meetings. Over a period of about five years, ending in 2005, I asked them about their perceptions of the BOP as well as any BOP marketing activities of which they knew. The unreferenced cases come from these interviews. Many of these interviews were \"off the record\" and had to go unrecorded. Statements like, \"My boss would kill me if this got out\" were common. Data obtained from interviews were crosschecked and either corrected or eliminated. I also made regular visits to some of the more accessible shantytowns to observe the cited realities first hand. During this period, a multi-disciplinary research stream on the Venezuelan BOP (Auletta, 2002; Gomez and Marquez, 2003; Boza and Eduardo, 2005, etc.) became available and was incorporated.\nData analysis: A great deal of published information, especially surveys, was found to be unreliable and sometimes self-contradictory. As an example, the most widely-used source of information about household possessions (Datos-IRI, 2004a) showed that 98 percent of households have televisions and 97 percent refrigerators when governmental sources indicate that fewer than 96 percent actually have electricity and none of the many poor homes visited by Auletta (2002) actually had refrigerators. I crosschecked these reports and eliminated clearly spurious data. There is also a \"false positive\" bias to these cases because firms tended to exaggerate the successes but also because they hid their failures with terms like \"We decided to change direction for strategic reasons\".A research assistant and I wrote up the cases from the interviews and the published information. The reasearch assistant and I coded the cases separately using ATLAS-TI. We coded both for environmental factors, consumer behavior, recommended BOP marketing techniques and for any additional practices that we observed. Coding differences were few and insignificant and largely due to my misunderstanding local Spanish terms.\nThe bottom of the Venezuelan pyramid: While most BOP research focuses on rural poverty, almost 40 percent of poor Africans and Asians and more than 75 percent of poor Latin Americans live in cities. Venezuela offers an extreme case in which more than 80 percent of the country's poor lives in unplanned shantytowns called \"barrios\" (Cerrutti and Bertoncello, 2003). Since most barrios were constructed illegally on public land they are ignored by government and consequently cursed with inadequate public services. Roads are at best unpaved and often inexistent so that goods must often be off-loaded onto all-terrain vehicles or hand carried through sinuous passages. Access to barrios is further impeded by toll-charging thugs. Even after payment, transporting goods is unpleasant and perilous. When Prahalad stated that his model wouldn't work in high crime areas, \"You need a minimum level of law and order\" (Observer, 2004), he effectively ruled out most emerging market slums where anarchy prevails and violent deaths, no longer published in Venezuela, are higher than in Iraq. Key differences between the urban and rural are summarized in Table I.In praise of the urban BOP\nSuccessful marketing strategy in the urban BOP: Clearly, given the observed differences between the urban and rural BOPs, it isn't at all surprising that the marketing strategies that worked with each were radically different. These strategic differences are summarized in Table IV and explained in the next section.\nSuccessful products are differentiated and expensive: According to syndicated panel data, all market-leading fast-moving consumer goods in Venezuela were more expensive than the category average (Datos-IRI, 2004b). There were no observable exceptions in any of more than 80 categories. As an example, the top two brands of margarine have a combined share of about 80 percent yet each is more than twice as expensive as the cheapest brand (Ireland, 2002). Market leaders Kraft mayonnaise and cheese spread, Polar beer, Montalban sugar, Underwood devilled ham, Harina Pan corn flour, or Cargill pasta and rice are all more expensive, sometimes much more expensive, than the category average yet their sales demonstrate that even poor Venezuelans consider them staples.Cheaper products have made inroads when price differences are great, as in the highly publicized cases of Kola Real (14 percent market share) or Corpanal disposable diapers (a peak 30 percent market share). Their success is, however, limited and may be partly attributed to their superior distribution in BOP areas (Lapscher, 1999).Consistent with the higher observed prices of market leaders, the urban BOP's favorite products were differentiated. D'Andrea et al. (2007) found that there is a widespread belief in Latin America that inexpensive products are of low quality, \"Lo barrato sale caro\" (Cheap goods end up expensive). He judged that, \"with less disposable income, poor consumers also have less margin for error in their judgments\". As a result, consistent quality over time is sufficient to differentiate products. This is congruent with the conclusions of Rangan et al. (2007) that the greatest brand loyalty in Latin America is achieved by commodity products such as oil and flour. Auletta (2002) went further with her survey of more than 400 BOP women and found that they are sure about which products are better or more reliable as well as those that give status or social acceptance. She also found that poor female consumers indulged by purchasing these famous brands of \"commodity\" products the way wealthy women indulge in extravagant clothes or jewelry. They refer to brands possessively as \"My Primor\" or \"My Kraft\". Women also stated that, on leaving stores, their neighbors (never themselves) carry Pampers disposables diapers under their arms - rather than in a bag - to show off their wealth and good motherhood.Let them eat cake\nDiscussion: Managerial advice\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to explain how leading firms can profitably serve poor consumers by targeting the urban bottom of the pyramid (BOP) with appropriate marketing practices.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The approach taken is an integrative analysis of existing literature and new cases.\nFindings: - The urban BOP market is more profitable for large firms than the rural BOP due to its density of wealth, proximity, homogeneity and modernity. While recommended tactics for BOP marketing like rock bottom pricing, innovative products and sachets never produced market leaders, multilevel channels and inclusive pricing led to dramatic BOP sales growth for respected middle-class products.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Theoretically, this research demonstrates that the urban-rural divide is a good starting point for the development of context-contingent strategies because successful urban BOP marketing practices were very different to those recommended for the rural BOP. It also makes a useful contribution to the question, \"Do the poor pay more?\" by demonstrating that the answer varies both with the category and the shopping occasion. Moreover, transaction cost theory prevailed: the key success factor for firms with leading products and brands was to find or develop appropriate intermediaries.\nPractical implications: - Firms with successful middle-class products and brands should target the urban BOP. Others need not apply. Inclusive pricing and appropriate channels, especially multilevel marketing, can multiply sales and margins.\nOriginality/value: - Recent criticism of the BOP proposition leads managers to believe that they must either serve the rural BOP at a loss or abandon the BOP altogether. This research demonstrates that firms can serve the very poor very profitably by targeting the urban BOP.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Stock ownership as a motivation of brand-loyal and brand-supportive behaviors	[ "Shareholders", "Brand loyalty", "Customer loyalty", "Repeat buying", "Investors" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this article.\n1. Introduction: Traditionally, individuals' consumption behaviors (e.g. product purchases and uses) and investment behaviors (e.g. stock purchases and holdings), as well as the related psychologies, have been examined rather separately. This separation coincides with the isolation of the fields of marketing vs. finance. Nevertheless, practitioners and researchers in both marketing (Aspara et al., 2008a; Schoenbachler et al., 2004; Vogelheim et al., 2001) and finance (Aspara and Tikkanen, 2008; Frieder and Subrahmanyam, 2005) have recently begun to notice that individuals who engage in buying and using the products of certain companies may also engage in investing in and holding the same companies' stocks. One particularly interesting phenomenon that has been pointed out is the potential influence of a consumer's stock ownership in a company on his/her brand loyalty towards the company. With regard to this phenomenon, Schoenbachler et al. (2004) recently investigated whether individuals' stock ownership in companies increased their brand loyalty towards those companies. Their findings preliminarily implied that individuals do tend to buy products from companies in which they hold shares.The purpose of this article is to further explicate the psychological motivations underlying the influence of an individual's stock ownership in a company on his/her brand-loyal and brand-supportive behaviors towards the company - as well as present empirical evidence of such motivations. As to the empirical evidence, we present a survey study into how the behavioral motivations of approximately 300 individual stockholders of three selected companies altered as a consequence their investing in those companies' stocks. First, the analysis shows that a for a large proportion of the studied individuals, becoming a stockowner of a company leads to positive, increased motivation to exhibit brand loyalty towards the company, in terms of personal purchases of the company's products. Second, the analysis shows how stock ownership often leads to increased motivation to engage in other brand-supporting behaviors, such as positive word-of-mouth.To managers - be they marketing managers, investor relations managers, or brand managers - our results imply that too little attention has been previously paid to the significant tendency of company stockowners to act as brand-loyal and brand-supportive customers to their companies. In effect, such a phenomenon in the interface of marketing and finance has considerable theoretical and practical significance, since publicly-listed companies are essentially exposed to markets and society both as product providers and as investment targets. Moreover, the significance is only ever-increasing due to the fact that participation by consumers and households in stock markets appears to be rapidly growing (e.g. Guiso et al., 2003; Warneryd, 2001, p. 4)[1]. Accordingly, we will provide managerial suggestions about how our findings can be utilized by companies.\n2. Theory and research questions: 2.1. Personal purchase behavior\n3. Method: 3.1. Data collection and sample\n4. Results: Addressing research question 1, we present in Table I the frequencies and proportions of stockowners who exhibit increased motivation to purchase a company's products as a consequence of investing in the company's stock. Most notably, approximately 60 per cent of the respondents overall (Table I, Panel 3) exhibit certain, increased motivation to favor the company's products over those of competitors as a consequence of investing in the company's stock. Among the stockowners of the different companies included in the sample, this proportion ranges from 43 per cent to 76 per cent. At the other extreme, the proportion of the respondents exhibiting no such increase in motivation at all is only 20 per cent (ranging from 11 per cent to 33 per cent). For another 20 per cent of the respondents, the increase in motivation is uncertain.With regard to the other five personal purchase behavior measures, the proportion of respondents overall exhibiting certain, increased motivation to purchase a company's products as a consequence of investing in the company's stock is between 30 per cent and 40 per cent. Specifically, the proportions are as follows: 36 per cent for purchasing more of the company's products in general (Panel 1, ranging from 26 per cent to 47 per cent); 30 per cent for purchasing the company's products more frequently (Panel 2, 23 per cent-41 per cent); 33 per cent for preferring the company's products over competitors by ceasing to buy competitors' products altogether (Panel 4, 17 per cent-41 per cent); 29 per cent for being prepared to pay premium price for the company's products than for those of competitors' (Panel 5, 10 per cent-42 per cent) and 38 per cent for being prepared buy the company's products even if their prices increased (Panel 6, 21 per cent-53 per cent). The lower figures for these measures than for the measure of preferring a company's products over competitors (Panel 3) are reasonable, since the latter is the most conservative measure (referring merely to one's preference in principle, not to actual purchase volumes, prices, or ceasing to buy from competitors altogether). The proportion of respondents whose motivation increase is uncertain for these measures is between 20 per cent and 40 per cent, leaving the proportions of respondents with no such motivation increase at all also between 20 per cent and 40 per cent.The above findings, as well as our theoretical arguments, are supported by results from our additional measure concerning the individuals' product purchase decision making after their stock investment. Highly consistent with the finding that approximately 60 per cent of the respondents overall (Table I, Panel 3) exhibited certain, increased motivation at least to favor a company's products over those of competitors as a consequence of investing in the company's stock, approximately 60 per cent of the respondents reported that the fact that they owned a company's stock had influenced their purchase decisions about the company's products consequent on the stock investment (Table II, Panel 1). Among the stockowners of the different companies included in the sample, this proportion ranges from 40 per cent to 65 per cent. At the other extreme, the proportion of the respondents reporting no influence on their product purchase decisions by their stock ownership is 24 per cent (ranging from 15 per cent to 43 per cent). For another 18 per cent of the respondents, the influence is uncertain.The above proportions are highly similar when it comes to reports of whether willingness to contribute to the sales/stock price of the company had influenced the respondents' product purchase decisions consequent on the stock investment (Table II, Panel 2/3) and whether their more positive attitude towards the company had influenced their product purchase decisions consequent on the stock investment (Table II, Panel 4). This supports our theoretical argument that individuals tend to exhibit increased motivation to purchase the products of a company as a consequence of investing in its stock both due to their vested interest in supporting the business of a company whose stock they own and due to increase in their positive attitude towards the company whose stock they come to own. The conclusion is the same when we examine (Table III), specifically, the reports of those stockowners (59.8 per cent, Table I, Panel 3) who exhibited certain, increased motivation to favor a company's products over those of competitors as a consequence of investing in the company's stock. The proportions of those who report that willingness to contribute to the sales/stock price of the company influenced their product purchase decisions consequent on the stock investment (certain influence: 70-80 per cent) are highly similar as the proportions of those who report that more positive attitude towards the company certainly influenced their product purchase decisions consequent on the stock investment (certain influence: 70-80 per cent).Addressing research question 2, we present in Table IV the frequencies and proportions of stockowners who exhibit increased motivation to engage in positive word-of-mouth about a company's products as a consequence of investing in the company's stock. The proportions of respondents overall exhibiting certain, increased motivation to tell positive things about the company's products to others is 43 per cent. Up to 38 per cent overall exhibit also certain, increased motivation to actually encourage others to purchase the company's products. Among the stockowners of the different companies included in the sample, these proportions range from 21 per cent to 51 per cent and 17 per cent to 45 per cent, respectively. In contrast, the proportions of the respondents exhibiting no such motivation increases at all are 27 per cent and 34 per cent (17 per cent-36 per cent and 21 per cent-53 per cent). For 30 per cent and 28 per cent of the respondents, the increases in motivation are uncertain (22 per cent-43 per cent and 21 per cent-34 per cent).Finally, in order to test whether the distributions of the motivation measures differ between the individual companies included in the study, we performed chi square tests of independence on Tables I, II, and IV. The chi square test statistics are highly significant (p<0.001) on all the measures. This result indicates that the proportions of stockowners who exhibit certain, increased motivation to purchase the products of a company and to engage in positive word-of-mouth as a consequence of investing in the company's stock (versus those who exhibit uncertain or no motivation increase) differ from company to company.A closer examination of the distributions reveals that especially the proportions for company C markedly differ from those of companies A and B. Specifically, the proportions of stockowners that exhibit certain, increased motivation to purchase the products of a company and to engage in positive word-of-mouth as a consequence of investing in the company's stock are clearly lower in company C than in companies A and B. This may have to do with the fact that whereas companies A and B use their corporate (brand) name also in selling their products, company C does not - it sells products under several product brands none of which is related to the company (brand) name. Consequently, an individual owning the stock of company C may be less aware of the product brands of the company so as to be motivated to purchase and engage in positive word-of-mouth about them. Alternatively, the positive attitude related to the company brand, potentially stemming from the stock ownership, does not as effectively come to motivate purchases and positive word-of-mouth about products promoted with different product brand(s) as it does when the one and same company brand name is used also to promote the company's products.\n5. Discussion: 5.1. Contributions to theory\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to explicate the psychological motivations underlying this influence as well as to provide empirical evidence of it. Individuals' consumption psychology and investment psychology have been traditionally viewed as rather separate realms. However, researchers have recently begun to imply that an individual's stock ownership in a company may positively influence his/her brand loyalty towards the company.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A survey study of 293 individual stockowners of three companies is presented.\nFindings: - The analysis shows that, for a large proportion of individuals, becoming a stockowner of a company leads to positive, increased motivation to exhibit brand loyalty towards the company, in terms of his/her personal purchases of the company's products. Second, the analysis shows how stock ownership often leads to increased motivation to engage in other brand-supporting behaviors, such as positive word-of-mouth.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The self-reported data used on individuals' motivations somewhat restrict the results, which can be dealt with in further research.\nPractical implications: - The findings imply opportunities for managers to benefit from the tendency of individual stockowners to engage in repeat purchasing of the company's products and word-of-mouth, so as to increase the sales of the company.\nOriginality/value: - The paper explicates the individual psychology motivations underlying the influence of a consumer's stock ownership in a company on his/her brand loyalty towards the company - and provides empirical evidence of the motivations.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The campus environmental management system cycle in practice: 15 years of environmental management, education and research at Dalhousie University	[ "Environmental management", "Education", "Research", "Canada" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In 1991, Dalhousie University hosted the Conference on University Action for Sustainable Development in which one of the outcomes was the Halifax Declaration (Jenks-Clarke, 1992). This declaration built upon the Talloires Declaration by adding an emphasis on action. While a study of the implementation of the Halifax Declaration determined that the majority of signatories have not implemented it within their institutions (Wright, 2002); Dalhousie University has maintained a vibrant environmental management effort, which has included continual improvements. In the last 15 years, since adopting its environmental policy in 1990, Dalhousie University has undergone almost two full cycles of an informal environmental management system (EMS).In theory an EMS involves a number of phases that sequentially follow one another. An organization begins with developing an environmental policy, plans for its implementation, implements the policy, checks the results, and reviews the plans and, at times, the policy. Then, the cycle begins again with another round of planning, implementing, checking, and reviewing (International Standards Organization, 1996). Strategic management theory challenges this deliberately planned approach and offers an explanation that explains realized versus unrealized strategy while including emergent ideas. Mintzberg's \"Deliberate and Emergent Strategies\" model shows that intended strategy turns into deliberate strategy and unrealized strategy. But that the deliberate strategy is joined by numerous emergent strategy initiatives resulting in realized strategy (Mintzberg, 1978, 1994). Andrews (1987) also explains that the separation of plan formation from implementation is a false and abstract separation for the purpose of analysis. Formation and implementation phases are interrelated in real life (Andrews, 1987). When this strategic management theory is considered together with an EMS model, one would expect that the EMS model should include emergent strategy and unrealized strategy as part of the cycle.In this paper, a case study of 15 years of environmental management at Dalhousie University is used to demonstrate that a model with emergent strategy might be better suited to reality than the deliberate strategy approach of traditional EMS models. The paper first introduces the methodology used to develop the case study. Then, a detailed description of the case is presented. The conclusions outline both:* lessons learned through the case that might be of relevance to campus environmental management practitioners; and* some implications for the theory of campus EMSs.A new model is presented that incorporates the reality documented at Dalhousie University and the theory suggested from strategic management literature.\nMethods: Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a city of 350,000 on the East Coast of Canada, Dalhousie University was founded in 1818. Located in Halifax's downtown, the campus is built upon 79 acres. The university attracts high achieving students from around the world. With a student base of 15,500 students, this university offers more than 3,600 undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses in the Faculties of: Architecture and Planning; Arts and Social Sciences; Computer Science; Dentistry; Engineering; Graduate Studies; Health Professions; Law; Management; Medicine; and Science (Dalhousie University, 2005). As a signatory of the Halifax Declaration in 1991, and a university that adopted its own environmental policy as far back as 1990, Dalhousie University has a long history of environmental management. Some initiatives pre-date 1990, but as the purpose of this paper is to focus on the components of an EMS, the starting point is with the first policy. As the policy adoption at Dalhousie University pre-dates formal EMSs, such as ISO 140001, and because Dalhousie University has chosen to keep their system informal, this study looks at the actual cycles of environmental management that occurred instead of what was formally planned to occur.The method of data collection was conducted through an archival study of reports, websites, and academic literature. It was complemented by two sets of interviews that were undertaken with the Dalhousie University community to permit a cross-section of perspectives and experiences, in order to gather information on the past and current environmental management initiatives and systems. For this paper, they play the role of providing the content for the case study. One set was done with 13 senior administrators, senators, and board members (collectively referred to as senior management); while, the other interviewee set was made up of 22 staff, students, faculty, and managers. Throughout this paper, content coming from a document was referenced; otherwise, the source came from an interview. The study covers all environmental management initiatives, including, in the areas of operations, finance, education, and research.The environmental management initiatives were coded into topics such as education, research, energy, waste, etc. These were then synthesized into the traditional categories of an EMS (policy, planning, implementation, reviewing, and checking). As the chronology did not match with the EMS phases that one would expect, instead, they were reordered chronologically so that the patterns of strategic management might emerge. As these patterns matched two distinct EMS cycles, the phases within the cycle were determined. This is presented in the case study that follows.\nCase study: two cycles of environmental management at Dalhousie University: The chronological history of environmental management at Dalhousie University can be seen in Table I. The boxes marked as XX indicate intense activity, while the boxes marked X indicate sustained activity or a new initiative in only one topic area (such as waste). The blank boxes indicate no activity. There are two distinct cycles apparent from the table distinguished by a new policy or declaration. The first cycle clearly does not follow the pattern of EMS phases. Instead, there is an initial wave of simultaneously adopting a new policy and declaration, planning, and implementing new ideas all in two years; followed by six years of sustaining that implementation, with a short second wave of planning and implementing new initiatives in 1994. The first cycle ends with a checking, reviewing and renewing phase (1998-2000). The second cycle began after Dalhousie champions were aware of the formal EMS model, and follows a more sequential approach.Cycle I - phase I: policy, planning and implementation (1990-1994)\nConclusions: Campus environmental management system cycle\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - To challenge the deliberate strategy approach of the environmental management system (EMS) cycle, and offer a model based on both the practical reality experienced at Dalhousie University and emergent strategy theory. Also, to share some of the lessons learned in the 15 years of environmental management at Dalhousie University.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A case study of environmental management at Dalhousie University between 1990 and 2005 was conducted. Data were collected through 13 interviews with senior management and through 22 interviews with faculty, students and staff.\nFindings: - Two EMS cycles emerged with an overlap in the policy, planning and implementation phases, as well as unpredicted \"maintaining implementation\" and \"renewing\" phases. Emergent plans and best practices from other universities fed into the EMS cycle at the implementation and review stages, respectively.\nPractical implications: - An improved EMS model is presented. It includes feedback loops, emergent plans, unrealized plans, the renew concept, and best practices. Six practical lessons extracted from the case study are: \"early movers\"; champions; administrative versus academic versus joint environmental policies; opportunism; and, the change cycle. The sustaining and renewing phases that Dalhousie University experienced are important for practitioners to be aware of. The case itself also presents an overview of numerous initiatives.\nOriginality/value: - Integrates strategic management and campus EMS theory to create a new model, while also outlining 15 years of environmental management and change cycles experienced at Dalhousie University.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How employee training can better impact on job performance: Supervisor support is the catalyst	[ "Supervisor support", "Motivation", "Job performance", "Learning programs" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nThe importance of organizational learning: Employee development is deemed critical in respect of more effective completion of daily tasks and the firm's ongoing progress. No wonder that training is becoming increasingly viewed in strategic terms.\nWhy support is crucial: There is much evidence to show that support at both organization and supervisor level plays a crucial role in enhancing employee performance.\nSome other key factors: Any positive impact on motivation is often heightened when employees are mindful of their developmental needs. Individuals boasting such awareness tend to recognize where they are deficient and seek opportunities to attain additional capabilities that can boost their own performance and that of the organization.\nToward greater learning effectiveness: Given such knowledge, shrewd firms will appreciate that supervisor support is effectively the catalyst for successful learning and subsequent transfer back into the workplace. They should, therefore, put mechanisms in place that can optimize this support. Doing so better positions the company to achieve performance objectives and develop or enhance a learning climate.\nComment: The review is based on The role of supervisor support on employees' training and job performance: an empirical study by Park et al. (2018), published in European Journal of Training and Development. Supervisor support plays a crucial part in the overall impact of training programs on workplace performance. The authors note the impact of this support, and how it interacts with other key factors to best position a firm to achieve desired outcomes.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.\nFindings: Firms can increase the effectiveness of their learning programs by focusing on developing mechanisms for supervisor support. Such support can increase employee motivation to learn which then positively influences other factors that might ultimately lead to performance enhancement.\nPractical implications: The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.\nOriginality/value: The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
An analysis of interlibrary loan services: a case study of a university in South Africa	[ "Universities", "Document delivery", "Interlending", "Document supply", "Resource sharing", "Interlibrary" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Libraries have long realized that \"no library is an island\" meaning that no matter how big the size or budget or amount of resources a library may have, it cannot meet all the possible needs of its users independently. To that effect, libraries through forming consortiums or partnerships decided to pull their resources together for the benefit of the users. The practice of sharing resources between libraries has a long history. According to Ellingson and Morris (2011), Inter Library Loans (ILL) trace their origin from 3400 and 3000 BC during the times when scribes were used to transcribe content from clay tablets to enable delivery of the information elsewhere. There is evidence that some form of catalogue of books was created as early as the 800's as a small list of books was found in a copy of St. Augustine's De Trinitate in the Bodleian Library (Miguel, 2007). It was not until 1876, that the issue of a formal ILL would be raised in a journal article by Samuel Green (Miguel, 2007; Ellingson and Morris, 2011). Green's second suggestion for an ILL was published in 1898 (Ellingson and Morris, 2011). However, it was not until 1917, that the first request for a formal ILL service was tabled at the American Library Association which was later approved in 1919 (Ellingson and Morris, 2011). Despite this long history, there is a dearth of studies that cover ILL services in the African context. This is because ILL services in most African countries are handicapped by lack of infrastructure and resources (Iroaganachi et al., 2015; Kasalu and Ojiambo, 2015). As a result, most institutions in some African countries chose not to participate in ILL related activities at all (Iroaganachi et al., 2015; Kasalu and Ojiambo, 2015). This, in turn, contributes to the scarcity of studies from Africa in this area. Buchanan (2008) points out that in the case of South Africa, some form of ILL existed by 1938, as it is mentioned in the librarian's year report of the former University of Natal during that time. Though not by any means comprehensive, a number of studies have been conducted in South Africa around the area of ILL and document delivery and supply. The majority of those studies, however, are old with one exception being a study by Raubenheimer and Van Niekerk published in 2015.\n2. Context: 2.1 The South African public university landscape\n3. Drivers and enablers of interlibrary loan services: Raubenheimer and Van Niekerk (2002), and Ellingson and Morris (2011) point out that interlibrary services are shaped by technological developments, economic developments, political developments and general developments in the library and information science field. These developments can play a major role as both the push (drivers) and pull (enablers) factors for ILL.\n4. Objectives: Previous studies conducted in South Africa (Raubenheimer and Van Niekerk, 2002, Raubenheimer and Van Niekerk, 2015) on ILL have looked at the countrywide trends. This study is unique in the context of South Africa in that it addresses the extent of usage of ILL services at a single public university. The objectives of this study, therefore, are to:\n5. Literature review: The literature review focuses on the objectives of the study which seeks to determine the usage of ILL, the origin of requesting libraries, the top requesting libraries, the correlations between requests and supplies and the impact of the 40 per cent budget shortfall caused by a convergence of several factors on ILL.\n6. Methodology: This is a quantitative study that uses ILL data from the North-West University to fulfil its objectives. Data were downloaded from the SABINET ILL system using the three NWU JC codes. The data were then collated and uploaded on excel spreadsheets. In the main, the excel spreadsheets were used to interpret the data. Further, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, in particular Spearman's Correlation Analysis, was used to test correlations between the data from libraries that requested information resources from NWU and data from libraries that supplied information resources to NWU during this period using Rumsey's guidelines to interpret the correlations (Rumsey, 2011:284). Rumsey interprets correlations between -1 (which indicates a perfect negative correlation) and 1.0 (which indicates a perfect positive correlation). The closer the correlation is to 0, the weaker it is deemed to be. If it is closer to 1.0, it is deemed to be stronger.\n7. Findings and discussions: 7.1 Usage of ILL services at NWU\n8. Limitations of the study: It was not possible to obtain the list of titles that have been requested and also to obtain the patron's details because of the failure of the system being used. This would have enabled the authors to determine the type of titles that are being requested and the prevalence of the borrowing of textbooks. This has also resulted to a difficulty in studying turnaround times which the authors were initially interested to study.\n9. Conclusion and recommendations: The findings of the study reveal that despite low budgets, ILL among libraries in South Africa had generally declined owing mostly to the proliferation of online resources resulting to changes in user information seeking behaviour. However, it can also be concluded that NWU still relied a lot on ILL as demonstrated by the high number of items requested from other libraries. The findings also reveal that most ILL activities were conducted by public universities (Panda and Mallappa, 2015) despite the presence of other organisations such as research institutions in the ILL scheme. In total, 91 per cent of all supplies were from 10 universities while 88 per cent of all ILL requests were from 10 universities. This finding suggests that there is a core group of universities involved in ILL activities in South Africa. Another significant finding of this study was that the relationship between requesting and supplying libraries was moderate to strong (Duy and Lariviere, 2013). This means that though most of the ILL requests and supplies are reciprocated, ILL has a social justice aspect that has not been fully researched yet where the well-resourced libraries assist their less resourced counterparts to provide resources to the users without the expectation of direct reciprocity. The results of this study have implications for academic libraries in South Africa, and elsewhere. They show that ILL data alone are not always a reliable measure of the impact of low budgets and cancellations on libraries (Knowlton et al., 2016), as the majority of researchers may simply adapt to the available resources in their local libraries (Wallace and Van Fleet, 2012, p. 259). These results point to a need for marketing of ILL services to the users as a viable option when they cannot find resources in their local libraries. However, libraries and consortiums should try and decrease the amount of time the ILL requests are filled to fulfil the expectations of the impatient \"Google generation\" that expects to find their resources instantaneously (Raubenheimer and Van Niekerk, 2015, Foran, 2015b). These results also show that ILL can play a significant role to level the playing field between the well-resourced libraries in urbanized regions or provinces and the poorly resourced ones in rural regions or provinces. This social justice aspect of ILL is probably the reason why better resourced libraries in South Africa have decided to remain in the scheme unlike other countries where better resourced libraries opted out of reciprocal arrangements with small- and medium-sized institutions (Foran, 2015a).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The landscape of teaching, learning and research has changed requiring the need for diverse information resources. Given the current budgetary constraints and financial conditions prevailing in many universities, sharing of information resources has become a necessity. The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services have thus become an important service to meet the immediate needs of library users. The aim of this paper is to analyse the ILL services of the North-West University in South Africa from 2006 to 2016. Using statistical data, the paper shows the emerging pattern in borrowing and lending between institutions as well as determines the existence of correlations between borrowing and lending libraries. The results of this study show that ILL amongst libraries has decreased in the past 11 years. A need exists for increased awareness of ILL and there is need for technological innovations that will ensure that library users are able to request for information resources seamlessly.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This is a quantitative study that uses ILL data from the North-West University. Data were downloaded from the SABINET ILL system using the three NWU JC codes. They were then collated and uploaded on excel spreadsheets. In the main, the excel spreadsheets were used to interpret the data. Further, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, in particular Spearman's Correlation Analysis, was used to test correlations between data from libraries that requested information resources from NWU and data from libraries that supplied information resources to NWU during this period using Rumsey's guidelines to interpret the correlations.\nFindings: The findings of the study reveal that ILL among libraries in South Africa had generally declined owing mostly to the proliferation of online resources resulting to changes in user information-seeking behaviour. The decline is despite the challenges of low budgets received by most libraries for the acquisition of information resources. It can also be concluded that public university libraries still value ILL as demonstrated by the high number of items requested from other libraries. The findings also reveal that most ILL activities were conducted by public universities.\nResearch limitations/implications: It was not possible to obtain the list of titles that have been requested and also to obtain the user's details. This would have enabled the authors to determine the type of titles that are being requested, and the users that request them.\nPractical implications: ILL should continue to be enhanced in view of the challenge of dwindling library budgets against the escalating prices of information resources. There is also a need for user education so that they become aware of the ILL service. From experience, library users normally give up once they realize that what they wanted is not available through the local catalogue and this calls for librarians to create an awareness to users that ILL could help solve their frustrations.\nSocial implications: These results show that ILL can play a significant role to level the playing field between the well-resourced libraries in urbanized regions or provinces and the poorly resourced ones in rural regions or provinces. This social justice aspect of ILL is probably the reason why better resourced libraries in South Africa have decided to remain in the scheme unlike other countries where better resourced libraries opted out of reciprocal arrangements with small and medium-sized institutions.\nOriginality/value: The study adds to a very limited number of studies emanating from Africa. A study of this nature has never been conducted in Africa, as previous studies were nationwide studies. As far as the authors know, this is the first study that uses ILL data to research the impact of the global financial crisis on libraries in Africa.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Public procurement of consulting services: Evidence and comparison with private companies	[ "Procurement", "Management consultancy", "Public sector organizations", "Private sector organizations", "Customer satisfaction" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The public sector is increasingly operating in an environment defined by marketing principles and directed by business forces. This means that, to a certain extent, the public sector has to grapple with converting private sector best practices into public sector practice. This is why many in the public sector have turned to external consultants (The Economist, 1995; Corcoran and McLean, 1998).Consultants have been described as having a significant influence within the transformation of the public sector for the last few decades (Pollitt and Bouckaert, 2000; Lapsley and Oldfield, 2001). It is indeed true that decision-makers in many countries significantly increased their use of private sector consulting services in reforming the management structures and processes of most Western states (Saint-Martin, 1998).Most of the existing literature on procurement of professional services by the public sector emphasizes the key role and the level of power that consultants possess (Bloomfield and Danieli, 1995; Corcoran and McLean, 1998; Saint-Martin, 1998). It is widely recognized that management consultants have been important players in the reforms in a number of countries (Pollitt, 2001). \"Consultocracy\" has been used to describe the growing power of consultants (Saint-Martin, 1998). They have been referred to as \"the shadow government in the US\" (Guttman and Willner, 1976). And Saint-Martin (1998) investigated how it has been possible for them to have such a major influence on public sector reform and policy in the UK and Canada.The borders between the public and the private sectors, and the way they purchase, are becoming more blurred. And while some may argue that private sector and public sector purchasing is becoming increasingly similar (Marshall and Humby, 1998), empirical evidence to justify such generalizations has not been provided. In fact, recent research has highlighted the existence of important differences between public and private sector procurement practices (Lian and Laing, 2004).It is clear that much is still not known about the role of management consultants in the public sector. Much outsourcing of advice in the public sector may be ideologically driven. However, whether the public sector needs outside advice or not, is not questioned in the paper. Fact is that evidence suggests that the use of professional services by government has been rising steadily over recent years (Efficiency Unit, 1994). This implies that further exploration of service purchasing in the public sector is needed (Bryntse, 1996).This research topic is not only of concern to marketers and academics, but also of significant public interest (Posner and Rothstein, 1994; Mitchell, 1998). The neglecting of areas such as the not-for-profit sector, particularly government, and the increasing use of consultants by government encouraged us to examine this area and consider some of the differences between government organizations and private companies. This paper therefore seeks to shed light on the procurement of management consultancy services within the public sector. In depth interviews with representatives of the Belgian federal government formed the basis of this research. As a benchmark we use the results obtained from companies in the private sector.The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In the following section, we provide an overview of the existing literature on the procurement of professional services, we briefly summarize the public procurement legal framework and we describe the most important differences in the procurement process between public and private organizations. Then the research design is discussed. The article concludes with a discussion of the results.\nLiterature review: The procurement of professional services\nMethodology: Sample\nResults: This section consists of two parts. First, we discuss the procurement process in detail, based on descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA analysis for comparisons of means between public and private organizations. To empirically test the influence of the different procurement phases on the satisfaction level, further data analysis was undertaken in two stages. First, measurement scales were refined for the key constructs of the consulting procurement process. Subsequent regression runs were conducted to examine the hypothesized relationships between satisfaction and the different procurement practices.Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion and conclusion: The aim of the paper is to contribute to a better understanding of purchasing professional services and to compare public with private sector practice. In contrast with the evidence suggesting that the use of professional services by government has been rising steadily over recent years, it is clear that much is still unknown about the procurement process of professional services in general, and consultancy services in particular, in the public sector. Our research contributes to addressing this gap in our knowledge of the mechanisms driving procurement of consulting services.Further research is needed to fully explore this topic. This paper focused on large-scale and complicated projects. Further research can benefit from in-depth case studies: it could be interesting to identify consultancy projects of different purchase difficulty and then undertaken qualitative research into the specific aims of the organization, the specific actions of the managers and the detailed results of the consultancy exercise. Although our analysis does not allow for such an in-depth analysis of different types of projects, the results of our analysis, has some profound implications for both the public sector management and the private sector management. The results of the study may be summarized as follows.Need detection is a highly significant factor in explaining the satisfaction level in the public sector as well as in the private sector. This seems to confirm that clarity about goals influences an engagement's success and thus the satisfaction level of the consumers. This leaves some opportunity for the pubic as well as for the private sector: organizations should pay even more attention to questions such as whether they really need a consultant and what they want to obtain from their relationship with their consultant. As organizations in the private sector seem to spend more effort in carefully defining their needs for a consulting project, this recommendation is especially true for public sector organization. A special point of attention are cost/benefit analyses: while private organizations seem to have recognized that cost/benefit analyses are also important for consulting services, these analyses are still not very common in the public sector.As expected, we found that the public sector pays more attention to selection criteria and creating a competitive environment; this is a direct consequence of public procurement procedures that require detailed and thorough selection rounds. The selection factor is also highly significant in explaining the satisfaction level; this is especially true for the private sector. A possible explanation is that the selection items are typically the items on which the private sector scores relatively low in comparison with public sector, because the latter needs to comply with EU regulations. From these results, we learn that, although the private sector engages more and more in strategic partnerships, it may still be valuable for them to carefully define the selection criteria.On the other hand, we found that the private sector has a better knowledge of the market of consulting firms as well as a better knowledge of what are acceptable consulting prices. Further, we can conclude that there is a higher variation of market knowledge in the public sector than in the private sector. This explains why market knowledge is a significant factor in explaining satisfaction within the public sector, while it is not for the private sector. This result suggests that some public sector organizations may benefit from putting more effort in closing the market knowledge gap.As far as the implementation and follow-up phase is concerned, we do not find any significant differences between public and private organization. The follow-up factor is also the only procurement process variable that is not found to be significant in explaining the satisfaction level. Although we expected that private organization would score higher on follow-up practices, we found evidence that public organization have equally high standards of close follow-up and regular communication.As expected, we found that the private sector puts in general more effort in evaluating the consulting projects than the public sector. Consulting projects at public organizations often lack a formal evaluation, and if a formal evaluation session exists, most often not all parties involved in the project are present. Further, it is remarkable that most organizations do not keep a record in a database of the experiences gained during consulting projects. An important step within a consulting process is embedding the new knowledge in the organization itself. In this way, an organization will avoid a continuous need for new consulting services. In their study on the procurement of consulting services by public organizations, Corcoran and McLean (1998) came to the conclusion that in order to make the procurement and evaluation process of consulting projects more professional, public organizations will need to develop an internal database with all their consulting experiences.The results of our study indicate that public sector organizations may need to develop new buying skills in market management, specification, competitive process, negotiation regulation and monitoring. It is surprising that there has apparently been so little training or new recruitment which could re-skill the public sector for this work (Smyth, 1997). Therefore, we plead for more high-level management involvement, recognizing the importance of the procurement function within the public sector and supporting highly trained staff in implementing strategic procurement initiatives.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The aim of this paper is to shed light on the procurement process of consulting services within the public sector and to benchmark the obtained results with practices in the private sector.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A two-stage research design has been used. First, in-depth personal interviews were conducted with six users of consulting services. The second stage involved a cross-sectional survey of purchasers of a broad range of business advisory services. This included private as well as public purchasers.\nFindings: - It was found that the procurement process of consulting services in the public sector differs significantly from that of private companies. Further analyses indicate that purchasers from public and private organizations are equally satisfied with the results of consulting services.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The results of the study indicate that public sector organizations may need to develop new buying skills in market management, specification, competitive process, negotiation regulation and monitoring.\nPractical implications: - The paper suggests that a more high-level management involvement is needed, recognizing the importance of the procurement function within the public sector and supporting highly trained staff in implementing strategic procurement initiatives.\nOriginality/value: - The study provides unique insights on how consulting services are purchased in the public sector as well as in the private sector. Furthermore, the paper illustrates which purchase practices explain the satisfaction level of purchasers of consulting services.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Reducing queues: demand and capacity variations	[ "Care pathways", "Efficiency", "Lean thinking", "Management", "Organizational change", "Process management", "Sweden", "Health services" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nBackground: Accessibility is considered by many experts to be an important service quality dimension and at the same time a never-ending dilemma for several healthcare providers (Institute of Medicine (IOM), 2001). One important health service accessibility characteristic concerns patient queues or treatment waiting lists, which in principal are simple - they include patients with valid care needs that is yet to (completely) start. Waiting lists often develop when there is an imbalance between healthcare demand and supply (Kenis, 2006), or in another words, a mismatch between demand and capacity. They are a more common feature among publicly funded healthcare services (Foote et al., 2004).There are many unsupported healthcare sector misconceptions about how to approach and manage queuing problems (Silvester et al., 2004). A common argument is that demand in general is greater than capacity - the reason for queuing. But if demand is greater than capacity then the waiting list will grow indefinitely. In actuality, waiting lists are relatively stable and growing waiting lists are fairly unusual (Silvester et al., 2004). Another misconception is that queues help to make certain that costly resources are fully used. Authors with this perspective argue that it is, therefore, beneficial from a productivity viewpoint, to have a queue. This is not an accurate assessment. When patients move through several activities in their clinical journey, one activity tends to be a bottleneck. This one resource governs the entire patient process output rate. However, because demand varies and there is a bottleneck effect on capacity, it is impossible for a system to be in use all the time (Silvester et al., 2004). A third argument is that queues discourage people from using scarce healthcare resources. If queues cause medical systems to appear overburdened then it is easy to understand why many clinicians believe waiting lists remain their last protection from what see as unreasonable demands - instead of trying to understand the actual causes behind queuing problems (Silvester et al., 2004). In practice, publicly funded healthcare providers usually establish criteria that describe which patients to treat and which to refer to primary care or a different specialist. Unless there is more illness or a medical treatment breakthrough, a large increase is unlikely. Moreover, most healthcare capacity plans are based on average activity. This approach does not, in general, relate to demand and it does not consider capacity variation. In contrast, it is the variation in the way healthcare capacity is managed that causes queuing (Silvester et al., 2004).With these commonly described misconceptions in mind, the most understandable and frequent approach towards dealing with waiting times is to allocate more resources. However, it is apparent that this option is unsustainable owing to medical-technological developments and changing demographics. Both factors generate demand, which grows faster than funding and productivity. As a second consideration, adding more resources will not improve accessibility and decrease queuing (Kenis, 2006). Rather, there is a need to understand the mechanism behind queuing; the mismatch between capacity and demand.There are, however, few published reports in research journals concerning healthcare accessibility in general compared to other important service quality dimensions (Perneger, 2008). The operations management field, which deals with, among others, accessibility issues and queue theory, is a large research area that is often applied in other industries (Shmenner and Swink, 1988; Ahlstrom, 2004; Johnston and Clark, 2008), but yet to be discovered by many healthcare managers. A unique and comprehensive literature review on outpatient scheduling in healthcare was, however, performed by Cayirli and Veral (2003). Publications were classified in three ways: analytical; simulation; and case studies. The authors conclude that despite many theoretical studies, the impact on outpatient clinics is limited and that the main goal for future research should be to close this theory-practice gap. Recently, some examples about introducing lean principles into a healthcare system have been published (Lodge and Bamford, 2007; Kollberg et al., 2007) as a solution to eliminate waiting lists. Nolan et al.(1996), Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) (2003) and Walley et al.(2006) are more practical articles about reducing healthcare queues. The IHI authors say that the improvement process could be: evaluating flow - how many times do you get it right; measuring and understanding flow variation; and testing changes to improve flow.The lack of published papers on accessibility could be because implementation is complex (Kenis, 2006). Hence, our purpose is to describe how waiting lists can be reduced without using the most common solution - adding more resources; and to describe what factors are important for sustaining success. Our study focused on the Sahlgrenska University Hospital outpatient clinic.\nContext: The Swedish healthcare system is decentralized compared to other countries (Molin and Johansson, 2005). Health services are managed by 20 county councils and 290 municipalities - mainly financed through county and municipal taxes. The county councils also charge patient fees, accounting for approximately 3 percent of all revenues. Private providers deliver about 10 percent of all health services. Costs for health and medical care amount to approximately 9 percent of Sweden's gross domestic product (GDP), a fairly stable figure since the early 1980s. Sahlgrenska University Hospital is Northern Europe's largest infirmary with more than 17,000 employees, close to 2,300 beds, 165 wards and a one billion Euro budget. The hospital provides emergency and basic care for Sweden's Gothenburg 700,000 inhabitants. It is responsible for highly specialised care in West Sweden where there are approximately 1.7 million inhabitants.Excessive waiting times for pre-planned care in public facilities have long been a weakness, which has caused dissatisfaction throughout Sweden. The national government and the Federation of County Councils introduced the care guarantee in the early 1990s - an attempt to reduce waiting times for some operations. The care guarantee stipulates that patients must receive care from a nurse practitioner in a primary healthcare center the same day and that a physician appointment must be offered within seven days. If a patient needs referring to a specialist then an appointment must be offered within three months (two weeks for cancer patients). Since 2006, the care guarantee covered all diagnoses. However, despite its introduction, Swedish healthcare providers are not able to meet the targets.\nMethods: Successful and sustained queue reduction cases were selected for study. Only Sahlgrenska University Hospital clinics were chosen. Given these preconditions, two clinics (Rheumatology, Dermatology and Venereology) met the study criteria. Additionally, neither had received extra resources to reduce their queues. Two authors led the improvement work in these departments. Together with our co-workers, we selected change strategies and carried out the improvement effort. We did not use traditional, positivistic research methods, which are often used in healthcare research. Instead, when trying to understand these problems, we agree with Kurt Levin: \"The best way to understand something is to try to change it.\" (Greenwood and Levin, 2007, p. 18). Improvement work in the two clinics started at different times: Rheumatology in 2001, Dermatology and Venereology in 2004. The former has 150 employees including 30 physicians who receive approximately 3,000 referrals yearly and see 17,000 outpatients annually. Dermatology and Venereology staff see approximately 33,000 outpatients yearly, including first-time and follow-up appointments - a 40/60 split. Approximately, 130 employees work at this clinic, including 30 physicians.\nResults: Rheumatology\nDiscussion: We have described an alternative to the failed approach of continually adding capacity or extensive structural reorganization. As our study participants found, when analyzing the problem, reduced capacity was not the main issue. Our method emphasizes the need to properly understand and manage patient flows, and to match demand and capacity. Effective waiting list management enables healthcare providers to reduce lost capacity and to help patients receive the right examination at the right time. It is difficult for others to replicate the interventions that we have used, because one needs to adjust the method to the context and problem that exist at one's home department.Even though staff in the two selected clinics initiated improvements at different times, there are many similarities between their strategies. Generally, clinic staff used the same methods and tools, including: process mapping and performing different PDSA cycles (Deming, 1986). Moreover, clinic staff participated in different Breakthrough Series. Quality improvement collaborations are increasingly used in many countries to rapidly improve healthcare. There are different multi-organizational collaborations that use quality improvement methods. Most aim to close the gap between potential and actual performance by testing and implementing changes quickly and across many organizations. A well-known approach is the Breakthrough Model developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), but there are variations (Ovretveit et al., 2002). One important lesson is that Breakthrough Collaboration is not enough for eliminating waiting lists but it is a good starting point. To achieve long-lasting results, a more thorough and deep understanding is necessary among, not least, managers.One important ethical issue considered by clinic staff before initiating improvements was the balance between first and re-visits. It would be easy to eliminate queuing by not offering re-visits or by significantly decreasing them. Hence, Rheumatology staff tracked whether scheduled re-visits are medically appropriate (Figure 3). Dermatology and Venereology staff continuously monitor the balance between first and re-visits (Figure 4). Figures 3-4 show improved accessibility for first-visit outpatients has not had a negative impact upon outpatient re-visits.One big challenge in any improvement work is to engage healthcare professionals in quality improvement activities. Certainly, all staff levels and disciplines must be involved in process redesign. Even if healthcare employees are concerned about giving every patient the best care they are often skeptical about quality improvement concepts and methods. A reason for this could be that healthcare employees, especially physicians, perceive that initiatives will be ineffective and waste scarce personal and organizational resources. To get healthcare employees deeply involved, therefore, it is important to show that improvement projects work. We noticed that it is crucial that department heads follow-up results and show interest. Inspirations from other healthcare professionals who present their results can also trigger improvements among others. When the first Rheumatology Department team showed their favorable results, they were given much local and national attention. Other clinic staff, including the Dermatology and Venereology Department, were inspired and started to gain an interest in quality improvement.\nConclusions: Waiting times are an important healthcare issue and we have illuminated them using specialist services. We show how waiting lists can be reduced without adding more resources to the system, which is the normal way to deal with the problem. Our improvement work at Sahlgrenska University Hospital included gaining knowledge about accessibility, monitoring demand and capacity variations, improving patient processes by reducing variations, gaining management commitment and involving everyone (especially physicians). The end result is that accessible healthcare is possible by just paying more attention to existing solutions.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The aim of this paper is to investigate how waiting lists or queues could be reduced without adding more resources; and to describe what factors sustain reduced waiting-times.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Cases were selected according to successful and sustained queue reduction. The approach in this study is action research.\nFindings: - Accessibility improved as out-patient waiting lists for two clinics were reduced. The main success was working towards matching demand and capacity. It has been possible to sustain the improvements.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Results should be viewed cautiously. Transferring and generalizing outcomes from this study is for readers to consider. However, accessible healthcare may be possible by paying more attention to existing solutions.\nPractical implications: - The study indicates that queue reduction activities should include acquiring knowledge about theories and methods to improve accessibility, finding ways to monitor varying demand and capacity, and to improve patient processing by reducing variations.\nOriginality/value: - Accessibility is considered an important dimension when measuring service quality. However, there are few articles on how clinic staff sustain reduces waiting lists. This paper contributes accessible knowledge to the field.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Leadership and organizational patterns in the Daodejing	[ "Daodejing", "Leadership", "Self‐organization", "Self development", "Sustainability", "China" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The Daodejing (commonly transcribed as Tao Te Ching or Tao Te King; below also abbreviated as DDJ) adopts a systemic approach to sustainability that resonates with the needs of today as the world faces a shortage of leaders with vision. In the Daodejing, personal development and leadership personality are seen as the driving forces behind the development of true sustainability in operational processes and interactions, whether the context be business, political, or social governance.Sustainability is seen as something that must originate with self-cultivation through individual practice before it can extend into leadership and guidance of organizational processes and patterns. According to the Daodejing, if a leader's personal attitudes and behavior are not imbued with sustainable patterns, it is difficult to organically \"re-\"-produce them in the outside world. Such concepts of sustainability are as valuable today as ever before.The Daodejing addressed the leaders of the states at its time (, wang hou), a time when sustainability was a constant concern. This was roughly during the later part of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the beginning of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). It was a time of continuous power struggles between the feudal lords, which resulted in endless wars, much chaos, suffering and waste.\nOrganizational patterns: This being the historical setting, one of the central topics of the Daodejing was the question: what kind of organizational patterns are best suited to creating flourishing and stable systems, and which factors make systems prone to disruption?To talk about \"systems\" and \"patterns\" in the context of the Daodejing might sound somewhat strange, a bit too modern. But the Daodejing is indeed interested in fundamental patterns and their effects in diverse areas and on multiple levels - no matter whether we talk about a state, a culture, interpersonal relationships or managerial processes. See for instance the concepts of wuwei (, wuwei - non-action) and ziran ziran - being in harmony with internal potential) below.In the Daodejing, what makes a system stable is this: a sustainable foundation of unified operational and behavioral patterns that adapt flexibly and individually to potential and resources (DDJ, ch. 54). This requires the utilization of the energies already in motion within the system.\nSelf-organization: The concepts found in the Daodejing are intimately related to the observation of phenomena, processes and fundamental patterns in nature - heaven/stars, earth/seasons, water, plants and animals (, tian, di, shui, wan wu cao mu, pin mu). Because of the Daoist admiration of nature, at the heart of Daoist philosophy there is an interest to model individual behavior and operational patterns after the processes of self-organization in nature ( tian, di, ziran, DDJ, ch. 25).Accordingly, the Daodejing's ideal is efficient integration into larger systems ( he, yi, DDJ, ch. 16, 22, 55). The central Daoist terms to mention in this context are ziran and wuwei. Ziran means to be in harmony with and to operate in accordance with inherent potential. Wuwei is commonly translated as non-action. Although the concept is easily confused with in-action, which is passive and often ineffective, wuwei is rather a very responsive, supportive and enabling mode of action, allowing sustainable accomplishment.In a leadership context, there are plenty of examples of wuwei, or non-action in the Daodejing, in which action is less strictly directive and controlling, but instead more supportive and empowering (DDJ, ch. 37, 66). The non-action in the Daodejing's approach to management zhi, zhi guo) and leadership, sheng ren, hou wang, qu tian xia) has a significant aim:The Dao is constantly not acting. If the dukes and the kings can hold on to this, the ten thousand things and beings will develop by themselves (DDJ, ch. 37, Bamboo manuscript A; all DDJ translations by the author according to Gerstner (2008, 2009).What \"by themselves\" hints at here is a leadership style which is deeply motivating and which supports people in developing at their own speed and in a fashion that suits them best (also see DDJ, ch. 17). Goleman and Boyatzis (2008) describe these kinds of effects very well in their article, \"Social intelligence and the biology of leadership\".Non-action as a behavior pattern is the opposite of a narrowly top-down management style. It is what you might call leading from behind (regarding the relevance for management also see Hill (2010), and Kleiner and Sehgal (2010)) or what the Daodejing also calls leading from \"below\" (DDJ, ch. 66, 68):The rivers and the seas are kings of a hundred mountain streams, because they can place themselves below them. This is why they can be kings to the hundred mountain streams. When sages are in front of people, they place themselves behind them. When they are on top of people, they place themselves below them in the way they talk [they are humble] (DDJ, ch. 66, bamboo manuscript A).If leaders are too much \"on top\", too autocratic and too arrogant (DDJ, 17, 22), a good deal of valuable information will naturally not \"flow\" towards them. There will be less engagement and reduced performance (DDJ, ch. 68). An important point in this leading from behind and below perspective is that it optimally creates opportunities for individuals, interpersonal interactions, and processes to develop organically. Practical examples of this perspective can be found at Management Innovation eXchange (MIX, n.d.).The water/river examples in the Daodejing are no coincidence. Non-action is about flow experiences and creating flow processes (see DDJ, ch. 37, 57 or ziran in ch. 17). But for this to happen, an appropriate environment with an engaging atmosphere is needed:Therefore the sages say: I stay with non-action and the people develop by themselves. I adore tranquility and people are role models by themselves. I have no agendas and the people fare well by themselves. I have no desires and the people stay pristine by themselves (DDJ, ch. 57).Non-action aims at minimizing (the need for) interference and reducing friction and waste. What non-action further means for a management and organizational context is that it is important to create an environment in which things happen without the need to prompt and interfere constantly. Non-action does not only require superb communication skills, it also requires excellent communication channels within and between all levels of an organizational structure. Without this free communication, information and vital details might not be conveyed early and quickly enough, and a leader will often have little chance to act before minor inconsistencies turn into major problems.\nPersonal development: This communication requires a mindset of continuous improvement of all people involved, and an environment and procedures encouraging self-cultivation:Practicing the Tao, you reduce day by day. You reduce and reduce again, to eventually arrive at non-action (DDJ, ch. 48).This quote from chapter 48 is not just about reducing non-essentials. It describes the ongoing process of shedding everything that restrains the ability to perceive, to adapt and respond, and to act pro-actively. It means improving one's skills in communicating with others as well as, even more fundamentally, with oneself.Like other major schools of thought at the time, the proponents of the Daodejing saw leadership personality as one of the keys to effective governance. It should therefore not surprise, that a leader's emotional intelligence along with his or her personal development is given such high importance in the Daodejing (DDJ, ch. 57, 58, 66).An unbalanced personality is seen as a significant source for trouble, causing bad use of human and other resources, reducing the efficiency of the organization and hampering its sustainability (DDJ, ch. 30, 31, 46, 75). Daniel Goleman's and others' research on emotional intelligence in business contexts undoubtedly support this perspective. The Daodejing describes superior leaders as endowed with exceptional perception skills and as very responsive to potential, but also to weaknesses and to factors that might cause problems in the future (DDJ, ch. 63, 64):Act before it appears. Fix it, before there is a mess (DDJ, ch. 64).From the perspective of the Daodejing, in order to make effective use of the principle of self-organization, openness/emptiness and continuous personal development are absolute prerequisites for a leader. A leader who is not receptive enough loses out on a good deal of information, not because it is not accessible, but simply because he or she does not perceive it and because of a limited access to information channels. Only if a leader and his/her organization actively stay open and empty on all levels does information have a chance to flow in (DDJ, ch. 4, 5, 45):True fullness is like emptiness. It can absorb without end (DDJ, ch. 45).Again and again we can see that resonance (he), resonating with the environment, is a very important theme in the Daodejing's focus on self-organization. If water is still (calm, tranquil), it can serve as a good mirror. For top-level executives this kind of effect is important in that only a clear mirror can offer optimum reflection on new and innovative ideas. Besides, a leader who stays calm, tranquil and accessible under pressure is a role model with a positive impact on team morale and engagement:Therefore the sages say: [...] I adore tranquility and people are role models by themselves (DDJ, ch. 57).Additionally, cultivating a highly receptive, open and responsive personality which can deal with people in ways that do not trigger defensiveness and antagonism, but rather maximum rapport and cooperation, allows for success:The Dao of heaven is not to compete/jostle, but nevertheless to be good at winning (DDJ, ch. 73).The Daodejing's key terms in this regard are: staying empty, not being self-opinionated and being tranquil ( xu, , bu ying, wu, bu zi shi, jing). The practice of meditation is a typical Daoist tool to attain, foster, preserve, and experience the effects of these states of mind.These states of mind should also be viewed in the framework of self-organization and the ability to resonate ( he), which is, besides other things, principally about triggering constructive chain reactions. Concepts such as ziran ( ziran, meaning acting/operating in full accordance with existing potential), non-action (wuwei), emptiness ( xu, chong), tranquility ( jing) and to harmonize (he) are not seen only in the light of effective leadership behavior in the Daodejing. They are also regarded as important operational patterns and as important criteria for structuring processes (see Figure 1).\nHealth and sustainability: As such, individual health of top-level leaders and organizational health are seen in co-relation. The concept of health that clearly shines through in the Daodejing is the idea of structural balance and optimal resonance with potential ( he). Ill health from this perspective, then, is an imbalance of functions, processes and relations.The Daodejing adopts a systemic approach to sustainability through a structure that allows individual potential to flourish and so encourages empowerment of every part of the whole as each part is valued. This is different from most western perspectives that do not stress links between sustainability, personal development and one's own health - see for instance sustainability studies by the Boston Consulting Group, IBM or McKinsey.In the thought of the Daodejing, however, you can find a strong alliance between a general caring attitude, health and sustainability (Gerstner, 2008, pp. 15-301) - see Figure 2. First, one has to take care of oneself. This refers to all aspects of one's own well-being and health. The caring attitude then extends from oneself to other beings, one's whole environment and coming generations ( zi sun, ch. 54). Here an example of how the Daodejing links this to leadership:If you adopt a caring attitude towards yourself, you can be entrusted with the empire (DDJ, ch. 13).If top-level leaders do not adopt a truly caring attitude towards their own physical, mental and emotional health, their attitude and behavior patterns will affect the ways they deal with other people. Their ill-health will, in turn, affect the strategies they adopt, and the ways in which they set up tasks and structure processes. The aim for leadership within the Daodejing's context of self-organization, however, is to spread and amplify balanced behavioral and operational patterns. The modern jargon for this effect is \"social contagion\" (see Robison, 2010; Taylor, 2008).The Daodejing addresses political leaders, and there is of course a difference between political states and businesses. But what they have in common is that they all want to prosper. They both need to know what kind of cultures will best help them attain and sustain prosperity.\nGlocalization: The concepts described above can provide inspiration for a multitude of management contexts, in the west and elsewhere, but they can be particularly interesting for multinational companies operating in China. Concepts like these can be employed in the process of aligning global corporate culture with the local conditions multinational companies face in China, specifically with respect to leadership.As effective as localization of products and services, but much less practiced, the translation of a company's global culture into local Chinese practice can be distinctly improved if this process is less a literal translation of western ideas, terms and techniques, but rather a rendition that establishes a connection to Chinese traditions and practices.This seems to be particularly true in light of current societal tendencies in China. For, alongside the political changes after Mao Zedong's death and the rapid and immense economic developments in China in recent years, China has revisited its attitude to its cultural heritage.The cultural deprivation brought about by the so-called Cultural Revolution, along with the abrupt focus on material wealth, has provoked a new search for China's cultural identity and for something beyond mere material values. And, importantly, this search has political support.All of a sudden there is an enormous hunger for traditions, concepts and values that are inherently Chinese. It has caused a revival of Chinese traditions and led to the rise of the guo xue re, a strong tide of fascination for Chinese teachings. This is an ongoing social phenomenon.\nManagement education: What is very special about the Daodejing's perspective on leadership is its systemic perception. It treats governance of a state, personal development, and one's personal health as intimately related. There neither is a body mind split, nor a neglect of parts in favor of the whole. From an educational point of view this means that the Daodejing does not put the main focus on mere management techniques. But instead, for techniques to effectively be put into practice, it sees a necessity to experience the concepts and strategies behind them through one's whole person - body, mind and soul.This means that, from the Daodejing's point of view, the idea of efficiency also appears in a different light. The question that comes up here is: how deep and thorough can any thought and practice in the area of corporate social responsibility and sustainability, for instance, be if the relevant concepts and patterns are not deeply ingrained in a manager's own personality and experience? In this respect future managers will have to deeply explore and realize their \"managerial DNA\", to borrow an expression from Gary Hamel (Hamel and Breen, 2007, location 1489), in order to make the best use of human resources. This is certainly something worthy of discussion in modern management education.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Although the Daodejing is a text that is more than 2,400 years old, its concepts regarding leadership nevertheless fit well into current discussions on sustainability and responsibility. This paper aims to explore these concepts.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper focuses on the strategic aspects that can be found in the Daodejing's approach to leadership.\nFindings: - The Daodejing offers interesting perspectives on the relationship between personal development and sustainability. Because of their topicality these concepts are moreover particularly interesting within the context of corporate culture and glocalization for multinational companies operating in China.\nOriginality/value: - The paper explores aspects of the philosophy of the Daodejing that often get neglected, but which offer interesting perspectives on current issues in management.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Impact of service failure severity and agreeableness on consumer switchover intention: Mediating role of consumer forgiveness	[ "Agreeableness", "Consumer forgiveness", "Service failure severity", "Services industry", "Switchover intention" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Hung-Che Wu (2014) stated that service quality significantly influences perceived value while perceived value is main determinant of customer satisfaction that affects behavioral intentions. It is because the cost of attracting a new customer is five times higher than the cost of retaining an existing customer (Hart et al., 1990). However, in services industry, retaining existing customers is within itself an enormous task due to the very nature of the services industry. Factors such as: intangibility of services, production and consumption of services at the same time and the intense human interaction in service deliveries; all contribute toward making it impossible for the service providers to provide a completely error free service every time (Hui et al., 2011; La and Choi, 2012). However, Manoj and Sunil (2011) research findings suggest that service firms may benefit from pursuing a combined strategy of increasing customer satisfaction and switching costs.\nLiterature review: Consumer switchover intention\nService failure severity: Although no service provider wants service failures, yet these are inevitable (Baker et al., 2008; Suh et al., 2013). Service failure may vary from operational failure to feedback failure and to compensate a loss caused by service failure it is important to assess its severity (Singhal et al., 2013).\nResearch methodology: Population\nAnalysis and discussion: Table II presents a brief summary of respondents as well as variables through central tendency and dispersion measures of the sample.\nDiscussion: All hypotheses have been supported by empirical evidence. It has been validated that service failure severity is significantly positively related to switchover intention. A transgressed customer will be moved strongly toward a switchover, if he perceives the service failure to be severe. This finding is in alignment with the earlier findings of Tsarenko and Tojib (2012) in the same context.\nManagerial implications: Service failure occurs even with the best service providers (Hess et al., 2003). Service managers are always at higher risk of losing customers than product marketers. It is therefore important to understand and implement mechanisms that minimize the negative outcomes of service failures.\nFuture research: There are multiple avenues of future research emerging from this study. Consumer forgiveness is still a neglected area and not much work has been done toward exploring this construct in marketing domain. It is therefore imperative to explore this mechanism further.\nLimitations: As convenient sampling has been undertaken and the respondents are university students, the generalizations of the research findings to overall population shall be undertaken with caution.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the asymmetric impact of service failure severity and agreeableness on consumer switchover intention with the mediating role of consumer forgiveness in the aftermath of service failure.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In total, 364 university students were given a hypothetical service failure situation and their response was collected through a standardized questionnaire. Multiple regression and Preacher and Hayes (2004) mediation analysis tests were conducted to analyze data.\nFindings: The findings reveal that service failure severity has a direct positive impact on switchover intention and it also has an indirect impact on switchover intention through consumer forgiveness which it tends to weaken. On the other side, agreeableness has a direct negative impact on switchover intention, and it inhibits switchover intention indirectly too by stimulating forgiveness.\nResearch limitations/implications: A cross-sectional study involving convenience sampling has been conducted through self-report measures. Generalization of the research findings shall therefore be done with caution.\nPractical implications: Severity of failure hampers forgiveness and therefore service managers should check factors that may challenge the tolerance level of consumers. While gauging satisfaction in post failure scenario, it is equally important to gauge consumer forgiveness.\nOriginality/value: This study is among the initial endeavors to explore forgiveness in service failures context. Also it is the first validation of a direct positive relationship between agreeableness and forgiveness in a South Asian country.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Juggling on the line: Front line managers and their management of human resources in the retail industry	[ "Employee relations", "Line managers", "Human resource management", "Retail", "Front line managers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This paper sets out to examine the interplay between the role of front line managers' (FLMs) and their implementation of employee relations (ER) and human resource management (HRM). The importance of studying line managers is significant to our understanding of ER/HRM in organisations because they act as key agents by taking responsibility for translating policy into action (Purcell and Hutchinson, 2007; Brewster et al., 2013; Guest and Bos-Nehles, 2013; Townsend, 2012a, b, c, 2013; Wright and Nishii, 2013). Previous studies have found a number of issues associated with the process implying that line managers can either enhance or undermine ER/HRM effectiveness (e.g. McGovern et al., 1997; Renwick, 2003, 2004, 2009; Hutchinson and Purcell, 2007; Marchington and Suter, 2012; Townsend et al., 2013a). However, most research studies place line managers as an adjunct to the main analysis and underplay the importance of how they translate ER/HRM policies into practice (Brewster et al., 2013). Consequently, any relationship between the problems already known about devolving people management to the line and its relationship with the reported gap between intended and actual ER/HRM has received less attention (Khilji and Wang, 2006; Woodrow and Guest, 2014). In addition, research has tended to classify line managers as a generic homogenous group with little delineation between the hierarchal structures of management within organisations. This paper contributes to the literature on ER/HRM and line management by focusing on a group of managers who have been largely neglected in previous research - FLMs. These can be defined as the first level of management to whom only non-managerial employees report (Hales, 2005, p. 473). This paper examines FLMs' implementation of ER/HRM policy to learn about their contribution to the reported gap between intended and actual HRM. In doing so it addresses the call for more research that places FLMs central to the main analysis and differentiates between levels of management.\nLine managers and ER/HRM: With relatively little work focused on FLMs and HRM, previous research has primarily considered line managers as a homogeneous group who have been taking on more responsibility in the area of ER/HRM (Holt Larsen and Brewster, 2003; Renwick, 2003, 2004, 2009; Armstrong-Stassen and Schlosser, 2010). Research has found that line managers tend to be more heavily involved in recruitment choices, discipline procedures, on-the-job training, decisions about who receives training and incentive pay (Renwick, 2003; Khilji and Wang, 2006). Previous research has identified a variety of problems associated with this devolution of ER/HRM to the line, which Teague and Roche (2012) summarise as delegation, alignment and monitoring issues. Issues concerning delegation include the dissonant opinions on ER/HRM between line managers, senior management and HR professionals (Buyens and De Vos, 2001; Maxwell and Watson, 2006; Nehles et al., 2006; Bondarouk et al., 2009; Brandl et al., 2009). Line managers also cite a lack of either time or personal motivation to carry out their HR responsibilities (McGovern et al., 1997; Whittaker and Marchington, 2003; Renwick, 2004; Hutchinson and Purcell, 2010). Alignment issues concern the organisational support and incentives offered to line managers to execute their people management responsibilities. Studies have found that line managers often experience a lack of support in their HR role (Renwick, 2003; McConville, 2006; Hutchinson and Purcell, 2010), while their ER/HRM skills have been questioned, with inadequate training highlighted as a particular problem (Cunningham and Hyman, 1999; Maxwell and Watson, 2006; Purcell and Hutchinson, 2007; Townsend et al., 2012b). The final problem relates to how line managers are evaluated in terms of any monitoring or assessment of their implementation of people management. Few organisations successfully evaluate line managers' HR activities and there is sometimes little organisational pressure on them to fully undertake their HR responsibilities (McGovern et al., 1997; Tamkin et al., 1997).\nFront line management in the retail industry: Retailing is a major sector in the UK economy (Skillsmart Retail, 2013) with retailers being the UK's largest private sector employers, employing around 10 per cent of the country's workforce (Skillsmart Retail, 2013). The significance of the retail industry to the UK economy and the vital role of labour in terms of their costs and performance underline the key role of ER/HRM in this context (Freathy and Sparks, 1996). Despite this, and its people-oriented nature, research on ER/HRM in retailing is scarce. Almost two decades ago Marchington (1996) drew attention to the lack of integration between retail and HR specific research strands and while some developments in the area have since taken place (e.g. Ogbonna and Whipp, 1999; Sparks, 2000; Ogbonna and Harris, 2001; Purcell and Hutchinson, 2007; Grugulis et al., 2011; Cathcart, 2013, 2014), little work has been published in recent years.\nMethodology: This study is part of a larger project investigating ER/HRM in retail organisations. A case study approach was adopted to explore how ER/HRM policies and practices operate in the retail industry and the role of different levels of management in the process. This was to address the call for greater distinction between various categories of management when considering how ER/HRM policies are translated into practice (Sanders and Frenkel, 2011) and the need to better understand the processes of ER/HRM (Brewster et al., 2013; Guest and Bos-Nehles, 2013; Woodrow and Guest, 2014). The aim of this study was to understand how and why FLMs executed their ER/HRM responsibilities. As such, a case study approach was adopted as this was considered most appropriate given that the focus of the study was on social processes and consequences within a real-life context to address \"how\" and \"why\" research questions (Yin, 2009).\nSuperco case study: Superco operates in the multiple grocery retailing sector across a number of countries. The company operated along functional lines with three divisions of Head Office, Distribution and Retail. This research focuses on the UK Retail Division, which was structured on a regional basis with 24 regions across the country. The study used two stores for data collection, each of which was located in South London - Lewisham and Surrey Quays - and both classified as superstores. Both stores had four departments managed by a Senior Manager, who together with the Store Manager made up the store's senior management team. These departments were sub-divided into sections, which were managed by Section Managers who reported to their respective Senior Store Manager. For the purpose of this research, the Section Managers were classified as FLMs because they represent the first level of management to whom only non-managerial employees report (Hales, 2005, p. 473). Further descriptive details can be found in Table I.\nHomeco: Homeco operates in the decorative and DIY sector multiple retailing sector employing over 25,000 staff. The company was structured on a regional basis with nine regions across the UK. The study used two stores for data collection; one located in Essex, the other in Oxford, and both classified as superstores. The Essex store was termed a \"Traditional\" store, which meant it had not undergone recent refurbishment, while Oxford was a \"Renewal\" store, which had recently undergone major renovation. Each store had a senior store management team comprising of a Store Manager and two Assistant Store Managers. The Essex store was sub-divided into three departments: Hardside, Softside and Administration. Each department was managed by a Department Manager, who had responsibility for a variety of sections within their department, which were each managed by a Supervisor. As a \"Renewal\" store the Oxford branch had the same senior store management team and then six departments overseen by Department Managers, but there was no supervisory level. For the purposes of this research study, Section Managers in the Essex store and Department Managers in the Oxford store were classified as the FLMs as these positions were the last managerial level to which only shop floor staff reported.\nResearch findings: The role and responsibilities of FLMs\nDiscussion and conclusions: This study investigated the organisational role of FLMs and their implementation of ER/HRM policy to establish their contribution to the reported gap between intended and implemented HRM. The research found that FLMs are key agents in people management and play a critical role in the gap between intended and actual ER/HRM. Delegation, alignment and monitoring problems contributed to this gap, but the tensions inherent in the role of FLMs lead to a manipulation of their people management responsibilities. This was facilitated by their high level of responsibility for ER/HRM, but a lack of institutional support, monitoring or incentives to implement practice according to central policy, which provided an opportunity to modify or resist intended policy. While Superco maintained a closer monitoring of FLMs through budgets and targets this did not negate the gap between intended and actual HRM.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the interplay between the role of front line managers (FLMs) and their contribution to the reported gap between intended and actual human resource management (HRM).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The findings draw on case study research using 51 semi-structured interviews with managers across two UK retail organisations between 2012 and 2013.\nFindings: This paper argues that FLMs are key agents in people management and play a critical role in the gap between intended and actual employee relations (ER) and HRM. The research found that these managers held a high level of responsibility for people management, but experienced a lack of institutional support, monitoring or incentives to implement according to central policy. This provided an opportunity for them to modify or resist intended policy and the tensions inherent in their role were a critical factor in this manipulation of their people management responsibilities.\nResearch limitations/implications: The data were collected from only one industry and two organisations so the conclusions need to be considered within these limitations.\nPractical implications: Efforts to address the gap between intended and actual ER/HRM within organisations will need to consider the role tensions of both front line and middle managers.\nOriginality/value: This research provides a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between FLMs and the gap between intended and actual HRM within organisations. It addresses the issue of FLMs receiving less attention in the HRM-line management literature and the call to research their role in the translation of policy into practice.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and its application in analyzing factors inhibiting implementation of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)	[ "ISM", "Barriers", "Implementation", "TPM", "Digraph", "Interrelationship", "Inhibiting factors" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Understanding TPM: Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a philosophy to enhance an organization's productivity and produce high quality goods by minimizing waste thereby reducing costs (Poduval et al., 2013). The main emphasis in TPM is to persuade the operating personnel to carry out the regular daily maintenance while the maintenance crew would carry out specialized maintenance, upgrades and modification jobs to minimize failures thereby increasing machine availability, reducing costs and improving profitability of the organization. Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance defines TPM as aiming to maximize equipment effectiveness with a total system of preventive maintenance covering the entire life of the equipment involving everyone in all departments and at all levels and motivating people for plant maintenance through small-group and voluntary activities. TPM is a world class manufacturing initiative that seeks to optimize the effectiveness of manufacturing equipment (Shirose, 1995). It is targeted to enhance competitiveness of organizations and encompasses a powerful structured approach to change the mindset of employees thereby making a visible change in the work culture of the organization (Ahuja and Khamba, 2008a, b). The main concepts of TPM are highlighted in the following paragraphs:\n2. Barriers in TPM implementation: Implementing TPM in industries is an art and requires time, money, manpower, resources and commitment from all the stake holders. The organization as a whole should be willing to change its outlook and adapt itself to the new practices and cultural changes that are required for the successful implementation of TPM. Many companies implement TPM on a superficial level and the resulting productivity gains fall short of their potential (Ken'ichi and Keisuke, 1998). Organizations have time and again failed to put into practice TPM as either they were not serious or they have not grasped the enormity of the situation and the requirements for successful implementation.\n3. ISM: Let us suppose that you want to carry out research on an issue which has multiple variables and that your task in this research is to identify the interrelationship among all these variables. Specific to this paper, the issue would be TPM and the various factors would be the inhibiting factors or barriers in implementation of TPM. An appropriate method to study the interrelationship among the barriers would be the use of technique of ISM.\n4. Steps in ISM: ISM technique is to be employed by following some well-defined steps in a specified order as given below. Each step is relevant and related to the previous step and cannot be bypassed. The authors have used their experience and also referred to various papers on ISM (Pramod and Banwet, 2013; Attri et al., 2012 and 2013a, b; Malone, 1975; Janes, 1988; George, 1980, etc.) to list out each step articulately and as specific as possible to help researchers to easily understand ISM:\n5. Proposed research methodology: Implementation of TPM is a difficult task by any standard. As explained earlier, it takes patience and commitment by the entire organization to experience the results. There is an enormous amount of literature on TPM and its concepts. In their paper - \"Total productive maintenance: literature review and directions\", Ahuja and Khamba (2008a, b) have analyzed and reviewed the published literature on TPM. Moore (1997) has written how combining TPM and reliability focussed maintenance avoids crisis, fosters teamwork, maximizes capacity, minimizes costs and continuously improves plant processes. Rajput and Jayaswal (2012) have described TPM approach to improve overall equipment effectiveness. Cua et al. (2001) have investigated the practices of TQM, TPM and JIT simultaneously on manufacturing processes. Relationships and supporting activities of the three practices have also been studied in depth by Teeravaraprug et al. (2011). Panneerselvam (2012) in his paper -\"TPM implementation to invigorate manufacturing performance: an Indian Industrial Rubric\" has carried out a study to appraise the challenges faced by Indian manufacturing industries to implement TPM. Ahuja and Khamba (2007, 2008a, b) have identified strategies and success factors for overcoming challenges In TPM implementation in Indian manufacturing industry.\n6. Conclusion: This paper is meant only to give an insight into ISM, the issues to deal with in implementing TPM and how ISM can be used to mitigate these factors. From literature surveys, it is seen that even though there is much literature devoted to TPM and advantages in its implementation, not much space is devoted to analyzing the difficulties in implementing TPM using ISM and ways to mitigate these difficulties. With this in background, the authors propose to carry out research on using the concept of ISM to analyze the factors inhibiting implementation of TPM. The authors will also try to statistically validate the structural model using SEM.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the application of Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to analyze the barriers in implementation of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). TPM is explained in brief with emphasis on maintenance programs to improve quality of products, reliability of processes and reduction in cost. Barriers in implementation of TPM are also discussed. Concept of ISM and steps in developing ISM are described in detail. The authors then illustrate the research methodology which involves applying ISM to analyze barriers in TPM.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper starts off by describing the concepts of TPM and ISM. Barriers in implementation of TPM are discussed. It explains ISM as a methodology to understand the underlying interrelationship among the inhibiting factors. The authors draw up an action plan to carry out research on the usage of ISM to study the TPM inhibitors, to develop an integrated model to establish the relationship among the different TPM inhibiting factors and to suggest action plan to mitigate these factors.\nFindings: Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) can be used to analyze the driving and dependence power of the variables inhibiting implementation of TPM. The barriers to implement TPM are described with detailed explanation. The complexity of the problem and the degree of interconnection among the variables can be found out. This will help Managers take action on mitigating the barriers.\nPractical implications: By analyzing the interrelationships among the barriers and their strengths, management can chalk out the strategy to implement TPM in an organization. Management will become aware of the barriers which have the maximum influence and then can act accordingly to mitigate these barriers. This will help in implementing TPM faster and in an organized manner.\nOriginality/value: Many authors have used ISM to study various issues. A couple of authors have used ISM to determine barriers in implementation of TPM. The authors feel that most of the papers describe ISM in brief making it slightly difficult for readers to understand. This paper aims to explain elaborately step-by-step on how to develop an ISM making it easier for researchers to understand the ISM concept. Even though there are papers on TPM and difficulties in implementation of TPM, this paper explains the barriers in implementing TPM based on the experience of the corresponding author having worked in the refinery industry.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Value-added statement as a trigger to organizational unlearning	[ "Organizational unlearning", "Stakeholders approach", "Unlearning process", "Value-added statement" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Organizational unlearning is the ability to question and discard existing knowledge to accommodate new learning. Unlearning is vital because sometimes learning promotes rigidity. Organizations learn by encoding past success formulas into organizational memory which can result in reiteration of those strategies irrespective of changes in the environment.\nValue-added statement: VAS was recommended by the Accounting Standards Steering Committee in 1975 and has been a mandatory part of annual reports for large companies in the UK since 1977. Other organizations across the globe also voluntarily incorporate VAS in their annual reports, including organizations such as Infosys, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Britannia Industries Limited, and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in India.\nRelevance of value-added statement as a trigger to organizational unlearning: VAS can act as a trigger to organizational unlearning. If there is a decline in value addition by an organization in a reporting period, it can highlight that present strategies need revision and corrective measures. The decline in value addition implies deterioration in the performance of an enterprise and less contribution made toward stakeholder well-being.\nStrength of value-added statement over other financial metrics: There are reasons for recommending VAS over other financial metric for facilitating unlearning in organizations:\nFuture implications for research and practice: Future research can test the applicability of VAS in relation to unlearning by designing a longitudinal study of organizations. Additionally, studies can analyze how well organizations interpret the results of VAS and follow up on this evidence. Other tools and methods that help detect the appropriate time to unlearn can be suggested.\nConclusion: This article suggests VAS as a measure to detect the right time to start the process of organizational unlearning. As profit figures are prone to manipulation and lack explanatory power, value added can provide the \"real\" picture of how an organization realizes the interests of various stakeholders and contributes to overall economic development. Lifelong learning and adaptation requires conscious questioning of present strategies, knowledge, and routines, followed by careful discard of obsolete stock. Unlearning helps in acquisition of new knowledge, and if organizations are not cognizant of right time to challenge the governing variables, unlearning will be difficult.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Organizational unlearning is easier said than done. Organizations are usually not cognizant of the ripe time to start questioning and discarding their existing paradigms and past success formulas. This paper aims to recommend the use of a financial metric, i.e. value-added statement, as a trigger to unlearning in organizations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper uses a review of existing literature on organizational unlearning to highlight that although prescriptive studies on unlearning are abundant, \"how\" and \"when\" organizations should contemplate and discard the obsolete knowledge and routines is still inconspicuous.\nFindings: Value-added statement is an adequate reporting measure that incorporates the contribution of organization toward not only its shareholders but also other stakeholders such as employees, providers of long-term finance, government, and public. It supplements income statement and provides an insight of how organizations are serving its interest groups. A decline in value addition by an organization in a reporting period can serve as a trigger to question the existing practices and break organization's over-dependence on \"one size fits all\" approach.\nOriginality/value: Unlearning is considered as a means to attain financial performance in an organization. This paper attempts to recommend a financial metric which incorporates the economic, social, and environmental aspects of business, i.e. value-added statement. The rationale for not recommending other financial metrics as a trigger for unlearning is based on grounds of possible manipulation. Moreover, these financial statements are affected by legal, political, and economic context of a nation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Simulation based method considering design for additive manufacturing and supply chain: An empirical study of lamp industry	[ "Simulation", "Design for additive manufacturing", "Decision support system", "Design for supply chain" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapid prototyping (RP) technology that produces a 3D part by laying shapes of material layers. It first appeared in the 1980's (Campbell et al., 2012), and was utilized to generate mold models for manufacturing. More recently, AM has become widely known as the trigger of the third industrial revolution. This evolution is from the patent of the main AM technology, fused deposition modeling, expired in early 2014. This consequently resulted an obvious progression for AM-related products, such as the emergence of consumer 3D printers and assistant software for consumers.\n2. Literature review: 2.1. AM\n3. Methodology: This paper aims to eliminate the barriers that case company encountered. A simulation based methodology was proposed in this research. This project was initiated in the summer of 2014 and currently under second review of the case company in the summer of 2015. The flow of the proposed method is shown in Figure 1. The steps of proposed methodology is on the left, and the executed actions are on the right. From the interview with the manager of case company, it is confirmed that the case company has confronted several challenges when they endeavor to provide personalized service. The first one is that the customers are not capable to design their desired product with existing CAD tool. The second challenge is that the case company has to deal with the demand uncertainty from the personalized service, which they have never met. Third, new AM machines should be procured since it is time-consuming and cost-consuming to manufacture personalized product with traditional manufacturing process. However, the case company is not certain about this decision. Lastly, this service is different from the case company's previous business model. There is a need to reconfigure the SC and estimate the implementation cost again. Thus, this case study pays attention on supporting the case company to best locate their expensive equipment investments and choosing appropriate supplier and distributor.\n4. Case study: The case company is a lamp manufacturer located in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The business coverage of the case company is to manufacture and sell lamps. The type of lamp includes standardized and personalized. A personalized lamp is manufactured by the case company, the material of the personalized lamp is bought from ABS and lightbulb suppliers, and the finished personalized lamp will be distributed to each customer directly through distributor. There is no warehouse for finished goods since the product is make-to-order. The case company currently operates with one ABS supplier, three lightbulb suppliers and two distributors in Hsinchu. In recent years, an increasing number of customers have asked for personalized lamps. The profit which can be earned from manufacturing personalized lamps is estimated to be higher than that for standard lamps, prompting the company to consider the possibility of branch out. The case company has been concerning to procure AM machines to manufacture the personalized lampshade or not since the traditional manufacturing process is too time-consuming and cost-consuming. Therefore, to investigate the benefits that can be brought by AM, the research team discussed with the case company to plan a new manufacturing process. The throughput and time performance of new manufacturing process should be confirmed before it is applied. Since a lampshade is composed of various different materials and the mechanical limitations exist, this research has following assumptions:\n5. Conclusion: This is the first paper that considers both DfAM and DfSC in conjunction with an API. SC configuration is analyzed and suggested according to simulation results at the product design stage. In addition, this research considers demand fluctuation level and stochastic demand of a personalized product, which have not yet been considered in other AMSC papers. The lead time, total cost and order fulfill rate were investigated and utilized as the KPIs of the SC performance. According to the case study, the average lead time can be shortened about 35 percent with proper supporting ratio. The total cost of recommended manufacturing process with suitable supporting ratio can reduce total cost by up to 10 percent for low fluctuation level, around 6 percent for middle level and 3 percent for high fluctuation level averagely.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision support tool to use with design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) and design for supply chain (DfSC) such that the Supply Chain (SC) configuration for a personalized product can be optimized under various demand uncertainties.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A simulation-based methodology is proposed in this industry-university cooperative research. Through identifying the company requirements with interview, an application programming interface (API) and simulation model were developed to solve the DfAM and DfSC problems of case company. Based on customer preference, the SC configuration is analyzed and suggestions are developed according to simulation results at the product design.\nFindings: Results show the supplementary capacity of the additive manufacturing (AM) process improves the SC performance in terms of lead time and total cost. This work identifies the research gap between AM and SC, and gives a comprehensive investigation of different performance indicators, such as order fulfill rate and waste rate.\nResearch limitations/implications: Metal AM technology was not in the mass production stage at the time of this study. Thus, this research mainly emphasizes a nonmetal AM process.\nPractical implications: AM technology can improve SC performance through its supplementary capacity and help the SC to be more flexible, robust and resilient in terms of lead time and total cost. This research implements an API to assist decision making. The findings of this research provide case company a valuable reference while branching its business.\nOriginality/value: This is the first study that considers both DfAM and DfSC with the integration of an API. It also addresses the demand fluctuation level and stochastic demand of a personalized product in a unique approach.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Collection building in academic libraries in India: status, challenges and way forward	[ "India", "Acquisition", "Library automation", "Libsys", "Virtua", "Library software package" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Libraries in India have witnessed automation very late in comparison to the developed world. Notably, central universities in India have first introduced computer and software for creation of library database[1][2]. There are three categories of universities in India, namely, central universities, state universities deemed to be universities and state private universities. Central universities are established by an act of Parliament and are under the purview of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. Currently, UGC lists 47 central universities (University Grants Commission, 2018). Notably, central universities receive more funds from the Government in comparison to state and deemed universities. The present study examines status of automated acquisition system in eight central universities located in the northern India. It will also outline the staff response vis-a-vis automation process. A brief description about surveyed libraries will also be given. This paper also analyzes the reasons some of the libraries have not yet started using the acquisition system. North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The term \"north India\" officially refers to the states of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh. The languages that have official status in one or more of the states and union territories located in north India are Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and English (Ministry of Minority Affairs, 2013).The dictionary for Library and Information Science defines information technology as, \"A very broad term encompassing all aspects of the management and processing of information by computer, including the hardware and software required to access it\" (Reitz, 2004). According to the ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science, information technology is \"the application of computers and other technology to the acquisition, organization, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of information\". Haisey, in Collier's encyclopedia, describes library automation as \"the processing of certain routine clerical functions in the library with the assistance of computers or other mechanized or semi-automatic equipment\" (Haisey, 1987). Thomson and Pwadura note that \"Automation of a library basically aims at improving the management of resources of that library\". Before the birth of computers, other types of machines, e.g. punched cards and unit cards, were used to automate library functions. Significantly, the application of computers to libraries first appeared in 1950s in the USA. Pioneering work in the application of computers to libraries was done in the USA, followed by the UK and other countries of Europe. In India, computer was first started to be used in the later part of 1960s in the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre for the creation of author and subject indexes of \"Indian Science Abstract\" (Sharma Pandey, 1993).\n2. Automation of acquisition: A computer-based library system uses power and advantages of computer facility to improve the various processes involved in acquisition. Computerization helps in performing activities related to acquisition that are routine, repetitive and clerical and labor-intensive in nature. Notably, these activities are quite time consuming in manual systems. Reynolds briefly compared both manual and automated systems as follows:Manual acquisition systems are extremely labor intensive and paper intensive and usually allow for only a limited range of management information to be compiled. Automated acquisitions systems, on the other hand, can substantially reduce the amount of paper shuffling and can perform a number of monitoring activities and generate reports that escape most manual systems.The top-most time-consuming activity in the acquisition process is checking the availability of the approved books in the existing collections to avoid procuring duplicate materials. This is particularly very cumbersome in university libraries that have huge collections. Not only this activity but also other activities have become quite easier with the help of library management software, as is evident from the data collected in surveyed libraries. Atwater notes potential advantages of automated acquisition as \"saving staff time, labor cost savings, reduction of repetitive tasks, faster processing of orders, reduction of errors, added flexibility and ability to customize the process, enhanced access to information about library acquisitions, faster payment of vendors and streamlining of the invoicing and payment process when library acquisitions are paid for by a parent organization\" (Atwater, 2003). The article by Harrison and Summers presents an account of implementation of an automated acquisition system in the Lancaster University library. A full description of the system is provided in the article, showing how wide participation in its development has resulted in various refinements and in swift acceptance by all levels of staff (Harrison and Summers, 1988).The study of Onoriode and Ivwighreghweta (2012) deals with the importance of automation of acquisition in academic libraries of Nigeria. Authors have suggested that librarians must plan selection and implementation of automated system that support priorities of the institution with respect to acquisition and collection development. Study of Naylor (2007) examines the development of automation in terms of circulation control, cataloguing, acquisition and administration. However, this study stops at 1975, and significantly, many developments have been taken place in the aftermath of 1975. Neville opined that an automated acquisition system can be the workhorse of technical services in a library. She further stressed that developing a new acquisition system can be a challenge by any vendor of any integrated library management software (Neville, 2004).\n3. Objectives: The core objectives of the present study are as follows:\n4. Review of related literature: Library Automation assured a great deal of importance in libraries in the mid-1960s. Since then, it has become a household word in librarianship. Library automation may be defined as the application of automatic and semi-automatic data processing machines to perform library functions such as acquisition, cataloguing, circulation and serials control (Daniels, 1980). (Salmon, 1968) edited the papers presented at the Preconference Institute on Library Automation. The different papers deal various topics such as the future of library automation and information networks and library systems analysis and design. Heiliger and Henderson (1973) also discussed the prospects for library automation along with several issues related to automation in different sections of library. However, these works are too old, and since then, many changes have been taken place in the field of library automation. In the mid-1980s, Adams produced a thought-provoking analysis of the issues surrounding the training and skills requirements of future information workers (Adams, 1986).Ajibero (2000) sees library automation as \"the application of computer to library housekeeping operations and services\". Aina opined as cited by Olalude (2011) that the broad objective of library automation is to make the services of a library more effective. Study of Onoriode and Ivwighreghweta (2012) deals with the importance of automation of acquisition in academic libraries of Nigeria. Authors have suggested that librarians must plan the selection and implementation of automated system that support the priorities of the institution for Acquisition and Collection Development, which subsequently leads to effective library services. Study of Naylor (2007) examines the development of automation in terms of circulation control, catalogs and cataloguing, acquisition and administration. The article by Iyre (2015) offers the author's insight on adoption of shared library system, which is an aim of library automation. The article proposes an idea that may be quite helpful for the libraries in developing nations such as India. Another recent study by Saarti (2015) covered libraries in Finland. The author mentioned Finnish libraries as using different integrated library software, which is not economical. In her work, Fiechn (2009) revisits her research on the Web 2.0 tools used in school library automation in the USA. Fiechn explore a number of social networking possibilities such as book reviewing and ratings. This study is quite useful as the findings could possibly be applicable in developing nations such as India.Works of Indian authors have started appearing in the last decade of the previous century concerning library automation. Gopinath examined functional aspects, social aspects and system dynamics of library automation (Gopinath, 1995). Ravichandra assessed the challenges in the field of library automation in India (Ravichandra, 1995). Dhaka and Arora discussed the factors involved in transforming the traditional libraries into electronic libraries and the future role of librarians (Dhaka and Arora, 1995). Significant developments in library automation have also been reported by Abdul Rashid (Abdul, 1996). A paper by Chowdhury and Chowdhury covered features and facilities provided by ten library automation software packages including Libsys (Chowdhury and Chowdhury, 1994). Gowri gave a detailed account of the software to automate the Indian Institute of Science Library's circulation system. This study again is an old one, and many changes, since then, have been occurred in this prestigious institute of India. Among other Indian authors, the work of Sharma is an attempt toward bringing computer awareness among librarians (Sharma Pandey, 1993). However, the large portion of the book covered topics related to CDS/ISIS and dBASE and, hence, not much useful for the present study. Ramana argued that IT is a driving force for change and transformation in libraries (Ramana, 2004). This work is relevant for the present study. The impact of technology on library collection in different continents has been analyzed in an edited work of Sharma. This book has a quite useful chapter entitled, \"The impact of information technology on university libraries in India\" (Sharma, 2006). One more recent work of Hilal and Mehtab Alam (2016) is also relevant for the present study as it had covered some prominent institutes in India with regard to library automation.\n5. Methodology: The present study is based on primary as well as secondary sources. Primary data for the present study have been collected through questionnaire. Information collected from the respected libraries has been updated through interviews with library professionals. For the purpose of presentation, tabulation and analysis of the data, MS-Excel was used.The present study has been carried out using a questionnaire designed for university librarians and other library staff actively involved in the automation process. This questionnaire was pilot-tested. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the validity of the questionnaire both as a data collection tool and as a statistical measurement device. This pilot-testing proved helpful in refinement of the questionnaire. The questionnaire has been divided into two parts. Part A contained general questions regarding factual information about hardware and software used by the library. Part B of the questionnaire covered questions related to the application of acquisition module of the library management software. Investigator personally visited the abovementioned libraries for collection of data. Subsequently, data tabulation and analysis have been done using MS-Excel application software.\n6. Brief profiles of universities and libraries: In the following sections, brief profiles of libraries and their parent institutions have been provided.\n7. Acquisition system: University libraries that use acquisition modules of software are AMU, IGNOU, JMI and JNU. It is worth mentioning here that these four university libraries use all functions of the acquisition module, whereas the DU library uses select functions of the acquisition module of Troodon. Table I describes the manner in which the acquisition module helped the staff of different libraries. Notably, in AU, BHU and BBAU, the acquisition module could not be started yet (Figure 1).Automated acquisition system greatly improves efficiency of libraries. In the following paragraphs, viewpoints of staff of surveyed libraries with regard to various facilities of library system will be discussed.\n8. Results: 8.1 Initiate titles for ordering\n9. Discussion: The acquisition of books and non-book material is an important activity of all kinds of libraries. The acquisition function includes tasks that require human judgment as well as those that may be classified as clerical (Haravu, 2004). With the application of an automated acquisition system, professional staffs of surveyed libraries are now concentrating on work which is intellectual in nature. Library automation software packages have, thus, relieved them for more important works. Significantly, automated acquisition has brought overall efficiency in the section. In the west, an automated acquisition system is heavily dependent on access to external databases and sources of information such as CD-ROMs, Publishers websites, library utilities such as Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC). Access to these sources provides a vast amount of useful information pertaining to acquisition leads. Unfortunately, no library under study is using these databases. It is therefore suggested to become member of OCLC and other international cooperatives to see more impact in an automated acquisition system. Arguably, libraries are passing through a difficult phase wherein their survival at stake. Unfortunately, academic community has developed is a wrong notion that they do not see any need to visit librarian as search engine such as Google is able to cater their information needs.Is this not a real challenge for a librarian? To counter challenges, acquisition librarians have to review collection development policy. Given the fact that society is witnessing electronic revolution, a balanced approach should be adopted to procure print as well as electronic material.\n10. Conclusion: This study revealed that a majority of central university libraries in north India have purchased computer systems and library automation software. Most of these surveyed libraries have installed the Libsys software. However, two university libraries have not yet started their acquisition process using software. But staff of other libraries has taken to the computer and software with enthusiasm. This study show that acquisition staff of these libraries started using facilities such as initiate titles for ordering, approval process, placement orders, cancellation, claims, invoice processing with the help of software. These features have proved significantly advantageous and thus staff morale has been boost up. The workload of acquisition section in these libraries has clearly been eased, although it is difficult to quantify the magnitude of this in libraries. Notably, some surveyed libraries have made non-English records searching in OPAC. Further, access to all languages is possible in the same workstation with UNICODE support in application software. A facility well appreciated by user as well as staff. EDI has not been used by most of surveyed libraries as small and medium level vendors do not get ready for EDI. However, in the future this feature will, hopefully, in use as the government of India has been stressing for \"Digital India\". It was also noticed that user participation is not adequate in the entire process. Still, beginning has been made and many manual operations have been automated. In the coming years, we hope to have, full use of all the features available in the acquisition module of library automation software.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the status and application of automated acquisition in central university libraries in north India. North India is a loosely defined region consisting of northern parts of India. Significantly, all the libraries are having very rich collections of different types of documents.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data for the present study have been collected using questionnaire. Interview and observation techniques have also been used to bring more objectivity in the present study. MS-Excel has been used for analysis of the data. Results show that varying levels of progress has been made with respect to implementation of acquisition system in the surveyed libraries.\nFindings: Expectations of user community have been increased manifold in the wired world. Furthermore, suggest that the staff morale is boost up in the automated environment.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study covers select academic libraries of north India. Application of various features of acquisition module is examined in this paper along with the staff perspective about automation. Automation process in these university libraries has been started with the selection of different library management software package in different universities. Notably, all the prominent central universities are located in north India.\nPractical implications: The evaluation shed light on the current automation scenario in prominent academic libraries of India.\nSocial implications: All the surveyed libraries must explore the fullest potentials of all the features available in the software to provide better services. This will help in heading toward and information rich society.\nOriginality/value: There have been a couple of studies in the past on library automation in academic libraries, but none have intended to cover collection building or acquisition activities in central university libraries of north India.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Framing stress and associated behaviours at work: An ethnography study in the United Kingdom	[ "Construction", "Constructions education", "Construction safety" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The study of stress among construction workers is widespread and has produced a high number of surveys, research studies, reports and case studies (e.g. Leung et al., 2010, 2014; Bowen et al., 2013, 2014). As the literature has highlighted, workers in the construction industry (CI) have to cope with a number of stress factors such as time constraints (e.g. Siu et al., 2004; Alavinia et al., 2007; Ng et al., 2005), unchangeable deadlines from clients (e.g. Bowen et al., 2012, 2013; Leung et al., 2014), extreme physical conditions such as high temperatures (e.g. Larsson et al., 2008; Bowen et al., 2014; Rowlinson et al., 2014) and hard manual activities (e.g. Dembe et al., 2005; Ibem et al., 2011; Chan et al., 2014). The great majority of studies that have investigated the nature of stress among construction workers have been predominantly quantitative. In such a frame, stress has been analysed as a subjective variable through the administration of self-reported measures, i.e. questionnaires, scales or closed-question interviews (e.g. Ofori et al., 2002; Haynes and Love, 2004; Leung et al., 2010; Limm et al., 2010; Ibem et al., 2011; Bowen et al., 2014; Chan et al., 2014; Enshassi et al., 2015: Zhou et al., 2015). The main results of these research works have particularly highlighted how stress has impacted on workers and how it influences the emotional and physical status of individuals. At the same time, there are many important factors that can potentially generate stress and impact on the well-being of individuals. For instance, there is scope for evaluating the level of functioning of the work systems of organisations, that is, the values and culture associated with the usual activities, difficulties and types of communication among individuals. There are opportunities for more studies of stress in the CI.\nMethods: The current literature has underlined the need to enhance knowledge about stress in the CI with other methods and techniques (Chinyio et al., 2018). In addition, we postulate that the analysis of relationships, systems, roles, culture and behaviours of people within construction organisations may sometimes not be understood well by using a quantitative approach. In order to capture a more vivid snapshot of the CI system, therefore, the researchers chose to adopt a qualitative approach by using ethnography as a key to the interpretation of organisational dynamics and stress development. In terms of philosophy, the research aligns with interpretism.\nResults: Stress factors\nDiscussion: Construction workers have long been identified as a group of stressed and high-risk persons whose stress levels often exceed those of workers in other industries. In view of this, the current study sought to identify the main stress factors, the consequences of stress and possible measures to be implemented in this environment, by collecting in-depth qualitative information from three British Construction Organisations using an ethnography approach. In addition, the study was conducted from a psychological perspective which represents an element of novelty in this field of research.\nTheoretical and practical contributions: The psychological perspective gives some ideas and cues for future interventions in stress management. As psychology is interested in predicting human behaviour, its contribution can lead to the development of new approaches and training in construction organisations.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand more precisely the culture and interpersonal behaviours associated with stress.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research was conducted using a qualitative approach through an ethnographic methodology in relation to three companies. The greater part of the data collection period was structured into observations that ranged between 2 and 4 hr per day, 1-3 days per week, for a period of six months. A total of ten sites were explored; and on each site, the observations involved activities by 5-20 people.\nFindings: The results showed the pivotal importance of interpersonal relationships in coping with the uncertainty of working conditions, the coordination of teamwork and managing responsibilities and power interactions. It was found that the impact of stress is multifaceted, affecting the physical status, interpersonal relationships, work performance and emotional well-being of construction workers. The workers who were studied emphasised five sources of support that help moderate work-related stress: additional tools such as communication systems and software, a facilitated access to professional help (e.g. psychological services), organisational changes in leadership, provision of resources for the well-being of personnel (e.g. job training) and better teamwork.\nPractical implications: The study underlines the importance of dedicated services for stress management and specific training-related abilities devoted to reinforcing positive person-organisation dynamics. In particular, the abilities should relate to managing the impact of stress in terms of physique, interpersonal relationships, work performance and emotional well-being.\nOriginality/value: This is one of the first studies to adopt a psychological perspective for understanding construction scenarios and phenomena and was conducted by a qualified psychologist.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Union for the Mediterranean: how realistic an exercise in foresight?	[ "European Union", "North Africa", "South Asia", "Pollution control", "International business" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: [La Mediterranee, c'est] non pas un paysage, mais d'innombrables paysages. Non pas une mer, mais une succession de mers. Non pas une civilisation, mais plusieurs civilisations.[The Mediterranean is] not a landscape, but countless landscapes. Not a sea, but a succession of seas. Nor a civilization, but several civilizations.) (Historian Fernand Braudel, La Mediterranee).A long-term concept originating some two decades ago and reinforced in 1995 by the European Union's (EU's) unsuccessful Barcelona Process, the notion of a Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) beguiled Nicolas Sarkozy during his campaign for the French presidency. He announced (February 2007) a scheme to ally the Mediterranean's developing southern shore with the industrialized northern coast. By July 2008 he convened - as both president of his country and rotating president of the EU - a founding, multi-nation organizing summit in Paris. (The conference was disregarded by the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi.)\nBackground: The between-the-continents water that the ancient Romans called their own today washes 22 countries. They extend from the Straits of Gibraltar east to Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel-Palestine[1]. While not all these states are industrialized or parliamentary in character, they represent a civilizational mix of the ancient Judeo-Christian tradition and the younger Islamic faith. This is to say that they are all Abrahamic in cultural derivation. This megaculture counts, for instance, 600 television channels and at least 150 million internet subscribers. Gastronomically, their palm oil or olive oil diet contrasts with the predominantly butter diet of the more northerly nations.Environmentally speaking, the region is less fertile than countries farther north or farther south on the Eastern Hemisphere's two landmasses. Furthermore, from Morocco to Turkey-Syria, the area has helped make up falling birthrates of native Europeans north of the Mediterranean - sending, since the late 1950s, a steady flow of economic emigrants to the lands now comprising the EU. The continuing migrations, chiefly from Muslim areas, have found homes especially in France, Germany, Italy and Spain; in France, these movements have made the population today probably one-tenth Muslim (probably, because French law prohibits census-takers from asking a citizen his or her religious preference).Until 2008 the Mediterranean zone was the only world region without a politico-economic association of some sort (in marked contrast with the EU, NAFTA, the African Union or ASEAN). The Mediterranean Sea's littoral States supply food and provide transport, whether for commerce (including investment) or migration or pleasure. Its waters suffer marine pollution of variable extent, contamination coming largely from the 60 principal cities dumping their wastewater there. (Cairo, with its 18 million population, is nine times greater than it was 50 years ago.) And people living on the southern coast have an income of only about one-twelfth of those residing on the northern shore (Box 1).\nImposing current realities on the future: In the world of 2008 the EU has a population of 495 million against 212 million for the band of nations extending from Morocco/Western Sahara to Turkey; this arc includes Mauritania, the Palestinian territories, Israel, as well as Jordan and Syria. Since the late 1950s the southern periphery of the Mediterranean has supplied about 8 million emigrants to what is now the EU. International trade between north and south remains in marked imbalance, with only 10 percent of the EU's exports bound southwards while the south sends 46 percent of its product northwards. Commerce between the two sides of the Mediterranean has grown consistently, however, during the first decade of the twenty-first century.Politico-military conflicts are not unknown in the region. The status of the Western Sahara (for which claims by both Morocco and Algeria are still not settled) shares longevity with face-off between Palestine.Israel\nThe \"Club Med\" has competition: In 2003 the respected Club of Rome, a worldwide think tank, founded an ambitious programme called TREC to make the deserts provide water and electricity. The abbreviation stands for Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation, a 60-member group of political figures, scientists and development experts headed by Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. Their objective is to convince both governments and private investors of the advantages of cooperative use of aeolian and solar energy. There is more on this project at www.desertec.orgA somewhat related effort, concentrating more on the total periphery of the Mediterranean and undertaken within the context of the UN, is explained in Box 3.\nNow, to make the future happen: Northern objections to the Sarkozy plan, coming mainly from Germany, Poland and Denmark, were at first serious obstacles to proceeding with Sarkozy's UfM ideas. So as the EU's incoming president, Sarkozy convened all leaders of the Union's 27 nations, together with the chiefs of the Mediterranean Sea's surrounding States for a parley on Sunday, July 13 2008. Boycotted by Libya, the conference brought into the same room the Syrian president and Israel's prime minister. Although the two leaders neither shook hands nor dialogued, their presence together was a \"first\". The conferees joined President Sarkozy the following day at a garden party for 8,000 invitees at an official mansion of the French leader, and many stayed for a special fireworks display to mark the French revolutionary holiday of July 14. The festivities proved to be a spectacular occasion, redounding personally on Mr Sarkozy.Yet his project of a Union for the Mediterranean risks, rather clearly, becoming a case of optimism of the will evolving into pessimism of the real. This is the main risk confronting a nascent UfM. The immediate achievements have included, it is true, the release of Israeli-held prisoners to help smooth the way for better relations with the Palestine Authority. And, for the first time in 65 years, Syria committed itself to beginning normal relations with Lebanon.The UfM will be chaired by co-presidents, beginning with Sarkozy and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, launching regular meetings from November 2008. Funding and - indeed, other means - are currently non-existent; but because the principals foresee much interest on the part of the world of commerce, private cash may be forthcoming - including sovereign funding from one or more of the oil-rich emirates. This aspect of the new, 43-country UfM thus remains provisional. \"So the success of the inaugural summit\", observed The Independent's John Litchfield, \"suggests the new 'Club Med' - dismissed by some as just another talking shop - might finally allow Europe to become a serious player in the game of Middle East peace\" (Litchfield, 2008).Roger Cohen, commentator of The New York Times, joined the numerous observers of Turkey's anomalous position when he summarized the budding of the UfM:Thinking big and excluding Turkey from the EU is oxymoronic... The Union for the Mediterranean is a near-empty shell but an important impulse for Europe to think big ... (Cohen, 2008).Both chroniclers are probably right.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The objective of this paper is to determine the feasibility of binding, politically, economically and culturally, the Mediterranean Sea's southern and northern coasts.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper evokes the gains and limitations of such an undertaking.\nFindings: - The paper finds that the initiative may be premature, but a formal relationship should strengthen ties between the new Europe and industrializing portions of North Africa and the western Middle East.\nOriginality/value: - Strong efforts by one European leader to rationalize the relationships of the European Union with nearly two-dozen Islamic States hold promise politically, economically and perhaps culturally.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Building knowledge through action systems, process leadership and organizational learning	[ "Learning organizations", "Teambuilding", "Knowledge creation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other (John F. Kennedy, 22 November, 1963).The notion of \"organizational learning\" is overemphasized in much of the management literature. Because of the complexity involved in the essence of learning at the organizational level, the idea of \"organizational learning\" has become a form of spirituality. For instance, Garratt (1990) associates the connecting tissue between single and double-loop learning as the business \"brain\" while Hawkins (1991) refers to the platform for triple-loop learning as the business \"soul\". For others like Stewart (2001), learning needs to be embedded in the images of organization resided in its members' minds or perhaps in the epistemological artifacts embedded in the organizational environment. It seems that the recurring themes of \"mind\" and \"soul\", and the interplay between the two will invariably lead to the generation of new knowledge, attitudes and skills to be acquired and applied in existing or new contexts (Blackman et al., 2004).In the light of such a transcendental backdrop, I argue that leadership is a critical operating agent in bringing about organizational learning. As with the above quote from John F. Kennedy, the role of leadership and learning is intimately bound. In order to expect everyone in the organization to learn, leaders must first have a vision of how learning should take place through the institutionalization of systems, structure and strategy (Burnes et al., 2003). Once the infrastructure is taken care of, the process through which learning is carried out will be of concern to each and every organizational member. However, organizational learning requires collective effort with individuals engaging in the dynamic process of knowledge building, and understanding the purpose of how the construction of knowledge will contribute to the ultimate competitive advantage of the organization (Sheehan, 2004).\nScope and enveloping themes of this paper: A quick literature search reveals that there are a wide variety of perspectives on organizational learning. For the purpose of delimiting the scope of this paper, I have decided to concentrate on five themes - namely systems, interaction and relationship, teambuilding, change, and renewal - which collaboratively support the main focus of this paper, that is, an action systems and process leadership perspective.Firstly, the theme of systems is derived from Senge's (1992) proposition that organizational learning is tantamount to:Developing people who learn to see as systems thinkers see, who develop their own personal mastery, and who learn how to surface and restructure mental models collaboratively (Senge, 1992, p. 367).The essence of this proposition is the harnessing of shared interests, goals and vision among organizational members in order to encourage collective learning.Secondly, the notion of shared vision is further reinforced in Pedler et al.'s (1997) reference of the learning organization to a fountain tree which portrays an image of energy and life, both characteristic of growth and survival. The proposition is based on the theme of interaction and relationship that are the connecting forces that promote organizational learning.Thirdly, the theme of teambuilding proposed by Watkins and Marsick (1993), suggests that organizational learning is a condition where individuals learn continuously so that as a collective effort, the organization will gradually increase in capacity for innovation and growth, and be transformed. Based on this theme, the two elements that help facilitate learning at different organizational levels are team spirit and interaction dynamics.Fourthly, from the theme of change, Denton (1998) defines organizational learning as the ability to adapt and utilize new knowledge as a source of competitive advantage. The emphasis is the need to look outside rather than within the organization. Most importantly, learning should not take place for its own sake; it should result in \"a change in the organization's behavior or 'action patterns'\" (Denton, 1998, p. 17).Finally, the theme of renewal proposed by Braham (1996), ties in with that of change, in that learning is, simply, about learning. The outcome of organizational learning is a renewed connection between members and their work, which will spur the organization to create a future for itself, gaining further competitive edge over others.In summary, these five themes have provided us the theoretical basis for constructing our proposition of an organizational learning model, represented in Figure 1. The following definition has been developed as a focal point to guide the proposed model:Organizational learning is the facilitation of shared vision through the creation of interacting systems initiated by leaders who will walk the talk.\nLinking mechanisms between facets of learning: Theme of systems\nDialogue: With reference to Figure 1, one of the key characteristics of organizational learning is an open sharing system through feedback and dialogue. In order to ensure that there are sufficient feedback loops in an organization, dialogue is the mediating agent. Marquardt (1996) proposes dialogue as the sixth discipline, in addition to Senge's (1992) fifth discipline. The difference between dialogue and communication is that the former is:Intense, high-level, high-quality communications, listening and sharing, requiring the free and creative exploration of subtle issues, a deep listening to one another and the suspending of one's own views (Marquardt, 1996, p. 46).According to Maani and Benton (1999), dialogue is essential to team learning as it allows a group to exchange meanings and words through the negotiation of world views. In particular, organizational leaders should provide opportunities for dialogue at different levels to encourage feedback that is an integral aspect of dialogue.Constructive conversation, which is a form of dialogue, helps alleviate defensive routines often leading to anti-learning and mediocracy (Argyris, 1992). However, active dialogue needs to be accompanied by inquiry that is based on an open-minded curiosity. Inquiry gives rise to the suspension of presuppositions and judgments, and the exploration of the way one thinks (Watkins and Marsick, 1993). However, inquiry operates well in an environment of trust so that all views and perceptions will be treated with respect. As the sixth discipline, dialogue should encourage new ways of viewing organizational assumptions, and provide a \"cool communications field\" to deal with the \"hot\" change and chaos of the external environment (Marquardt, 1996). In reinforcement, Blantern (1997) views dialogue as the panacea for organizational dilemmas that are difficult to eradicate. Similar to Senge's (1992) fifth discipline, dialogue should be regarded as a skill and be embedded within organizational processes to foster systems thinking and shared vision. Dialogue challenges one's deep intuition about the world and changing times, and requires a genuine, spontaneous and enthusiastic disposition of each member to transcend organizational learning.\nReflection: In addition to dialogue, reflection is the other important characteristic of organizational learning. For instance, studies (e.g. Goh and Richards, 1997; Romme, 1996) have shown that in order to promote action in learning, participation and reflection are the main emphases. Participation implies that there are opportunities for organizational members to engage in dialogue, feedback and inquiry, while reflection challenges one's mental models to facilitate greater learning. It is useless to learn without actionable outcomes. As such, action in learning is predicated upon the view that organizations function as appreciative systems involving meaningful human activities. Action in learning is concerned with solving real-world problems by establishing problem-situation mental models. This stage, as proposed by Checkland (1991), is known as the framework of ideas with the establishment of roles and the participation of change process.Reflection allows organizational members to learn as they perform. As an illustration, the purpose of learning is to understand why interim objectives were not accomplished, what lessons could be learnt, and how those lessons could be quickly driven back into the performance process (Baird et al., 1999). This is a case of observing systems thinking and being motivated by a shared vision of organizational success to challenge learning. According to Checkland and Scholes (1990), systems thinking encourages members to conceptualize root definitions and models of a particular problem situation. Through dialogue and reflection, members experience a deeper appreciation of the problem for the subsequent conceptualization of action plans. When intervention and implementation of action plans come into play, team learning inevitably becomes part of the process. Mental models and personal mastery will be gradually challenged to perform purposeful actions necessary for the growth and renewal of the organization. In summary, the role of reflection not only allows one to evaluate the problems or successes encountered, it refines organizational goals and vision as well (Stewart, 2001).\nResearch propositions: This paper has discussed several key concepts in relation to organizational learning. An action systems and process leadership perspective has been adopted in the discussion. However, to further research, the following conceptual relationships can be explored:* the interaction dynamics between individuals, teams and the organization;* the linkage between dialogue and reflection;* the linking mechanisms between the different learning levels;* the significance of systems thinking in organizational learning; and* the impact of organizational learning on organizational performance.The above propositions have been motivated by a research question that is of general concern to organizational learning researchers, that is:What impede the transfer of learning from individuals to teams and ultimately to the organization at large?The following hypotheses have been developed as a response to the above research question in generating future lines of study:H1. The dynamics between individuals, teams and the organization impact on the degree of learning.\nConclusions: The need for an integrative perspective in organizational learning cannot be overemphasized. This paper presents an integrated model based on five emerging themes according to the work of well-known organizational learning researchers. The following definition, developed for this paper, has been exemplified through the discussion of Figure 1:Organizational learning is the facilitation of shared vision through the creation of interacting systems initiated by leaders who will walk the talk.In contributing to practice, a number of strategies have been developed based on the conceptual discussion in this paper. The notions of action systems and process leadership have been further exemplified through the linkage between the three distinct learning levels and the strategies for leaders. Table I is an illustration of how the proposed definition and model on organizational learning can be made practical.There is still much to be learnt about organizational learning as learning is a cyclical process (Braham, 1996) and an inescapable way of life (Senge, 1992). From this discussion, it is evident that learning is not independent of other organizational processes and dynamics. In fact, learning concepts emerge across emphases and directions in the organizational literature. It is perhaps through the integration of relevant theories and concepts that a much-considered perspective of organizational learning can be better accounted for, as this paper has attempted. Nonetheless, organizational learning theories continue to offer great challenges to organizational members in an environment of great volatility. Finally, it is hoped that future work on organizational learning will focus on the linking mechanisms between the intricacies of organizational processes where integrative perspectives will continue to emerge.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The aim of this paper is to explore the notion of organizational learning as a way of collective knowledge construction to achieve long-term competitive advantage. It proposes a theoretical framework based on action systems and process leadership perspective, integrating five key themes: systems, interaction and relationship, teambuilding, change, and renewal.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Literature review was adopted to determine the main streams of theoretical contribution on organizational learning and knowledge acquisition. Five distinct yet interrelated themes have been identified as contributing to the theoretical framework proposed.\nFindings: - It has been found that leaders play a crucial role in facilitating systems dynamics, influencing the rate and degree at which organizational members learn. Two such intervening factors as dialogue and reflection have been found to be the leitmotif of learning and knowledge co-construction in the workplace.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The paper provides a number of pointers for further theoretical development, motivating both exploratory and explanatory empirical research in organizational learning and knowledge sharing. Of importance is the linking mechanism between different levels of learning and people involved in the learning.\nPractical implications: - A list of strategies has been suggested to help leaders manage and develop organizational learning. These views have arisen according to theoretical insights drawn from the literature review and the author's practical experience.\nOriginality/value: - The paper offers both researchers and practitioners a useful perspective on the various aspects of organizational learning and knowledge building. Of practical value is the paper's attempt at making simple the complex process of learning and knowledge generation in ever-changing organizational contexts.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Style and substance: a case study of the expansion of mature business-to-business relationships in the Italian clothing industry	[ "Relationship management", "Clothing industry", "Transaction cost economics", "Intention to expand a business relationship", "Mature business relationship" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Maintaining and developing business relationships is of critical importance, as relationships with customers along the value chain can help foster market effectiveness and ultimately affect firms' profitability. Evidence in the literature on interfirm relationships has provided limited insights into the optimal management of long-term, mature relationships beyond the conservative approach of maintaining a stable market quota or a stable financial return. Literature on the evolution of interfirm relationships suggests that factors supporting the expansion of business relationships peak during the build-up phase, not in the maturity phase, and fade thereafter (Eggert et al., 2006; Jap and Anderson, 2007; Pillai and Sharma, 2003). Although maturity is regarded as a relationship stage in which the value exchanged does not improve (ultimately putting the relationship at risk), the purpose of this study is to empirically document a different picture of mature business relationship dynamics. In particular, we show how the interplay of transaction cost and social dimensions affects buyers' intentions to expand their relationships with a focal seller beyond the simple expectation of continuity. We test our conceptual model in the context of the Italian clothing industry. This purpose addresses two major gaps in the literature on mature business-to-business relationships.\n2. Theoretical framework: Interorganizational relationships are an essential aspect of supply chain management in the fashion industry, as they facilitate communication within a complex industry operating on a global scale. This is particularly relevant, as many different parties are involved in getting the right product to the right place at the right time. Managing the supply chain and associated relationships throughout the lifecycle is crucial to establishing collaborative partnerships, which are regarded in the literature as beneficial to all parties involved (Bidault and Cummings, 1994; Bruce and Daly, 2011; Chen and Fung, 2013; Guercini and Runfola, 2012; Wong, 1999). In investigating supply chain management in the fashion industry, management scholars have focused on timing as a key factor affecting competitive advantage, in both a planned fashion model with two main seasons (spring/summer and autumn/winter) and a fast fashion model based on production flexibility and reduced time-to-market (Bruce and Daly, 2011; Guercini et al., 2014). However, other factors also are regarded as important to understanding the drivers of business-to-business relationships in the clothing industry, including the manufacturer's ability to offer new products (i.e. product innovativeness), as well as its reputation, selling history, brand name, product quality, marketability, responsiveness and available stock (Bruce and Daly, 2007; Fiorito, 1990; Hansen and Skytte, 1998; Wagner et al., 1989), with clothing buyers making trade-offs, especially among price, packaging, product assortment and delivery schedules (Bruce and Daly, 2006; Dandeo et al., 2004). In fashion (and more prominently in fast fashion), \"buying activities play a crucial role through supplier selection and product decision-making, and indeed, buying is arguably changing from purely operational to much more strategic\" (Bruce and Daly, 2006, p. 329). Thus, relationship building and development is a main aspect of a buyer's role (Fiorito, 1990).\n3. Hypotheses development: Formal control and trust are regarded by scholars as vital governance mechanisms that can safeguard transactions and are typically used to prevent opportunism in business-to-business transactions (Das and Teng, 1998; Poppo and Zenger, 2002; Yang et al. 2011). Researchers have recently noted that formal control (which is rooted in the economic tradition; Anderson and Oliver, 1987) and trust (which is rooted in the sociological tradition; Uzzi, 1997) can be used in the same analytical framework to govern relationships between independent organizations. In particular, depending on the strength of the relationship tie, formal control and trust can be used as substitutes or as complements, balancing between formal and informal governance mechanisms to help secure transactions and positively affect relationship outcomes (Yang et al., 2011).\n4. Empirical analysis: The empirical context of this study is business-to-business relationships in the clothing industry. To investigate the dynamics of buyer-seller relationships, we collected data by administering a survey to all retailers in Italy who were customers of a clothing company. The seller, our focal company, is WP Lavori in Corso, an Italian clothing brand licensee, producer and distributor positioned in the low-medium segment of the market. WP Lavori in Corso is the exclusive licensee in charge of design, production, distribution and communication for the European market under the Woolrich brand. The company is also the distributor of other historic and iconic casual apparel brands such as Baracuta, BD Baggies, Barbour, Blundstone and Palladium.\n5. Discussion and implications: In this study, we have proposed a broad conceptual model that incorporates both economic and social dimensions associated with vertical interfirm relationships in order to understand determinants of expansion of mature business relationships. To empirically assess our conceptual model, we used a unique set of primary data gathered from business customers of a leading clothing licensee, WP Lavori in Corso, which operates in the low-middle segment of the market and produces and sells Woolrich-branded products, which are well-known by consumers. Based on our conceptualization, we assessed dimensions that reflect an opportunism-based approach to business relationships, whereby exchanges between business partners are driven by formal control through a pre-specified agreement, the availability of alternative suppliers and consumer demand uncertainty. We also included a set of dimensions that capture a more social-based approach to business relationships, such as the presence of trust, the existence of relational norms for the exchange of information and satisfaction with the overall relationship.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to propose a model of the determinants of the expansion of mature business-to-business relationships in the downstream channel of the Italian clothing industry. The authors investigate the role of both economic and social determinants of retail buyers' intentions to expand their relationships with a seller.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The empirical analysis is based on surveys of more than 150 retail buyers in mature relationships with a major clothing company. This context offers a unique opportunity to explore the interplay between the need for stable relationships and the need to continuously innovate to satisfy consumer demand, given rapidly changing tastes and styles, which can inhibit relationship expansion.\nFindings: Buyers' intentions to expand relationships are primarily determined by the absence of a formal agreement with the seller. Perceptions of a seller's goodwill seem to overshadow the detrimental effects of two likely sources of opportunism in the clothing industry: demand uncertainty and the availability of alternative suppliers. Findings also provide evidence of a substitutive effect of formal control and trust in mature business relationships.\nOriginality/value: The authors provide insights into the dynamics of mature business relationships with a focus on expansion, rather than just the propensity for relational continuity, and they show how the interplay of transaction costs and social dimensions leads to this expansion. The authors also provide empirical evidence of a context, the clothing industry, where downstream relationships represent an important source of competitive advantage.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
What is the state of hospitality and tourism research - 2018?	[ "Knowledge management", "Publishing", "Hospitality and tourism research" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: This commentary is based on observations of a tourism academic who has almost 30 years of experience in the field.\nIntroduction: How much do we really know about hospitality and tourism? This question was asked by John Tribe ten years ago when he wrote:\nThe good news: Let us start with the positives, for there is much good news. It is estimated that at least 4,000 universities worldwide offer degree programs with about 2,000 in China, although the exact number is not known (McKercher, 2009; Airey et al., 2015). Hospitality and tourism are still exciting fields of study with almost unlimited research options. Our own database of journal papers published in 70 English language journals shows that more than 17,500 people had authored or co-authored papers in the past 40 years. And in 2016 alone, the last year when the database was updated, almost 4,000 people authored or co-authored papers (McKercher and Tung, 2016).\nThe not so good news: However, the good news has to be balanced against a number of disturbing trends occurring in academia in general and in hospitality and tourism studies in particular. Again, using China as an example, Huang and Chen (2016) note that while statistical rigor has improved, the theoretical or conceptual foundation of research remains weak. Hypotheses are proposed without supporting evidence and papers were context and not theory driven. Much research also had no broad applicability. These authors concluded that while the many new contexts in China make the studies \"interesting,\" upon scrutiny, theoretical or knowledge contribution is always blurring.\nWhat can be done?: It is easy to point to problems. That is what a lot of people who have tenure and job security do. Finding solutions is hard. But there are some solutions at hand. To begin, let us acknowledge that life as an academic is great. We get to research what we want, teach what want providing the subject outcomes are met and have a great deal of freedom to explore ideas. Not many people have that luxury. But let us also acknowledge that the world of academia has changed and not always for the better. The five issues identified above represent an existential threat to the future development of the field of study and potentially a personal threat to someone's career development. So what can be done? Below is some advice about each of the five issues identified:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a personal view of the state of hospitality and tourism research as we enter 2018. It seeks to highlight a number of systemic issues that are affecting adversely the quality of research published.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This is an auto-ethnographic approach based on the author's nearly 30 years of working and researching in the field of hospitality and tourism.\nFindings: The paper begins by talking about many of the positive things that are occurring in this field, before raising five main issues of concern: the changing nature of academic research; our own lack of critical thinking; becoming method robots; publishing and authorship pressures that hinder career development and creativity; and whether our own lack of working experience hurts the academic development of the field.\nOriginality/value: The paper provides a list of five key issues all academics must be aware of to ensure both their own career progression and the continued development of the field.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Synergistic effect of lean practices on lead time reduction: mediating role of manufacturing flexibility	[ "Lean manufacturing", "Flexibility", "Lead time", "Complementarity", "Contingency", "PLS-MGA" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In today's globally competitive market, the top priority of businesses is to satisfy customers. The higher the customer satisfaction, the higher their loyalty, which subsequently could increase their purchases. To stay competitive, companies should produce at lower costs without compromising quality. On top of that, manufacturers should deliver their products quickly on a timely basis, which positively drives customer satisfaction, sales performance, and financial objectives (Nawanir et al., 2016). As the heterogeneity of customer demand is inevitable in today's volatile markets (Metternich et al., 2013; Wei et al., 2017), manufacturers are challenged to supply product varieties in a short period. It hints that companies must be flexible, adaptable, agile, and highly responsive to customer needs (Wei et al., 2017).To increase the adaptability to the ever-changing demand while shortening lead time, a manufacturer should increase its flexibility (Al-Zu'bi, 2015), which is in line with the main objectives of LM (Hallgren and Olhager, 2009). Manufacturing flexibility (MF) refers to the capability of a manufacturing system to adapt to external and internal changes, yet continue to produce a variety of products and volumes without compromising performance (Swamidass, 2000). Specifically, MF is characterized by quick response to customer demand (Boyle and Scherrer-Rathje, 2009), because of higher ability to adjust to the changes in product design/model (product mix flexibility), volume (volume flexibility), and routing (routing flexibility) (Rogers et al., 2011); besides the flexibility in work assignment to production workers (worker flexibility) (Mendes and Machado, 2015) and machines (machines flexibility) (Rogers et al., 2011). These characteristics potentially reduce lead time. However, the strategies of how manufacturers achieve the appropriate levels of MF in facing environmental uncertainty are still questionable, besides the studies on the implication of LM on MF are still limited (Phan et al., 2019). Few studies engaged in LM practices and MF. Bhamu and Sangwan (2014) and Chauhan and Singh (2013) revealed that manufacturers could gain benefits from LM implementation in terms of workers and machines' flexibility. Thus, the manufacturers are flexible in terms of assigning jobs to workers and machines. Dal Pont et al. (2008) found a significant effect of LM on product mix and volume flexibilities. Besides the studies relating LM with MF, several studies have also linked LM with LR. Uhrin et al. (2017), dos Santos Bento and Tontini (2018), Panwar et al. (2017), Nawanir et al. (2013), and Matsui (2007) suggested a positive linkage between LM and LR.Even though few investigations have connected LM with MF and LR, little efforts have been made to link the three variables and to investigate how a contextual factor (i.e. types of the manufacturing process) influences the implementation of LM as well as its effects on MF and LR. The consideration of the contextual factor is crucial because the application of manufacturing practices depends on plants' characteristics (Shah and Ward, 2003). Manufacturers adopting different processes tend to implement LM in different ways (Panwar et al., 2017). In such a way, every manufacturer may implement a different set of LM practices and activities. Consequently, the contributions of the LM on performance among manufacturers tend to be diverse. This diversity is possibly due to some contingency factors like types of the manufacturing process. Noticeably, consideration of types of the process still lacks in the recent literature. Therefore, this study endeavors at scrutinizing synergistic effects of LM on LR in the context of batch and mass customization processes, while investigating the mediating role of MF in that relationship. This study bridges the gap of the inconsistent impact of LM on MF and LR while serving in-depth insights for academicians and industry executives into the holistic implementation of LM as well as examining its impact on MF and LR contingent to types of the manufacturing process.This paper consists of seven sections. After the brief introduction, the second section provides a literature review and hypotheses development. The third section explains the research methodology. Subsequently, the results obtained from the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis will be presented in the fourth section, highlighting the synergistic effect of LM on MF and LR in different manufacturing processes. The following sections are a discussion on the empirical results and implications of the study. Lastly, limitations and suggestions for future studies are drawn.\nLiterature review and hypotheses development: Lean manufacturing and practices\nMethodology: Measurement development\nDiscussion: The outcomes of this study exhibit the significance of the holistic adoption of LM practices in predicting FR and LR in the context of mass customization and batch manufacturing processes. The results show that all the LM practices complement each other and corroborate in a mutually supportive nature, which suggests the simultaneous adoption (supporting Hypothesis 1). It implies the synergistic relationship between the practices, which are valuable for achieving MF and LR. The results provide further confirmation of previous studies (Furlan et al., 2011a, b; Nawanir et al., 2013; Shah and Ward, 2003), which supports the notion of holistic implementation of LM practices, rather than piecemeal, as suggested by complementarity theory (Milgrom and Roberts, 1990, 1995). According to Lee et al. (2010), two business units (can be equated with manufacturing practices or activities) may appreciate super-additive value synergies if their combined value is more than the total of their separate values. In short, the value (a, b) is higher than value (a) + value (b). Thus, firms gaining outstanding achievement through the holistic adoption of organizational practices (or activities, assets, etc.) are expected to obtain higher advantages over long periods. The finding of this study, consequently, recommends that companies should invest in all the LM practices simultaneously, rather than picking up one over the other. Additionally, this study conveys a message that the partial adoption of LM practices may fail to enhance the ultimate achievement.This study also extends the findings of dos Santos Bento and Tontini (2018) by comparing the implementation of LM within two different types of the manufacturing process. The study reveals that samples adopting the mass customization manufacturing process implement LM practices to a greater extent than batch, with a slightly different focus. Mass customization focuses on QS, besides TPM, PS, and FR, whereas the batch emphasizes TPM, QC, SN, and FR. Both put less emphasis on SLP; however, its implementation in mass customization higher than in batch. This is consistent with the characteristics of the mass customization system that needs higher flexibility level (Da Silveira et al., 2001; Sandrin et al., 2018), which must be supported by quick setup process, sound maintenance system on machines and equipment, extensive implementation of pull and kanban system (Rogers et al., 2011), as well as more flexible resources in terms of machines, equipment, workers, and production lines. All these components are critical in a mass customization process to accommodate the fluctuations and variations of customer demand.The present study demonstrates the synergistic effect of all the nine LM practices in the form of second-order construct LM on MF and LR. Even though the degrees of LM implementation within the two processes are slightly different, LM positively associates with MF and LR (supporting Hypothesis 2 and 3). The more extensive the implementation of LM, the more flexible the manufacturing system (Fullerton and Wempe, 2009; Khanchanapong et al., 2014), and the lower the lead time (dos Santos Bento and Tontini, 2018; Khanchanapong et al., 2014; Matsui, 2007).Interestingly, even though LM positively affects MF and LR in both manufacturing processes, with regards to the effect of MF on LR, there is a difference between batch and mass customization. The insignificant effect of MF on LR was found in batch (leading to rejection of Hypothesis 4), which is conversely found in mass customization. This also leads to the absence of the significant indirect effect of LM on LR through MF, which, therefore, implies the rejection of Hypothesis 5. Nevertheless, in the sample companies implementing mass customization, the positive significant indirect effect was found, which supports Hypothesis 5. It suggests unique direct and indirect effects of LM on LR. MF plays a role as a mediating variable in this relationship. It indicates that MF is a critical variable in mass customization (Suzic et al., 2018) to shorten the lead time successfully. To support this fact, the researchers were interested in extending the investigation by applying the importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) using SmartPLS 3.2.8. Figure 1 shows the importance-performance maps (indicators, standardized effect) of both batch and mass customization. The figures (a and b) indicate that MF is vital in mass customization and contributes significantly to LR.This finding is in line with the opinion from Wang et al. (2016), who postulated key capabilities of mass customization, including quick response to a variety of customer demand and the ability to customize products while upholding high volume and consistent quality without incurring high costs. To achieve these capabilities, MF is one of the critical requirements (Suzic et al., 2018). However, flexible workers only would not be sufficient to cater to the requirements and challenges of the mass customization manufacturing process; technology flexibility in terms of machines, equipment, tools, jigs, and fixtures could be a critical element (Brown et al., 2005; Da Silveira et al., 2001). These capabilities may not be available in the batch manufacturing process. Hence, even though LM implementation in a batch manufacturing process leads to higher MF, the MF itself is unable to offer a significant reduction in lead time.\nImplications of the study: Theoretical implications\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This study scrutinized the synergistic effects of lean manufacturing (LM) on lead time reduction (LR) while investigating the mediating role of manufacturing flexibility (MF) in that relationship within the context of batch and mass customization manufacturers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This cross-sectional survey involved 160 large batch and mass customization manufacturers in Indonesia. Data were analyzed by using the PLS path modeling approach and multigroup analysis.\nFindings: The positive synergistic direct effects of LM on LR and MF were revealed in both process types. In mass customization, MF mediates the effect of LM on LR. However, such a mediating effect was not found in the batch process due to the insignificant effect of MF on LR.\nPractical implications: The findings offered theoretical and practical insights supporting the manufacturers to grasp potential benefits through the holistic LM implementation as well as the suitable strategies to improve MF and reduce lead time by considering the types of the production process.\nOriginality/value: This study bridged the gaps regarding the comparison of LM implementation and its influence on MF and LR in mass customization and batch production.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Information technology-enabled intrapreneurship culture and firm performance	[ "Communication technologies", "Innovation", "Business performance", "Entrepreneurialism" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Investment in innovation has become a strategic imperative for firms that wish to compete successfully in their sector. Given the importance attributed to information technology (IT) resources in facilitating firm innovation (Tarafdar and Gordon, 2007), we note that the relationships between IT resources, firm innovation and performance are an important and valuable research topic for both scholars of business value of IT and IT and business practitioners.Information systems (IS) literature has traditionally shown contradictory results regarding the impact of the IT artefact on firm performance (Lee et al., 2008). However, the most recent literature on the business value of IT seems to have explained these relationships through the so-called IT-enabled organizational capabilities perspective (Rai et al., 2006). From this perspective, IT has an indirect, not a direct, impact on firm performance through higher-order process capabilities. Thus, IT plays a key role in shaping other organizational capabilities that create performance gains for firms, such as new product development (NPD) dynamic capabilities and NPD functional competences (Pavlou and El Sawy, 2006) and supply chain integration capabilities (Rai et al., 2006).In recent years, the interface between IT and firm innovation has received considerable attention in the IS literature. IT resources have been discussed as a driving force in firm innovation, in terms of both product and process innovation (Tarafdar and Gordon, 2007). Research on business value of IT-enabled intrapreneurship culture remains sparse, however, despite that fact that there is a pressing need to invest in an intrapreneurship culture to compete successfully in the current scenario of hypercompetition.Intrapreneurship culture is conceptualized in this paper as the firm's ability to develop a working environment that encourages creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship (Chandler et al., 2000). As pointed out by Khazanchi et al. (2007), for a firm to be innovative, it must form its organizational culture to achieve the goal of innovating constantly. Specifically, intrapreneurship culture is a major determinant of innovation in the firm. In other words, the firms that are able to develop a working environment that supports innovation are those most likely to achieve a higher number of product and process innovations (Xin and Shi, 2007). Thus, it is plausible to assume that a desire to innovate must precede the innovation itself (Mohamed and Qin, 2008). To best of our knowledge, little has been done to understand the relationship between IT resources and intrapreneurship culture. Owing to the lack of research on the role of IT as an enabler of the intrapreneurship culture, the role of this culture in business value of IT is also unclear.Drawing on the emerging IT-enabled organizational capabilities perspective, we address these knowledge gaps by answering the following research questions:RQ1. Is the intrapreneurship culture a valuable capability that helps firms to improve their firm market performance?RQ2. How are IT resources positively associated with the development of an intrapreneurship culture in the firm?RQ3. Do IT resources influence firm market performance by means of the capability of intrapreneurship culture?This paper is structured as follows. The next section develops the hypotheses and the proposed research model. We then present the research methodology, a section on results and discussion and a final section on contributions to research, limitations, future research directions and managerial implications.\n2 Hypothesis development and proposed research model: Figure 1 shows our proposed research model.2.1 The business value of intrapreneurship culture\n3 Research methodology: 3.1 Operationalization of variables\n4 Results and discussion: 4.1 Data analysis and results\n5 Conclusions: 5.1 Contributions to research\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationships among two types of information technology (IT) resources (technological IT and managerial IT resources), the intrapreneurship culture and firm performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper is consistent with the perspective on IT-enabled organizational capabilities. A proposed research model and hypotheses are tested using cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 203 leading Spanish firms.\nFindings: - Data analysis shows that intrapreneurship culture is a valuable key capability that predicts firm market performance; both technological IT and managerial IT resources have a positive effect on the development of an intrapreneurship culture in the firm, and investment in both technological IT and managerial IT resources influences firm performance positively by means of the capability of intrapreneurship culture.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Among other limitations, the paper uses data provided by only one key informant per firm, and the results can be generalized to only 25 business sectors among Spanish firms.\nPractical implications: - The research findings have important implications for practising managers. First, our results suggest that the deployment of technological IT and managerial IT resources increases firms' ability to develop an innovation-supportive culture. Second, intrapreneurship culture is an important intermediate organizational capability through which the benefits of both technological IT and managerial IT resources are converted into performance effects at the corporate level.\nOriginality/value: - First, this paper reveals how firms can develop an intrapreneurship culture. Specifically, the findings of the paper show the key role of IT-based resources in the development of this type of organizational culture. Second, this paper shows theoretically and empirically how firms can generate business value from IT-enabled intrapreneurship culture, a topic that has received little attention to date.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The spiritual worker: An examination of the ripple effect that enhances quality of life in- and outside the work environment	[ "Workplace", "Transformational leadership", "Organizations", "Quality of life" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: One of the prominent questions that keep arising when discussing the topic of spirituality in the workplace is how to establish this phenomenon when the average organizational environment, by definition, leans more toward toxic than toward healthy. In an article where Heard (2005, p. 94) explains the increasing call for responsible workplace flexibility and work-life balance among CPA's, for instance, this author emphasizes, \"In 1999 workplace stress cost American business $3 billion, and that figure continues to rise.\" Mor Barak and Levin (2002, p. 133) claim that:... research over the past two decades indicates that exclusion from organizational information networks and from important decision-making processes is one of the most significant problems facing today's diverse workforce.It is Mor Barak and Levin's opinion that, \"Many workers lack a sense of inclusion, which is a key component in wanting to remain at a place of employment\" (p. 133).On top of the stressful atmosphere that seems to be more rule that exception in corporate America, it also seems that establishing a spiritual workplace is perceived as practically impossible when one is not a member of top management. In various Los Angeles-based business organizational workshops and higher education courses on the topic of spirit at work, co-facilitated by the author of this paper, the recurring query was, \"how can one establish or promote spirituality at work if one is not a member of top management?\" This question is definitely one that requires a deeper look into the phenomenon of spirituality in the workplace and the prerequisites at stake. Since, spirituality in the workplace, as a phenomenon, is still a disputed topic among various theorists - some consider it impossible without the involvement of religion, while others strongly reject the incorporation of the \"R\" word when talking spirituality - a clear reference to what is meant in this particular paper seems to be necessary. Thus, far, a limited number of decent definitions toward this phenomenon have come into existence. As it is the author's conviction that the establishment and sustenance of spirituality in the workplace brings along multiple advantages for management, workers, and the organization overall, the following definition will be used in this paper:Spirituality in the workplace is an experience of interconnectedness and trust among those involved in a work process, engendered by individual goodwill; leading to the collective creation of a motivational organizational culture, epitomized by reciprocity and solidarity; and resulting in enhanced overall performance, which is ultimately translated in lasting organizational excellence (Marques, 2005, p. 283).To the attentive reader it may become clear that, in the perception here maintained, spirituality is considered a phenomenon entirely different from religion. It is perceived as the higher awareness that drives human beings to do well. It entails realizations of being interconnected to all other living beings, showing respect to everyone and everything that currently lives and breaths, or once did; and recognizing that there is more to life than our physical state of existing, or that which is visible to us. Spirituality in the workplace is therefore, as presented in the above definition, the awareness that interconnectedness, respect, and recognition are not limited to ourselves and our private environment, but are also very much applicable to all those with whom we work on a regular or incidental basis, in such a way that these qualities can lead to more than mere enhanced enjoyable workplace circumstances, but to increased return on investments as well. It is, therefore, essential that the experience of performing our duties should be one that is rewarding to all involved, hence, providing ourselves and those we deal with in the workplace with feelings of trust, belonging, meaning, and fulfillment in all areas that we consider important toward the quality of our lives.Nevertheless, the perfect picture painted in the paragraphs above refrains from providing insight into the possible establishment and successful performance of spirituality in the workplace when one is positioned in the middle or lower echelons of the organization. In most literature thus far, spirituality at work has been seen as a tendency that could only be successfully implemented if initiated by the organization's leaders. Kubicek (2005), for instance, refers to emotional intelligence (EQ), and spiritual intelligence (SQ) as intrinsic contemporary leadership concepts. In a review of Hicks' book Religion and the Workplace: Pluralism, Spirituality and Leadership, Wiles (2005, p. 195) discusses an enumeration of essential components as prominent leadership strategies toward increased spirit at work. These include:(1) tolerance, respect, and acceptance of other religious and spiritual traditions; (2) promoting a pluralistic, non-coercive, and non-degrading working environment; and (3) discussion of religious and spiritual harmony in the workplace.Terms such as \"spiritual leadership\" (Wolf, 2004), \"moral leadership\" (Thompson, 2004), \"authentic leadership\" (Beagrie, 2005), and \"ethical leadership\" (Brown et al., 2005), are just some of the many ways in which the implementation of a spiritual mindset in the workplace has been proclaimed as being a leadership responsibility. In order to present a possible perspective on how to implement spirit at work regardless of one's position in an organization, it may be essential to first elaborate on the various aspects involved in spirituality in the workplace, as stated by various authors, and underscored through qualitative research by the author of this paper: internal, integrated, and external.\nInternal, integrated, and external aspects: Burack (1999, p. 280) identifies three main pillars for the spiritual workplace, internal, external, and integrated, which he breaks down in four different but highly interrelated outcomes:1. \"Leadership and the organization: demonstrated concern for employees, respect for others, consistency of actions and demonstrated acumen.\"2. \"Employees: conscientious (e.g. quality, cooperation) continuing skill and knowledge advancement, adaptability and high sustained performances.\"3. \"External (strategic constituents) - quality, consistency, environmentally aware, and a responsible community member.\"4. \"Mutual - trust and shared responsibilities for joint benefits.\"Points 1 and 3 can be considered the external manifestations of a spiritual workplace from a worker's perspective: Although point 1 is actually an internal organizational factor, it is still an external one for the individual at stake. Point 2 explains some of the internal drivers for a spiritual worker, and point 4 refers to the integrated factor: the interrelation between all parties involved.Neck and Milliman (1994) also refer to the interrelation between internal and external aspects in the work environment by exclaiming that constructive thought patterns can lead to an enhanced perception and greater sense of spirituality in work. These authors assert that workers, who manage to upgrade their internal verbalizations to a level of awareness, transforming their mindset from negative to positive, will be able to enhance the spirituality of their work. Introducing the term thought self leadership (TSL), Neck and Milliman further explain, \"with the positive application of TSL, workers will learn to establish a better report with their external reality in the workplace\" (p. 9).Walters and Fenson (2002) call for a skillful balance between workers' \"internal and external world\" (p. 6) to avoid conflict with others and within one's self, which can lead to stress and all of its fall outs.Internal aspects\nTransforming the workplace into a spiritual one: Based on the above distinctions, it may be concluded that the first step toward a positive transformation of the workplace will have to happen at the internal level: within the individuals involved in the process. It may be a generally accepted fact that such internal changes, and thus, enhanced spiritual awareness, will work out more effectively, rapidly, and profoundly for the entire organization when they happen within individuals in higher positions of the organizational hierarchy. Yet, they can also occur within workers at lower levels, with moderate to high levels of success, depending on these individuals' personal rapport with co-workers. Before reviewing the effectiveness levels of transforming the workplace as an attempt executed by lower- and mid-level workers in a workplace, a brief review of some possible reasons that predominantly cause a non-spiritual workplace to alter into a spiritual one are appropriate.As a result of the earlier mentioned Los Angeles-based 2003-2004 qualitative study of the phenomenological kind, the author of this paper found, that the organizational reasons that could influence the transformation from a workplace that previously did not consciously attempt to nurture spirituality and the human spirit to one that now does, can be classified into two main causes:1. Organizational-experiential, in which it may occur that unfavorable company developments (deterioration of morale, productivity, efficiency) call for reconsideration of the organizational rules of existence.2. Leadership-experiential, in which the transformation can be instigated by a change in leadership perspectives, an unforeseen tragic event involving the leader; or the leader's desire to attract good people (workers and customers) to the business, and thus enhance the quality of life in the work environment.The personal reasons that could influence the transformation from an employee who does not consciously attempt to nurture spirituality and the human spirit to one that does can be classified into two main causes:1. Internal, whereby the transformation is mainly a consequence of a personal change (which can cause the employee to become spiritual without working in a spiritual environment). However, the change in that employee can lead to spiritual influence of the work environment. Some of the internal reasons to transform such an employee are: a raised level of consciousness; the confrontation with a life-changing problem; a change of habits; a change of lifestyle (for instance, getting married, starting to raise children and therefore wanting to lead by example), a general desire for inner-peace and self-satisfaction, a developed aversion of a competitive environment; a newly obtained will to feel better about one's self, work, colleagues, and society, or the aversion of a heavy-handed hierarchical structure.2. External, whereby the transformation is mainly a consequence of a converted company culture (which can drive the employee to the realization that he or she can only continue to perform well in this setting if he or she adapts to the conversion). Some of the ways that this can happen are: obtaining positive influences from colleagues; the will to be involved in a successful, ground-breaking organization; receptivity to new ideas and a new way of thinking.Table I represents the organizational and leadership experiential circumstances that can lead to the application of a more spiritual approach in the workplace.\nThe ripple effect: Although - as mentioned earlier - it is easier accomplished in cases of employees at higher levels in the workplace, the establishment of a spiritual transformation in a workplace could be possible for workers at various levels of the organization. It may take longer and require more perseverance, but gradually, any worker with the right intentions could gear his or her immediate work environment toward enhanced spiritual performance in the sense as is interpreted in this paper. An appropriate reminder at this point may be that religion should definitely be kept out of the picture, particularly in environments where representatives from various cultures, backgrounds, and religious convictions are employed.To initiate the mindset of how one can establish or promote spirituality at work if one is not a member of top management, the following research outcomes may make sense: The author of this paper conducted another phenomenological study in 2005 among working MBA students in a spirituality-at-work course, all between the ages of 25 and 55 years, and predominantly employed in midlevel positions in a variety of industries. In this research, one of the questions asked was, \"How do you think your current work environment could be transformed into a more spiritual one?\" From the broad variety of answers given to this question, the following two were selected as the ones that touched the essence of this query most effectively:(1) \"Through daily interaction and making trust building a part of our jobs. And through listening, and then applying, in order to more fully engage the crews.\"The here-above posted statement is a typical illustration of how all layers of the organization can work toward a more spiritual environment. Trust building is not a thing that can be directed by management: it has to grow among workers in their interactions with each other. The latter part of the above statement, \"listening and then applying in order to more fully engage the crews\" may initially sound like a typical management responsibility, but it can also be executed at the peer level.(2) \"By people helping each other out more often.\"This statement, the shortest and most simply worded of all in the 2005 study, could be considered the most direct strategy toward establishing a more spiritual workplace without necessarily having to wait for management interference: if workers decide to be more positive and helpful toward one another, the seed of workplace spirituality will be planted, and the nurturing process can begin.Whatever a worker's reasons may be for an internal transformation into a more spiritual person, his or her acts into the workplace, along with his or her increased awareness of interconnectedness and reciprocity, will lead to a greater level of empathy. The diagram represented below demonstrates how the ripple effect that enhances quality of life in- and outside the work environment can be established regardless of one's position in the organization. The ripple demonstrates the following:* An individual gets confronted with internal reasons for enhanced spiritual performance: a transformation happens, and an increase in willingness to connect is ignited. This is the internal aspect of establishing spirit at work.* The now more spiritually attuned worker vigorously, and hopefully ultimately also successfully, connects with colleagues in order to enhance mutuality and reciprocity. This worker does so by demonstrating an enhanced level of empathy, which, in most cases, triggers a similar response in return. Here, is where the integrated aspects start coming into play.* Owing to the spiritual worker's encouraging behavior, co-workers will become positively influenced, reflect on their behaviors as well, and increasingly engage into team performance, which is expressed in increased support, elevated trust, and enhanced understanding. These factors, too, represent integrated aspects of establishing spirit at work.* Ultimately, all or most workers within the positively affected department will demonstrate a greater degree of responsibility and ownership, as well as awareness of the bigger picture, and, through their increased team behavior, will generate greater output and, hence, better organizational performance (external aspects), which will, in the right environment and under the right leadership, be translated to the workers in the form of increased job satisfaction. Increased job satisfaction, in turn, will further elevate the internal motives for the individual to remain a spiritual worker (Figure 1).It is important to note that an individual, who is satisfied with his or her work environment, will generally be less stressed outside of the workplace as well. Overall, this person will have a greater sense of well-being, and an enhanced desire to make others (at work and outside) share in his or her contentment.\nFinal note: A final essential note should be in place here: some workplaces are just not susceptible yet toward spiritual transformation. The spiritual worker has to realize that. Not all workplaces will be adaptive toward conversion. In such cases, when no amount of effort sorts any positive effect, the spiritual worker should realize that exiting this toxic workplace is not a manifestation of weakness, but rather a demonstration of courage to move on to better spiritual harbors. Work environments are worldwide undergoing tremendous changes and therefore experience great uncertainty in these days. A spiritual worker, although responsible toward dependants, takes appropriate measures toward responsible behavior, yet tries not to lose his or her belief that, ultimately, things will turn out right: for him or her, and all who are involved.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - To describe ways in which non-managerial workers could contribute toward establishing spirituality at work.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The subject scope is spirituality at work. The methods are literature review, and two qualitative (phenomenological) studies. The approach to the topic is defining the phenomenon; examining internal, integrated and external drivers; presentation of the ripple effect.\nFindings: - Finds that spirituality at work is an inside-out approach; workers at different levels can help establish spirit at work. Some workplaces are just not susceptible toward a spiritual mindset.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The studies reviewed, although in-depth, applied to a small sample, which makes generalization riskier. Although interrater reliability was successfully applied in the first phenomenological study, there may be some bias in this approach, because the researcher is the instrument. Suggestions for future research: applying a quantitative study on a broader sample of workers in diverse work environments to detect their opinion about how they could establish spirit at work; elaborating on possible linkages between workers' emotional intelligence and the establishment of spirituality at work.\nPractical implications: - That workers may reflect on the various aspects of the ripple effect and actually try with enhanced energy to apply this approach.\nOriginality/value: - The viewpoint of spirituality at work, established by workers at non-managerial levels is new. This paper is valuable for all members of the corporate world, particularly those who consider workplace spirituality only possible with management involvement.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Global learning for sustainable development in higher education: recent trends and a critique	[ "Sustainable development", "Learning", "Teaching", "Higher education" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Education for sustainable development (ESD) has been one of the top priorities in national policy documents and on the global agenda since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. It was again brought to the forefront of international attention at the United Nations (UN, 2002) World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg 2002. The Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership initiative aimed to make sustainability an integral part of college and university curricula around the world (UNESCO, 2001). UNESCO (2003) has played a central role in implementing ESD objectives by means of the Framework for a Draft International Implementation Scheme, where a new vision of education is expressed that will hopefully lead to profound changes in higher education. It, therefore, provides the starting point for the present overview:Education for sustainable development has come to be seen as a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term future [...] This represents a new vision of education, a vision that helps people of all ages better understand the world in which they live, addressing the complexity and interconnectedness of problems [...] The vision of education emphasizes a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to developing the knowledge and skills needed for a sustainable future as well as changes in values, behaviour, and lifestyles (UNESCO, 2003, p. 4).Wright (2004) describes the evolution that can be discerned in policy declarations in higher education from 1970 onwards, and examines the patterns and themes that have emerged. Although evidence of an interest in the global dimensions of environmental issues is found as early as the 1970s, specific awareness of these issues in the context of higher education is only found from early 1990. The Kyoto Declaration of 1993, adopted by 90 universities across the globe, challenged higher education worldwide to accomplish an essential mission in global sustainable development (SD). One of the two major themes outlined in the Kyoto Declaration public outreach activities (see discussion in UNESCO, 1998; Wright, 2004). In particular, the declaration points out the responsibility universities have to students, as well as to the broader community, in calling for an increased awareness of the need for SD. The document highlights the priority and significance of a global perspective on higher education, and thereby also marks the origin of the notion of \"global learning\".The present paper attempts to trace some of the key developments in the movement to promote global learning for sustainable development (GLSD) in higher education, and presents an overview of what is still a very new field. It takes its point of departure in recent research on GLSD in higher education, primarily published in English. Since this research field has only recently emerged, the literature review is limited to the last 20 years. Searches were initially made on the databases ERIC and Google Scholar, using the keywords global learning (GL), global education (GE) and higher education for sustainable development. This study was then used to guide a further review of related documents. In the process of scanning the field and studying publications, it became clear that the research relating to higher education is comparatively rare. Certain relevant material relating to secondary education was therefore included. Very few empirical studies appear to have been conducted, and the bulk of the collected documents is characterised by visions, ideas, recommendations, suggestions and general comments. Because of the limitations in the available material, the authors see this study above all as a discussion of some of the important challenges in the evolution of GLSD.The emerging of GLSD\nLiterature review findings: challenges of GLSD in higher education: University/institutional levels\nDiscussion: Historically, the shift from environmental education (EE) to ESD started during the UN Conference 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, at a time when the policy discourse widened the questions to more prominently incorporate global perspectives, as well as a new mix of ecology and economy, integrating social, political and ethical dimensions (Agenda 21, 1993). The tension between approaches to learning and teaching reflected in EE and GLSD have not been treated throughout this paper. However, the authors have noted that the vision of changing curricula, pedagogical approaches and institutions to include ESD has laid new ground for increasing the global perspective in ESD (Figure 1). Major environmental problems and global challenges have been focused in ESD for several decades. Unfortunately, dealing with world problems, without simultaneously acquiring tools to deal constructively with the situation, may underline feelings of losing control. By contrast, in GLSD, the scale, complexity, and the impact of a global web of political, economic, social, and environmental forces and events that require recognition and acknowledgement, all shape the context of our learning for SD globally. At stake in GLSD is not only resolving pressing global problems. The learning outcomes also include the acquisition of critical thinking skills, values and socio-cultural awareness.How GLSD has emerged from ESD, GE and GL is shown in Figure 1. The differences mostly concern emphasis, related to shaping and specifying learning in a global context that can strengthen the potential of learning through interaction, both globally and locally. With respect to the difference and the relationship between GE and ESD, an important aspect is that the former does not aim to solve SD problems through interdisciplinary reflection. GE has, therefore, sometimes been accused of building on charity concepts which no longer match reality (Scheunpflug and Asbrand, 2006). It is true that GE does not integrate disciplines in the way that is needed in and for ESD. On the other hand, GE has inspired ESD to widen its perspective, to take into account the need for learning about complexities. Although research in the theory and history of GE has evolved to some extent, giving rise to a conceptual and theory-related debate, the field remains largely underdeveloped. Scheunpflug and Asbrand (2006) point out that GLSD is a field that clearly still requires a basis for a theoretical frame. This is particularly called for with respect to the implementation of GLSD in higher education, concerning the relation between GE and the didactics of SD.The worldwide call for integrating SD in higher education demands a response, not only to the question of how a global perspective could be integrated. In addition, generating knowledge on how learning in a global context is best developed is also needed. GLSD includes the objective of resolving global problems, involving critical thinking, skills and values, as well as socio-cultural awareness. Determining the characteristics that could guide teaching strategies, inform curriculum design, and serve as a reference for teachers, administrators and policy makers in charge of the practical implementation of GLSD, are all questions which need further research and debate. Substantial empirical research is needed on learning in global settings, in particular when dealing with complexity in the context of a world society, focusing competencies both as means and outcome. Innovative educational approaches that facilitate real multi-disciplinary, multi-lingual and multi-cultural understanding in global settings need to be investigated, and competence-driven ways to integrate SD into curricula must be prioritised. Universities play a crucial role in the future to be more responsible for concrete steps in this direction, both globally and locally.\nConclusions: The literature that has been examined reveals the urgent need to recognise and develop alternative, multidisciplinary theories, research strategies and interventions for GLSD at the university, curriculum and individual levels. Irritation is expressed by several authors over the fact that many measures have remained on a purely rhetoric level, that many efforts are ineffective, and that universities do not appear to take their responsibilities seriously. Following the three types of competencies presented by Rost (2004, p. 5) and an integration of a global perspective on more principle-led curriculum formulated by Irving et al. (2005), this competencies-driven curriculum offers one way to move from the dominance of rhetoric level to practice. However, the steps that have been implemented, so far, concern mostly how a global perspective could be integrated into the curricula, rather than the question of how students learn in a global context. Knowledge on how teaching and learning is best developed in a global context would therefore need to be developed. The pioneer research projects on learning in global context, reported by Hansson and Norden (2007, p. 7) are just an example of such processes, and additional research is clearly called for in this area.The emergence of GLSD is an area of particular interest in higher education (Norden et al., 2007), since the kind of knowledge that students need to learn in the field of SD typically involves complexities, which is an additional motivation to develop holistic approaches to teaching and learning (Hansson, 2004). Thus, students' knowledge formation of complexities in a global context is to great extent dependent on how competencies are developed. An integration of competencies and knowledge-based curriculum has been developed in the knowledge capability theory (Bowden and Marton, 1998; Bowden, 2004; Booth and Anderberg, 2005; Anderberg et al., 2008), performing a double function of competencies: both as a means and an outcome. On the one hand, it provides the means to achieve holistic understanding of complex knowledge, and on the other it facilitates the acquisition of capabilities required to learn and handle complexities.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide a synopsis of some major trends that have marked discussions on global learning for sustainable development (GLSD) in higher education. The aim is formulated against the background of the complexity represented in GLSD, as well as the fact that sustainable development (SD) is an issue of global interest for universities.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors conducted an overview in recent trends in research on GLSD in higher education over the last 20 years, based on the combination of the keyword higher education for Sustainable Development with global learning (GL) and global education.\nFindings: - The overview suggests that only relatively limited steps have been implemented to achieve GLSD, and rhetoric still dominates the discussions. It appears that little empirical research has been undertaken on learning in global settings. Several authors have identified the need for a competence-based curriculum for GLSD.\nOriginality/value: - Universities, professionals and students need to take greater responsibility. How knowledge, values and abilities are formed and developed from the global learner's perspective therefore, remains an open and fundamental question. The paper underlines the crucial role that higher education plays in GL for sustainability.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Microencapsulation of natural vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) extract in b-cyclodextrin by using kneading method	[ "Stability", "Cyclodextrin", "Microencapsulation", "Microencapsulation efficiency", "Natural vanilla extract" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is a tropical, flowering, and climbing plant, which is a member of Orchidaceae family, only specie that can be used for human consumption. Vanilla beans or pods are mainly used as flavoring agents. Vanilla beans are harvested as green mature pods with no flavor development. However, the subsequent curing process after harvesting leads to development of vanilla flavor (Menon and Nayeem, 2013). Curing process is the process that allows flavor precursors to react with enzymes, resulting in creating of flavor compounds (Havkin-Frenkel et al., 2004). Among hundreds of flavor compounds produced, vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzaldehyde) is the main chemical constituent responsible for vanilla flavor. Vanillin occupies approximately 85 percent of total volatile compounds found in vanilla pods (Huesgen, 2011). In general, vanilla pod is graded according to the length, appearance (color, sheen, presence of splits, and blemishes), and moisture content (Havkin-Frenkel and Belanger, 2011). Whole, dark, plump, and oily pods, visually attractive, no blemishes, and have higher moisture content, are graded as the highest quality (Grade A). Such pods are particularly prized by chefs for their appearance and can be featured in gourmet dishes. Beans that show localized signs of disease or other physical defects are cut to remove the blemishes; the shorter fragments left are called \"cuts\" and are assigned to lower grades (Grade C) same as pods with lower moisture contents. Lower-grade vanilla pods are used in the production of natural vanilla extract for foods and in the fragrance industry. The flavor is extracted by using ethanol as a solvent via several methods. The vanilla extract is referred as a brown solution containing a defined level of extractable matter of vanilla beans with 35 percent alcohol (Hocking, 1997). Among vanilla flavors available in the market, natural vanilla extract is considered as a high-quality flavoring agent, therefore, its price is high. As liquid form, the natural vanilla extract solution has raised problems during process handling and storage of the solution. Moreover, vanillin content can be interfered by enzymatic oxidation (Anklam et al., 1996), thermal oxidation (Mourtzinos et al., 2009), and light-induced oxidation (Kumar et al., 2012). To avoid these problems, conversion of natural vanilla extract to powder form using microencapsulation technique is recommended.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Vanilla\n3. Method: 3.1 Solvent extraction of vanilla\n4. Results: 4.1 Solvent extraction of vanilla\n5. Discussions: This study proposes and investigates the natural vanilla extraction and microencapsulation of natural vanilla extract in b-cyclodextrin using kneading method as well as the stability of microencapsulated natural vanilla powder. The findings of this study support that the alcohol concentration and the ratio of vanilla to ethanol play the major role for the quality of natural vanilla extract in term of vanillin content. The positive effects of these factors might be due to better solubility of vanillin in alcohol rather than in water (Ash and Ash, 1995); therefore, the higher the ethanol concentration, the higher the amount of extracted vanillin. Moreover, the increasing ratio of vanilla pods resulted in higher vanillin content due to higher amount of extractable matters.\n6. Limitations and future research directions: Although this study has several suggestions for natural vanilla extract and production of microencapsulated natural vanilla powder and its stability, it still has some limitations that need to be solved. Releasing mechanism of microencapsulated natural vanilla powder should be investigated as well as its food application. The effect of packaging material for storage is also of interest in order to enhance its stability along with determination of glass transition temperature and determination of particle size.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to encapsulate vanilla extract by using inclusion complex of ss-cyclodextrin and also to investigate the qualities of the encapsulated powder in terms of vanillin content, moisture content, and stability under accelerated condition.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A randomized block and factorial 3x3 experimental designs with three replications were used for the studies of solvent extraction, microencapsulation of natural vanilla extract and stability of microencapsulated vanilla powder.\nFindings: Ethanol concentration and ratio of vanilla to ethanol had positive effects on vanillin content. The extraction with 55 percent ethanol and the ratio of vanilla pods to ethanol as 1:4 provided the highest vanillin content of 341.23 mg/100 mL of the extract. The amount of vanilla extract and kneading time gave significant (p<0.05) effect on the microencapsulation efficiency (ME). The greatest ME found was 94.50 percent when 9 percent vanilla extract and 10 min of kneading time were used. The interaction of temperature and water activity gave significant effect on the second-order kinetic reaction of encapsulated vanilla powder (p<0.05).The most suitable condition of storage was 35degC with aw of 0.64, providing the kinetic constant (k) of 0.0024, and correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.92 with thalf-life of 4.54 weeks.\nOriginality/value: This study provides the most suitable condition for natural vanilla extraction and microencapsulation as well as storage stability for natural vanilla powder production using the third grade vanilla pods grown at Royal Project, Khun Wang Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
An empirical investigation of the prevalence of spyware in internet shareware and freeware distributions	[ "Data security", "Computer software", "Internet", "Privacy", "Marketing strategy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: As the internet permeates almost every aspect of our daily lives, many argue that the benefits of its use are diminished by threats to personal privacy (O'Neil, 2001). One controversial technology utilized on the internet is known as spyware. There are varying opinions as to what constitutes spyware, but generally speaking, this software resides on computers linked to the internet and surreptitiously collects various types of personal information. Proponents defend this technology for several reasons. First, they claim many programs give notice, via licensing agreements or privacy policies, to the user when the spyware is installed. Second, supporters assert that this innocuous data collection involves only general information, such as demographics and personal preferences. The belief is that this practice enables companies to provide personal, customized service which enormously enriches and enhances e-commerce (Graven, 2001), reduces fraud and results in overall lower prices. In addition, supporters note that consumer profiling has been utilized for years. Third, since repeat customers generate over twice as much gross income as new customers (Cigliano et al., 2000), this technology helps businesses increase marketing effectiveness, and thus profitability. Finally, others assert that while spyware technology is available, it is not widely used.Opponents denounce spyware as nothing more than information theft, and as a blatant invasion of personal privacy that deters some people from going online and limits use of the internet by others. Gibson (n.d.), a noted internet privacy expert, asserts:Any software communicating across the Internet absent of [...] complete and truthful disclosure [...] and explicit, informed consent [...] is guilty of information theft (p. 3).Some even level the charge that internet-based consumer profiling is nothing more than electronic stalking. Finally, it is important to mention that spyware programs have been known to cause system stability issues and drain network and computer resources (SMU, 2003).\n2. Review of the literature: A review of the literature clearly identifies consumer privacy protection on the internet as a growing concern for the public, business community, and legislators (Cho and LaRose, 1999; Cranor, 1999; Dixon, 1999; Masci, 1998; Reagle and Cranor, 1999). In the popular press, academic journals, government publications, and internet site postings, one of the more prevalent concerns is that easily accessible personal information available on the internet is giving rise to serious privacy violations. Research has consistently found that internet users are extremely concerned about invasions of personal privacy, which is considered by many to be a fundamental right of an individual (Westin, 1990; Lohr, 2000; Westin, 1967; Federal Trade Commission, 2000):Based on the past years of work addressing Internet privacy issues, including examination of prior surveys and workshops with consumers and industry, it is evident that online privacy continues to present an enormous public policy challenge (Federal Trade Commission, 2000).Although a significant amount of research is available regarding the incredible growth of the internet and the resultant concerns for consumer privacy, there is a gap in the existing body of research literature regarding the prevalence and operational aspects of spyware. While a few spyware programs have received media attention, it is unknown whether these are a few isolated cases, or if this technology is being used extensively. This study attempted to address this gap in the literature by examining a number of suspected spyware programs to investigate the extent to which this phenomenon is occurring.\n3. Methodology: Programs suspected of spyware were ideal candidates for a case study methodology (Yin, 1989) for several reasons. First, the spyware controversy is a \"contemporary phenomenon\" that can be investigated within its real-life context. Second, the boundaries between the phenomenon and context are not clear. Third, the \"research and theory were at their early formative stages\" (Benbasat et al., 1987, p. 369). Fourth, the \"phenomenon is dynamic and not yet mature or settled [...] [and the] technology is not yet clear or widely accepted\" (Darke et al., 1998, p. 279). Finally, multiple sources of evidence were available for study.3.1 Phase one: selection of data sources\n4. Findings: 4.1 Description of the five cases of suspected spyware\n5. Discussion: One important contribution of this study is that it confirms the existence of spyware. However, the data indicated that there was a low occurrence of spyware in internet freeware and shareware distributions, and it must be concluded that spyware technology was not widely used during the month that this study was conducted. However, privacy concerns are warranted on a number of counts. The potential is there, and with it, the potential for misuse. The transmission of data to multifarious locations, rather than a single site, arouses concerns about who exactly is gathering information and for what purposes.The second issue relates to the types of personal information being transmitted by spyware programs. During the iMesh investigation, there was one transmission captured which contained a considerable amount of personal data (i.e. name, e-mail address, country, gender, year of birth, marital status, zip code and personal interests). The remaining transmissions included fragments of data such as user ID or unique number (GUID). This led to the conclusion that these programs have the capability to collect numerous types of personal data. Although this did not occur extensively in the cases under investigation, the ability to collect and transmit personal data is a justifiable concern to privacy advocates. It is important to note that the laboratory computer was only used to execute the program under investigation along with the network analysis software. There were no activities that a typical online user might perform, such as sending e-mail, surfing, shopping and purchasing, chatting, etc. This inherently limited the amount of personal information residing on the computer that could potentially be captured and transmitted by the spyware programs.The final issue of this study involves the transmission frequency pattern of spyware programs. The iMesh program transmitted data once a day at 9.17 pm. This was the time that the original installation occurred, and therefore it was deduced that the iMesh program followed a 24-hour reporting cycle based on the install time. There was no regular pattern demonstrated by the other programs. This data simply indicated that programs may or may not follow a particular pattern of data transmissions. However, it is not known if these programs would behave differently if the computer was being used for online activities, such as sending e-mail, surfing, shopping and purchasing, chatting, etc. This establishes the need for further research.\n6. Study limitations: The findings and conclusions of this study should be viewed in the light of its limitations, mainly that the results are based on a snapshot of data obtained from CNETDownload.com during only one month. The selective nature of cases may limit the generalizability of results. Two other limitations were related to the length of data collection and the lack of internet use on the laboratory computers. The suspected programs were only studied for five days, and might not have captured differences or changes that could occur over an extended timeframe. Also, as mentioned previously, the laboratory computer was only used to execute the program under investigation along with the network monitoring software. Since the laboratory computers were not used for typical online activities, there was a limited amount of information residing on the computer for a spyware program to capture and report. Future studies should follow these programs over an extended timeframe and with users actively engaged in internet activities. Despite the limitations, this study provides a contribution to the privacy literature relating to spyware technology. It is especially useful if viewed as an exploratory mechanism to encourage further investigation into the use of spyware technology.\n7. Conclusions and future implications: The results of the study have practical implications for internet users, marketers, spyware developers and public policy makers. The internet user population, especially individuals who download and execute freeware and shareware programs, should be aware that spyware exists and understand the potential threats to personal privacy associated with these programs. Even if an individual chooses to approbate or ignore spyware, they still must be mindful about other users who might share the same computer. Users that reject spyware must take an active role to become reasonably informed about privacy issues on the internet, and employ necessary precautions to protect themselves.There has been considerable debate regarding the effectiveness of or one-to-one or \"micro\" marketing. Supporters believe that highly personalized service and/or specially tailored products, can boost customer satisfaction and company revenues. Conversely, some warn that \"personalized interaction does not automatically translate into relevance or value to the customer [...] [and] [...] has led to disappointing results\" (Janowsky and Sarner, 2001). Although this discussion is beyond the scope of this study, one thing is clear: consumers are concerned about personal privacy on the internet. Therefore, marketers are cautioned that the use of spyware might alienate customers rather than increase market share. A suggestion for companies is to be open and up-front. This includes clear, concise notice about the types and purposes of data collection, and giving the consumer the consumer the choice to \"opt-out\". In addition, notice must not be obfuscated within a license agreement composed of legalese.An implication for spyware developers is related to the installion and removal process. At the conclusion of phase two of the study, the researcher found that many of the spyware components remained, and some continued to run, even after uninstalling the freeware or shareware program under investigation. In most cases, a third-party spyware removal tool (or complete reinstallation of the operating system) was required to completely remove the spyware from the laboratory computer. Thus, it is recommended to developers to provide users with a full uninstall procedure.In regards to public policy, the US Government initially adopted a laissez-faire approach to internet privacy protection. A few Federal laws, such as the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, and some state laws addressing internet privacy, were enacted. However, the prevailing belief was that self-regulation and moral suasion would sufficiently control internet privacy issues. This attitude was echoed by various agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and demonstrated in the last two Congressional sessions, where at least 50-100 privacy bills \"died\" at the committee stage.In 2001, in a surprising reversal, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finally agreed that despite \"a good faith effort\" the private sector, as a whole, continues to fail to self-regulate effectively. In the absence of federal legislation that sets standards to be followed by everyone, \"it is unlikely that consumers' privacy can be adequately protected from identity theft, commercial harassment, and hucksterism\" (Anthony, 2001). This stance has continued to evolve as public policymakers have begun to confront online privacy concerns, especially with regard to the collection, use and disclosure of personal data. For example, in 2003, Congress established the Internet Caucus Advisory Committee that included partnerships with the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), and the Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP). Whatever the outcome, internet privacy will be, according to Congressman Cliff Stearns, one of the \"most difficult and important issues\" facing policymakers (Committee on Energy and Commerce, 2001).Academic researchers have an important role in the internet privacy controversy. They are responsible for \"bringing an independent and thoughtful approach to empirical questions of privacy, in discussing both how things work now and how things could be improved\" (Smith, 1994, p. 223). Studies should not only confront existing practices, but also consider how these practices are at variance from the perceptions of all stakeholders (Bennit, 1992). Thus, the desired result of the current study was to add to the scholarly literature in the field of electronic commerce and individual privacy. In addition, this study made the internet community aware of the issues surrounding spyware technology. Finally, this study encouraged further research on spyware technology. An extension of this research would be to examine the prevalence and operational aspects of other questionable marketing tactics such as: \"mouse-over downloads\" or \"InternetAlert\" advertisements that mimic Windows(r) system warnings. In conclusion, this study has added to the literature in the security domain. Hopefully, it will prove to be a useful tool to internet users, spyware developers and adopters, policy-makers and other professionals in the field.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Spyware is a controversial software technology that allows the surreptitious collection of personal information from computers linked to the internet. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of spyware in internet shareware and freeware and to investigate the personal information collected.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The methodology was a two-phase, multi-case study. The first phase determined that five of the 50 most popular pieces of Windows(r)-based freeware and shareware available to internet users from CNETDownload.com were suspected of containing spyware: these were included as data sources for phase two. The purpose of phase two was to confirm the existence of spyware and to identify the types and frequencies of any personal data transmissions. For this phase, data were collected and analyzed utilizing a passive network monitor program to examine packets of data transmitted from a personal computer to external destinations on the internet.\nFindings: - The findings confirmed the existence and use of spyware in three of five suspected cases. However, the data indicated that there was a low occurrence of spyware and that these programs have the capability to collect numerous types of personal data. The main limitation is that these results are based on a snapshot of data obtained during five days.\nPractical implications: - The study has practical implications for internet users, who should be aware that spyware exists and understand its potential threat. Spyware developers should provide the user with an effective removal tool. Finally, marketers are cautioned that spyware might alienate customers.\nOriginality/value: - This paper confirms the potential for misuse of these programs.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Lot sizing, preventive maintenance, and warranty decisions for imperfect production systems	[ "Preventive maintenance", "Warranties", "Lot size", "Numerical analysis" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The classical economic production quantity (EPQ) model (Nahmias, 1997; Silver et al., 1998) assumes that the output of the production system is defect-free. Rosenblatt and Lee (1986) have found that when the production process is subject to a random process deterioration that shifts the system from an in-control state to an out-of-control state (and producing non-conforming items then), the resulting optimal EPQ is smaller than that of the classical model. Porteus (1986) has observed similar results. Lee and Rosenblatt (1989) also incorporated maintenance by inspection with restoration cost dependent on the detection delay. They assumed that the deterioration of the process is exponentially distributed. Their work was extended by Hariga and Ben-Daya (1998) and Lin et al. (1991), among others, for the case where the deterioration of the process follows a general distribution. For a further review of the determination of EPQ with imperfect production processes, the reader is referred to Ben-Daya and Rahim (2001).In some cases, defects are detected after the product reaches the consumer. A common practice for many vendors is to offer a warranty period on their products. Warranties provide a protection to the user and, from a marketing point of view, induce him to buy the product. Djamaludin et al. (1994) studied the effects of product warranty policy on the optimal lot size for a production system in which the process goes out-of control with a given probability each time it produces an item and in which the inventory holding cost is assumed to be zero. The work of Djamaludin et al. (1994) was extended by Wang and Sheu (2003) to a discrete general shift distribution to provide an optimal lot size so that the long-run total cost of the set-up, the inventory holding and the warranty is minimized. Determination of the optimal production run length for a deteriorating production system in which products are sold with free minimal repair warranty was studied by Yeh et al. (2000). It is assumed that the time to shift from an in-control state to an out-of-control state is exponentially distributed, i.e. the process failure rate is a constant. Wang (2004) extended this work to consider processes subjected to random deterioration from an in-control state to an out-of-control state with a general shift distribution. Yeh and Chen (2005) revisited the problem of the joint determination of the optimal lot size and product inspection policy for a deteriorating production system when products are sold with free minimal repair warranty.In this paper, we assume that the product is repairable and a free minimal repair warranty is offered to the user in case of failure of the item for a fixed period of time. We assume also that PM of the production process has an effect on the failure rate of the product sold under warranty while in use.Production and inventory decisions, the preventive maintenance schedule and warranty policies are clearly interrelated problems. Traditionally, these three problems are dealt with separately. There is a need to develop models that capture the interdependence between them, leading to their joint optimization. Previous research looked only at the integration of warranty and lot sizing but did not consider PM as a means of improving the reliability of products. The purpose of this paper is to develop a model that links EPQ, maintenance requirements and warranty for a process with a general deterioration distribution. A solution procedure is proposed and numerical examples are presented for illustrative purposes. A sensitivity analysis with respect to key model parameters is conducted to provide further insights.The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. The problem definition, assumptions and notation are presented in the next section. Section 3 deals with model development. The solution procedure and numerical results are discussed in section 4. Finally, section 5 contains a summary of the paper and some concluding remarks.\n2. Model development: 2.1 Statement of the problem\n3. Solution procedure and numerical results: First, we discuss the problem of solving the above model to obtain the optimal values for the decision variables. Also, we will discuss the way by which the inspection frequency should be regulated and the optimization procedure used to determine the optimal solution.The problem is to determine simultaneously the optimal lengths of the inspection intervals, namely h1, h2, ... , hm, and the number of inspections and PMs, n.For a Markovian model, a uniform inspection scheme provides a constant integrated hazard over each interval. Banerjee and Rahim (1988) extended this fact to non-Markovian models by choosing the length of inspection intervals such that the integrated hazard over each interval is the same for all intervals, that is: Equation 19 If the time that the process remains in the in control state follows a Weibull distribution, that is, its probability density function is given by: Equation 20 then using equation (16), the length of the inspection intervals hj (j=2, ... , m) can be determined recursively as follows: Equation 21 This relationship reduces the number of decision variables from n+1 to only two, namely n and h1. The following simple solution procedure is proposed to minimize the profit function ETP.3.1 Solution algorithm\n4. Conclusion: In this paper, we developed an integrated model that considers simultaneously inventory production decisions, PM schedule and warranty policy for a deteriorating system that experiences shifts to an out-of-control state. The time to shift follows a general probability distribution with increasing hazard rate so that time-based PM is effective in improving system reliability. Numerical examples are presented and a sensitivity analysis is conducted to gain more insights into the developed model. This model can be easily extended to also optimize the PM level and warranty period. Such models can be very useful in making resource allocation decisions between warranty and the PM program. As is clear from the numerical analysis, a better PM program reduces warranty claims.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Sets out to develop an integrated model that considers simultaneously inventory production decisions, PM schedule, and warranty policy for a deteriorating system that experiences shifts to an out of control state. The time to shift follows a general probability distribution with increasing hazard rate, so that time-based PM is effective in improving the system reliability.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A profit function is used to model the production system. Optimization techniques are used to generate optimal solutions for the problem. Although global optimality cannot be guaranteed, empirical results show that global optimal solutions are obtained.\nFindings: - The integrated model provides decisions on inventory levels, production run length, and PM schedule simultaneously. It is illustrated through numerical examples that investment in PM can lead to savings in warranty claims for repairable products. As a result, the overall profit per unit, in certain cases, is higher with PM than without PM.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The production system is taken, numerical examples are presented and a sensitivity analysis is conducted to gain more insight into the developed model. In particular, the numerical analysis shows that a better PM program reduces warranty claims.\nPractical implications: - In addition to the joint optimization of production/inventory decisions and PM schedule, such models can be very useful in making resource allocation decisions between warranty and PM programs. It is clear from the numerical analysis that a better PM program reduces warranty claims.\nOriginality/value: - The paper provides a joint optimization of production inventory decisions and the PM schedule for a system subject to a time to shift that follows a general probability distribution. Previous research considered only an exponential distribution and did not consider PM.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Factors affecting Halal meat purchase intention: Evidence from international Muslim students in China	[ "China", "Trust", "Self-identity", "Dietary acculturation", "Halal meat", "Moral obligation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The word Halal is derived from Arabic (in Arabic: Hll; in Chinese: Qingzhen Cai Qing Zhen Cai ) and it refers to the Islamic belief. It is practiced by Muslims and it is defined as things or actions permitted by the Shariah (Islamic law). In other words, Halal is an object or an action which is permitted or lawful to be used or taken, according to the Islamic law (Mukhtar and Butt, 2012). The opposite of this word in Arabic is Haram which means prohibited or unlawful. Halal which is the dietary standard prescribed in the Quran is often used compliant with food consumption and drinks that are permitted to eat or drink under Shariah. The criterion specifies both what foods and drinks are allowed as well as how the foods and drinks must be prepared.\nLiterature review: Many attitude theories have been employed as a theoretical basis to test intervening variables in the food consumption literature. One of the seminal attitude theories is TPB proposed by Ajzen (1991) as an extension of the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen, 1985). TPB (Ajzen, 1991) postulates three conceptually independent determinants of behavioural intention, namely, attitude towards behaviour, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, which links between belief and behaviour.\nMethodology: Sampling and data collection\nMethod of analysis: Characteristics of the respondents\nResults: Reliability analysis\nConclusion: Basically, this study is an effort to extend the knowledge base of previous two studies (Bonne et al., 2007; Ahmed et al., 2014) which were conducted to understand the Muslims purchase intention of Halal meat by using the classical TPB. However, in the current study, TPB determinants of intention explain only little variance in Muslim students' intention to consume Halal meat. Moreover, as compared to other food choice studies using the same theory, the regression coefficients are also low in the current study. This validates the findings of Bonne et al. (2007) and Ahmed et al. (2014) whose studies have mentioned little variance in intention and low regression coefficients. It is evident that the Halal meat consumption for Muslims is quite different from regular meat or other foods consumption for non-Muslims. The religious associations attached to Halal meat probably make this decision more important for Muslim consumers, leading to a different decision-making process (Ahmed et al., 2014; Bonne et al., 2007).\nManagerial implications: Practical implications extend to dealing with food policymakers and food marketing managers in companies who might pursue identity-, acculturation-, trustworthiness- and MO-related strategies in their distribution and communication efforts targeted at the growing local as well as international market of Halal food. Moreover, growing size and potential of the Halal food market provide opportunity to Halal food business to market its products directly to 57 Muslim countries in the world. All it needs to do is to focus on the well-established local Halal market segment initially by producing Halal food in the hygiene environment following Islamic practices fully and later establishing best Halal value chain to ensue availability to final consumers. Later, this will help businesses to position their Halal food brands to obtain new differentiation advantages not only in existing but also in new international markets.\nLimitations and future research directions: We opted for including a number of potential determinants of behavioural intention, but other individual characteristics such as involvement or values (Vermeir and Verbeke, 2006) and individualism-collectivism (Triandis, 2001) could improve the predictive power of the model. Moreover, because of the sensitive religious nature of the topic, some questions such as social norms, personal norms and personal relevance could be asked more indirectly to lower the respondent's possible hesitation to answer the queries appropriately. Similarly, we measured several constructs with single-item instead of multi-item constructs. Finally, sample was taken from China; only international Muslim students currently studying in China were selected, and respondents were selected using snow-ball sampling technique with the help of online developed questionnaire. Future research can go for comparative study by considering international Muslim students and Chinese native Muslims to see if there is any difference between these two Muslims groups in terms of purchase behaviour towards Halal products.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of Halal meat consumption within international Muslim students' population in China using the theory of planned behaviour as a conceptual framework. The role of self-identity (SI) as a Muslim, dietary acculturation (DA) in the host culture, moral obligation (MO) to purchase Halal meat and trust on the authenticity of Halal meat is explored.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Cross-sectional data were collected through a questionnaire survey with 436 international Muslim students mainly originating from Muslim countries and currently studying in China. Data were analysed by stepwise multiple regression analyses to test the model and the moderating effects of SI, DA, MO and trust on behavioural intention.\nFindings: The results indicate that a positive personal attitude towards the consumption of Halal meat, personal conviction and the perceived control over consuming Halal meat predict the intention to eat Halal meat among Muslims.\nResearch limitations/implications: Limitations include the use of a snow-ball sampling technique and the focus on only four individual characteristics related to religious food consumption, namely, SI, DA, MO and trust.\nPractical implications: Practical implications extend to dealing with food policymakers and food marketing managers in companies who might pursue identity-, acculturation-, MO- and trustworthiness-related strategies in their distribution and communication efforts targeted at the growing local as well as international market of Halal food.\nOriginality/value: This study is one of the first studies investigating the determinants of Halal meat consumption among international Muslim students in China and a first application of the theory of planned behaviour-related religious food consumption context by considering four individual characteristics, namely, SI, DA, MO and trust.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Tweeting #Leaders: Social media communication and retweetability of Fortune 1000 chief executive officers on Twitter	[ "Twitter", "Social media", "Micro-blogging", "Corporate leaders", "Executive communication", "Information forwarding" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The social media presence of a chief executive officer (CEO) adds value to their organization's corporate reputation by potentially providing an influential voice online. Having the CEO of an organization engage with the public on social media humanizes efforts in communicating organizational values and building rapport with news media and the public (BRANDfog, 2014; Weber Shandwick, 2013). Yet, most CEOs are laggards in adopting social media communication. A report from CEO.com and DOMO (2014) found that 68 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs had no public presence in any major social network sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Instagram. The same report further noted that many of those CEOs with public social media accounts were not actively engaging with the public. A recent survey of social media use among senior executives found that many respondents were suspicious of the credibility and value of social media (Porter et al., 2015). This skepticism might explain the paltry number of CEOs with social media presence.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Social media and executive communication\n3. Methods: 3.1 Data collection\n4. Results: Table V presents results of correlation analyses of the study variables. Table VI presents results of regression analyses. The number of followers (control variable) had a statistically significant but minimal impact on retweetability, B=0.000006, IRR=1.000006, p<0.001.\n5. Discussion: As one of the first studies to investigate top executives' social media messages and their effectiveness, this study provides a significant contribution to our understanding of social influence and leadership on social media. Heeding the call to investigate CEOs' online messages (Alghawi et al., 2014; Tsai and Men, 2017) and initial public responses online (Saxton and Waters, 2014), this study provides a systematic analysis of Fortune 1000 CEOs' messages on Twitter, proposing and demonstrating a framework guided by HSM (Chaiken, 1980) that incorporates contextual factors and content characteristics. Taken together, the results indicate that CEOs' industry background and content types carry more weight than supplementary information use and linguistic features in influencing message retweetability.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: To better understand executive communication on social media, the purpose of this paper is to examine the pattern of messages posted by chief executive officers (CEOs) on Twitter and their retweetability (rate of reposting by other users).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study data comprises 1,068 original tweets randomly selected from all Fortune 1000 CEOs' tweets in 2014. The impact of the contextual factors (industry background, activeness, and Twitter age) and content factors (content types, supplementary information, and linguistic features) on retweetability was examined through regression analyses.\nFindings: CEOs tweet to share information and insights, to promote their companies or products, to update work or life status, and to interact with the public. Original insights, promotional messages, and seasonal greetings were most likely to be retweeted. CEOs' backgrounds, usage of hashtags, and certainty of language were also positively associated with retweetability.\nPractical implications: CEOs may enhance their online social influence through demonstrating leadership by sharing insights about their organization or industry and posting topical messages (e.g. season's greetings). Furthermore, CEOs could use hashtags strategically to initiate or participate in discussions and promote their personal visibility.\nOriginality/value: This study is one of the first to evaluate how leaders of the largest companies in the USA communicate on Twitter. It contributes to a theoretical understanding of the factors underlying online influence - the influence of the status of the online communicator vs the message content on information forwarding.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Taking account of what young women want from school sex education: Two groups from Scotland and Uganda	[ "Women, Sex education, Uganda, Scotland" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Worldwide, young women are particularly vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV and unwanted pregnancies. But the situation is far less favourable for girls in low-income countries such as Uganda. Uganda has an estimated HIV prevalence among 15-24 year olds of about 5 per cent, and young women are four times more likely to be living with HIV than men. Uganda also has very high STI rates and one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Africa at 32 per cent (Ministry of Health Uganda and ORC Macro, 2005). In contrast, Scotland's overall HIV prevalence is only 5.2/10,000, but the rate of new diagnoses of HIV and STIs is rising, particularly in young people. The Scottish teenage pregnancy rate is 4.2 per cent; one of the highest rates in Western Europe (Health Protection Agency UK, 2009). Sex education programmes in Uganda and Scotland are faced with the challenge of contributing to overcome these problems, but are they currently getting it right?School sex education is important in all societies because adolescence is a key time for establishing sexual practices for life and school is a key site for exploring safe sex. Ugandan and Scottish programmes differ as a result of a number of factors including culture and resources. The focus in Uganda is on HIV prevention (Uganda AIDS Commission, 2007), whereas Scotland has more comprehensive guidelines and greater resources, but implementation varies between schools (Scottish Executive, 2000). Recent trends in sex education planning have tended towards empowerment and equality (UNAIDS Inter-agency Task Team on Young People and UNFPA, 2004); active participation of young people in constructing sex education programmes is essential. However, while there have been questionnaire based studies, which found adolescents to be typically unhappy with their sex education (see, for example, Bourton, 2006) not enough is being done to research young people's opinions, particularly in African countries. Here I aim to complement existing research in this important area.\nMethods: This paper is based on a student research project which was part of a larger study (see the editorial of this special issue) examining issues of young women's voices in the context of sexual health promotion in Busoga, Uganda. I focused this element on school sex education as it has an important role within wider sexual health promotion. I used a qualitative methodology with participatory elements because this offered more opportunity to gather young women's opinions with its emphasis on partnership, flexibility and the use of innovative methods (Cornwall and Jewkes, 1995). The seven Ugandan participants were aged 14-17 years from a secondary school in a semi-rural community in Busoga, Eastern Uganda. The Scottish participants were six young women aged 17-18 years from a school in Edinburgh City that I previously attended. The Scottish phase of the research was important in helping me test and clarify my ideas before visiting Uganda. It also allowed me to reflect back on my experiences and opinions about sex education and how they were similar to or different from the participants. I feel the two stages supported the development of the research process and enabled analysis through comparison and reflection.Full ethical approval and informed consent from all participants was obtained. The two stages of the research were very different in form, with the Scottish interviews being completed in a half day. However, in Uganda, it took longer to build a rapport and four days were spent on the research. I believe that this was partly because of communication problems and partly due to how I was perceived by the two groups. Scottish participants spoke to me as a peer with who they were at ease; we had a common language and some common experiences. The Ugandan perceptions of me were shaped by my identity as an \"outsider\", a medical student from the UK. One Ugandan young woman described visiting sex education teachers as \"like you\".Both episodes of research started with a period of getting to know the participants through use of a method called \"lifelines\". This offered the young women a way to visually represent historical information about themselves (Harris and Parisi, 2007), particularly events surrounding sex, relationships, families and sex education. This helped base the questions and responses, and my reflections and comparisons of their experiences, firmly on lived representations of experiences. Both groups then produced mind-maps to describe their previous sex education at and outside school and discussions followed.After this, the Ugandan and Scottish research took different paths. The Scottish participants wanted to \"just chat\"; finishing with a discussion about what they wanted from school sex education. The Ugandan young women were shyer and less comfortable discussing sex and giving opinions. The Ugandan group chose to produce a play and write stories describing their previous sex education, and avoided the discussion method. Their reticence about describing their future sex education preferences seemed to require a different approach. So I adopted that of structured questions, which moved away from inter-active participation but did produce responses. The written work was followed by group discussions. All activities were intended to be fun and enjoyable to build a rapport between myself and the groups and increase the participant's confidence in voicing their opinions.The research was recorded and video clips of both groups were shared between groups giving opportunities to benefit from comparing experiences and learning about each other. I consider that there is scope to benefit more from such cross-cultural sharing and communication between young people in different settings. There is potential to learn about each other's experiences and in doing so critically reflect on those experiences and situations. The data were transcribed, coded and then thematically analysed and discussed with the participants. Participatory research stresses the importance of involving participants in analysis. As they are partners in the research it is less an extractive process than a collaborative process (Cornwall and Jewkes, 1995). There was general agreement with the main themes.\nFindings: Although there were similar views within and between groups there were also some significant differences.All the participants emphasized strongly that they felt discussion within small groups of friends is better than lectures. The Scottish participants mentioned they found lectures boring and the Ugandan students felt they learn more through discussion opportunities. Both groups felt that discussion among friends increases their confidence for talking openly and asking questions. One Scottish participant remarked that encouragement to talk about sexual matters is particularly important for younger students who do not discuss sexual matters with their friends and those students whose parents do not discuss sexual matters with them:... talking to friends always made me feel more comfortable just cause I knew they were going through it as well (Scottish participant).Both groups preferred visitors teaching rather than schoolteachers because students feel unable to talk openly in front of their own schoolteachers. They said that some students do not have a good relationship with their teacher; that schoolteachers might \"judge\" you and visitors are often more knowledgeable. Gallant and Maticka-Tyndale (2004) found that schoolteachers see sex education as a difficult subject to teach; often leaving out controversial topics and preferring didactic teaching methods.Female teachers and single-sex classes were considered very important by both groups as this makes them feel \"more comfortable\" and less embarrassed:It's important to discussion among other girls only (Ugandan participant).If it was a male [teacher] you wouldn't want to put your views across, but if it's female you can get more involved (Scottish participant).There was agreement in both countries that it is important for sex education to start in late primary school and continue regularly throughout school. However, the content should be age appropriate, with suggestions of teaching puberty and reproduction first, then \"taking it a bit further as you get older\". They all felt sex education is inappropriate for younger primary school children:It is not good for pupils in primary school because their knowledge is not yet wide (Ugandan participant).There were a number of differences between what the Scottish and the Ugandan young women wanted. The Scottish participants wanted a young teacher, but the Ugandan participants did not mention this. The Scottish young women said that people who had recently experienced similar things to them would be better than older teachers who \"intimidate\" students, \"tell you what to do\", and \"wouldn't understand\". The Scottish participants emphasised various topics, which should be included in sex education curricula, particularly more on emotions and relationships. However, while the Ugandan young women also mentioned many topics they would like included, ranging from learning about STIs/HIV to menstruation, they did not mention emotions or relationships. The Scottish young women also stressed the importance of receiving information in a manner, which enabled them to make informed decisions about their lives themselves, rather than being told what to do, but the Ugandan young women did not:I always thought that you can't teach a whole group of people the same thing 'cause everyone will have different opinions' (Scottish participant).Learning from female family members as well as school appeared to be much more important to the Ugandan young women. They said they can talk in their free time and at greater length with family, and you can be more \"free\" than with your teachers. The senga (a girl's paternal aunt) is the traditional route of sex education for some young women in Uganda (Muyinda et al., 2003). It is still considered important to keep discussion within the family, possibly explaining why learning from female family was heavily stressed. However, in western cultures, the importance attached to sex-related discussion with family is more varied (Lefkowitz et al., 2003). Reading materials were considered to be very important by the Ugandan group, whereas the Scottish group were quite negative about written materials, feeling they should only ever be an add-on. They felt students often do not read or remember them, but that they may help students who want more information. There may be a number of reasons why the Ugandan group favoured written materials, such as the general lack of available written material making these highly valued, although these were not explored in the study.\nDiscussion: Themes that were common to both Ugandan and Scottish participants have been echoed in a small number of similar studies. Other studies have found adolescents are more comfortable discussing sexual matters among their friends and often have negative attitudes towards schoolteachers teaching sex education (see, for example, DiCenson and Borthwick, 2001). This may be a common view important to young women independent of their culture. The significance of discussion, having single-sex classes, and female teachers, were emphasized, by both groups. Marslach and Kerr (1983) found discussion among small groups of high importance for encouraging participation and other studies have shown that, in general, young women prefer and participate better in single-sex classes in school (Gilliband et al., 1999). Both groups of participants had not had much access to single-sex sex education lessons, and this is true of many current programmes. The results of this research highlight the value of developing sex education curricula with single-sex elements for young women. However, research shows young men often prefer and participate better in mixed-sex classes in school, so it would be important to ascertain their preferences for single-sex sex education. One study found the majority of adolescents preferred opportunities for both mixed and single-sex groups, which may be a solution (Walker et al., 2003). A difficulty in Uganda is an overall lack of female teachers so that young women have very little experience of women teaching or as advisers (Tumushabe et al., 1999). Visiting women sex education teachers, which the girls tended to prefer, would be valuable.Issues raised specifically by the Scottish young women were frequently echoed in other similar studies, but issues raised only by the Ugandan group have not been found in existing literature. This is possibly because many studies are situated in western settings, and may suggest that culture frames what adolescents want (or feel able to suggest). The social and political context of sex education in Scotland and Uganda varies considerably. The agenda in Uganda is one of promoting abstinence for HIV prevention, whereas in Scotland the agenda promotes safer sexual practices and prolonging sexual debut. This might influence participants' opinions in this study. The Scottish young women, felt teaching about emotions, and relationships, is vital in sex education curricula. This is frequently cited by other western studies as important to adolescents, but lacking from sex education (see, for example, DiCenson and Borthwick, 2001). Wanting a teacher close in age, was mentioned by adolescents, in a US study (Marslach and Kerr, 1983), and studies of peer-led education in the UK, have found students prefer this to teacher-led education (Strange et al., 2002). This may suggest that the introduction of peer education could be appropriate in Scotland. However, as discussed earlier, Ugandan young women have little experience of women teachers/facilitators, and therefore may not have identified this as an option.This was an exploratory study, aiming to capture some views of young women in two different settings in relation to school sex education. The research has highlighted to me the importance of sex education for addressing sexual health. I discovered I had strong opinions myself on the sex education I received and the research process allowed me to analyse my experiences and opinions and how they compared to the participants. I now really appreciate the importance of qualitative and participatory methodologies for this type of research. I discovered that other young women also have strong opinions about sex education and many opinions crossover cultures and can be beneficially shared across contexts.Such research as this can provide a promising foundation for investigating how to make sex education programmes relevant to young people's wants and needs. Future research should take young women's views into account to create better sex education programmes. Allowing young women to be part of the decision making process is important in the context of striving for gender equality and the empowerment of young women. It is also important to understand young men's opinions and the views of different age groups of school attendees. This will provide a more substantive basis for sex education. Obtaining young people's opinions of sex education programmes is both feasible and important. In addition, there would appear to be an added value in working with groups from different cultures. It offers scope for sharing experiences between young people from different parts of the world, especially in an environment where technology allows, and thereby furthering their learning and understanding of not only their own sexual health and sexuality but others as well.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This study seeks to explore what young women want from their school-based sex education.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Qualitative methods were used to explore the perspectives of two groups of young women from Uganda and Scotland.\nFindings: - Of particular importance to all the young women were: a diverse sex education curriculum appropriate to the ages of the students, being taught by an outside female facilitator, single-sex classes and access to a female teacher. Furthermore, they proposed that discussion between small groups of friends is very useful. The Scottish group said that having a young teacher, teaching about emotions and relationships and being guided through their own decision making is also important. The Ugandan group emphasized the importance of being taught by female family members and having written materials provided on sex education.\nOriginality/value: - The study showed that young women from different backgrounds have strong opinions about sex education, and are an important resource for policy makers.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Lebanese perceptions of the glass ceiling	[ "Lebanon", "Women in management", "Gender discrimination", "Glass ceiling" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Women have made enormous progress in entering the job market, as they currently account for 35 percent of the workforce, globally; yet their representation in top-level managerial positions in business remains nominal at 24 percent (Grant Thornton, 2013). There are several women in the corporate business field who are well equipped to advance into senior managerial roles (Hoobler et al., 2011). However, few women attain such positions in comparison to the representation of men at this level. In the world of work as we know it today, the higher you ascend in the managerial hierarchy, the less visible women become (Akpinar-Sposito, 2013). This raises the question, why are there still so few women in top leadership positions?\nLiterature review: The underrepresentation of women in senior management has been investigated extensively in the literature. The metaphor of the \"glass ceiling,\" first appearing in an article in the Wall Street Journal in 1986, refers to the problem of gender inequality hindering women's progression in the workplace (Oakley, 2000). Many studies confirmed the \"glass ceiling\" hypothesis and recognized it as an invisible artificial barrier preventing qualified individuals, mainly women and people of color, from advancing within their organization and reaching their full potential (Lyness and Thompson, 2000).\nHypotheses: H1. Women are more likely than men to believe that women are faced with more barriers when climbing the career ladder.\nMethodology: The research tackled gender disparity in Lebanon by addressing students of a reputable university. The study conducted was exploratory and its purpose was to provide an honest representation of the students' opinions. It is considered exploratory since this is a novel topic and we do not have comprehensive research findings on the subject in Lebanon. It is the first to tackle students' opinions regarding barriers that workingwomen face in Lebanon. We aimed to determine the students' thoughts and awareness level regarding the glass ceiling, since changes in gender role perceptions can be made during formal education (Kizilaslan and Diktas, 2011). Students will eventually enter the workforce, bringing with them those views and attitudes, and they will thus play a part in diminishing or reinforcing the glass ceiling. Previous studies have analyzed the perceptions of career-related barriers by addressing high school and college students. For instance, 168 females and 118 males enrolled in a university completed a questionnaire to measure the barriers in career development. Even if students have not encountered these barriers, perceived barriers may still play a critical role in the career decision-making process, and in women's career development, especially (Luzzo and McWhirter, 2001).\nResults and discussion: In the first step of the analysis, we obtained frequencies for the main questions of the survey. Of the respondents, 82.2 percent believed that women are not treated as equal to men. Most respondents (63.6 percent) stated that gender is not related to the competency of senior managers, with 29.5 percent believing that men are more competent and only 5.4 percent believing that women are more competent. Since the sample consisted of educated people, most of them might perceive competency to be related to qualifications and skills rather than to gender. However, women were still given the lowest percentage in the category of competency, and this can be linked to the stereotypical image that men are more competent and fit the traditional role of leader (Hejase et al., 2013). Of the respondents, 78.3 percent perceived women as facing more barriers and 81.4 percent believed that women are underrepresented in top management. Women were perceived to face more barriers, to be treated unequally and to be underrepresented in the highest managerial roles in Lebanon. This further portrays the conviction that women face gender discrimination and have to overcome more obstacles in order to ascend the career ladder (Liu, 2013). Lebanese women managers share the numerous barriers that women face in other areas of the world (Jamali et al., 2005). This belief is substantiated by the marginality of women in senior management, denying women's participation in strategic decision-making and planning (Hejase et al., 2013; Tlaiss and Kauser, 2010; Jamali et al., 2005). The glass ceiling is not an unverified assumption; rather, it is a reality of which Lebanese people are aware.\nConclusion: The research offered novel insights into the perceptions of the glass ceiling in Lebanon. It shows that most participants believed strongly that women are not treated equally, face more barriers (mainly organizational and cultural) and are underrepresented in top management. The research also differentiated between women and men's opinions, finding that women believe that they face more barriers than men in their ascent to top management. Men are more likely to believe that organizations are the party responsible for this underrepresentation. One remarkable finding was that women were as likely as men to believe that men are more competent as senior managers. Possible explanations for this finding could be that female respondents believe that women lack career aspirations, are less qualified or that women are more skilled at familial duties.\nPractical implications and future research: The findings identify a high level of awareness regarding the existence of the glass ceiling in Lebanon. The glass ceiling evidently plays a role in limiting the number of top women executives (Jamali et al., 2005; Hejase et al., 2013, 2014). However, the effect of the glass ceiling is progressively decreasing. In addition, the concomitant wage gap continues to decrease, even though the pace of that decline has lessened with time (Hejase et al., 2014). The banking sector provides a positive corporate culture for women managers' progression, as reported by women managers themselves (Jamali et al., 2006). However, the above finding cannot be considered a given for other sectors, since this sector is distinct because women infiltrated it early on (Jamali et al., 2006). Women have been able to prove themselves by participating in diverse sectors; they are no longer limited to the education and health sectors (Metcalfe, 2007). Women currently account for about 55 percent of the workforce in the Lebanese service sector. This will provide women with greater opportunities to partake in leadership roles in the future (Hejase et al., 2013). However, higher workforce participation, increased educational level and years of work experience were still not able to eliminate the glass ceiling effect (Tlaiss and Kauser, 2010).\nLimitations: This study was conducted in a short period of time, which limited the research to a small sample size in one university. Its demographics do not reflect the Lebanese population; the sample reflects an educated, younger age group belonging to a somewhat higher socioeconomic group, as the university providing respondents is considered an expensive one. Thus, the findings cannot be generalized to the broader community. Another limitation could be that we did not assess the respondents' working statuses; varying perceptions might exist between working and non-working respondents. Working students can provide more valid opinions in relation to their experience. Future research is advised to determine their working status and identify any possible variations. Furthermore, the survey was only addressed to students in higher education and an extension of this research would include gathering the perceptions of employees. Still, the focus on those students is valuable in defining the initial roots of the problem and mapping suggestions for its correction. The survey was also self-administered and students chose to participate in the study, which may impose a self-respondent bias (Zikmund et al., 2010, pp. 188-195).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present insights regarding the barriers that prevent women in Lebanon reaching parity with men in senior leadership positions. The paper also portrays men and women's varying perceptions regarding these barriers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A total of 129 participants at a Lebanese university took part in the study. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS. Frequencies and kh2-tests were conducted.\nFindings: The findings suggest that women are more likely to be discriminated against and are thus more likely to be underrepresented in top leadership positions. Organizational and cultural barriers were considered to cause this discrimination. Women were more likely than men to believe that women face more barriers while climbing the career ladder. Men were more likely than women to believe that organizations are the parties responsible for this underrepresentation, more so than the surrounding culture. Surprisingly, a sound proportion of women believed that men are more competent at occupying top management positions in Lebanon.\nOriginality/value: This is one of the few studies to explore Lebanese perceptions on the workplace's glass ceiling. Further, it examines the differences in opinions between males and females on women in the workplace, which has not been previously studied. This research contributes further to the existing body of knowledge on women in management in Lebanon and the Middle Eastern region, which is generally small in quantity.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The mediate effect of learning and knowledge on organizational performance	[ "Human resource management", "Organizational analysis", "Knowledge management", "Organizational performance" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: In recent years, the rapid advancement of technology has been accelerating a global transformation of the competitive environment. This technological revolution signals the dawn of a new era. Thus, traditional organizational management is no longer considered an appropriate strategy in current competitive markets. Consequently, businesses must compete for their survival through continuous improvement and innovation. As Leavy (1998) points out, businesses need innovation in order to obtain opportunities for survival in the modern competitive environment. Resistance to innovation is likely to result in a business' collapse.Although globalization has opened worldwide trade markets, which brings businesses opportunities that have never been seen before, this phenomenon also opens the door to numerous competitors in various industries. As a result, \"employees\" are no longer considered as \"laborers\" who only contribute their manpower; organizations can no longer effectively motivate their employees to achieve organizational objectives through \"old-fashioned\" reward systems. In this age of knowledge-based economies, qualified human resources are the key to business success. In order to improve the quality of human capital, the importance of human resource management (HRM) strategies cannot be ignored. Hence, how organizations establish mature HRM systems becomes an important issue in the contemporary business environment.As Drucker (1993) states, knowledge workers have become the most vital asset in the knowledge-based society. Drucker insists that a knowledgeable administrative manager should know how to effectively distribute or allocate knowledge to maximize utility. In addition, Badaracco (1991a, b) as well as Nokana and Takeuchi (1995) contend that appropriate HRM is one of the critical factors for effective knowledge management (KM). In other words, successful corporate KM comes from the support of high-level management and the fundamental investment of human resource managers. The benefits of KM result from the combination of appropriate organizational culture and structure, as well as from the willingness of employees to create, share and apply knowledge. To deal with this issue, many studies have explored the critical success factors for implementing KM (Wong, 2005; Wei et al., 2006; Gottschalk, 2006).Current studies indicate that a number of organizations have implemented organizational learning (OL) strategies (Lee and Gandolfi, 2007; Chen et al., 2006; Pai, 2006; Ju et al., 2005; Chen et al., 2005; Lee and Tsai, 2005), and have rolled out various professional training programs and KM programs with the goal of improving organizational performance (OP) (Choy et al., 2006; Davenport et al., 1998; Gold et al., 2001; Reus and Liu, 2004; Wickramasinghe, 2007). However, insufficient organizational infrastructure and inappropriate diffusion processes have decreased the value of KM and disappointed employees. Therefore, establishing a systematic organizational structure and fostering an organizational culture which promotes active information-sharing and ensures the circulation of knowledge sharing channels are critical issues that should be the focus of all modern organizations.This study intends to propose a model to explore the relationships among HRM, OL, knowledge management capability (KMC) and OP using structural equation modeling. The research participants are from an electronic manufacturing company. The study particularly targets management-level personnel and explores their complete perception of the implementation of KM.\n2 Research constructs: This section reviews the literature to identify the relevant practices comprising HRM, OL, KMC and OP.2.1 Human resource management\n3 Research design: The research model is shown in Figure 1. The relevant hypotheses of the model and questionnaire design are presented below.3.1 The relationships between human resource management and other dimensions\n4 Analysis and result: 4.1 Sampling\n5 Discussion: The following discussion is based upon the results of the LISREL analysis (shown in Figure 2). It is first noted that HRM has a positive direct influence on OL and knowledge management capacity (H1 and H2 are supported) but has no direct influence on OP (H3 is not supported). However, HRM has an indirect influence on OP through OL (H4 and H5 are supported) and KMC (H6 is supported).The results of the current study fail to support the findings of prior studies concerning the influence of HRM on OP (Cooke and Human, 2001; Minbaeva, 2005; Jones et al., 2006), since we found no direct influence of HRM on OP (i.e. H3 is not supported). However, based on the structure of our research model, which includes OL and KMC, the results seem to be reasonable. That is, the model suggests that organizations need to effectively and efficiently manage OL activities and leverage KMC by implementing an effective HRM system to enhance OP, since HRM can affect OP positively through OL and KMC (i.e. H5 and H6 are supported). Support for H1 concludes with the argument that HRM plays a pivotal role in facilitating OL, as proposed by many scholars (Kang et al., 2007; Minbaeva, 2005; Lopez et al., 2006). It also shows that HRM positively affects knowledge management capacity, which is supported by several studies (Shih and Chiang, 2005; Badaracco, 1991a, b; Nokana and Takeuchi, 1995).From the perspective of OL, the study concludes that it has a positive effect on KMC and OP. Support for this conclusion can be found in many studies (Currie and Kerrin, 2003; Ju et al., 2006; Zellmer-Bruhn and Gibson, 2006; Hanvanich et al., 2006; Ruiz-Mercader et al., 2006). Lastly, as with previous researches (Lin and Tseng, 2005; Lee and Lee, 2007; Bogner and Bansal, 2007) the results of this study support the finding that OL has a positive affect on OP.\n6 Conclusion: The findings of this study have been largely unexplored by prior researchers. The results indicate that HRM can only indirectly impact OP though OL and/or KMC, although HRM still has marginal positive effects on OP. This implies that all HRM policies or activities should be constructed to facilitate the activities of OL and/or KMC; otherwise the positive effects on OP cannot be achieved from the policies or activities of HRM alone. Thus, in order to enhance a firm's OL and KMC, the executives should focus on formulating effective OL and KMC polices and facilitate their implementation. For example, a reward system should be provided to motivate employees to devote themselves to OL and KM activities. Also it is imperative that employees (especially middle managers and line managers) engage in OL and KMC activities to enhance OP. A suitable HRM system is necessary to overcome organization barriers for effective KM capacity to add value to the firm (Rezgui, 2007).Several results of this study support the findings of prior research, which proposed a positive relationship between OL and KMC and a positive influence of KMC and OL on OP. For example, the OL perspective is a critical issue in KM (Currie and Kerrin, 2003) and the interaction effects of human-oriented as well as system-oriented KM strategies and OL significantly impact KM capability (Ju et al., 2006). In addition, OL and KMC are direct sources for performance improvement (Zellmer-Bruhn and Gibson, 2006; Hanvanich et al., 2006; Ruiz-Mercader et al., 2006, Lin and Tseng, 2005; Bogner and Bansal, 2007; Lee and Lee, 2007). This implies that the establishment of KMC and facilitation of OL by leveraging a HRM system should be a critical success factor for firms. It is necessary to strengthen different strategic HRM capabilities in order to overcome obstacles within an organization and facilitate OL (Garcia-Morales et al., 2006) in order to ultimately enhance OP.Even though the empirical results of the study largely support the current model, at least two limitations should be carefully considered. Firstly, since individual informants provide the empirical data, possible biases may exist. Second, the data were collected in Taiwan, the characteristics of the firms surveyed may be quite different from those in other areas or countries. Hence, the present results should not be assumed to represent the general case. However, it may provide a fundamental reference for the firms located in other areas or countries whose environments are similar to those in Taiwan.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to propose a conceptual structural equation model to investigate the relationships among human resource management (HRM), organizational learning (OL), knowledge management capability (KMC) and organizational performance (OP) and to demonstrate the direct and indirect effect of HRM on OP from the perspectives of KMC and OL.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - An empirical study is conducted in financial training centers in Taiwan and the collected survey data are used to test the relationships among the four dimensions expressed in the proposed structural equation model.\nFindings: - The results show that HRM has a direct and significant impact on OL and KMC. HRM influences OP indirectly through OL and KMC. In addition, OL and KMC have direct and significant influences on OP.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Only data from Taiwan were collected. Therefore, the results may not be easily generalized to other areas or countries, but are useful for managers' reference, especially for those whose circumstances are similar to those in Taiwan.\nPractical implications: - The conceptual structural equation model provides useful information for managers to enhance OP through the adoption of appropriate HRM, OL and KMC policies.\nOriginality/value: - The study demonstrates how HRM indirectly impacts OP and illustrates the paths of influence through either OL or KMC.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
An empirical investigation of workplace factors affecting lean performance	[ "Training", "Organizational culture", "Knowledge acquisition", "Lean production (LP)", "Workplace practices" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The lean concept originates from the Toyota Production System (TPS), a manufacturing philosophy, which initially was implemented by the Japanese engineers Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo (Inman, 1999; Ono, 1988). Traditionally, it focuses on the removal of obstacles (\"wastes\") that hinder unremitting flow of work processes (El-Khalil and Zeaiter, 2015; Liker, 2004). The successful implementation of lean requires, among others, full consideration of its processes rather than commitment to pure economical advancements or cost reductions (El-Khalil, 2015). By itself, \"lean is not centered on reducing employees and assets but by directing people's energy on creative tasks by improving the operation through the continuous purging of waste, idle time, paper work and bureaucracy\" (Bonaccorsi et al., 2011, p. 429). Therefore, organizations, interested in achieving desirable lean performance (LP) drive their employees towards a more sufficient way of performing their task.\nLiterature review and hypotheses development: Training\nMethodology: Instrument development and data collection\nAnalysis and results: Univariate analysis\nDiscussion: The study results in interesting affirmations regarding the impact of training, knowledge acquisition and organizational culture on LP. Specifically, it was found that all the selected variables (i.e. training, knowledge acquisition, culture) have positive but varying effects on the LP. These empirical findings contribute in building a theory that incorporates certain workplace factors with an impact on LP. Additionally, it provides managerial recommendations for organizations which aim to achieve successful LP and discussed in details below.\nConcluding remarks: This study identifies tentative relationships between training, knowledge acquisition and organizational culture and LP. Analyzing concurrently more than one workplace practices in the same facility/organization it seems that their combination could lead to successful lean outcomes. Each of the variables under study offers significant correlations with the four dimensions of LP, thus providing useful insights for the successful implementation of lean.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify workplace factors with an impact on lean performance (LP). This can lead to better LP outcomes, thus facilitating organizations to smoothly move from the conventional to lean management.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The direct effects of training, knowledge acquisition and organizational culture are empirically investigated using data from 126 managers employed at a global company, which recently has improved its LP. Study's hypotheses were analyzed with hierarchical regression models.\nFindings: The findings suggest that not all of the aforementioned workplace factors holistically affect LP. Only organizational culture is associated to the four LP variables (i.e. continuous improvement, waste, ergonomy and product quality). Training and knowledge acquisition offer partially effects on LP with training to contribute mostly to predicting continuous improvements. Knowledge acquisition alone, has significant yet negative impact on both continuous improvement and ergonomy. Even more, when training is combined with knowledge acquisition the results are different.\nOriginality/value: As this study highlights the impact of workplace practices on LP, attributes mainly importance to the distinct effects that each of the aforementioned factors has on the four distinct LP variables. Although the study results reflect a particular case, its recommendations could facilitate practitioners to achieve better lean outcomes.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The emergence of an accounting practice: The fabrication of a government accrual accounting system	[ "Public sector", "Accrual accounting", "Fabrication", "Artefact", "Controversies", "Fact" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This paper addresses an important issue in the NPM reforms of the past few decades: the implications for governments of adopting business-like principles of accounting practice, notably by the adoption of accrual accounting. There is now considerable literature on this subject. This includes recent contributions to the debate (Adhikari and Garseth-Nesbakk, 2016; Becker et al., 2014; Davis and Bisman, 2015; Ezzamel et al., 2015), somewhat earlier contributions which seek to make sense of accrual accounting in government (Ellwood and Newberry, 2007; Christensen and Skaerbaek, 2010; Christensen and Parker, 2010; Hyndman and Connolly, 2011) and earlier academic studies which challenge the relevance of accrual accounting to governments (Guthrie, 1998; Jones 1998; Barton, 2003). The above research has intensified debates about the merits of accrual accounting in the public sector. This paper adds to this literature by its distinctive focus on a gap in the literature. Instead of examining an established accounting practice, as most studies to date have done, this paper investigates the determination of an accrual accounting policy for the government from its initial development. This study provides evidence of the adaption of accrual accounting in government as subjective, malleable - a fabrication. This study also reveals how the fate of government accounting reforms is linked to political imperatives. The findings of this study, notably the lack of a blueprint for the adoption of accrual accounting and the experimental nature of its implementation, shed new light on the controversies over accrual accounting in the extant literature.\nPrior research: In the New Public Management literature, there are many studies of accrual accounting adoption in public entities which reveal complexities both in its implementation and in its use. This research is examined in three ways: a discussion of the experiences of early adopters of NPM and academic studies of accrual accounting; the response to, and effectiveness of international financial reporting standards in overcoming accrual accounting difficulties and a discussion of the experience of accrual accounting in Italy, the study setting for this paper. Finally, this discussion of prior literature is rounded off by discussing the positioning of this paper as a study of emergent accounting practice.\nTheoretical framework: accounting in action: This research offers reflections on the practice of public sector accounting by studying emergent practice as elaborated in the design and implementation of an accrual accounting system in government. This research of accrual accounting in the public sector was informed by a study of the process by which new articulations and designs of practice were related to the use of language, interpretations and machinations, with an accounting system emerging though an elaborate fabrication rather than the application of a tightly defined professional blueprint. In other words, it can be depicted as a study of the opening of the black box (Latour, 1987, p. 4). The ANT approach emphasizes the processual, as practices evolve in the midst of actants (both human non-human actors) interacting in networks (Callon, 1986; Law, 1992; Latour, 1999, 2005). The recognition of the non-human actor raises the issue of the potential for the network to become a Leviathan, in which a super-actor emerges (Callon and Latour, 1981; Czarniawska and Hernes, 2005; Funck, 2015). There are criticisms of the actor network approach, particularly the observation that its framing of subjects is such that it does not engage with the political environment, with political bias and social structures (Alcadipani and Hassard, 2010). This is contested by ANT proponents (see e.g. Latour, 2005, p. 259). However, the present study contributes to our understanding of ANT and the political, as it necessarily examined the interplay of accounting technologies and political influence with its focus on a governmental innovation. This paper's focus on a government initiative with multiple actors present in the laboratory, opened up the possibility of studying the emergence of accrual accounting through the lens of an action net (Gherardi and Lippi, 2000).\nResearch design: This research is a case study of the adoption and implementation of accrual accounting in Italy. The project studied the development of accrual accounting in one of the regional governments of Italy which were selected to be part of a government initiative. The case study approach does not offer generalizability, but it does provide opportunities for more closely grained and nuanced studies of research settings and can provide valuable insights into theory (Eisenhardt, 1989; Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007). Italy presented an interesting study setting as a country which had undertaken numerous modernizing initiatives and which had significant political challenges in enabling its chosen reforms (Arnaboldi et al., 2016). This setting afforded an interesting opportunity to examine innovation in an intense political environment from an ANT perspective (Alcadipani and Hassard, 2010).\nResearch results: There are three elements to the research results presented in this paper. First, there is an analysis of policy development - the documentary analysis. The second section below relates the results of different phases of observations in the field. The final phase reflects on the outcomes of this experimentation with the implementation of accrual accounting.\nConclusion: In New Public Management, the decision to adopt accrual accounting is considered self-evident because of the impetus to adopt private sector business practices in public services, but it is also problematic (Lapsley et al., 2009). While practitioners have offered certainty on the benefits of accrual accounting in government (see, e.g. Likierman, 2000; Public Audit Forum, 2002), early academic studies were hostile (Guthrie, 1998; Jones 1998; Barton, 2003). More recent academic studies have offered more refined critiques of accrual accounting in government (Adhikari and Garseth-Nesbakk, 2016; Becker et al., 2014; Ezzamel et al., 2015: Ellwood and Newberry, 2007; Christensen and Skaerbaek, 2010; Christensen and Parker, 2010; Hyndman and Connolly 2011). However, it is the contention of this paper that much of the problematisation of accrual accounting for government in these earlier studies is largely attributable to the experimental nature of accrual accounting implementation in government.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to add to our understanding of the nature of accrual accounting by examining the process involved in its construction, as a dynamic and controversial process. This paper reveals how it is built and constantly modified, reinforced or negated during the process of implementation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper's focus on a government initiative with multiple actors present in the laboratory. Specifically, this study offers a close examination of the day-to-day activities of a laboratory case study; it focuses on participant observation in video conference calls. The discussions held by the project teams are analyzed to extend our inquiry into the most intimate aspects of fact construction (Latour and Woolgar, 1979). These excerpts illustrate the processes of accrual accounting construction and open up the possibility of studying the emergence of accrual accounting through the lens of an action net.\nFindings: The evidence collected reveals the absence of a well-defined template for implementing accrual accounting in government. These results reveal an elaborate process of improvisation and fabrication in the design of this accounting system and a fragile network in action.\nOriginality/value: Prior research on accrual accounting in government focuses on the examination of existing accrual accounting systems with somewhat puzzling results on lack of use. In this study, the perspective has been shifted from focusing on accrual accounting as self-evident (Lapsley et al., 2009) to examine its construction. This paper examines this tension between the apparent certainties as espoused by practitioners and the problematic nature of accrual accounting in government. It extends our knowledge of \"black box accrual accounting,\" and shows that it is a fluid object with significant discretion in the determination of practice.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Development of sustainable assessment criteria for building materials selection	[ "Building materials selection", "Sustainable criteria", "Architects and designers", "Building industry", "Architecture", "Construction industry", "Sustainable development" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The building industry is a vital element of any economy but has a significant impact on the environment. The construction, fit-out, operation and ultimate demolition of buildings is a huge factor of human impact on the environment both directly (through material and energy consumption and the consequent pollution and waste) and indirectly (through the pressures on often inefficient infrastructure). Building construction practitioners have begun to pay attention to controlling and correcting the environmental damage due to their activities. With respect to such significant influence of the building industry, the sustainable building approach has a high potential to make a valuable contribution to sustainable development.The pace of actions towards sustainable application depends on decisions taken by a number of actors in the construction process: owners, managers, designers, firms, etc. (Braganca et al., 2007; Abidin, 2010). An important decision is the sustainable selection of materials to be used in building projects. Careful selection of sustainable materials has been identified as the easiest way for designers to begin incorporating sustainable principles in building projects (Godfaurd et al., 2005). The selection of building materials is regarded as a multi-criteria decision problem (Nassar et al., 2003), largely based on trusting experience rather than using numerical approach, due to lack of formal and availability of measurement criteria (Chen et al., 2010). It is an area of design process, taking place largely in the detail design phase where important decisions are made with regard to building assembly (Gething, 2011). A number of conceptual project plans exist that aim to guide designers through a project; the most widely known of which is the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) \"plan of work\" which, implicitly divides the design process into five main stages: preparation, design, pre-construction, construction and use. Although it is recognized that in practice, there may be some overlap, it is at the detail design stage that building material assessment and selection should take place (Gething, 2011).The first real attempt to \"establish comprehensive means of simultaneously assessing a broad range of sustainability considerations in building materials\" was the building research establishment environmental assessment method (BREEAM) (Crawley and Aho, 1999). BREEAM known as the first commercially available and most widely used assessment method was established in 1990 in the UK. Since then many different tools and standards have been launched around the world, such as, building for environmental and economic sustainability (BEES), leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED), building environmental performance assessment criteria (BEPAC), environmental resource guide (ERG) and British Standard (BS) 8905, which was launched in 2011.Many of these evaluation methods have been criticized for over-emphasizing the environmental aspects (Wong and Li, 2008). BREEAM, LEEDS and other existing methods for assessing buildings whose remit is largely restricted to an environmental protection and resource efficiency agenda have limited utility for assessing social and economic factors - which are all significant parameters directly involved to sustainability - as opposed to environmental sustainability, since they predominantly focused on environment which is just one of the four principles underpinning sustainable building. In recognition of these challenges, a new standard BS 8905 was launched in 2011, targeted at products manufacturers to help them initiate and advance their supply-chain sustainability efforts. This new standard fall short of aligning material selection practices with broad level sustainability goals at the building design stage, a stage where material assessment and selection usually take place.Therefore there is need for a systematic and holistic sustainable material selection process of identifying and prioritizing relevant sustainable assessment criteria (SAC) to assist design team members in the selection of building materials to be used in building projects. These criteria enable the incorporation of sustainability principles in building material selection decision-making process. As a result, the likelihood of sustainable building is enhanced, thereby increasing the efficiency of the building industry.\n2. Research methodology: This study investigates two groups of professionals involved in building materials selection: the architects and building designers. The research was conducted using literature on sustainability research, expert's opinion, questionnaire survey and a statistical analysis of the survey data. Figure 1 illustrates the methodology for the research.2.1 Questionnaire development\n3. Development of SAC effective in materials selection: 3.1 Review of criteria related studies\n4. Data analysis and discussion: 4.1 Sample characteristics\n5. Conclusions: This paper has described the development of a set of assessment criteria assisting architects and building designers in the selection of sustainable materials for building projects. A total of 24 criteria were identified based on the sustainable triple bottom line and requirements of building stakeholders. They include criteria which may capture the sustainability of building materials better, as opposed to the traditional measures of cost, time and quality. All the criteria were derived from a thorough literature review and discussion with selected experts in the use of sustainable materials for building projects. To obtain the perceived importance of the criteria, a questionnaire was distributed to a large sample of UK architects and designers experienced in designing environmental friendly buildings. Ranking analysis revealed that all criteria were highlighted at \"high\" or \"high-medium\" levels in selecting building materials. A total of 12 criteria were highlighted at the \"high\" importance level, with aesthetics, maintainability and energy saving and thermal insulation the top three criteria of importance. Factor analysis of the data generated a total of six latent factors from the criteria. Two of these factors are under socio-economic category: life-cycle cost and socio-benefit; three under environmental category: environmental impact, resource efficiency, waste minimization; and one under technical category: performance capability. Since these factors are derived from the survey through expert opinion, they symbolize the sustainable criteria that promote socio-economic, technical and environmental consideration in building material assessment and selection. Consideration of these six criteria in material selection will ensure sustainable development in building design and construction.The final goal of an exercise such as the present study is to develop a decision support model enabling building industry professionals to make rational decisions about the environmental consequences of their choices. The present study is only a tentative beginning in this direction. The next stage will utilized the criteria in developing a decision support model for sustainable building material selection. The model will be validated by demonstrating it to the selection of building materials for a proposed building project.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Selection of sustainable building materials represents an important strategy in the design and construction of a building. A principal challenge therefore is the identification of assessment criteria based on the concepts and principles of sustainability, and the process of prioritizing and aggregating relevant criteria into an assessment framework. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to fill these gaps by describing the development stages of key assessment criteria used within an assessment tool under development for sustainable building material selection in the UK building industry.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - After conducting a thorough and systematic literature review, a total of 24 sustainable assessment criteria (SAC) based on the triple bottom line and the need of building stakeholders were identified. A survey of UK architects and designers was conducted to capture their perceptions on the importance of the criteria. A total of 490 questionnaires were mailed out to participants for completion. An initial and follow-up administration of the postal survey generated an overall response rate of 20.2 per cent. Factor analysis was utilized to group the criteria into assessment factors for modelling sustainability of building materials.\nFindings: - The result revealed that all criteria were considered important, with \"aesthetics\", \"maintainability\" and \"energy saving\" the three top criteria considered for building materials selection. Factor analysis shows that these SACs can be aggregated into six factors namely: \"environmental impacts\", \"resource efficiency\", \"waste minimization\", \"life cycle cost\", \"socio benefit\", and \"performance capability\". Since these criteria were derived from the survey through expert opinion, consideration of these six criteria in material selection will ensure sustainability of building projects.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The sampling method does not include other stakeholders, who in a way influence material selection, such as the client. The sample size may need to be extended to include more stakeholders involved in material selection in order to minimize sampling error. However, the importance of the study remains, for the limitations do not detract from them, but merely provide scope for further research.\nOriginality/value: - The current study contributes to the building industry and sustainability research in at least two aspects. First it widens the understanding of selection criteria as well as their degree of importance. It also provides building stakeholders a new way to select materials, thereby facilitating the sustainability of building projects.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Core entrepreneurial competencies of students in departments of electrical engineering and computer sciences (EECS) in universities	[ "College students", "Practicum", "Entrepreneurial competency", "University of technology" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Technical and vocational education has a profound influence on Taiwan's economic development and social development. From the early agricultural society, industrial manufacturing, to the era with an emphasis on digital content and the knowledge economy, technical and vocational preparatory education in the early days nurtured technical talents that accommodated the needs of the industry, which in turn laid an important cornerstone for our country's economy. In recent years, Taiwan's vocational education has officially transitioned from being elite-based to being offered to all. Vocational preparation education adheres to the purpose of nurturing professionals. Therefore, our country should cultivate professionals required for national construction, while taking into account of professional theories and practicum, stressing pragmatism in order to develop students' employment competency after graduation (Yu, 2015). The Ministry of Education (2015) has also pointed out that the purpose of founding universities of technology is to provide students with professional knowledge, skills, and professional ethics education needed to enter the workplace, as well as honoring technical and vocational expertise.\n2. Literature review: The literature in this study is divided into three sections. Section 1 covers off-campus internship content and course planning; Section 2 covers the implication of entrepreneurial competencies; Section 3 covers entrepreneurship-oriented off-campus internship-related studies, as detailed below.\n3. Method: This research design covers three sections: research framework, research tools, and research participants.\n4. Results: The single-sample t-test was adopted in this study to analyze the entrepreneurship competency expected of off-campus internship students within EECS in universities of technology. In addition, independent sample t-test was conducted to understand if serving as off-campus internship advisors and the EECS teachers affected the differed entrepreneurial competencies expected of the off-campus internship students.\n5. Conclusions and recommendations: According to Chang et al. (2012), they mentioned that the most important entrepreneurial skills were entrepreneurial process cognitive skills and entrepreneurial traits while starting up as same as the result of this study. During off-campus internship, students learned more about these two skills. Conversely, students lack of business and management skills during their off-campus internship.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate entrepreneurial competencies of students in practicums within departments of electrical engineering and computer sciences (EECS) in universities of technology. In total, 71 faculty members who advised in entrepreneurial competitions in universities of technology were participants in the questionnaire survey to find the entrepreneurial competencies during practicums of the EECS students.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Analysis was carried out based on the literatures related to off-campus internship in universities of technology and entrepreneurship competency. Then, through the questionnaire survey, the authors can understand what the entrepreneurial abilities should have when they after off-campus internships. The entrepreneurship competency expected of off-campus internship students within EECS was analyzed to derive at the important conclusion in this study.\nFindings: As the results of this study, the authors found that entrepreneurial processes, entrepreneurial traits/behaviors, communications and interpersonal skills, and digital skills are the entrepreneurial competencies that are emphasized during practicums.\nOriginality/value: The paper suggests that, first, the EECS students take up innovative entrepreneurship programs and take electives such as marketing management, financial management, and related business administration courses. Second, respective universities of technology and internship organizations may co-arrange the incorporation of project-based learning (PBL), PBL into the internship work content. Third, establishing a platform that bridges communication for off-campus internship students.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Perceived managerial and leadership effectiveness in Mexico and the USA: A comparative study of effective and ineffective managerial behaviour	[ "Mexico", "USA", "Culture", "Managerial behaviour" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The economic relationship between Mexico and the USA (US) is remarkably important. Mexico is the third largest commercial partner of the USA just after Canada and China, with a total trade estimated at $579.7bn in 2016. The strong economic ties between Mexico and the USA has made the relationship between these countries the subject of study by different policymakers (Villarreal, 2017). The economic ties between Mexico and the USA are also expressed in terms of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Since the implementation of NAFTA, FDI has been a key in this economic relationship; the USA is the largest source of FDI in Mexico (Villarreal, 2017). As a consequence, there are significant numbers of US companies with operations in Mexico and Mexican companies with establishments in the USA. Given the high levels of FDI between Mexico and the USA, it is not uncommon that US managers find themselves managing and leading people in Mexico and vice versa. This situation has led to the need to better understand the similarities and differences in regard to managerial and leadership practices in these countries.\nLiterature review: Research on management and leadership in Mexico\nTheoretical framework: Our present study is guided by the multiple constituency model of organisational (and managerial) effectiveness and the concept of managerial reputational effectiveness, which also theoretically guided the two source studies from which we have obtained our empirical data. According to the multiple constituency model, managers interact with a variety of stakeholders (superiors, subordinates and peers) in the organisations where they perform. These different stakeholders have their own expectations and perceptions about the manager's performance (Tsui, 1990). The reputational effectiveness of the manager is defined by his/her performance as perceived by his/her superiors, peers and subordinates. These perceptions about the manager's performance may affect either positively or negatively the performance of the manager (Tsui and Ashford, 1994). For example, a positive perception of the performance of the manager by his/her subordinates could make the subordinates more willing to collaborate with the manager. On the other hand, a negative subordinate's perception of the performance of the manager could lead to the subordinates not wanting to work with the manager.\nPurpose of the study and research questions: The aim of this study was to compare the perceptions of Mexican and US employees about effective and ineffective managerial behaviour. To this end, we conducted a qualitative multiple cross-case comparative analysis of findings obtained from the two aforementioned Mexican (Ruiz et al., 2013) and USA (Ruiz et al., 2017) past emic replication studies. In our present study, we addressed the following research questions:\nMethodology: As for the previous cross-nation comparative studies conducted by us (Ruiz and Hamlin, 2018), we used the notion of empirical generalisation replication research (Tsang and Kwan, 1999); and Berry's (1989) derived etic approach based on replication logic and multiple cross-case comparative analysis (Eisenhardt, 1989). Using a combined emic-etic approach is found suitable to reach valid derived generalisations (Berry, 1989). This approach consists of using similar methods to explore the same phenomena in different contexts and then conducting a comparative analysis of the respective findings to identify similarities and differences across the cases.\nData analysis: To answer the research questions we conducted a deductive and inductive comparative analysis of the respective BS data sets obtained from the Mexican and US studies. This was done at the semantic level of analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) using open coding to identify the salient unit (s) of meaning/concept (s) of each BS and to untangle those BSs containing more than one salient concept. At the axial coding level we looked for similarity, sameness and congruence of meaning across the coded BSs (Flick, 2002; Miles and Huberman, 1994). Sameness was identified when the sentences or phrases of two or more BSs were close enough to be considered identical or near identical. The similarity was found when the sentences or phrases were not close enough; however, the meaning of the BSs was the same. Finally, Congruence was identified when an element of sameness or similarity was present in the keywords used to describe the BSs.\nResults: The detailed comparison of the two lists of BSs that label the behavioural categories that had resulted from the \"Mexican\" and \"US\" empirical source studies revealed a significant number to be nearly identical or similar in substance and meaning, as indicated in Table II. As can be seen from the juxtaposed BSs, 10 out of the 15 \"Mexican\" positive (effective) behavioural categories are convergent in meaning with 6 of the 10 \"US\" behavioural categories. Similarly, 11 of the 18 \"Mexican\" and 11 of the 13 \"US\" negative (ineffective) behavioural categories are convergent in meaning. However, as can also be seen, the Mexican and US employees identified 5 and 4 perspective-specific positive (effective) categories of managerial behaviour and 7 and 2 perspective-specific negative (ineffective) categories of managerial behaviour, respectively.\nDiscussion: Our cross-case/cross-nation comparison of the Mexican and US behavioural categories reveals that there are more similarities than differences, with 64 per cent (16 of 25) of the \"Mexican\" and \"US\" positive (effective) BSs and 71 per cent (22 of 31) of the negative (ineffective) BSs being respectively congruent in meaning. Overall, 38 of the 56 compared behavioural categories are convergent in meaning. Thus, a major finding of our study suggests that to a great extent Mexican and US employees perceive managerial and leadership effectiveness in a similar manner. Another significant finding relates to the differences found between the Mexican and US perspectives about effective/ineffective managerial behaviour. While Mexicans additionally emphasise the need for managers to:\nLimitations of the study: The first limitation of this study is related to the imbalance of the sampling between the Mexican and the US studies. Although the number of collected CIs was close to balanced (318 for Mexico and 392 for the USA), the number of participants was not balanced. The Mexican study included 35 participants while the US study included 81 participants. Even though the number of participants of the Mexican study was appropriate for qualitative research (n = 20 - 40) (Cresswell et al., 2003), there is always the possibility that more behavioural categories of both effective and ineffective behaviour could have been identified with a larger sample of participants. A second limitation of the study is related to the number of male and female participants, which is not balanced for both studies. Nevertheless, research suggests that gender might not have a definitive role on leadership styles (Eagly and Johnson, 1990; Powell, 1990; Morgan, 2004; Mohr and Wolfram, 2008; Kent et al., 2010). Furthermore, while our findings suggest that culture may not play a significant role on the perception of managerial and leadership effectiveness, we suggest that more studies using different methods and larger samples must be performed before concluding that Mexican and US employees perceive managerial and leadership effectiveness in a similar manner.\nImplications for human resource development practice and research: Our comparative study on managerial and leadership behavioural effectiveness offers a more comprehensive understanding of what Mexican and US employees expect from managers. The findings of our study suggest that there are more similarities than differences between Mexican and US employees about the perception of effective/ineffective managerial behaviour. However, our study also found that there may be practices that Mexican managers may not address when managing US employees. By the same token, there may be managerial practices that US managers may not consider when managing a Mexican workforce.\nConclusion and recommendations: In this study, we have compared the perception of the Mexican and US workforce about managerial and leadership behavioural effectiveness. Our findings suggest that despite important differences between Mexico and the USA as highlighted in various cross-cultural studies, there are significantly more similarities than differences between Mexican and US employees about their perceptions of effective and ineffective managerial behaviour. These findings suggest that culture may not have a definitive role in determining how employees in Mexico and the USA perceive and judge the managerial and leadership behavioural effectiveness of managers within their respective organisations. Our findings support the existence of a universal set of managerial behaviours that could be effective across countries.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of Mexican and US employees about effective and ineffective managerial behaviour.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A qualitative multiple cross-case comparative analysis of findings obtained from two past emic replication studies of observed effective and ineffective managerial behaviour carried out in Mexico and the USA respectively was conducted.\nFindings: Notwithstanding the significant cultural variances between Mexico and the USA underlined by various cross-cultural studies, the findings suggest that Mexican and US employees perceive effective and ineffective managerial behaviour in a very similar manner.\nResearch limitations/implications: While the results of the study suggest that culture may not play a significant role in the way people perceive managerial and leadership effectiveness, the authors suggest that more replication studies with larger and more balanced gender samples using different methods need to be performed in both countries.\nPractical implications: The findings of the study may be relevant for human resource development professionals in both countries when providing training to expatriates for international assignments. Reinforcing the set of managerial practices that are perceived as effective in these two countries and emphasizing those practices that may be particular to Mexico and the USA respectively, could lead to an improvement in the performance of Mexican executives managing in the USA and US executives managing in Mexico.\nOriginality/value: This paper compares managerial behavioural effectiveness between Mexico and the USA.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Does e-readiness of citizens ensure better adoption of government's digital initiatives? A case based study	[ "Principal component analysis", "E-government", "Technology adoption", "E-readiness" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Government of India during FY 2015/2016 earmarked USD394.84 million (Major Programmes under Central Plan, Budget 2015/2016, 2015) for the \"Digital India\" programme. The e-governance spending were in the tune of USD40.90 million in FY 2011-2012 and USD66.70 million in FY 2012-2013 (India's eGovernance budget is Rs 700 crore, 2015). This almost ten folds increase in expenditure clearly brings out the government's enthusiasm for making the \"Digital India\" initiative a success. The Government of India is looking at the trinity of three major schemes, namely - Jan Dhan Yojna, Aadhar, Mobile and Goods and Services Tax (together called as JAM) as nucleus and critical success factors for the \"Digital India\" programme. Those three schemes will also enable Govt. to transfer the subsidies to the needy and plugging the leakages in the process. The \"Digital India\" programme defines itself as \"a programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy\". The core components of the programme include creation of digital infrastructure, delivering services digitally and digital literacy. It is clearly evident that the ambit of this \"Digital India\" initiative is much broader than the NeGP. However, given the demographic profile of India where internet penetration and accessibility of mobile services is still a constraint in rural areas, success of such initiatives would largely depend on how ready are the citizens to embrace such e-governance services.\n2. Background of the study: the Digital India project: \"Digital India\" programme defines itself as \"A programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy\". It was launched in 2014 with the goals for creation of digital infrastructure, delivering services digitally and digital literacy. The first stage of the programme is to build up the digital infrastructure. The estimated cost for providing broadband to all rural areas is USD5033.82 million (Digital India Presentation, DeITY, 2015). The private sector is also participating in it along with the Govt. The first outcome we got in the form of Bhdra, as the first town in India completely covered by Wi-Fi. The small town in Rajasthan has been transformed into Wi-Fi hotspot entirely by Sistema Shyam, the Indian unit of Russia's Sistema JSFC (How WiFi is transforming lives in Rajasthan's Bhadra, Economic Times, 2015). Organisations like Microsoft and Samsung have already voiced support for the \"Digital India\" programme. Samsung India has already transformed 200 Navodaya schools into digital classrooms called Samsung Smart Classes (How success of Digital India programme can benefit the world, Economic Times, 2015). Microsoft also expressed interest to be a partner of the Govt. in this initiative and provide support in the form of technology sharing and providing other technical expertise (Why Microsoft is enthusiastic about Digital India, Economic Times, 2015).\n3. Literature review: The success of a technology is not measured by how sophisticated it is, but how simply it merges with social life and derives its value by usage on human life. Thus, the techno-social acceptability of any new \"Technology\" proves the real value and its reason for existence. Extensive research has been done in the technology adoption field. Notable among them are technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis, 1989), innovation diffusion theory (Mallat, 2007) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003).\n4. Case study: the Aadhaar project: UID or Aadhaar project aims to provide every single citizen of this country a unique identification number. Prime objective of this project is to deliver the social security schemes smoothly and to the correct person by identifying the person properly. This kind of personal identity management projects is a key to the success of e-government agenda of any government (Beynon-Davies, 2007). The Government of India has set up UIDIA - Unique Identification Authority of India for this task under the helm of Nandan Nilekani for this task. The task of UIDAI is to provide every Indian a unique 12 digit number which will be associated with the person for the life recognising the name, date of birth, gender and address. It can be used with various government agencies as well as private firms. To give credibility and avoid forgery it uses three biometric information - fingerprint, iris and face. All these are coded on a card issued to the person. A national database will be created with this, helping agencies to verify the credibility of the person. On the other hand it helps citizen by eradicating the hassle of getting their identity and address verified. The largest such exercise in the humanity, has the potential to cure most of corruption and malpractices prevalent in government department. Since the biometric information cannot be faked this UID has the potential of ensuring the government benefits reach the target audience.\n5. Research methodology: The methodology adopted for this study is exploratory in nature. During the study informal consultation with target audience was also carried out. In addition to this, a comprehensive questionnaire was adapted and the survey was conducted mostly in online format. The researchers made efforts to record responses from all four major regions of the country: North Zone, South Zone, East Zone and West Zone. The age group of 25-35 years constituted a whopping 50 per cent of the entire pole. This is because of the higher accessibility of that age group.\n6. Results and discussion: Exploratory factor analysis provides us five factors covering approximately 50 per cent of the variance explained. So, we can infer five dimensions to be the major constituents of e-readiness as per this study. The factors are named as following:\n7. Conclusion, limitations of this study and scope for future research: The study attempted to explore the aspects of e-readiness among the end users with the objective of understanding whether the initiatives taken by the government of late to imbibe more technology in governance will lead to positivity in near future. The findings are quite significant as end users and citizens were found to be quite involved in the usage of technology. It is quite evident that general people has matured enough and are ready to assimilate technology it in various walks of life. Thus, user's proactive participation in technological assimilation also augurs well for the e-readiness of the society. But people are worried about the safety and security of the automated and online services. Though more and more public is accepting it but it seems there is still scope of improvement to allay their fears. Further scanning of the responses shows that they still prefer to validate and authenticate their transaction in some physical form. Initiatives to overcome these fears can help e-readiness proliferate further. Importance has to be given to the government's participation and its initiatives. Government's proactive role vis-a-vis policy transparency, grievance redressal mechanism, incentives to promote private participation according to the survey can go a long way to bring about inclusive growth through e-governance in this country.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically examine and evaluate the \"E-Readiness\" of the citizens of India which is imperative to make such large scale e-government initiatives a success. The researchers tried to compare India with some developed and developing countries where the e-government model have been implemented successfully, looking at the prime factors for the successful implementation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The methodology adopted for this study is exploratory in nature. A comprehensive questionnaire was adapted and the survey was conducted mostly in online format. The data were found reliable for further analysis. Exploratory factor analysis provides us five factors covering approximately 50 per cent of the variance explained. So, the authors can infer five dimensions to be the major constituents of e-readiness as per this study.\nFindings: The findings are quite significant as end users and citizens were found to be quite involved in the usage of technology. Thus, user's proactive participation in technological assimilation also augurs well for the e-readiness of the society. But people are worried about the safety and security of the automated and online services.\nOriginality/value: The questionnaire was developed by the authors and the data analysis was also done on the basis of responses received. The paper adds value to the existing literature by capturing the issues behind the acceptance of the several technologies backed government initiatives. The authors believe that the findings will help the government to implement digital initiatives with more success.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Exploring the interactions among factors impeding the diffusion of prefabricated building technologies: Fuzzy cognitive maps	[ "Innovation", "Technology", "Construction", "Simulation", "Approach" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Buildings worldwide account for more than 40 percent of the global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and generate various environmental impacts (Darko et al., 2017; Pons and Wadel, 2011; Zhou et al., 2017). Prefabricated building technologies, where a significant amount of building components is manufactured in a controlled offsite environment before being transported to site for efficient assembly, have been proposed as a sustainable alternative to conventional on-site construction (Gan, Chang and Wen, 2018; Zhang et al., 2014). Since the building process is improved by mechanization and automation, it is easier to reuse and recycle building materials (Pons and Wadel, 2011), especially when modular components are involved. Consequently, significant benefits have been observed including productivity improvement, cost reduction, less construction waste, less emissions, reduction of energy and water consumption, less labor demand and better safety (Chen et al., 2010; Kamali and Hewage, 2017; Mao et al., 2015; Pan et al., 2012; Polat, 2008; Zhong and Wu, 2015).\nLiterature analysis: Due to the unique industrial characteristics, such as one-of-a-kind nature, site production and temporary organization, the construction industry is well known for its low level of innovation (Chang et al., 2016; Chang and Lu, 2017). The diffusion of prefabricated building technologies remains slower than anticipated (Gan, Chang, Zuo, Wen and Zillante, 2018; Xue et al., 2017). Several studies have explored the factors impeding the diffusion of prefabricated building technologies. With reference to the technology-organization-environment framework which has been extensively adopted in the research field of construction innovation (Wei et al., 2015; Xue et al., 2017), barriers to prefabrication can be categorized into three categories, namely, technological factors, organizational factors and environmental factors.\nFuzzy cognitive map: FCM is a soft computing approach that models complex systems by using experts' knowledge and perceptions (Obiedat and Samarasinghe, 2016). It produces a signed directed graph consisting of nodes standing for the concepts within a system and connections representing the causal relationships among concepts (Misthos et al., 2017). The graphical representation of FCM demonstrates the concepts that can exert influence on other concepts, showing the interconnections between concepts and how much the influence is. Based on the signed directed graph, FCM can model the effect of different interventions on the systems by altering the initial values of the concepts and subsequently conducting computer simulations (Meliadou et al., 2012; Reckien, 2014).\nResearch procedure: Data collection\nResults: Stakeholder-grouped FCMs\nDiscussions and implications: The results shown in Table III indicate three factors, namely, cost, market demand, and policies and regulations, were perceived by all stakeholders as important barriers to the diffusion of prefabricated building technologies. The importance of market demand was overlooked by previous studies, e.g. Zhang et al. (2014), Polat (2010), Jaillon and Poon (2008), Pan et al. (2007) and Zhai et al. (2014). As Mao et al. (2015) highlighted, it is the market demand that directly influences the popularity of construction technology. The lack of market demand prohibits stakeholders to adopt innovative approaches to construction (Chang et al., 2017). Furthermore, it is important to note that some barriers were particularly critical for certain stakeholders. For instance, aesthetic performance was only mentioned by S3 (designers) frequently, and business model was only mentioned by S2 (developers) frequently. Market demand was the most frequently mentioned factor by S1 (government) and S6 (manufacturer), but it is at the bottom of the most frequently mentioned factor lists of S3 (designer) and S4 (contractor). Stakeholders tend to concern more about the inhibitors impeding their own activities with less attention to other factors (Zhao, Chang and Chen, 2016). Due to their different role and functions, stakeholders could encounter different impediments leading to diverged perceptions on the prefabricated building technology. This leads to a challenge, namely making effective measurements to motivate all the stakeholders to adopt prefabricated building technology. As suggested by Zhang et al. (2013), a participatory system should be developed to facilitate the communication among the related stakeholders, so that a shared vision and understanding of prefabricated building technology could be formed.\nConclusions: This study explored the interactions of factors impeding the adoption of prefabricated building technologies by taking China as an example. The perceptions on prefabricated building technologies from six critical stakeholders, namely the government, developers, designers, contractors, manufacturers and researchers, are investigated in this study using FCMs, which produce six stakeholder-grouped FCMs and the collective FCM.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the interactions of factors impacting the widespread adoption of prefabricated building technologies and the intervention strategies to facilitate the development of prefabrication based on fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs).\nDesign/methodology/approach: Through in-depth interviews with six stakeholder groups, namely, the government, developers, designers, contractors, manufacturers and researchers, 13 critical factors were identified and used to construct stakeholder-grouped FCMs, which were further aggregated into a collective FCM. The complexity and density of the collective FCM and the centrality of factors in the FCM were examined. Subsequently, a series of \"what-if\" simulations of the collective FCM were conducted to analyze the effectiveness of different interventions in promoting prefabrication.\nFindings: The results show that three factors including market demand, cost, and policies and regulations have been mentioned by all stakeholder groups. However, these factors were ranked differently by stakeholder groups, implying that different stakeholder groups perceive the barriers to prefabricated building technologies differently. FCM simulations show that strengthening policies and regulations yield the strongest overall effect stimulating prefabrication, alleviating the organizational and environmental barriers more than the technological barriers, while improving the knowledge and expertise alleviate the technological barriers more. These measures need to be accompanied by other approaches, such as reducing cost and improving quality.\nResearch limitations/implications: It is a tough task to promote prefabrication as it is affected by numerous barriers with complex interactions, which have been overlooked by previous studies. This study clearly shows which strategy could tackle which barriers to prefabrication through the FCM simulations. This provides valuable references for the enterprises' decision making and the governments' policy making to facilitate the diffusion of prefabricated building technologies.\nOriginality/value: Few studies aim to analyze the interactions among the barriers to prefabrication, while this study specifically investigates this issue by illustrating the complex interactions using FCMs. Few studies also aim to identify the intervention strategies promoting prefabrication based on a quantitative approach, while this study employs FCM simulations to directly simulate the effectiveness of different strategies to facilitate prefabrication in a quantitative manner.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Mission statements: what university research parks tell us about timing	[ "Mission statement", "Creation strategy", "Formulation strategy", "Knowledge and technology transfer organizations", "Research parks", "URP" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A mission statement is a declaration of an organization's reason for being that reveals what the organization wants to be and who it wants to serve (David, 1989). In other words, mission statements specify an organization's product or service, markets, customers and philosophy. The concept of mission statement was developed in the early 1980s when academics and managers recognized the importance of having a mission statement in all types of organizations proving that, when a mission statement is well created, it has a positive impact on the performance, values, organizational culture and stakeholders.\nMission statements: purpose and components: Mission statements have been under review since the late 1980s. A mission statement is an enduring statement of purpose that reveals an organization's product or service, markets, customers and philosophy (for a comprehensive review on mission statements, see Alegre et al., 2018). Firms need to establish their goals and strategy. Having a mission statement is believed to be the first step in this strategic planning process. Only after a mission statement has been developed can objectives and strategies appropriate be formed properly in all segments of a company (Ireland and Hitt, 1992).\nData and method: The Spanish public higher education system comprises 47 universities. Because information regarding the park's mission statements is not always publicly available on its websites, we eliminated from the sample those university research parks from which we did not have data. Consequently, our final sample contained 24 university research parks which have an explicit mission statement. This sample includes universities located in 11 out of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain, which represents the 64 per cent of the Spanish territory.\nResults and discussion: Three main conclusions can be drawn from the analysis:\nConcluding remarks: Although we believe that this study provides useful insights to the existing literature on mission statements, it is important to note that there are some limitations that constitute new research avenues for future studies. An important limitation refers to the access to mission statements and, as a consequence, of the sample size. It is also important to remark that this study refers to the specific analysis of Spanish University Research Parks. New research efforts should be conducted to examine the patterns observed in other countries. In addition, future research might want to consider exploring the potential relationship between the financial performance of the park and the components included in the mission statement. According to Bart (1997) and Bartkus et al. (2006), including employees and society in the mission statement is related to superior financial performance. It would therefore be interesting to study whether a similar relationship is found between the investors' stakeholder group and the performance of the park depending on the creation strategy followed (planned vs unplanned parks).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Mission statements are a key element of any organization. Ideally, the mission statement should be written at the initial stages of an organization's life to be a useful tool to guide future organization's decisions and strategy. However, at the early stages of an organization's life, the organization might still be under development with the objective and stakeholders not yet well-defined, and therefore, stating the mission so early on, might neglect some important elements. In this paper, the authors explore the difference in mission statement quality between missions that have been created at the birth stage of an organization versus missions that are just explicitly formulated once the organization is already well-established and an underlying implicit mission already exists. The authors use as an empirical setting university research parks.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors evaluate mission statement quality using content analysis. The authors then test the differences on mission statement quality between two groups of research parks, those that have followed a creation strategy versus those that have followed a formulation strategy, using mean of differences test.\nFindings: The authors find that a formulation strategy produces more complete mission statements than the creation strategy. Research parks that have followed a formulation strategy include in their mission statements more references to relevant stakeholders, such as investors, than parks following a creation strategy with respect to their mission statement.\nResearch limitations/implications: The research setting is Spanish Science Parks. This research setting is appropriate to answer the research question, as two Park creation strategies, planned and unplanned, allow the researchers to clearly differentiate between two mission conception strategies. However, the sample size is rather small.\nPractical implications: Research has shown that a well-defined mission helps organizations focus and strategy formulation. The authors' research offers some guidance on how to achieve a high-quality mission statement which will, in turn, help organizations have a better definition of their purpose.\nOriginality/value: Research until now has assumed that the mission statement should be formulated at the initial stages of the organization's life. The authors' research shows that defining the mission statement later in the process creates higher-quality mission statements that better reflect the organizations purpose and relevant stakeholders.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Dynamic product line for Business Process Management	[ "Software product line", "Dynamic product line", "Service-oriented computing", "BPM lifecycle", "Dynamic processes" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The current complexity of organizations as well as the competitive market have required dynamism from the Information Technology (IT) in order to provide technical solutions to conduct business (Overby et al., 2006). In this context, Business Process Management (BPM) (van der Aalst et al., 2003; Weske et al., 2004) and Software Product Line (PL for short) (Clements and Northrop, 2001; Pohl et al., 2005) may provide technical and systematic support to improve the competitive edge of organizations (Adam et al., 2012).\n2. Motivational example: Commonly, the BPs addressed by organizations today are interorganizational processes, i.e., they extend beyond the boundaries of a single organization (Legner and Wende, 2007). While an organization focusses its activities on its key fields of knowledge, it usually outsources activities over which it does not have full command or knowledge, thereby engaging partner organizations in its BPs - and ultimately establishing interorganizational BPs. In this light, the BPs of a principal organization involve both activities performed within the organizations itself, probably through different departments, and interactions with external partners.\n3. Theoretical background: This theoretical background section presents the basic concepts related to BPM (Section 2.1) and to PL (Section 2.2), which are used in the rest of the paper. Furthermore, it also presents the related works to the approach prosed in this paper (Section 2.3).\n4. Overview of the DynPL4BPM approach: By using concepts of the PL from the Software Engineering field, the DynPL4BPM is an approach proposed to systematize the operational processes for managing the BPs of an organization. Since the BPM context demands flexible and dynamic solutions, more specifically, concepts of Dynamic PLs are used. The DynPL4BPM approach proposed here aims to be comprehensive enough to cover the entire BPM lifecycle, including the treatment of dynamic aspects that the BPM domain requires.\n5. Description of the DynPL4BPM processes and stages: This detailed section sets out the stages for the three processes of DynPL4BPM - Domain Engineering (Section 5.1), Application Engineering (Section 5.2) and PL Management (Section 5.3), including treatment of dynamic properties for BPM through the application of identified techniques. Aiming at a better understanding of the approach being proposed, the motivation scenario presented in Section 2 is used here as an illustrative example. For this example, we present some excerpts of the main artifacts generated by the application of the DynPL4BPM.\n6. Conclusion and discussion: Flexibility in conducting organizational BPs is the main challenge the DynPL4BPM approach seeks to address. In this light, the stages of DynPL4BPM incorporated dynamic properties, at least partially, with a view to aligning the BPM and SOA paradigms.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the proposal of a Product Line (PL)-based approach for Business Process Management (BPM) projects that cover the entire BPM lifecycle and proposes integrating it with dynamic techniques still not used together.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors carried out this work using the design science research methodology. The authors assessed the proposed approach using a classification procedure created through a series of specific attributes, which enables a comparison of the proposed integrated approach with related works selected from a systematic literature review.\nFindings: The comparative assessment has shown that the proposed approach presents the most comprehensive solution than any other similar one suggested for the same purpose, mainly in terms of the coverage of the entire BPM lifecycle and dynamic techniques.\nResearch limitations/implications: Due to the high-level conceptual nature of the proposed approach, the authors could not evaluate it also in terms of some controlled experiment or a case study.\nOriginality/value: The proposed approach aims at improving the management of business processes in organizations in a systematic way using concepts and techniques that exist in other areas, but not widely used together yet, such as BPM, service-oriented computing, and Software PL.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Making anticipatory systems more robust	[ "Innovation", "Change management", "Environmental management", "Communication technologies", "Complexity theory", "Governance" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Anticipation, systems and robustness: When it comes to applying Rosen's anticipatory system perspective to social systems and macro change dynamics, the question is not to decide whether Rosen's proposal is the most appropriate one or the best-thought concept to carry out anticipatory activities, in terms of formal consistency for instance, but how effective it is. There is, of course, no straightforward answer to this question. However, there can be useful exploratory steps in that direction. This paper precisely attempts at outlining framework conditions to get closer to such an answer, hopefully a useful step for further research and decision-making situations.As soon as we want turn anticipation into a modern methodological activity and possibly a universal toolset (i.e. involving some level of formal, traceable and debatable procedure), we have to envisage Rosen's concept of anticipatory system out of the original natural science context in which it was developed, but then with some non-obvious issues to be addressed. In order to clarify the characteristics and implications of the anticipatory system idea and possibly enhance its robustness, we must not only translate it into a strong modelling framework, which is what Rosen has attempted, but also deconstruct and reconstruct the notion, especially when complexity, open-endedness, multiple practices and viewpoints are involved. However, as a means of avoiding turning around this goal in endless loops of rather abstract consideration, we choose to tackle this challenge through the provoking angle of weak signal analysis.At this level, it is necessary to make more stable two key concepts which will play a leitmotiv role in this paper: anticipatory systems and robustness. As for the first two terms, combining anticipation and systems, we refer of course to Rosen' seminal proposal (Rosen, 1985), envisaging an anticipatory system as:... a system containing a predictive model of itself and/or its environment, which allows it to change state at an instant in accord with the model's predictions pertaining to a latter instant.We will come back to some of the implications conveyed by this definition in our last section.The idea of robustness, as for itself, also bears some problems of its own. Our view is to treat it through the perspective developed by Nowotny et al. (2001), postulating that knowledge becomes fully robust (i.e. considered as not provisional, partial, uncertain, fuzzy nor disputable), only through social interaction and socially confronted learning processes. Robust therefore does not mean \"true\" nor \"definitively ascertained\", but recognised, shaped, used and perceived as relevant by a variety of social constituencies (vs. one particular kind of expert or interest group). In order to attain a reasonable of robustness, in the study of societal change problems, for instance, we therefore not only have to model systems, but expose both the procedure and the result of such modelling activity to open social interactions. Knowledge, in this perspective, entails most likely diverging viewpoints and can be envisaged at best as a temporarily stabilised uptake process, and predominantly validated by that stabilisation pattern, rather than the modelling quality achieved or the result of an elegant anticipatory algorithm. When coping with complex[1], but also possibly disruptive and open-ended social dynamics, the anticipatory system idea, which was developed in the realm of physical and biological system observation, remains a reference framework, but which may need to reinforced by other theoretical considerations. This paper aims at using a debate that took place in a specific foresight discussion arena on early detection and weak signal analysis[2], as a constructive epistemic detour to eventually contribute to such a reinforcement of Rosen's anticipatory system proposal.In order to come back to Rosen's framework with stimulating inputs drawing upon the early detection issues, we will first examine and assess the original concepts brought up by Ansoff in the 1970s and 1980s and revisited with a series of strongly supportive additions by contemporary scholars in the last 15 years. We will then propose a more constructivist approach to weak signal analysis, aiming at emphasising the need, in analytical situations involving social system features, for reflexive stages and capacities. Bearing this requirement in mind, we will examine the productive value of such notions as \"framing\" and \"meta-framing\", with a concluding part on the effectiveness and usefulness of this epistemic couple. We will finally use this particular approach to the weak signal dilemma to come back to Rosen and apply some characteristics of the framing/meta-framing perspective to the anticipatory system concept so as to suggest some possibly enriching options.\n2. The quest for being early on change perception: Let us start this exploratory reflection with a convenient postulate: all methods that comprise the broad field of futures studies bear some level of anticipatory objective and some form of anticipatory approach: asking experts (Delphi), making the best of times series to calculate patterns of continuity (forecasting), modelling situations in the form of systems and evaluating the impact of changes for either the whole configuration or only parts of it (system dynamics), simulating specific developments upon clear knowledge of initial conditions, etc. Examining all of them in the light of their possible effectiveness and robustness is of course beyond the scope of this paper. We will concentrate on the segment of attention that may be defined under the narrower heading of \"early detection\" (of changes to come), encompassing such typical and well documented methodologies as weak signal analysis, early warning assessment or early detection of changes, and more recently, seeds of change. Let us stress, however, that this broad preoccupation has remained for a long time non-obvious, as most forecasting attempts until the 80s dealt rather with longer-term changes. It all moved forward some 35 years ago.2.1 The Ansoff approach under scrutiny: a Rosen-inspired appraisal\n3. The reflexive step: framing and meta-framing: 3.1 Early detection as a particular type of framing\n4. Framing, meta-framing and Rosen's anticipatory systems: The Rosen concept of anticipatory system suggests first a clear distinction between anticipation and prediction, the latter being a representation of a particular future event while the first term refers to a future-oriented action, decision or behaviour based on an implicit or explicit prediction. A further distinction can then be made between reality, which is always \"out there\", and a relevant portion of it which is a particular system within that reality and which we want to consider for further analysis.Featuring this perspective more in detail, Rosen (1985) defines a system as being a natural system is a set of qualities, to which definite relations can be imputed. As such, then, a natural system, from the outset, embodies a mental construct (i.e. a relation established by the mind between percepts) which comprises a hypothesis or model pertaining to the organization of the external world.In Panmere, Tim Gwinn's blog on Rosen issues[6], useful precisions are provided on \"system\" and \"model\" peculiarities. Let us see first the notion of system:For Rosen, systems are of one of two types: natural, or formal. Roughly speaking, the distinction is that natural systems are selected portions of the external world, while formal systems are based in symbols, syntax and rules of symbol manipulation - a formalism, for short. [...] In discussing natural systems, we must first make the distinction between our self and the world outside our self. This is the dualism between the inner world and the ambience (Rosen, 1991). This is not something we can know with certainty, but it is what we experience and take to be the case. What is called the ambience we further consider to be an actual world outside of us, the external world, where objective reality and objective phenomena exist - where material objects exist (Rosen, 1998). [...] A natural system is some portion of the external world that is, at root, based upon a collection of our sensory impressions, or percepts (Rosen 1995). This portion of reality is something we actively choose: there are no a priori guidelines to tell us what aspects of the external world constitute the boundaries of a \"system\". Not surprisingly, the remaining portion of reality outside what has been chosen as the system is called the environment. We take these percepts to represent, at least to some extent, qualities of the external world. Indeed, unless we do so, science itself cannot exist. [...] Percepts are not to be regarded as some kind of direct knowing of the external world; but rather, percepts are themselves a kind of mental model (\"sensory impressions\") of qualities we can only deem as plausible to actually have their source in the external world (Rosen, 1985). Taken together, percepts plus relations comprise a mental model of the external world.However, Tim Gwinn goes about explaining that for Rosen, \"a natural system is not synonymous with a material system. Instead, a natural system is some subjectively defined subset, or abstraction, of an actual material system\" and that only through what Rosen (1991) calls \"entailment structures\" (or causality linkages) can we engage in a modelling activity, with inference rules, so as to establish forms of congruence between our environment, the systems we perceive in it and the models which we design out of it.Translated in our constructivist approach, this means that \"someone\" selects a portion of reality as a system and designs a model out of it, whether it is a person, a group, a lobby, a school of thought, a paradigmatic era in terms of scientific explanatory horizon, or a consensus of some form reached through a Mode 2 knowledge interaction (according to Nowotny et al.'s (2001) concept. It is never a neutral, purely objective and indisputable perspective. Numerous biases or peculiarities specifically linked with the observer as a stakeholder can appear, regardless of whether the model later seems to function or look effective (there may be, as mentioned before, false positives). In the interpretation phase, we also have a quite open situation with undecided questions and therefore room for more biases and interferences due to observers: does the model work, in absolute terms or for someone in particular, and just the same, how can it be improved, what does it tell us, and where does it lead us regarding the reference system? The framing/meta-framing reflexive sequence is a stimulating way to examine many of these possibilities, like interferences or unnoticed biases and translate/transform them into assessable options (either as mere epistemic steps or as full scenarios). In this sense, in any anticipatory system dealing with some level of complexity, we can say that meta-framing can act as a safeguard, mostly against oneself.As the complexity of the environment whose changes need to be anticipated increases, and even more so when dealing with complex social systems and the kinds of change they entail, the meta-framing toolset may be quite needed an effective. This goes also in the same direction as such classical contribution as Von Foerster (2003, for example) and his idea of second-order cybernetics (conveying the idea of a system observing a system) and even more so the more complex systemic arrangements suggested by Luhmann (1996), with the observation itself being considered as a particular system.Meta-framing, however, is not meant to be a fully fledged methodological concept of its own. It simply helps anticipatory systems become more robust in coping with complex problems (still sticking here to the Rosennean use of term \"complexity\"); at best, it can be considered as a meta-model option strengthening a given (Rosen anticipatory system) model against potential weaknesses (such as low sensitivity regarding highly disruptive processes for instance) and bias-induced organisational pitfalls in general.At this point of the analysis, the question is not whether meta-framing can be useful, but rather when such a heavy recourse to methodological precautions is appropriate and when it is not. This new question raises the issue of the economics of foresight and anticipatory manoeuvres, where the problem is not so much \"knowing the future or not\", but rather what kind of efforts a given constituency envisages making in order to build a more robust and resilient relationship with anticipated issues (regarding both risks and opportunities). Meta-framing, as with all reflexive steps, is time-consuming and cannot be applied all the time. However, we can say that in any open, emerging, complex, multi-stakeholder process involving high stakes and several possible and clearly diverging outcomes, reflecting on framing conditions and their influence on the anticipation modelling process itself is probably worth the effort. Timelines, costs but also availability of human resources and particular forms of expertise should then decide, not only in the exploration phase, but also in the communication and empowering stages of a foresight exercise.Finally, one of the main epistemological concerns examined in this paper is early detection (not simply anticipating but being \"early\" on changes to come). This clause certainly deserves special attention and suggests further research needs. In particular, the question of how to get access to possibly latent forms of change represents a challenge. It should not only be envisaged from classical systems views, like those building on the knowledge of initial conditions (and therefore of their subsequent stages), but rather in a complexity perspective, along with the necessity to cope with autopoietic and discontinuous change forms (in the sense that Maturana and Varela have developed this idea; see Maturana and Varela, 1980, 1987). In this paper this \"early\" concern, through the weak signal analysis reference, has only served as a useful detour to produce some additional inputs for anticipatory systems envisaged in the context of complex social systems; but it can clearly become a topic of its own, even in a strict Rosennean perspective.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - When coping with complex, but also possibly disruptive and open-ended social dynamics, the anticipatory system idea, which was developed by Rosen in the realm of physical and biological system observation, remains a reference framework, but one that may need to be reinforced by other theoretical considerations. This paper aims at using a debate that took place in a specific foresight discussion arena on early detection and weak signal analysis, as a constructive epistemic detour to eventually contribute to such a reinforcement of Rosen's anticipatory system proposal.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The author aims at revisiting Rosen's framework with stimulating inputs drawing upon the early detection debates, by first assessing the original concepts brought up by Ansoff in the 1970s and 1980s and its further enhancements by contemporary scholars. A rather constructivist approach is then developed to weak signal analysis, aiming at emphasising the need, in analytical situations involving social system features, for reflexive stages and capacities. Bearing this requirement in mind, the productive value of the \"framing\" and \"meta-framing\" notions is explored, in order to apply them to Rosen's anticipatory systems and possibly contribute to enriching his original concept.\nFindings: - How effective the framing and meta-framing couple can be for a series of anticipatory issues is described in a detailed manner and, then more specifically, Rosen's anticipatory system concept is revisited in the light of those inputs, aiming at putting into perspective new options for research and anticipation activities in general.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The paper is essentially conceptual and based on a rich but disputable detour by early detection and weak analysis issues so as to emphasise key reflexive references and method. However, most of this material is taken from domains rather untypical of Rosennean debates and in addition would need to be completed by a series of supportive cases, but that is beyond the scope and scale of this paper.\nPractical implications: - The paper sets clear distinctions and boundaries for when and when not to apply reflexive steps in a foresight exercise, including in the context of rolling out a Rosen type of approach. Research decision making both in the corporate and policy-making contexts can benefit from such clues and supportive framework conditions.\nSocial implications: - Social systems are typically complex and involve multiple perspectives and viewpoints; they concern a series of major challenges to be coped with locally or more globally, at environmental, political, cultural or technological level, and in that category of anticipatory endeavor, the framing/meta-framing epistemic couple may be of great usefulness.\nOriginality/value: - Although rather conceptual, the detour proposed by the paper aims at creating a reflexive distance and enriched capability to evaluate one's potential biases and blind spots in anticipatory modelling activities.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Assessing future travel demand: a need to account for non-transport technologies?	[ "Travel", "Transport", "Social norms", "Social processes", "Non‐transport technologies", "Unintended consequences", "Future travel demand" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The affairs of life embrace a multitude of interests, and he who reasons in any one of them, without consulting the rest, is a visionary unsuited to control the business of the world (James Fenimore Cooper)In this paper we explore whether treatment of travel demand in transport studies should broaden to contemplate accounting for not only the social practices from which travel derives but for the influences of non-transport technologies that, through social practice, indirectly and often unintentionally affect travel demand. The paper is conceptual in nature and begins by setting out how travel demand has come to be understood and interpreted within transport planning. While such understanding has evolved it remains rather reductionist in its interpretation. The paper goes on to open up a broader set of considerations that, undeniably, affect travel demand but in ways that are either not recognised or not explicitly accounted for in analysis and interpretation. Specifically this concerns the interplay between technologies, social practices and travel. The paper explores this interplay through specific examples and drawing on a wide body of literature, reaching beyond that recognised within the current field of transport studies. It then goes on to consider some of the empirical challenges in being able to account for a greater level of complexity of human activity in analysis. As greater complexity is recognised so too is the prospect of greater uncertainty. Current analytical techniques, constrained by practical limitations of available empirical evidence, tend to conceal uncertainty through assumptions rather than expose it. The paper looks towards futures studies for ways forward where the prevalence of uncertainty is well-understood. In particular scenario planning emerges as an approach that deserves greater attention in the exposition of the shaping of travel demand.1.1 A brief history of the origins of the study of travel demand in transport studies\n2. Influence of the use of technology on everyday life: Understanding of the meaning of travel and its place within everyday life is broadening within transport studies. Lyons and Urry (2005) have examined in depth how travel time is experienced and valued, extending and exploring the recognised notion that travel can be more than only a means to an end but an end in itself. Nevertheless, travel, from at least a perspective taken in transport studies, is usually not valued in and of itself, but for the activities it allows people to partake in (Bamford, 2001).Therefore, if change occurs in either the activities people need or want to perform, or in the means they use to perform them, the demand for travel is likely to change accordingly. Technologies have the potential to facilitate and shape the activities people need or want to perform and how they perform them (and indeed social practices can influence and shape the ongoing development of technologies).2.1 Focus on the end user\n3/ Discussion of key issues, questions and directions: 3.1 Summary observation\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Travel is usually not valued in and of itself, but for the activities it allows people to partake in. Therefore, if change occurs in either the activities people perform, or in the means they use to perform them, the demand for travel is likely to change accordingly. Technologies have the potential to accommodate the activities people need or want to perform and how they perform them. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to increase the understanding of the complex relations between technologies developing outside the transport domain, social practices and travel, and the uncertainties that can result from these linkages. As such it draws attention to the interconnectivity of transport with other domains (e.g. healthcare, retail, leisure).\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The relations between non-transport technologies, social practices and travel are largely unintended and/or unanticipated. This study therefore utilised notions developed elsewhere of the mechanisms through which unintended consequences materialize. With these notions in mind, some selected examples of past, present and possible future technologies expose the possible indirect influences they can have on travel demand, thereby developing the conceptual understanding of these linkages.\nFindings: - If policies are being developed to limit, change, or reduce people's travel then non-transport technologies may thwart those policy ambitions in serious ways or be realised in unexpected and surprising forms.\nResearch limitations/implications: - There appears precious little (quantitative) evidence of data that captures the relations between technologies, social practices and travel.\nOriginality/value: - This study is one of the first to examine the indirect impacts of technological developments occurring outside the transport domain on travel demand.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Living beyond one's means: evidence from Malaysia	[ "Consumer credit", "Financial distress", "Financial behaviour", "Financial attitude", "Financial knowledge", "Household debt" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: One of the basic tenets of sound personal financial management is the ability to live within one's means. To do so, individuals must ensure their living costs do not exceed their income. When people live beyond their means, they will begin to tap into their existing resources such as savings to finance their consumption and if this goes unchecked, the problem will grow in magnitude and the individual may fall into a vicious cycle of debt. Financial distress at an individual or household level can have serious repercussions that go beyond the individual or household (i.e. loan providers may be affected). If the problem is not managed effectively, it can thus cause financial instability and social problems.\n2. Insights from the literature: Living beyond one's means is an indication that individuals may likely have credit arrears, financial difficulties or are considered to be financially vulnerable and fragile. Socio-demographic and economic factors are widely considered in these studies and various measurements are used to investigate the problem of indebtedness among individuals and households. For example, Brunetti et al. (2012), investigate financial fragility by the ability of household to meet expected needs with existing income and the adequacy of liquid assets to meet potential unexpected expenses. The study considered socio-demographic factors, economic factors such as occupational status, income, regularity of income flows and household net wealth and financial portfolio such as types of loans holdings and degree of illiquidity as determinants for financial fragility. It was found that males, individuals with higher education, single individuals and divorced/widow households are more likely to experience financial fragility while the likelihood of financial fragility decreases with income. However, there was no significant relationship between regularity of income flow and the likelihood of financial fragility. On the contrary, Giannetti et al. (2014) found that greater job uncertainty would increase the likelihood of financial distress more than other job status such as being unemployed or being a part-time worker. This corroborates with Disney et al. (2008) who found that unemployment, unpredictable income flows and ill preparation towards income shock can have adverse effect on consumers meeting their credit commitments. The financial vulnerabilities of the younger age groups are consistent in the literature. Kempson (2002) found that households that are headed by an individual who is aged in the twenties or early thirties tend to have highest debt-income ratio. Betti et al. (2007) found that the problem is further exacerbated in an environment with less developed consumer credit market. Betti et al. (2007) found that in countries with well-developed consumer credit market, the younger households (aged 35 years old and below) and the older households (aged 64 years old and above) are more likely to have unsustainable spending behaviour. Other socio-demographic factors such as household structure are found to also affect consumer indebtedness. While Kempson (2002) found that homeownership and households with young children are also more likely to have high debt-income ratio, Disney et al. (2008) observed that homeowners are less likely to have credit arrears. In addition, single parents are more likely to report having debt problems or financial stress (Disney et al., 2008).\n3. Methodology: data and model: 3.1. Data\n4. Empirical findings: The estimated logit coefficients (column 1), the odds ratios (column 2), the associated Z-statistics (column 3) and the marginal effects of the explanatory variables on the probability of living beyond one's means (column 4) are reported in Table II. There are several tests that can be used to gauge the reliability of the model. The goodness-of-fit tests include the likelihood ratio statistics, Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics and the predictive power of the model. The likelihood ratio statistics for the model is 190.40 which indicates that the null hypothesis of the parameters to be jointly equal to zero is rejected. This implies that the model fits the data well. The finding is consistent with Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fits test whereby the predicted frequency and the observed frequency is found to match closely. The Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics of 4.64 and a probability value of 0.7949 indicates that the model is of good fit. Further, on evaluating the prediction power of the model, it is found that 71.6 per cent of the prediction of this model is correct. In addition, the linktest command in Stata was used to detect specification error. The result shows that the model is properly specified and no relevant variables are omitted as the linear predicted value squared (_hatsq) is found to be not significant. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) is found to be lower in the model that includes financial behaviour and financial knowledge variables (AIC=1218.327; BIC=1334.26) compared to a model that takes into account socio-demographic factors only (AIC=1228.951; BIC=1361.649). This suggests that the selected model which that takes into account socio-demographic variables, financial behaviour and knowledge factors is a better model. Hence, it can be concluded that the model developed is correctly specified and has a good fit.\n5. Loan taking behaviour: 5.1. Ways to make ends meet\n6. Conclusions and policy implications: The study examines the factors that can explain the likelihood of consumers living beyond their means, the way in which financially constrained individuals make ends meet and the loan taking behaviour of Malaysians. The study highlights several important findings. First, those aged between 18 and 24 years old are more likely to live beyond their means compared with older age groups such as those aged 50 years old and above. The findings seem to be consistent with current observations that those declared bankrupt are getting younger. Further, a lack of credit history and lower income mean that those aged 18-24 years old have a greater tendency to obtain loans from non-bank sources. Notwithstanding their lower earning power, these findings highlight the importance of educating the young on better financial management and of cultivating the habit of living within one's means.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to identify the determinants of the probability of living beyond one's means. The paper also explores the coping mechanisms of those financially distressed as well as the debt taking behaviour of consumers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses data obtained from the OECD International Network on Financial Education pilot study on Measuring Financial Literacy in 2010 for the case of Malaysia. A logistic regression model is used to identify the main determinants of the probability that a consumer will live beyond his/her means. The analysis is carried out by using a set of socio-economic factors and the individual's financial behaviour and attitudinal characteristics as explanatory variables.\nFindings: The findings indicate that low income and seasonal income earners are more vulnerable to financial distress. Furthermore, having a higher education, higher financial knowledge and prudent financial behaviour and attitude do not necessarily translate into better financial management. Family and friends provide the main source of financial assistance in times of need.\nResearch limitations/implications: The assessment of financial knowledge should go beyond individual's knowledge on financial concepts and theories. Practical knowledge on financial and cash flow management should be assessed.\nPractical implications: The study reiterates the importance of financial education. It is imperative to include financial education as part of the schools' curriculum and also to be incorporated as part of the Continuous Professional Development modules for working adults.\nOriginality/value: The study is based on the first nationwide study of consumer finances in Malaysia. It contributes to the literature by integrating financial behaviour and attitudinal factors into the analysis of the ability of individuals to live within their means. The findings also show the limitations of the existing self-assessment of financial behaviour and attitude and the assessment of financial knowledge.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Benchmarking with data envelopment analysis: a return on asset perspective	[ "Data envelopment analysis", "Benchmarking", "Variable selection", "Return on assets", "Performance measures" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Selecting pertinent variables is critical for analyzing data and affects the validity of a study. Choosing variables for data envelopment analysis (DEA) is not an exception. What variables and why they are selected should be justified and supported by the body of knowledge in the area of the study. Like statistical analyses, variable selection for DEA models must be guided by relevant theories and approaches. For example, if researchers are interested in measuring the comparative efficiency of organizations using DEA, they may try endogenous and exogenous variables from related organization theories. Likewise, if one attempts to measure the financial efficiency of firms, variables can be extracted from the studies in accounting and finance. Depending on the topic, there are various theories that can be used for choosing variables for DEA studies.We attempt to formalize a way to include related variables derived from the most popular measure of profitability in finance, return on assets (ROA), which is frequently defined by net income after tax divided by total assets. ROA is a comparative measure and does not provide an absolute value. It is recommended for comparing a company's ROA to its previous ROA or similar companies' ROA. Because of this feature of ROA, deriving variables from a ROA framework is a good match to DEA, which also can provide a comparative measure of firms' performance. However, unlike ROA, which employs single numbers for a numerator and a denominator, DEA can incorporate the array of \"vectors\" in the numerator and the denominator, and analyze them for managerial insights, such as potential improvements.Because DEA provides a comparative measure of efficiency, which is good for evaluating companies' performance and for benchmarking, DEA studies are popular and available in various industries. However, there are not many studies about selecting variables with a normative approach.The contributions of this study are twofold: one, by providing an approach to select appropriate variables; and two, by applying them to a real-world example in the retail industry. This study is applicable to almost any industry and expandable to similar research with different theories and frameworks. The remainder of this study consists of benchmarking and DEA, selecting variables with an ROA perspective, and an application followed by a discussion and conclusion.\n2 Benchmarking and data envelopment analysis: 2.1 Benchmarking\n3 Selecting variables using ROA: Benchmarking a firm's performance with the performance of competing companies in the same industry is sometimes not easy mainly due to the lack of available data. It is especially true for DEA users. For competing firms, information is limited to publicly available data, which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This guide shows a way to select input and output variables using publicly traded firms' annual reports (10-K) for DEA studies. It is possible to use quarterly reports (10-Q) depending on the situation and availability of data.3.1 ROA defined\n4 An example: 4.1 Data, variables, and models\n5 Conclusion: Since the introduction by Charnes et al. (1978), numerous studies using DEA have been published in various areas. Although DEA is based on estimating the efficiency of companies using the production function concept proposed by Farrell (1957), its applications are not limited to the production area. Most published DEA studies are either developing algorithms or applying DEA in different areas. Although a limited number of studies that propose mathematical and procedural approaches for selecting variables for DEA (Wagner and Shimshak, 2007; Fanchon, 2003) are available, at the time of this study we fail to find one concerning the selection of variables within a theoretical framework, which is available in the domain of application. We demonstrate a framework based on a widely used profitability measure for selecting variables for DEA and apply it to measuring the efficiency of general merchandisers.Return on assets or ROA and its components are popular among managers and user-friendly to managers. ROA is calculated by earnings, which are revenues after applicable expenses, divided by total assets. We include components in ROA such as revenues, expenses, and assets for specifying variables. ROA is a comparative measure of profitability and is not bound by a specific value. Accordingly, users may need to compare their ROA to the previous values of their ROA and/or those of similar companies. In this context, ROA is a good fit with DEA for selecting variables.We suggest and demonstrate a framework using an example that includes general merchandisers. Three models with different input variables are selected and tested: total assets, current assets, and expenses. We find Wal-Mart is the best performer among the retailers in all models. The second tier group includes Kohl's, Dollar General, and Retail Ventures. In addition to overall efficiency, DEA models provide for potential improvements in terms of ROA components to the companies that are not 100 percent efficient. We confirm that the framework is useful for selecting variables for performance measurement and benchmarking.Finally, our approach is applicable to various studies for performance measurement and benchmarking with minor modifications. Contributions of our study are twofold: first, we suggest a framework for selecting variables for DEA studies; second, we demonstrate the applicability of the framework using a real world example. We hope that there will be similar studies with different perspectives and theories for selecting variables in the future.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Selecting appropriate variables for analytical studies is critical for the validity of analysis. It is the same with data envelopment analysis (DEA) studies. In this study, for benchmarking using DEA, the paper seeks to suggest a novel framework based on return on assets (ROA), which is popular and user-friendly to managers, and demonstrate it by use of an example.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper demonstrates the selection of variables using the elements of ROA and applies DEA for measuring and benchmarking the comparative efficiency of companies in the same industry.\nFindings: - It is frequently impossible to obtain internal data for benchmarking from competitors in the same industry. In this case, annual reports may be the only source of data for publicly traded companies. The framework demonstrated with an example is a practical approach for benchmarking with limited data.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This study employs financial data and is subject to the limitations of accounting practices.\nOriginality/value: - The approach is applicable to various studies for performance measurement and benchmarking with minor modifications. Contributions of the study are twofold: first, a framework for selecting variables for DEA studies is suggested; second, the applicability of the framework with a real-world example is demonstrated.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Investigating the perceptions of Iranian employees on teleworking	[ "Teleworking", "Information technology", "Exploratory analysis", "Benefits and barriers", "Iran", "Individual perception", "Public sector organizations", "National cultures" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Telework - moving the work to the workers instead of the workers to work - is a term originated by researcher Jack Niles more 30 years ago (http://jala.com/definitions.php). It, often referred to as telecommuting, occurs where paid workers work away from their normal place of work, usually from home. Such workers can telework all their work time, or on an occasional or ad hoc basis. Most telework takes place a day or two per week. It is a type of work arrangement that enables employee to work at home or at another agreed place using information and communication technologies (ICT) for communication with employer. Telework can be described by following features:* Employment contract.* Using of ICT.* Independence from location.* Working-time flexibility (Tulejova, 2009).Teleworking is increasingly popular in Western developed countries. According to the 2000 Telework America Survey, 89 percent of teleworkers were home-based teleworkers (or called telecommuters in the USA) and 54 percent of whom were employees (Ng, 2010). Many of the world's most successful companies have embraced telework and incorporated it into their mainstream activities, saving hundreds of millions of dollars annually in real estate and productivity gains alone. When you add the importance of telework as a motivator, morale booster, and fuel and emissions reducer, it would seem that everyone who's eligible should be teleworking (Ruth and Chaudhry, 2008). Researchers have studied telework extensively, and some of the most helpful studies are meta-analyses of many reports - studies of studies. In a detailed review of 46 different sources, Gajendran and Harrison (2007) found that when workers teleworked fewer than 2.5 days per week, they had a greater sense of autonomy, which had slight but recognizable positive effects in work-family conflict and no significant negative effects on work relationships. For more than 2.5 days per week, the sense of autonomy and work-family relationships improved even more, but relations with coworkers declined. Another study by Golden et al. (2006) investigated how employee telework impacts the degree of work-family relationships by separating the family conflict variable into two parts: work-to-family and family-to-work. They found that with increased telework, the level of conflict caused by work impacting the family decreases, but conflict increases as family members interrupt their work. The researchers also investigated other factors, such as the level of job autonomy and scheduling flexibility as well as household size. Generally, individuals who telework extensively have greater conflict if they also have low flexibility or a large household size. \"They argue that the more extensively individuals telecommute, the less work interferes with family and the more family interferes with work.\" Tulejova (2009) refers to several studies in which majority of respondents in all the surveys felt that their work performance had improved in recent years. Most also felt that teleworking had made a contribution to this improvement, with 32-76 percent feeling that it had a major contribution.\nTelework in Iran: During the past couple of years in Iran, due to high rate of population growth and consequently the increase of demand for private cars in the country particularly in big cities like Tehran the capital of the country, has caused traffic congestion to a standstill. On the other hand air pollution and its harmful effects on citizens have raised serious debates among experts and governmental policy makers on how to overcome this situation. Furthermore Iran as a developing country is in as desperate need to increase the productivity of its organizations and institutes to achieve the goals and objectives set in the year 2025 vision statement. Based on the aforementioned concerns, recently the Iranian government passed a legislation obligating all ministries and state-owned organizations to start planning and implementing telecommuting as an approach to tackle these concerns. Although in the whole world telework is getting more and more popular, in Iran it is still quite a new phenomenon. Iran holds a traditional administrative system which its root gets back to 80 years ago and sill some Iranian employees do not have enough knowledge to work properly with computer. Given the cultural factors it seems that Iranian male employees do not like to stay at home because this contradicts traditional ideas of the power and characteristics of males. Therefore due to the importance of the subject it is worthy to survey teleworking from the perspective of Iranian employees and managers as the main pillars of telework programs in order to pave the way for policy makers to make sound decisions in this regard. And increase the likelihood of successful implementation of telework programs in Iranian organizations based on contextual factors. Therefore this research aims to answer the following questions:RQ1. What are the main benefits and barriers for telework implementation in Iranian state-owned organizations?RQ2. To what extent do Iranian state-owned organizations' people desire to telecommute?RQ3. What is the relationship between telecommuting and gender in Iranian state-owned organizations?\nResearch methodology: To address the research questions, a survey-based empirical study was carried out in a representative sample of 28 public organizations from various state-owned organizations in Iran. The survey questionnaire contained several types of questions for respondents to answer. Some questions were open ended, which allowed the respondents to write in their own answers. Other questions allowed respondents to note their answers on a scale of one to five, with the ranges varying from disagree to agree. A few of the questions asked respondents to check appropriate responses. It was mailed out to 28 organizations in Tehran, selected from organizations ranging from aerospace to banking services. The mailing had a 79 percent response rate (190 returned out of 240 surveys mailed). The survey was coded so that it was possible to determine job type (management or employee, sex, level of education, and the company of employment).Several types of analysis are performed on the data, depending on the question types. Responses to the Likert scale questions were averaged for each category of respondent. Open-ended responses were rank-ordered by frequency of response. Data analysis entailed the use of both descriptive methods to provide exploratory insights into the nature of teleworking in Iranian organizations and the use of statistical analysis. Being exploratory, the survey was kept relatively short. Most items asked the respondents to rank issues surrounding telework programs. Issues included benefits and drawbacks of telework programs. The alternatives the respondents could choose from were predetermined by the researcher and generated using the existing literature such as (Ruth and Chaudhry, 2008; Gajendran and Harrison, 2007; Tulejova, 2009; Harpaz, 2002) and the researcher's own experience of the topic. The choice of ranking scales was due to a desire to simplify for respondents. Ranking scales have the benefit of being easy to understand and therefore suitable for self-administered questionnaires. One limitation of ranking scales is that a ranking of objects takes place regardless of the attitudinal position taken by the respondents (Kinnear and Taylor, 1991).To address this limitation, most questions included the opportunity for respondents to choose the category \"other\" and specify their choice (Ahlstrom and Westbrook, 1999). Regarding the benefits of telework programs implementation, respondents were asked to indicate factor or factors they think are of high importance. The benefits associated with telework implementation have been ranked, which is based on the frequency cited by respondents on each of them.The benefits for applying telework programs in Iranian public organizations are:* Flexible schedules.* Helps achieve trips reduction goals.* Less distractions.* Increased productivity, more efficient.* Helps the environment.* Less stress.* Improved quality of life.* Good working conditions.* Improved employee morale.* Decreased absenteeism.* Allows for business continuity during a disaster.* Reduced facility costs.* Retain valuable employees.* Overhead savings.Asked for their own, subjective evaluation of telework program, 88 percent of the respondents stated they expect a greater flexibility, reduction of a long commute, fewer distractions, more productivity and convenience. Although 75 percent of respondents have classified all of the benefits mentioned above \"important\" or \"very important\", but only about 50 percent of respondents express their desire to telecommute.To assess the barriers and difficulties of telework programs implementation, respondents were asked to rank a number of factors on a predetermined list. The barriers and drawbacks associated with telework implementation have been ranked as below:1. Poor IT infrastructure and lack of full e-government realization.2. Feel isolated.3. Contradiction of Iranian culture with doing work at home by males.4. Lack of enough IT knowledge of some employees.5. Employees' social immaturity regarding telework.6. Lack of an appropriate evaluating system regarding performance standards and measures.7. Communications.8. Not available for meetings or when problems arise.9. Career advancement.10. Personal unsuitability.11. Hardware costs, personal expenses.As can be seen in the list above the most important barrier and drawback for the surveyed companies is poor IT infrastructure and lack of full e-government realization, particularly low speed of internet in the country which needs ministry of communications and information technology take necessary actions to remove all barriers in this regard and provide high speed internet with low prices to all folk, paving the way for successful implementation of teleworking. Indeed, a successful telecommuting program depends as much on support from the company's IT department, as it does on support from high level executives. Also, full realization of e-government is a very important issue which necessitates appropriate consideration by the government in order to realize it. Iran was ranked 98 and 108 respectively in 2005 and 2008 in e-government readiness between the world countries. Lower levels of internet access provided in Iran and its further challenges hinder promotion of information technology knowledge contemporary to universal progresses in IT. The reliability of e-government systems and services is relatively lower than the universal standards (Dehkordi et al., 2011). Also, a prevalent reason people did not want to telecommute was that they felt they would miss the personal interaction at the traditional office required to perform their jobs or fulfill their social needs.To address RQ3, the researcher examined whether there is a statistically significant relationship between gender and the amount of desire to telecommute. In order to survey this issue a chi-square test was performed which its result can be seen in Table I.Accordingly, the present study can confirm that desire to telecommute is significantly related to gender in the Iranian business context. This finding is consistent with the norm of the Iranian culture cited earlier in the paper that most Iranian male employees do not prefer to stay at home and do their works.\nConclusion and recommendation: This study showed, though 88 percent of the respondents perceive the importance of benefits of teleworking but at the same time due to barriers and difficulties such as poor IT infrastructure which was ranked by respondents as the main barrier and the fear of losing social interaction about 50 percent of respondents desire to telecommute. Also based on cultural factors of the country the study revealed that the female people are much more inclined to telecommute than male people. For successful implementation of telework policy, the Iranian government should provide and improve necessary IT infrastructures including High speed internet which is the main tools for successful implementation of telework program and provide necessary training for both managers and employees. Management training should include information about two practices that have been shown to be particularly effective in managing teleworkers: situational leadership (Gibson et al., 2002), and outcomes based performance measurement (Johnson, 2001). Employee training should strive to build understanding and a sense of shared culture among all employees (Manoochehri and Pinkerton, 2003). Effective programs typically include four topics: a telework overview, a suitability test, telework skills, and working with teleworkers from an office (Johnson, 2001). Advanced teleworker training can help employees meet the conditions of the telework policy of Iranian organizations. As telework is a new phenomenon in Iran, incremental and pilot study will increase the likelihood of successful implementation of telework in Iranian organization. Iranian policy makers should bear in mind as Kowalski and Swanson (2005) state, in the information age, implementing effective teleworking programs is no longer an option but a necessity for most organizations. However management of enterprise should thoroughly consider many aspects before its applications. Home based telework isn't appropriate for everyone and for every task. For reaching appointed goals concept of management and way of leading employees should be changed too (Tulejova, 2009).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The main purpose of this study is to explore the perception of Iranian sample managers and employees from state-owned organizations on benefits, barriers, and desire to telecommute based on the context of Iran using descriptive analysis.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - To address the research questions, a survey-based empirical study was carried out in a representative sample of 28 public organizations from various state-owned organizations in Iran. The 190 responses received were analyzed descriptively and the results presented.\nFindings: - The results show that 88 percent of the respondents perceive the importance of benefits of teleworking. At the same time, due to barriers and difficulties such as poor IT infrastructure which was ranked by respondents as the main barrier and the fear of losing social interaction, about 50 percent of respondents desire to telecommute. Also based on cultural factors of the country the study revealed that women want to telecommute more than men.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This study is limited to the capital of Iran. Hence the findings and conclusions drawn from this research are representative of the Iranian context only. So caution needs to be exercised in generalizing the results.\nPractical implications: - For successful implementation of a teleworking policy, the Iranian government should provide and improve necessary IT infrastructures including high speed internet which is the main tool for successful implementation of a teleworking program and it should provide the necessary training both for managers and employees.\nOriginality/value: - As teleworking is quite a new phenomenon in Iran this study has the potential to enhance the understanding of teleworking initiatives, benefits and barriers among researchers and practitioners in the context of Iran. Also policymakers of the country could take advantage of the findings of this study towards a successful implementation of teleworking.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A taxonomy of performance shaping factors for shield tunnel construction	[ "Human error", "Performance shaping factors", "Safety behaviour", "Shield tunnel construction" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Shield tunnel construction (STC) is the most widely used construction method in current tunneling construction. STC is a complex, dynamic and high-risk process. The relationship among human being, machine and environment is close in STC site. Once construction accident occurs, it may bring serious consequences to workers, machines and surrounding environment. In modern construction industry, human error is considered to be the main factor of construction accidents; more than 70 percent of accidents are traceable to human erroneous actions or human unsafe behaviors (Haslam et al., 2005). The same is true for STC. Shield tunneling is a typical human-machine-environment interaction process, and human unsafe behavior is a predominant component in the causes of STC accidents. Therefore, if a deep analysis of the factors which lead to human errors can be performed, we will find an effective method to control human unsafe behaviors, and to promote the prevention of accidents for STC. One effective approach applied to identify those factors is a taxonomy of performance shaping factors (PSFs), which is used in the human reliability analysis (HRA) method. HRA is an aspect of risk analysis concerned with comprehensively identifying and analyzing the causes and consequences of human errors (Coyne, 2009). In HRA, PSFs are used to express the factors that influence human performance in a concrete scenario (Hollnagel, 1998). There are similar concepts according to various HRA methods: performance influencing factor (PIF) (Chang and Mosleh, 2007a), common performance condition (CPC) (Hollnagel, 1998), contributing factor (Mindock and Klaus, 2014) and so on. Developing PSF taxonomy is necessary for systematically analyzing the influences of the STC context on human behaviors. Moreover, the PSFs taxonomy can be used as a subset of causal factors and mechanisms through which a causal model of human behavior is constructed. And the combination of a human behavior model and associated PSFs will provide a means to realistically simulate human behavior and to explore factors that could lead to human error.\n2. Background: Shield tunneling is a complex construction method by which workers operate the shield machine to excavate and form the tunnel structure by using shield shell and segments. On STC site, workers participate in various types of task and various stages of construction according to their different functions, e.g. shield machine operator, segment assembling operator and professional engineer. Meanwhile, shield technical equipment is used in the process of STC, e.g. shield machine, segment assembling machine, crane, etc. A stable running state of the shield technical equipment guarantees the completion of the construction. The underground environment has influence on the condition of the construction directly. And the construction environment will change with the construction process and construction mission. There are a fair number of uncertainties and safety risks because of the constant change of the construction site and complex environment (Ding et al., 2012; Choi et al., 2004).\n3. Research methodology: As has been mentioned before, in order to develop PSFs under the STC context, it is necessary to analyze the coupling among human, technical system and environment. There are constantly interactions among workers, shield machine technical system and construction environment during construction process. The occurrence of individual behavior in shield construction process cannot separate from the interaction with shield machine technical system and environment. Therefore, we analyze the main influence of the STC context to the safe behavior from the point of view of man-machine-environment interaction. And we describe the STC context based on the classification frame developed by Kim and Jung (2003). In addition, different sources are gathered to support the development of STC PSFs.\n4. Results and discussion: 4.1 The overall structure of STC PSF taxonomy\n5. Conclusion: This paper introduced a set of PSFs under the context of STC. Based on a \"human, system, environment and task\" classification frame, we dissect various aspects of the STC context for developing PSFs. The classification frame can support for analyzing the actual construction site conditions and the interaction among human, technical system and environment during construction process. Meanwhile, the combination of mental state factors of IDAC model help to develop the PSFs related to individual cognitive process. And the human-related PSFs are able to explain the individual decision making and cognition mechanisms. With the foundation of the discussion above, a new PSF taxonomy that includes four components and four hierarchies is proposed. Moreover, the reliability of final PSFs was enhanced by analyzing STC accident cases and reviewing the studies related to factors influencing human behaviors of STC and other construction industries. The set of PSFs gives a clearly articulated description of the STC context, and provides evidences for identifying factors leading to human error. Besides the function mentioned above, the new set of PSFs is able to provide a basis for human behavior modeling, and meet the requirements of the computer simulation for personal unsafe behaviors in STC site. The behavior simulation can provide a more realistic and integrated assessment of human error events by directly determining the effect of operator cognitive process. The simulation results could suggest concrete points for the improvement of STC management. We could provide associated safety measures for onsite safety behavior management from the perspectives of individual cognition and human-technical system-environment interaction, for instance, safety training, safety psychology interventions, safety adaptability evaluation and so on.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: On shield tunnel construction (STC) site, human error is widely recognized as essential to accident. It is necessary to explain which factors lead to human error and how these factors can influence human performance. Human reliability analysis supports such necessity through modeling the performance shaping factors (PSFs). The purpose of this paper is to establish and validate a PSF taxonomy for the STC context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The approach taken in this study mainly consists of three steps. First, a description of the STC context is proposed through the analysis of the STC context. Second, the literature which stretch across the PSF methodologies, cognitive psychology and human factors of STC and other construction industries are reviewed to develop an initial set of PSFs. Finally, a final PSF set is modified and validated based on STC task analysis and STC accidents cases.\nFindings: The PSF taxonomy constituted by 4 main components, 4 hierarchies and 85 PSFs is established for human behavior modeling and simulation under the STC context. Furthermore, by comparing and evaluating the performance of STC PSF and existing PSF studies, the proposed PSF taxonomy meets the requirement for qualitative and quantitative analysis.\nPractical implications: The PSF taxonomy can provide a basis and support for human behavior modeling and simulation under the STC context. Integrating PSFs into a behavior simulation model provides a more realistic and integrated assessment of human error by manifesting the influence of each PSFs on the cognitive processes. The simulation results can suggest concrete points for the improvement of STC safety management.\nOriginality/value: This paper develops a taxonomy of PSFs that addresses the various unique influences of the STC context on human behaviors. The harsh underground working conditions and diverse resources of system information are identified as key characteristics of the STC context. Furthermore, the PSF taxonomy can be integrated into a human cognitive behavior model to predict the worker's behavior on STC site in future work.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The impact of exposure to missionaries on the English language proficiency and earnings of immigrants in the USA	[ "Earnings", "Immigrants", "Missionaries", "Protestant", "English language", "Schooling", "American Community Survey", "Catholic", "Proficiency" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Recent research shows that missionary activity of different denominations matters in their effect on economic outcomes within a developing country, but the economic impact of missionary denomination on outcomes of immigrants from those countries remains largely unexplored. Lutz (2007) notes that missionaries that focused on western education increased the local populace's perception of economic mobility - especially in India and China where people were enrolling with no intention of converting, but only learning English and studying western knowledge. Woodberry (2004, 2007, 2012) found that missionary activity could have a positive impact on economic development - especially in terms of education, gender equality and democracy - when the missionary activity focuses on investing in the human capital of the populace. In Ghana and Nigeria, the introduction of missionary schools led to educational enrollment increases to 97 percent of the total relevant population as students enrolled in missionary schools (Berman, 1974; Nunn, 2012). Any investment missionaries make in the education of people within a developing country has been shown to persist over a long period of time (Woodberry, 2004).\n2. The dependent variables: The first dependent variable in this paper is the dichotomous variable for English language proficiency. In the absence of alternative data on destination language proficiency in immigrant receiving countries, self-reported proficiency has become the standard used in the literature on the economics of language (Chiswick and Miller, 2007). \"Good English\" is designated by unity if the respondent reports speaking only English at home, or, if another language is spoken, the respondent reports speaking English \"very well\" or \"well.\" If English speaking ability is reported as \"not well\" or \"not at all (or only a few words)\" the Good English variable is set equal to 0.\n3. The econometric models[5]: 3.1 Language proficiency equation\n4. Data analysis: 4.1 Descriptive statistics\n5. Summary and discussion: This paper extends the findings of previous work on the impact of missionary activity within a less developed country by looking at people that have emigrated from that country to the USA. The findings are consistent with Protestant and Catholic missionaries having different impacts. The findings also suggest that these effects vary with the relative size of the missionary penetration within the colonial heritages. Protestant missionaries are significantly more likely to be native English speakers and also tend to focus more on teaching their congregation to read the Bible compared to Catholic missionaries. Both of these reasons increase the potential pre-migration exposure to English that immigrants would have coming from a country with a higher concentration of Protestant missionaries relative to Catholic missionaries. Immigrants from countries with a higher concentration of Protestant missionaries have a large positive and statistically significant association with the English proficiency and earnings of people that have immigrated to the USA, while the Catholic missionary association is highly significant but negative for language and earnings. These effects do not depend on whether the immigrant is coming from a former UK colony.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how potential exposure to missionary activity impacts both English language proficiency and labor market earnings of male and female immigrants to the USA.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study uses the pooled files of the American Community Survey (2005-2009). To estimate the relationship between the missionary activity of both Protestants and Catholics on an immigrant's English language proficiency using a linear probability model and their labor market earnings using the human capital earnings function that is estimated with an ordinary least squares model. Among other relevant variables, the analysis controls for the colonial heritage of the immigrant's country of origin.\nFindings: Overall, and within colonial heritages, the results indicate that male and female immigrants from countries with a higher concentration of Protestant missionaries tend to exhibit higher levels of English language proficiency and earnings, and those from countries with a greater concentration of Catholic missionaries exhibit lower levels of both, compared to countries with lower concentrations of missionaries. Furthermore, a greater proficiency in English enhances earnings. One of the important implications of the findings in this paper is that a \"missionary variable\" often used in other studies is too aggregate and may mask important findings because of strikingly different effects of Protestant and Catholic activities and characteristics of the missionaries.\nOriginality/value: This study explores for the first time how, through a missionary concentration variable, potential exposure to missionary activity impacts the English language proficiency and earnings of immigrants.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Comparing the research-practice gap in management accounting: A view from professional accounting bodies in Australia and Germany	[ "Management accounting research", "Rigour", "Relevance", "Research-practice gap" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not (Albert Einstein).\n2. The need for a theoretical framework?: Numerous academics from a diverse range of applied disciplines have articulated their observations, diagnoses, prognoses or prescriptions about how academic research does, or should inform practice. However, much of this literature has been primarily anecdotal, speculative and atheoretical. The value of adopting a theoretically informed view of the research-practice gap is not an end in itself, or an attempt to add legitimacy or credibility to the current enquiry. On the contrary, as Kaplan (1986, p. 438) notes, \"we cannot wander around aimlessly looking for observations in the world, and even in the early stages of research, must be guided by some conceptual or classification scheme\" (see also Schaltegger et al., 2013). The use of theory offers the opportunity to help organize, in a coherent way, an increased understanding of how something works and what it means (Dubin, 1976). In the context of the current study, we are trying to understand how the myriad of causes advanced for the purported failure of academic research to more adequately inform practice may be related, and to assess the significance of these alleged causes in a management accounting context. In bringing a theory-based, classificatory framework to the conversation then, our intent is to first identify, and consequently, to explore the relative importance of barriers that have been advanced as pivotal in preventing academic research from more effectively engaging with practice as they apply within Australia and Germany. In view of the limited empirical evidence on the research-practice gap, and consistent with the contention of Christensen (2011), our use of theory is intended to provide a first-order approximation of the problem to establish a foundational basis for further empirical enquiry.\n3. Research context and design: 3.1. Study participants\n4. Findings: Our findings as presented here, result from an analysis of the interview data collected in this study. Although we cite specific comments made by interviewees in this section, in an attempt to mitigate, if not eliminate, the inherent subjectivity in qualitative research (Broadbent and Unerman, 2011), and to provide an opportunity to enable the voices of our participants to \"speak for themselves\", \"representative\" quotes from our discussions have been selected on the basis that they are typical of, and illustrate the sentiments conveyed in our discussions (unless otherwise noted). The extent to which these quotations might be regarded as representative was determined by a debriefing between the researchers, where we passed several drafts and notes from the coding process between each other for review and feedback in our determination of their ability to encapsulate the sentiments raised in the discussions, overall. Our discussion of these findings below point to both a convergence as well as a divergence in the views expressed by Australian and German representatives.\n5. Discussion: In this section, we direct our attention to considering the implications of the similarities and differences suggested by our findings, and reflect on what have we learned about the way in which academic research might more effectively engage with practice as a result of this study. Before we do so, however, we place our findings in context by advocating a more critical approach to the qualitative evidence, as a precursor to considering their meaning and significance for the question investigated in this study.\n6. Concluding remarks: The current study contributes to conversations about the divide between research and practice that have occurred in the academic literature in three ways. First, by examining the extent to which academic research informs practice across two countries with quite different educational, institutional and practice traditions in management accounting, the current study contributes previously unreported views about the widespread nature of the gap. Second, rather than report on the relationship between academic research and practice from the frame of reference of academia, this study adds to the limited evidence about the disconnect between the worlds of academics and practitioners by further exploring the veracity and extent to which these academics' claims are consistent with those of practice at least from the vantage point of professional bodies. Third, our use of diffusion theory offers deeper insights into our understanding about the relationship between academic research and practice, by providing a means by which prior observations may be organized, potential reasons for the gap, diagnosed and their relative significance identified. A particular advantage of viewing the disconnect between research and practice through a theoretical lens is that rather than attempt to prescribe remedies to \"bridge\" the gap without having adequately framed the problem, the use of a guiding theoretical perspective facilitates deeper insights into the barriers that prevent the more effective engagement of academic research with practice. Consequently, it puts the definition of the problem at the centre of attention, rather than obscuring it, as other approaches have (arguably) tended to do in generating solutions and remedies, from the unilateral perspective of academia.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast perceptions about the research-practice \"gap\" as it may apply within management accounting, from the perspective of professional accounting bodies in Australia and Germany.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The findings reported in this paper is based on the collection and analysis of data from interviews with 19 senior representatives from four Australian Professional bodies and 14 representatives of German Professional accounting bodies.\nFindings: In Australia and Germany, there exist common as well as unique barriers preventing a more effective engagement of academic research with practice. Common to both countries is the perception that the communication of research represents a major barrier. In Australia, practitioner access to academic research is seen to be a principal obstacle; in Germany, the relevance of topics researched by academics is perceived to represent a significant barrier to academic research informing practice.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper directly engages with, and extends recent empirically based research into the extent to which academic research may \"speak\" to management accounting practice. It extricates both common and specific barriers contributing to the oft-quoted \"research-practice gap\" in management accounting, and points to the pivotal nature of an intermediary to act as a conduit between academics and practice.\nOriginality/value: By investigating this issue in two quite different cultural, educational, academic and practice contexts, this paper provides much-needed empirical evidence about the nature, extent and pervasiveness of the perceived research-practice gap in management accounting, and provides a basis for further investigation of this important topic.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Sequential auction based parking space sharing and pricing mechanism in the era of sharing economy	[ "Sharing economy", "Market design theory", "Parking space allocation", "Sequential auction" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: This paper is motivated by searching for available parking spaces in big cities during regular working time. Obviously, finding a parking space in peak hours is always a big headache to almost all car drivers. Some studies concluded that cruising for available and suitable parking spaces generally takes between 3.5 and 14 min in congested downtown (Shoup, 2006). Even a small search time per car can create a surprising amount of traffic, and about 50 percent of the traffic is caused by cruising for parking (Shoup, 2006). Meanwhile, tons of car emissions and remarkable traffic costs are generated for parking, which inevitably leads to severe environmental pollution. Most metropolitan cities have already utilized \"the most widely accepted and readily accepted method\" of limiting car use (Pierce et al., 2015). However, parking is still a huge challenge, and better solutions are still urgently needed. That explained why the parking problem has grabbed more attention from the academia and practitioners in recent years.\n2. Literature review: This section briefly reviews related work: market design mechanism and parking policies and parking pricing.\n3. Problem description: As shown in Figure 1, we consider a parking space allocation and pricing system where parking spaces can be shared and allocated through the parking space management platform. The platform is responsible for both exchanges of private parking spaces and auctions of private and public parking spaces. There are two types of users on the platform: exchange agents and bidders who are self-interested. Exchange agents can exchange their private parking spaces by market design, while bidders can obtain parking slots by auction design.\n4. Mechanism design: 4.1 Market design mechanism\n5. Experiment and result: 5.1 Experimental details\n6. Results and discussions: The performance for agents, bidders, platform and the total cost saving is examined. First, for the agents who take part in the private parking spaces sharing through the PC-TTCC mechanism, \"cost saving\" (Y=) presents the total cost saving per working day. And \"exchanged percentage\" (%) stands for the average percentage of the agents whose private parking spaces are successfully exchanged. Then, the cost saving for all the bidders who need a parking slot and participate in the auction calls bidders' \"utility\" (Y=), which is equal to the bidders' value subtracts bidders' payment. Bidders' payment is the winning bidders' total final trading price via the auction. Besides, after participating in the parking spaces auction, the bidder is more likely to find the parking space than he/she did not participate in the auction, so the utility is used to demonstrate the overall benefits of the bidder after participating in the auction. Finally, \"profit\" (Y=) of the platform represents under the PC-TTCC and auction mechanisms. \"Number of private parking spaces\" represents the (average) number received by the platform. Note that \"total cost saving\" (%) is the total cost saving ratio of agents and bidders by integrating PC-TTCC [d, e] mechanisms and mth and m+1 auction mechanisms. For better interpretation, the results are presented in the form of performance tables.\n7. Conclusions and managerial implications: Nowadays, people spend a large amount of time on cruising for searching park spaces due to the shortage of parking spaces. The more people cruise, the more serious traffic jam is. Most of the relevant research focuses on public parking policies and public parking pricing, but few studies pay attention to effective allocation and pricing of parking spaces with sharing of private parking space. In this paper, we design two sequential auction mechanisms to realize the allocation and pricing of parking spaces. Especially, we use forecasted auction price as a bridge to connect market design mechanisms and auction mechanisms.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to design a parking space management platform to alleviate the parking problem and a two-stage solution for sharing and allocating parking spaces.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The market design mechanism and auction mechanism are integrated to solve the problem of parking space sharing and allocation. In the first stage, the market design mechanism with two rules is applied for making the good use of idle parking spaces. In the second stage, two sequential auction mechanisms are designed by extending first/second-price sealed bid auction mechanism to allocate both private and public parking spaces, which are received in previous stage and owned by the platform. Two stages are connected through a forecasted price which is calculated through the exponential smoothing method.\nFindings: First, we prove three important properties of the proposed sequential auction mechanisms, namely, incentive compatibility, revenue equivalence and individual rationality. Second, a simulation study is used to verify the effectiveness of the mechanisms through numerical analysis. The impact of the system on three parts, namely, agents (private parking space suppliers), bidders (parking space customers) and the platform, is examined. Third, the results show that the sharing mechanism with monetrary incentive will attract a number of agents to join in the platform. The bidders are also able to obtain considerable utility, as compared with the (average) market parking fees. The platform can thus effectively allocate parking spaces with reasonable prices.\nOriginality/value: This paper combines the classical sequential auction mechanisms with the market design mechanism for the parking space sharing and allocation problem. The modeling and analysis method can also be used to address the similar allocation and pricing problems of other resources like bicycle sharing.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Invisible communication: a challenge to established marketing communication	[ "Brand management", "Marketing communications", "Invisible communication", "Relationship communication", "Service‐dominant logic" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In traditional marketing communication the company is seen as the driver and director of the creation of meaning concerning corporate and brand images. Schultz (2006), a proponent of integrated marketing communication (IMC), has pointed out the need to take a new approach in order to recognize the customer's active role in marketing communication. He points out that it is the customer who integrates communication, not the marketer (Schultz, 2006, p. 7), and that the customer may integrate any communication about the company, not only the planned marketing communication. Already several years ago Duncan and Moriarty (1997) argued that although customer relationship-based thinking had been introduced as a new marketing approach, the critical role of communication was still not fully recognized and understood. In their view the relationship marketing literature had generally focused on the outcome of communication and had failed to include the communication process as a critical dimension in relationship building. Consequently, they suggested a communication-based marketing model for managing relationships, which should be based on studying the influence of interactivity and how meaning is created among customers.Interestingly, in the service literature a similar shift in focus has been proposed when discussing value-in-use in a service-dominant logic or service logic (Gronroos, 1978, 2006, 2008; Vargo and Lusch, 2004, 2008). The change in focus is based on the view that value is created when customers use resources provided by the service company rather than on the notion of built-in exchange value in services delivered to the customer. It has been suggested that the concept of service should be used to denote the interactive process instead of the service provider's performance and that value is determined by the customer. In this paper the traditional company-centered view will be contrasted with a customer-dominant view, where the focus is on the customer's communication activities. We explore the implications of the proposal that empowered customers take an active role in their communication and interaction with companies (Lindberg-Repo and Gronroos, 2004; Schultz, 2006; Payne et al., 2009; Rindell and Strandvik, 2010; Heinonen et al., 2010).Based on a review of the literature, we argue that the current marketing communications, service management and relationship marketing literature is overly optimistic about companies' possibilities to control interactions and communication with customers, and that this leads to overlooking the problem of invisible communication. We define invisible communication as communication occurring when no communication seems to take place from the marketer's point of view about the company itself or its products and service, but still does so from the customer's point of view. In other words, we focus on communication about the firm, brand, or service that the customer perceives regardless of the source. The marketer may remain unaware of this part of this communication; it goes unnoticed by them, but is present for the customer. That is why we label this communication invisible for the marketer. In this paper we argue that it is crucial for the marketer to become more informed about this communication, which is beyond their current \"line of vision\". This problem has only partially been discussed in earlier academic literature and does not seem to have been recognized by practitioners either.The aim of this paper is to examine the implications for marketing communication practice when customers are seen as active integrators rather than passive target groups of communication about a company or brand. The communication concept thus encompasses not only intentional communication from the company but any communication from any source about the company. Our approach builds on ideas discussed in recent service literature where a service-dominant logic (Vargo and Lusch, 2004, 2008), a service logic (Gronroos, 2006, 2008), and a customer-dominant logic (Heinonen et al., 2010) have been proposed. The paper challenges current conceptual models of marketing communication by adopting a customer-based perspective. Drawing on traditional marketing communication research, service management research, and insights from relationship communication research, we propose a framework that extends the categories of communication by including the customer relationship context. Not only do we propose invisible communication as a new issue in communication, but we also argue that invisible communication may have more influence on customers than the explicit communication recognized and managed by a company. Thus, a real challenge for marketing management is to see, i.e. identify and understand, more of the currently invisible communication. We further suggest that there are different types of invisible communication that need to be explored. In this paper we specifically discuss and suggest explicit implications and challenges for the marketer.The paper is structured as follows. The conceptual framework consists of two elements; an activity categorization and a categorization of different modes and outcomes of communication. First, the paper conceptualizes customer activity in communication by outlining an activity matrix. Second, different modes and outcomes of communication are outlined in a communication matrix. Next, the implications for managers are discussed by characterizing different types of contact points, and finally suggestions for future research are offered.\nCustomer activity in communication: It is possible to distinguish between different degrees and modes of customer activity. On the one hand customer activity can be seen as the customers' mental activity in creating meaning from messages received, which means that the message is interpreted and integrated with other information about the company or their offering as well as with other information that is associated with the context. Interrelated with this mental activity is the customers' behavioral activity in terms of taking communication initiatives, searching for information, responding to company communication, and communicating with peers. In contrast, a passive customer is one that is seen as merely the target of the marketer's communication activities and is assumed to respond to the specific activity by accepting the message as intended.The traditional communication perspective, with a sender (company) sending a message and a receiver (customer) receiving it (Schramm, 1971), gives a far too narrow picture of what can occur in a customer relationship in terms of communication. The traditional perspective has been criticized because it sees the customer as a passive object (Buttle, 1995). On the one hand customers have acquired more power in the communication flow (Schultz and Barnes, 1999), and on the other hand increasing competition has brought about a need for a better understanding of how customers perceive different messages. Thus, there are several arguments for focusing more on the consumer/customer perspective in the communication process.In advertising research, Percy et al. (2001) have suggested two-dimensions, an activity dimension and a contextual dimension, to characterize customer activity. According to these researchers, most advertising studies consider the audience to be passive with no contextual influence. However, a few recent researchers position themselves in the opposite camp: the audience is assumed to be active and contextual influence is taken into account. A stronger focus on the customer raises the question of the participants' roles in the communication process, where the receiver should not be seen as a passive receiving object, but as an active individual who creates his own meaning from a variety of messages. Meaning can be defined as \"[...] one outcome of perception; meaning formation is a process within the perceptual process\" (Friedmann and Zimmer, 1988, p. 31). The meaning-based model by Mick and Buhl (1992) stresses the role and influence of the customer's life history, personal interest-driven life projects and life themes, on the subjective outcome of marketing communication. Thus, Mick and Buhl recognize the influence of a time perspective, which is also the case when a customer relationship view is applied. Therefore, studies on relationship communication including customer activity and context may offer additional insights on the communication process.During the last decade, relationship marketing has developed increasingly as a fruitful approach. Associated with this paradigm, the term relationship communication, which emphasizes interaction between the company and the customer over time has started to be used (Lindberg-Repo and Gronroos, 2004; Finne and Gronroos, 2009). As there are two parties in a relationship, the challenge for a service company is not only to integrate its own communication as such, as is proposed in the IMC tradition, but also to understand how the customer integrates the communication and reacts on it.The current categorization of marketing communication sources\nDiscussion and implications: The aim of this paper was to present a new framework for marketing communication management by combining traditional marketing communication research, service management research, and insights from relationship communication research. The extended marketing communication framework described above makes a contribution to emerging service logic (Gronroos, 2008; Vargo and Lusch, 2004, 2008). Applying a customer-dominant logic (Heinonen et al., 2010) gives a reason and need for the marketing management to extend their perspective from being based on traditional information transfer to a focus on customers' meaning creation. Thus, the focal point here is the customer-integrated communication perspective (Schultz, 2006). When the customer is in the driver's seat, it becomes necessary to understand more holistically how the service fits into the customer's communication, experiences, activity patterns, and life. Information needs to be gathered with a new scope and probably using new methods. Without such insights, both explicit and invisible marketing communication will be less effective or may even be completely misplaced. Marketing communication should support the customer's processes, activities and life (Heinonen et al., 2010). The aim should not be to sell but to make it easy to buy. This paper provides a conceptual framework for understanding different forms of marketing communication from a customer's perspective, which is still related to the company's perspective, and thus it illustrates managerial challenges to marketing communication practices.In the service literature it has often been proposed that a key characteristic of managing services is the need to focus on the interactions with the customer. We do not argue that this should not be the case, as long as it is understood to include all interactions. In this paper, we have put forward the suggestion that \"those interactions that are not seen by the company might be equally or even more decisive in shaping the customer's image of the company\" than those that are seen. Even when an interaction is planned and managed, the outcome in terms of meaning constructed in the mind of the customer may be different from what was intended. Therefore, it makes sense to start from how customers structure their image of a company, what factors they pay attention to (not what the company pays attention to) and why, as well as how these images may change over time.Managerial challenges\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of invisible communication and its implications in marketing communication. It defines invisible communication and proposes an analytic framework enabling an expanded view of marketing communication.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - By explicitly adopting a customer-oriented perspective, combined with insights from service marketing and relationship communication, the paper extends current models of marketing communication.\nFindings: - The paper identifies different types of invisible communication and presents new perspectives on marketing communication. The authors outline a framework for understanding how the company can/cannot control different forms of marketing communication and discuss the implications of this.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The paper concentrates on a conceptual analysis, offering a number of practical illustrations. The conceptual development creates new research issues that should lead to a deeper understanding of customers' meaning creation, actions and reactions.\nPractical implications: - Invisible communication constitutes a managerial challenge as it is often unrecognized by the management. The paper points to the need to develop methods to reveal the existence and effects of invisible communication as well as to create guidelines for managerial response.\nOriginality/value: - The customer-based perspective and the focus on invisible communication provide a new approach to analysing and understanding marketing communication. The paper contributes to service marketing and marketing communication research by introducing conceptualisations of invisible communication that have an interest for both academic research and practitioners.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Learning and performance journeys	[ "Learning", "Performance management", "Corporate strategy", "Training" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nLearning - a lever of performance: Throughout the past two decades training has sought to \"justify\" the investment in training programs; doing so all too often from a pure training perspective. The specialist roles within training have held onto the specific training skills and knowledge of adult learning theories and evaluative techniques that focus on training to demonstrate the need for specialism.Why then, do we see significant levels of \"repeat\" training, vast expenditure on \"new\" training programs that have already been rolled out and a perception that training provision is a \"defensive\" tick box exercise that has to be suffered rather than a key element in a cultural drive for improved performance and a significant performance lever that can make a positive impact on organizational results?All too often we see this example (Figure 1) as the initial need analysis.The first and most significant question we need to address before investing in any training is - \"Why do we need to?\" This leads logically to the question - \"What are we expecting as a result of completing training?\" Solutioneering (pre determined high level training wants) provides a narrow and often misplaced framework for linking training to either the genuine needs of individuals or to the possibility of impact on performance.As we explore the link with performance we have seen through research that it is essential all parties are agreed on how any \"developmental\" support aligns to the organizational vision and to the function, team and role performance expectation and priorities. The purpose of development activity and the performance intent resulting from the investment in time and money must be clear and agreed by all parties. There is a need for specialist initial consulting and \"need analysis\" which is critical at this stage.Whether we are seeking to build on individual, team and organizational strengths or addressing specific gaps in knowledge, skill and/or behavioral application quality and consistency, or simply developing consistency through induction, or creating new approaches and application it is key that change expectation is coordinated. All parties need to commit to the successful realization of a performance shift through accepting their responsibilities within the coordinated learning and performance journey to the new expectation level and to enable the intent of initiatives. This remains applicable when considering the content and approaches utilized in standard career progression programs. They need to be developed to support individuals in a journey from one role to another, from one level to another or from one skill set to a new set. In working with organizations we often find a lack of specialist learning and development (L&D) expertise being employed at the requirement identification phase.The opportunity to ensure success through clarification of roles within the journey is often missed or overlooked as a single training event or mechanism is considered. Transformation from this isolated event is then expected, although the measurement of impact and application from the investment is rarely considered or discussed at an operational level.There are many approaches to performance consulting. Whichever approach is adopted it is the link with Learning that is then key to ensuring any investment in L&D activity will positively support the achievement of intent. One of the simplest mechanisms in achieving such a link is to adopt the use of an intended impact grid (adapted from Brinkerhoff, 2002). An example is shown in Figure 2.Initially agree and complete the links to purpose and intent. This will enable the key performance results of the entire initiative to be defined, the critical actions required of each role to achieve the results and then an exploration of the underlying knowledge, skill application, thought processes and behavioral application required to competently fulfill the critical actions. From here a gap analysis can be completed and a consideration of the following can be initiated:The extent of performance change required.The cost of doing nothing.Clarification of responsibilities.The range of supportive and enabling activity being undertaken.Ways of ensuring collaboration across sub initiatives.The appropriate mix and timing of \"impact\" activity.The extent of learning required.The appropriate mix and management of communication, direct training/coaching/formal and informal learning activity and the use of measurement to reinforce intent.Readiness for organizational learning (Preskill and Torres, 2001).The total learning and performance journey definition and implementation plan.It is the extent of the impact of the total initiative on performance that is key to sustained success and it is helpful to understand the contribution of each element in the journey to seek continued improvement. Thus we seek to appreciate the systemic factors that impact upon learning as they relate and contribute to intended performance rather than justify training.\nThe learning journey that supports performance change: At each stage in the journey there are a wide range of potential learning methodologies and medium available to the specialist (Figure 3).With each of these there are techniques, balance, emphasis, and application considerations which will reflect their appropriateness against purpose, level of individual or group on the journey and the extent of change required. Mix, complexity and the extent of co-ordination or collaboration within the journey will depend upon the extent of investment available and the potential return.Examples of media choices:1. Face to face - group:Courses - ranging from one day to extensive coordinated programs over a longer period of time.Workshops/seminars (in-house)/lectures - in house, external expert or academia led/\"lunch groups\".Team learning - meetings; exploratory or facilitated.Presentations.Conference/exhibitions/seminars (external or internal).Team coaching sessions.1. Face to face - individual:Coaching - on the job, off role/mentoring.Drop - in \"surgeries\".Buddying.(Counselling).\"Informal individual and team - knowledge and skill realisation\".1. Technology based training/coaching:E-learning - including immersive, 3D.Internet and intranet hosted knowledge sources - just in time access libraries.Virtual classrooms, video-conference, webinars/synchronous learning.Performance support mechanism as process and framework development.Teleconference, tele-class, phone/skype based support.Mobile learning.Video/DVD/CD including \"impact video voiceover\" on essentials.Podcast.Audio.Social networking mechanisms.Wii based simulation.Simulators/simulation.1. Co-ordinated learning:Work-based projects and assignments.Action learning sets and study groups.Planned \"job\" experience.Individual study - reading books, libraries, case studies, research, educational qualifications.Visits - study, organization, industry.Self awareness tools and support.Team awareness tools and support.*Voluntary work, community work.The specialist L&D contribution is leveraged when the objectives relating to each intervention or activity relates clearly to the intent of the overall initiative and purpose of performance expectation.The content and emphasis within the learning and performance journey will be enhanced by collaboration with wider associated action, e.g. links to reward, performance management, organization design, policy, risk management, etc. and their coordinated intended impact and contribution to the realization of strategy. Indeed, performance management should often lead.In the example in Figure 4, utilized for the launch of a new product, we can see the coordination and collaboration between the executive, product development, sales management, training, marketing, customer service, reward and IT support teams and the responsibility for learning resting with the individuals and their line managers. Such an approach requires and encourages a degree of operational connectivity within the organization to ensure success and the acceptance by managers that the management of learning is a genuine performance lever. Through the provision of a range of learning opportunities the L&D team coordinated contribution and worked with all contributing functions to ensure that the techniques utilized within each component opportunity were appropriate to the extent of change required. It combines a mix of communication, process improvement, performance management and training using specialists in each discipline to ensure the agreed intent is achieved.Learning and development functions exist to support the wider organization to achieve levels of performance that ensure the achievement of vision, purpose and strategy. With this clarity measures relating to contribution, the management of the function and the build of learning and performance journey opportunities can be focused appropriately. Specialists can ensure an appropriate balance of responsibility and approach and the best techniques are framed to achieve intent. The perception of L&D as a true performance lever may then be realized.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to demonstrate the significance and potential of learning as a performance lever.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Through experience of working within a number of organizations across varied industries the author has formulated a clear link between learning and performance. This paper intends to demonstrate an approach that ensures a collaborative responsibility between learning functions and organization management in the deployment of learning opportunities in a performance journey from current to expected levels.\nFindings: - The paper considers that learning and performance journeys can be combined and managed to greater effect if training is not treated as a one-off event and that change is more likely if the responsibility for learning and performance is held by individuals and the coordination of learning opportunity support is led by specialists yet implemented in an integrated way by all.\nPractical implications: - There are a number of implications: the concept of learning and performance journeys being coordinated to ensure transfer of learning to the workplace rather than a focus on single training events or interventions; the use of multi-media approaches to the provision of learning opportunity to enable improved performance over time; the focus of measurement, reporting and subsequent adjustments to the provision of learning on performance outputs rather than measurement of training inputs.\nOriginality/value: - The paper demonstrates learning and performance journeys as a concept. It is of significant value to heads of learning and development and organization management involved in change and the achievement of strategy and vision.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Determinants of consumers' intention to adopt mobile banking services in Zimbabwe	[ "Consumer behaviour", "Innovation adoption", "Behavioural intention", "Technology adoption", "Zimbabwe", "Mobile banking" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Increased global competition in the banking sector has spurred banks to devise innovative ways to outwit competition (Alalwan et al., 2016; Cudjoe et al., 2015; Koksal, 2016). As such, banks have embraced new technologies that have redefined the banking landscape (Malhotra and Singh, 2010). As the internet evolved from fixed-line constraints to being mobile, mobile communications devices such as mobile phones, which used to be a preserve for making calls, are now being used to conduct banking transactions (Koenig-Lewis et al., 2010). This platform, which came to be known as mobile banking or m-banking, has ushered a new era in the banking sector all over the world (Laukkanen, 2007; Shambare, 2013; Yang, 2009). Thus, banks all over the world, including Zimbabwe have embraced mobile banking as a survival strategy in recent decades. They now offer mobile banking services to their customers (Alalwan et al., 2016; Cudjoe et al., 2015; Koksal, 2016). According to Chitungo and Munongo (2013), notable mobile banking services in Zimbabwe include Kingdom Bank's Cellcard, Tetrad's e-Mali, Econet Wireless' EcoCash, CABS' Textacash, Interfin Bank's Cybercash and CBZ Bank's Mobile banking.\nLiterature: Mobile banking\nDevelopment of hypotheses and conceptual framework: In Shaikh and Karjaluoto (2015), perceived usefulness was reported to positively influence the behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking. Perceived usefulness was found to positively influence the intention to use mobile banking (Hanafizadeh et al., 2014). In Germany, perceived usefulness was found to positively influence the adoption of mobile banking among young consumers (Koenig-Lewis et al., 2010). Similarly, perceived usefulness was found to have a positive influence on the adoption of third-generation (3G) services among Chinese consumers (Du et al., 2012). Juwaheer et al. (2012) concluded that perceived usefulness has a direct influence on internet banking adoption in Mauritius, while in Riquelme and Rios (2010) perceived usefulness was also found to positively influence the intention to adopt mobile banking. It is, therefore, hypothesised that:\nResearch methodology: Questionnaire design and measures\nAnalysis and results: Before conducting structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses, data were validated. Data validation included tests on normality, convergent validity, discriminant validity, multicollinearity and common method bias (CMB).\nDiscussion and implications: The findings of the study have implications for theory, practice and future research.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of consumers' intention to adopt mobile banking services in Zimbabwe.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A survey of 232 bank customers was conducted in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, using a structured questionnaire with Likert-type questions. Customers were randomly intercepted as they walked out of five major banks. Structural equation modelling, independent-samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to test research hypotheses.\nFindings: The study found that perceived usefulness, perceived self-efficacy, social influence, relative advantage and perceived compatibility all have a positive effect, whilst perceived risk has a negative effect on behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking services in Zimbabwe. Perceived ease of use, facilitating conditions, perceived complexity, perceived trialability, awareness-knowledge and demographic factors (gender, age, education and income) did not significantly influence behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking. Perceived ease of use was found to positively influence perceived usefulness, while perceived self-efficacy was found to have a positive effect on perceived ease of use. Behavioural intention was found to positively influence usage of mobile banking services in Zimbabwe.\nResearch limitations/implications: Data were collected from bank customers in Chinhoyi, one of the emerging towns in Zimbabwe. Future research should be expanded to include other major cities in Zimbabwe and other countries. More similar studies should be conducted to test the factors identified in literature in different contexts and markets and on other innovations.\nPractical implications: The study advises banks to pay particular attention to perceived usefulness, perceived self-efficacy, social influence, relative advantage, perceived compatibility and perceived risk when designing new mobile banking services.\nOriginality/value: There is not a unified position regarding factors influencing mobile banking adoption. Factors vary with contexts, markets, time and types of innovations. The study tested some major factors identified in literature in the context of Zimbabwe.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Unseen: the sexual harassment of low-income women in America	[ "Gender", "Feminism", "MeToo movement" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Although sexual harassment has been documented since at least the Industrial Revolution (Bularzik, 1978), it was only in the last quarter of the twentieth century that the issue reached public awareness, first as a joke, then as an aberration, and finally as a social problem. Even today, when powerful men have toppled before our eyes and #MeToo has become a catchphrase, there are millions of women for whom these changes are irrelevant or nonexistent. This paper is about them.\nUntold stories: Single women in low-income housing\nThe promise of collective action: \"the times, they are a'changin\": Williams et al. (1999) set out to determine how organizations could reduce sexual harassment; they operationalized organizational climate via examining actual organizational practices, including worker education (e.g. training), the provision of resources (e.g. hotlines, counseling) and policy implementation (both prevention and enforcement activities) in a sample of more than 22,000 members of the armed forces, both women and men. They found that the only set of practices that reduced sexual harassment involved implementation, that is, tangible actions to prevent harassing behavior and enforce sanctions against those who harassed others. Although training and the provision of resources had a minor effect on incidence rates, these were weak, inconsistent and accounted for very little variance. Implementation, on the other hand, had a strong linear relationship with harassment rates; the more effort the organization (in this case, various military units) put into tangible efforts to prevent harassment and sanction those who engaged in it, the less harassment occurred, accounting for an astonishing 14 percent of the variance of harassment rates in the female sample. Unfortunately, nearly 20 years later, organizations of all kinds continue to place their emphasis on devising policies and implementing training. One dramatic exception has recently appeared, however, and that in a most unlikely setting.\nConcluding thoughts: Too many have been left behind in the whirl of publicity that has attended the victimization of famous women and the fall of powerful men. This is ironic, in that the original founder of #MeToo, Black activist Tarana Burke, began her career as a teenager working with girls in marginalized communities. Even as we celebrate the bravery and strength of those who risked so much to come forward, it is important that the glamour of Hollywood and its associated celebrity not blind us to the experiences of these unseen women. Otherwise, we risk replicating the mistakes of Second-wave feminists in the \"1960s\" and \"1970s\" who, with the best intentions in the world, were nevertheless blind to the vulnerability and oppression of their sisters of color and other women disadvantaged by race and class. This necessarily brief and narrow look into the lives of unseen women reminds us not only that they have stories to tell, but that we have much to learn.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the harassment of vulnerable women whose lives and experiences remain largely unseen in the era of #MeToo.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper draws from the sparse empirical literature as well as the more informal accounts provided by social justice organizations, investigative journalists and legal commentary about four spheres that have largely remained invisible: women in low-income housing, agricultural workers, janitorial workers and restaurant workers. It also reviews the surprising success stories that some of these groups have achieved and invite us to ponder what we can learn from them.\nFindings: Farm workers, sub-minimum wage restaurant workers, single mothers and janitorial workers are several groups that were not highlighted by the current movement.\nSocial implications: Highlighting the experiences of those who remain largely hidden in and from academic discourse and, more largely, the public eye enlarges the scope of knowledge and encourages further scholarly inquiry.\nOriginality/value: Combining the perspectives of scholar and social justice activist illuminates the depth and breadth of largely invisible classes of harassment victims and the potentially novel remedies they have initiated.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Top management commitment, corporate social responsibility and green human resource management: A Malaysian study	[ "Sustainability", "Corporate social responsibility", "Emerging economy", "Top management commitment", "Green human resource management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Managing corporate environmental sustainability is a complex task, and can be considered one of the major challenges faced by organisations (Dubey et al., 2015). It has become imperative for any organisation not only to act responsibly towards the environment, but also to behave in a socially responsible manner while trying to achieve its economic goals (Gupta et al., 2018). In order to achieve proactive corporate environmental sustainability, organisations must mobilise their human resources in pursuing green objectives (Daily and Huang, 2001), thus linking environmental sustainability to the future of human resource management (HRM) (Jackson et al., 2014). Therefore, there exists a growing need for businesses to integrate environmental management into their HRM practices (Longoni et al., 2016; Jabbour and Santos, 2008; Paille et al., 2014; Renwick et al., 2008, 2013, 2015; Wagner, 2011, 2013).\n2. Literature review and development of hypotheses: 2.1 Green human resource management (GHRM)\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Sample and procedure\n4. Findings: To achieve the objective of this paper, a quantitative method was employed, using the statistical package of structural equation modelling (SEM) with the partial least square (PLS) method. The software used is included as part of a component-based SEM method (Hair et al., 2014). This software is useful since it makes fewer demands in terms of sample size. According to Hair et al. (2014), PLS-SEM offers remarkable multivariate data analysis because of the statistical software's ability to examine the structural model with acceptable power using a very small sample. Kock and Hadaya (2018) posit that strong path coefficients at the population level tend to require very small sample sizes. Ramli et al. (2018) have concurred with Hair et al. (2014) that 5 to 10 cases are needed for a complex model. Despite the fact that PLS-SEM is not very sensitive to assumptions of normality, it is worth considering the statistical power of predictors in the model in terms of sample size (Fernando and Chukai, 2018). Thus, SmartPLS 3.2 software is used here for data analysis.\n5. Discussion and conclusion: The originality of this research is in putting together the relationship between top management commitment, CSR and GHRM. Based on the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first work testing this theoretical framework in light of empirical evidence from Malaysia, contributing to a better understanding of sustainability in manufacturing and service companies, which remains a gap in the state-of-the-art literature (Gunasekaran and Spalanzani, 2012).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between top management commitment, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green human resource management (GHRM).\nDesign/methodology/approach: A self-administered questionnaire was adopted to perform a systematic collection of data from manufacturing and service organisations in Malaysia. The partial least squares method was used for the conceptual framework of the study.\nFindings: The observed findings indicate a significant positive relationship between top management commitment and CSR, as well all dimensions of GHRM. However, counterintuitively, the relationship between CSR and GHRM was found not to be as significant as expected (except for CSR and green analysis/job description), which can be explained through the emerging perspective that CSR and HRM should be linked.\nResearch limitations/implications: The findings provide insights as to the nature of GHRM and how it is affected by CSR and top management commitment in an emerging economy - in this particular study, Malaysia. Moreover, the observed results highlight the crucial importance of top management commitment in implementing GHRM practices and CSR efficiently in order to create positive environmental performance.\nOriginality/value: The authors believe that, to date, no study has explored the links between top management commitment, CSR and GHRM using empirical data from Malaysia, as well as that this research is an important emerging topic for researchers, academicians and practitioners.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Hospital service quality and patient loyalty: the mediation effect of empathy	[ "Service quality", "Empathy", "Hospital management", "Patient loyalty" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The healthcare system in Asia has attracted worldwide attention from both researchers and practitioners in recent years (Wen et al., 2008; Cheng, 2015; Mok et al., 2013). Research in industrial marketing, however, has not engaged in sufficient discussion of healthcare service, a unique and important industrial context. Previous healthcare service studies have focused narrowly on the visible outcomes of healthcare service quality (e.g. patient satisfaction and behavioural intention); however, the less visible yet more profound outcomes have been neglected (Dwivedi et al., 2016; Papanikolaou and Zygiaris, 2014). Drawing on social identity theory (He et al., 2012; Hogg, 2016), customer (i.e. patient) loyalty can be an important outcome that, although not easily observed, is critical to every hospital.\nTheoretical background and hypothesis development: Customer loyalty in the healthcare industry\nMethodology: We tested our theoretical model using two empirical studies.\nDiscussion: Based on social identity theory, this research explained the relationship between healthcare service quality and patients' loyalty to a hospital. Using two studies based on different data sources - healthcare employees and their counterparts (i.e. patients) - we found supporting evidence from different stakeholders in the healthcare industry. Our findings offer important theoretical and practical implications.\nLimitations and future research suggestions: Finally, our study has some limitations that could help improve future studies. First, although our data were drawn from two different sources, we adopted only cross-sectional designs, which could lead to common method bias (Harrison and McLaughlin, 1993). Thus, to make the research results more accurate and robust, we recommend future studies to adopt more longitudinal designs in the empirical investigation of the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty.\nConclusion: Our research applies social identity theory to develop a framework of service quality and explains the mediation relationship between service quality and patient loyalty to a hospital. Two studies found supportive evidence based on an SEM framework from different stakeholders in the healthcare industry. In Study 1, a hospital staff survey showed that service quality enhanced patients' perceived empathy from the hospital. In Study 2, we confirmed and extended the findings of Study 1 using patients' survey data to reveal that patients' empathy mediated the relationship between service quality and patients' loyalty to the hospital. This research interprets healthcare phenomena based on their service nature and extends the customer loyalty literature by exploring the critical antecedents and mechanisms of customer loyalty in the healthcare industry. Further, we offer an insightful approach from a social identity perspective to explain the service quality-patient loyalty psychological path in the healthcare industry.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Drawing on social identification theory, this research aims to explore an important mechanism - patients' perceived empathy from a hospital, which is defined as caring, individualized attention provided by the hospital - that explains how service quality influences patients' loyalty to the hospital.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study adopts a structural equation modelling framework to estimate the mediation relationship between service quality and patient loyalty using two studies based on hospital employees and patients.\nFindings: In Study 1, hospital staff survey data showed that service quality enhanced patients' perceived empathy from the hospital. In Study 2, the authors confirmed and extended the findings of Study 1 by using patient survey data that suggested that patients' empathy mediated the relationship between service quality and patients' loyalty to the hospital.\nOriginality/value: The results of the two studies suggested that service quality increased patients' empathy, which in turn improved patients' loyalty to a hospital. The results extend the customer loyalty literature by exploring the critical antecedents and mechanisms of customer loyalty in the healthcare context. The studies interpret healthcare phenomena from the service aspect of fulfilling patients' unique needs and providing a good hospital service experience. Moreover, the authors offer an insightful approach to explaining the service quality-patient loyalty linkage in the healthcare industry. Important theoretical and managerial contributions and suggestions for future research are discussed.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
"Involuntary self-employment" as a public policy issue: a cross-country European review	[ "Self employed workers", "Involuntary actions", "Industrial relations", "Public policy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The movement towards vertical de-integration, outsourcing and the use of new technologies are increasingly contributing to an erosion of conventional organisational structures and working arrangements (Beck, 2000; Boyle, 1994; Harrison, 1994; Sennett, 1998). These developments have given rise to growing political interest and concern regarding people being \"pushed\" into new forms of precarious self-employment, which are located in a \"grey area\" between employment and self-employment (Perulli, 2003; Schulze Buschoff, 2004). The employer's motive for such arrangements is to look for flexibility by avoiding the costs, obligations and responsibilities related to employment relationships. The employee, on the other hand, is often effectively \"forced\" into becoming a subcontractor.Two streams of literature and policy discourse can be distinguished in this context, each approaching the phenomenon from a different perspective. One perspective focuses on the negative \"push\" motives of starting up in business by using terms such as involuntary (Kautonen et al., 2009), forced (Hakala, 2006; Hughes, 2006) and reluctant self-employment or entrepreneurship (Boyle, 1994; Galbraith and Latham, 1996; Stanworth and Stanworth, 1997). The other perspective refers to the legal and economic aspects of operating in the grey area between an employment relationship and self-employment. Terms used in this context include quasi self-employment (Dietrich, 1999; Schmidt and Schwerdtner, 1999), false self-employment (Burchell et al., 1999; Harvey, 2001), para-subordination (Perulli, 2003), employed self-employment (Paasch, 1990; Wank, 1988), hybrid self-employment (Bogenhold, 1987) and dependent self-employment (Boheim and Muehlberger, 2006).This paper adopts the notion of \"involuntary self-employment\" to encompass both of these perspectives. Thus, the concept of involuntary self-employment consists of two elements referred to as \"involuntariness\" and \"quasi self-employment\", which relate to the aforementioned two perspectives, respectively. Accordingly, involuntary self-employed are defined as individuals who have been \"pushed\" by the employer's initiative (involuntariness) into precarious working arrangements which are neither employment relationships nor \"real\" self-employment (quasi self-employment). Involuntary self-employment emerges when an employer decides to re-define a task that has been conventionally performed in a \"normal\" employment relationship as a self-employed subcontracting arrangement.In spite of its increasing topicality, little is actually known about involuntary self-employment. The present paper attempts to narrow this research gap by providing a broad overview of the existing research and current policy debates in this topic area, which serves as a starting point for further research and policy development. First, by means of an interdisciplinary literature synthesis, the conceptual section provides an overview of both the motives-based perspective and the legal/economic discourse on involuntary self-employment, focusing on the main conceptual arguments and policy issues. Second, the paper illustrates the versatility of the phenomenon across Europe by discussing its political topicality, the nature and extent of the phenomenon as well as the related legal discourse in Finland, Germany and the UK. The analysis is based on research conducted in an international collaborative project commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of Labour in 2006-2007.\nInvoluntary self-employment: characteristics and policy issues: The following discussion addresses the phenomenon of involuntary self-employment from the two perspectives that are manifest in the extant literature:1. the motives-based perspective which considers the negative \"push\" motives for becoming self-employed; and2. the legal and economic aspects of precarious quasi self-employment arrangements which may emerge when employers re-define employment relationships as self-employed subcontracting arrangements.The discussion addresses the characteristics of involuntary self-employment and the principal policy issues from both of these perspectives.\"Involuntariness\" as a motive for self-employment\nInvoluntary self-employment in Finland, Germany and the UK: Background\nConclusion: Involuntary self-employment was defined as consisting of two components. One is the subjective experience of being \"pushed\" into self-employment as a result of (the threat of) unemployment. The other component is the quasi self-employed status, which refers to the working arrangements of these individuals being somewhere in the grey area between employment and self-employment. The following sums up the key arguments focusing both on the conceptual review and the country case studies, and discusses their implications for further research and policy development.Even though the literature generally tends to associate entrepreneurship motivated by necessity or involuntariness with a lesser contribution to the economy than opportunity-motivated entrepreneurship, a negative start-up motive as such does not necessarily mean that the business could not thrive in the long term, given that many necessity-oriented entrepreneurs turn into more opportunity-oriented ones as their businesses become more established (Williams, 2007). However, involuntary self-employment as discussed in this study, comprising situations where \"normal\" work is redefined as self-employment, is unlikely to make a significant economic contribution in terms of the positive externalities often associated with entrepreneurship. This is compounded by the likely reduction in social insurance receipts. The flip side of the economic contribution concerns increases in flexibility in existing (large) firms as a result of outsourcing \"normal\" work to self-employed workers.The economic benefits to the outsourcing enterprises may be offset by the social costs to the involuntary self-employed, and society more broadly. These may include, for instance, high levels of stress due to increased levels of risk, insecurity and workload associated with starting and running an own business, especially when the individual feels personally unsuitable for self-employment and has little or no training in business issues. However, tentative research evidence (Kautonen and Palmroos, forthcoming) suggests that involuntariness as a start-up motive has only a modest negative impact on the individual's later satisfaction with their self-employment and that this impact becomes even milder if the individual succeeds in earning a satisfactory livelihood from self-employment. Therefore, the individual level consequences of involuntary transitions to self-employment do not seem to pose a serious policy issue.The estimates of the scope of involuntary self-employment presented above indicate that it is not a widespread phenomenon, but that it tends to concentrate on particular sectoral niches. As the case of Finland suggests however, the significance and importance of involuntary self-employment as a topic of research lies less in its statistical prevalence, but on its novelty as a new form of employment. If the importance is accepted, our admittedly exploratory study needs supplementing by research aimed at producing accurate estimates based on longitudinal research designs and perspective: motivations for self-employment might change and develop over time and, consequently, the impact of involuntary self-employment to the economy and society can only be captured in full by a longitudinal research approach.Interestingly, even though the involuntariness of precarious self-employment is addressed in the academic literature and appears in the Finnish media discourse, the actual main policy concerns seem to relate to the legal position of the quasi self-employed rather than the benefits and costs of \"pushing\" people into self-employment. One reason for this may be that the problems related to the legal position are more concrete, while the costs of involuntariness are subtler and thus more difficult to assess. In order to provide a basis for an estimation of these costs, further research is required to illuminate the economic, social and psychological consequences of involuntary self-employment at the individual level. Furthermore, estimates of the benefits of such working arrangements for the outsourcing enterprises are required as well for a cost-benefit analysis of involuntary self-employment that would serve as a guideline for policy.The status of operating as quasi self-employed in the grey area between employment and self-employment is associated with a number of drawbacks, which represent some of the potential social costs of involuntary self-employment. These were detailed in the conceptual section above and need to be addressed in more detail in future empirical research. In the following, the main concern is with the possible approaches to regulating quasi self-employment. Two broad alternatives emerged based on the country case studies.The first approach is parallel to what was done in Germany in the 1990s and involves broadening the scope of application of the laws governing employment relationships. Here, a number of criteria could be determined based on the characteristics of quasi self-employment described in the conceptual section of this paper, and if the working arrangement matched a sufficient number of these characteristics (see the German \"rule of assumption\"), it could be interpreted to correspond to an employment relationship and the respective regulations could be applied. However, the risk with this approach is that it might harm \"regular\" forms of enterprise and inter-firm cooperation, and thus the development of enterprise in the society. The second alternative might stress the definition and categorisation of employees and be based on the UK approach whereby the concept of employee is split into three categories; \"employee\", \"worker\" and \"self-employed\". The \"worker\" category encompasses the quasi self-employed, who work under a marginally more limited set of employment rights. The result would be a protection status for the quasi self-employed which is more limited than that of an employee.In terms of planning policy, policy-makers need to assess a range of economic and social factors. One of the key factors in this discussion is that policy-makers need to decide whether they think that there would be more work if there were more insecure work, and if so, would this benefit the economy and society? That is, does the benefit of added flexibility to the employers exceed the cost of involuntary and insecure self-employment to the workers? Part of what government has to decide is whether these jobs would exist as \"normal\" jobs if legislation was effective in outlawing them.A risk behind any legislative intervention in this context is that the employer's economic motives underlying the emergence of working arrangements such as quasi self-employment are difficult to change by law at least in the short term. Thus, a new regulation could lead to new ways to circumvent it and other unintended consequences: the evasion of employment relationships could transform to the evasion of quasi self-employment. One such effect could be that demand for labour focuses on such service providers that allow for dynamism without the risk of incurring costs due to the working arrangement being interpreted as quasi self-employment. For example, firms could start using more agency employment or \"regime shopping\", that is, moving labour intensive operations to countries with a more favourable regulatory environment.New forms of labour in \"new capitalism\" (Beck, 2000; Sennett, 1998) will likely always provoke legislative and regulatory responses. The task for policy-makers is to ensure that these responses to developments such as involuntary self-employment do not stifle economic dynamism or social stability.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - There is growing political interest in new forms of precarious self-employment located in a \"grey area\" between employment and self-employment. A wide range of concepts has been used to debate this issue, and this paper aims to clarify these debates through the concept of involuntary self-employment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper reviews the empirical, conceptual and legal-policy approaches to involuntary self-employment via three country case studies in Finland, Germany and the UK. A range of relevant domestic academic literature, articles in the media, selected key expert interviews, and policy and legal documents are employed.\nFindings: - Conceptual clarity regarding involuntary self-employment is achieved through a discussion of two aspects of the phenomenon: the characteristics of involuntariness from a motives-based perspective, and the legal/economic perspectives and policy issues. The motives-based analysis argues that involuntariness as such does not seem to have severe implications on the individuals' well being, given that the individual earns a satisfactory livelihood from her or his business activities. The discussion of the characteristics of and regulation related to working arrangements in the \"grey area\" between employment and self-employment, where the self-employed individual is strongly dependent on the principal, shows that it is very difficult to regulate quasi self-employment without harming \"voluntary\" forms of enterprise and inter-firm cooperation at the same time.\nOriginality/value: - The key contribution of the paper is to facilitate a foundation for subsequent empirical research and policy development.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The new me or the me I'm proud of? Impact of objective self-awareness and standards on acceptance of cosmetic procedures	[ "Motivation", "Emotions", "Acceptance of cosmetic procedures", "Body image", "Objective self-awareness" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Unlike most other species, humans experience self-awareness and perform self-evaluation (Silvia and Phillips, 2004). Focusing attention on the self (i.e. the state of objective self-awareness [OSA]) leads to judging oneself against social standards to determine whether the self is adequately smart, attractive, friendly, etc. (Duval and Wicklund, 1972; Silvia and Phillips, 2004; Silvia and Phillips, 2013). Self-evaluation is essential for identifying areas for improvement, but it can also cause harmful perceptions and attributions (Silvia and Phillips, 2004; Duval and Silvia, 2001).\nLiterature review: Cosmetic procedures\nTheoretical background: OSA theory was originally developed to better understand the reasons why people conform their beliefs and behaviors to the larger society (Phemister and Crewe, 2004). OSA is defined as a state of attention focused on the self. Public (as opposed to private) self-focus is characterized by attending to those features of one's self that are presented to others, such as physical features and mannerisms (Mor and Winquist, 2002).\nStudy 1: The objectives of Study 1 were to establish the joint effect of OSA and access to relevant standards of appearance on body image dissatisfaction and examine the causal chain from this interaction to negative emotions and motivations to undergo cosmetic procedures. Prior to the main study, two pretests were conducted.\nAnalysis and results: Public objective self-awareness manipulation check\nDiscussion of Study 1: Body-as-object is the most visible expression of self. In fact, everybody's sense of self incorporates some form of bodily consideration (Domzal and Kernan, 1993). The results of Study 1 demonstrate that self-awareness per se does not result in discrepancies. To experience discrepancies, it is necessary for self-aware individuals to have access to relevant standards. Also, the results provide support for the link between discrepancies, negative emotions and motivation to address the experienced discrepancy.\nStudy 2: The purpose of Study 2 was to examine a mechanism to buffer against the negative motivational consequences of self-standard discrepancies. We examined whether pride and shame differently impact the mediating role of negative emotions in the relationship between BISDS and motivations to pursue cosmetic procedures. It was expected that when pride is induced, self-aware individuals who are experiencing discrepancy and negative emotions will have lower motivation to pursue cosmetic procedures. Conversely, when shame is induced, these individuals will have greater motivation to pursue such procedures.\nAnalysis and results: Public objective self-awareness manipulation check\nDiscussion of study 2: The results of Study 2 provide further support for the interplay between OSA and relevant standards and its consequent impact on self-discrepancies (reflected by BISDS). Moreover, the results identify an effective approach to mitigate individuals' motivation to undergo cosmetic procedures. Study 2 examined the conditions under which the causal chain from self-awareness, BISDS, negative emotions and motivations to pursue cosmetic procedures is reinforced or diminished. As opposed to shame, when individuals experienced pride, this causal chain was no longer present. Inducing pride changed individuals' view of the experienced self-discrepancy. Shame, in contrast, motivated individuals to focus on the experienced discrepancies and take actions to mitigate them.\nGeneral discussion: The present research builds upon and extends research on self-awareness (Carver and Scheier, 1981; Duval and Silvia, 2002). First, the results of two studies revealed that access to relevant standards, as revealed in mass-mediated fashion model images, coupled with a state of public OSA, generates self-standard evaluations that lead to self-standard discrepancies. This finding contributes to OSA theory by clarifying that the mere state of OSA or mere access to standards will not lead to self-standard discrepancies and adds more clarity to the role of standards in OSA theory (Silvia and Duval, 2001). The results indicate that relevant standards must be readily accessible to self-aware individuals to engage in self-standard evaluations. This is particularly important because the definition of standards provided by this theory does not state such a condition. This finding has practical significance as well, as retailers and beauty service provides may try to direct consumers' attention to appearance-related features and situationally manipulate public OSA via full-length mirrors and reflective surfaces and increase exposure to appearance standards (e.g. using posters of beauty models or hiring highly attractive sales representatives/agents). As such, consumers need to be cognizant of the purposes of such techniques and face them with care and caution.\nLimitations and future research: Despite the theoretical and practical contributions, the present research is subject to a number of limitations. First, a student sample was used, encompassing all of the requisite caveats regarding representativeness and generalizability. Thus, it would be fruitful to examine these relationships in samples that are drawn from other age and socio-economic groups. However, it is noteworthy that students do indeed represent a distinct segment targeted by the cosmetics industry (Suissa, 2008), making them representatives of at least a portion of the population of interest.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This study aims to investigate how comparing physical aspects of the self to fashion models in mass-mediated images result in body dissatisfaction and what mechanisms could be used to interrupt the potentially harmful emotional and motivational outcomes of such evaluations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Two experimental design studies are conducted in which objective self-awareness (OSA; self-focus) is manipulated. In the first study, participants are assigned to control vs relevant vs irrelevant standards of appearance, and in the second study, all participants receive relevant standards of appearance and are randomly primed to experience pride or shame.\nFindings: Focusing on the physical aspect of the self (i.e. state of OSA) and having access to relevant standards of appearance such as viewing images of beautiful fashion models (vs irrelevant standards of appearance such as images of plants) initiate the process of self-standard evaluation that may lead to body image state dissatisfaction (BISDS). Negative emotions mediate the relationship between BISDS and motivations to pursue cosmetic procedures. Pride and shame are two important self-conscious emotions that differently influence these relationships.\nOriginality/value: The present research identifies how pride could act as a self-affirming factor to intervene the undesirable outcomes of body image dissatisfaction and discourage unnecessary cosmetic procedures. Pride diminishes the motivation to undergo cosmetic procedures by shifting the focus from pursuing unachievable standards of appearance to pride-inducing achievements and self-affirming positive qualities. Shame, however, keeps individuals focused on discrepancies and lowers their ability to think of substitute goals, resulting in enhanced motivations for cosmetic procedures.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The effect of climate information in pastoralists' adaptation to climate change: A case study of Rwenzori region, Western Uganda	[ "Uganda", "Climate change adaptation", "Climate information", "Indigenous forecasts", "Pastoralists", "Scientific forecasts", "Indigenous knowledge" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Despite access to climate information and implementation of sedentary pastoral development interventions such as the construction of valley dams and boreholes (Muchuru and Nhamo, 2017), pastoralists are still vulnerable to climate variability. This is a major challenge in pastoral development because poor adaptation to climate-related risks has led to low milk yields and high livestock mortality, contributing to high poverty rates and destitution among pastoralists. Use of climate information improves resilience against climate-related risks. As has been observed, \"managing climate variability and climate risk is not new to pastoralism\" (Ericksen et al., 2013, p. 71). Opportunistic grazing habits and mobility of pastoralists have been some of the adaptive mechanisms to climate variability and change in fragile ecologies with high temporal and spatial variations in rainfall (Catley and Aklilu, 2013; Sandford, 1983; Westoby et al., 1989; Sandford and Scoones, 2006). The debate continues as to whether sedentary pastoralism, as opposed to mobile pastoralism, improves the adaptive capacity of pastoral households. This study investigated the effect of climate information on the pastoral adaptation methods.\n2. Materials and methods: 2.1 The study area\n3. Results: 3.1 Descriptive statistics\n4. Discussion: The study revealed that pastoralists using of IFs only were more likely to be engaged in non-farm enterprises and livestock sales. During onset, there is a spread of water-borne diseases and worms (Bett et al., 2009; Woods, 1988; Munyua et al., 2010). This results into livestock sales involving weak animals. Livestock farmers invest the incomes from destocking in non-farm enterprises (Nkuba and Sinha, 2014; Nkuba, 2006). Pastoralists make grazing decisions related to mobility using long range rather than short-range forecasts (Luseno et al., 2003). Short range forecasts provide information about dry spells, which influence pastoralists' decisions on destocking. A study done in Kenya showed that weather forecasts positively influenced the selling of livestock, although the influence was not statistically significant (Bryan et al., 2013). Scientific climate seasonal forecasts provide advisories about climate-related risks such as droughts and floods. UNMA provides information on disaster risk reduction and climate risks during the dissemination of seasonal climate outlooks in February and August (UNMA, 2017a, 2017b). Pastoralists had confidence in long-range scientific climate forecasts for their livestock migration planning decisions because they are based on good forecast skills (Goddard et al., 2010). The mobility of pastoralists using rangelands is based on long-range forecasts (Luseno et al., 2003). The study reveals that the use of IFs only for onset was associated with non-farm enterprises while long-range forecasts for IFs and SFs were associated with livestock migration. This is consistent with an earlier study in Kenya that revealed that pastoralists had a high interest in onset forecasts for they influenced decisions pertaining to migration patterns (Luseno et al., 2003). The study findings support the integration of IFs in the national meteorological services in Africa (Ziervogel and Opere, 2010). The findings show that for the two categories of use of forecasts, herd mobility significantly complemented with livestock diversification and livestock sales. Small stock such as goats are browsers while large stock such as cattle are grazers resulting into good utilisation of range resources in mobile pastoralism. This is consistent with pastoral literature (Blench, 2001; Huho et al., 2009). The study shows that for the two categories of use of forecasts, livestock diversification significantly complemented livestock migration. The literature on pastoralism has shown that herd mobility and livestock sales are some of the mechanisms that pastoralists use in sustainable rangeland management (Morton and Barton, 2002; Blench, 2001; McPeak, 2004; Berhanu and Beyene, 2015). The results show that pastoralists in Rwenzori region use a non-equilibrium model of range management that makes use of herd mobility, livestock migration and livestock sales as climate adaptation strategies. This is consistent with the range management literature that discusses opportunistic management (Behnke, 1994; Elliot et al., 1999; Thomas and Twyman, 2004). Non-farm enterprises are associated more with sedentary pastoralism than mobile pastoralism (Table II). This is consistent with earlier studies that revealed that settled pastoralists had better income diversification than those engaged in migration (Haji and Legesse, 2017; Elliot et al., 1999). Studies have shown that although settled pastoralists have more income sources than mobile pastoralists, they had less welfare (Berhanu and Beyene, 2015; Elliot et al., 1999). Wealthy pastoralists (using both forecast systems) with large heads of cattle do not use well excavation as a coping mechanism but livestock migration (Table V). A study done in Kenya revealed destocking as one of the coping strategies for wealthy pastoralists (Bryan et al., 2013) while poorer pastoralists were hesitant about destocking (Silvestri et al., 2012). Well excavation is associated with poorer pastoralists to address water scarcity during long dry spells. Studies have shown that incomes from fish sales are reinvested in livestock and non-farm enterprises (Olale and Henson, 2013; Nkuba and Sinha, 2014; Nkuba, 2006). Fish incomes reinvested in fish business such as an increase in the number of fish nets has sometimes led to overfishing and degradation of fisheries (Hartwick and Olewiler, 1998). Pastoralists derive their livelihoods from natural resources such as rangelands and fisheries; however, there is the danger of over-exploitation of fisheries by overfishing beyond the sustainable maximum yield of the water bodies (Nkuba and Sinha, 2014). Studies have reported over-exploitation of Uganda fisheries due to increase in the fish market prices as a result of market liberalisation (Nunan, 2006; Nkuba and Sinha, 2014; Nkuba, 2006; Balirwa et al., 2003; von Sarnowski, 2004). Pastoralists with large livestock numbers are more likely to practice herd mobility and migration in search for water rather than well excavation (Berhanu and Beyene, 2015). During droughts and long dry spells, scarcity of pastures results into herd mobility as a coping mechanism. This is consistent with earlier studies that reported large herd owners practicing dual grazing rights in Botswana, Ethiopia and Niger (Perkins, 1996; Snorek et al., 2014; Berhanu and Beyene, 2015). In pastoral communities, herd mobility is assigned to men and the boy child. This was the case in the study area and is consistent with findings of earlier studies (Brockhaus et al., 2013). Having an advanced level of education increased the likelihood of adopting non-farm enterprises. Registration of micro-enterprises and payment of taxes to local councils requires education. This is consistent with earlier studies (Frank and Bahiigwa, 2003). The returns to labour from herd mobility were worth the investment. This is consistent with earlier studies in Ethiopia and Ivory Coast (Megersa et al., 2014; Bassett, 2009).\n5. Conclusion and recommendations: The study has established that the use of SFs and/or IFs had a significant effect on how pastoral households adapt to climate variability and change. Explicitly, the findings have revealed that pastoral households using IFs only were more likely to be engaged in non-weather related ventures such as non-farm enterprises and livestock sales, suggesting that the use of IFs was associated with sedentary pastoralism. The use of both SFs and IFs increased the likelihood of livestock migration, suggesting that mobile pastoralism was associated with both indigenous and scientific forecast systems, especially for long-range forecasts. The research has demonstrated that IFs complements SFs in pastoral adaptation to extreme weather events. Other factors found to be important in adaptation included gender, land ownership, education level, non-farm and productive assets, land tenure, agricultural extension and climate-related risks.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the effect of using indigenous forecasts (IFs) and scientific forecasts (SFs) on pastoralists' adaptation methods in Rwenzori region, Western Uganda.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected using a household survey from 270 pastoralists and focus group discussions. The multivariate probit model was used in the analysis.\nFindings: The results revealed that pastoralists using of IF only more likely to be non-farm enterprises and livestock sales as adaptation strategies. Pastoralists using both SF and IF were more likely to practise livestock migration.\nResearch limitations/implications: Other factors found to be important included land ownership, land tenure, gender, education level, non-farm and productive assets, climate-related risks and agricultural extension access.\nPractical implications: Increasing the number of weather stations in pastoral areas would increase the predictive accuracy of scientific climate information, which results in better adaptive capacity of pastoralists. Active participation of pastoral households in national meteorological dissemination processes should be explored.\nSocial implications: A two-prong approach that supports both mobile and sedentary pastoralism should be adopted in rangeland development policies.\nOriginality/value: This study has shown the relevance of IFs in climate change adaptation methods of pastoralists. It has also shown that IFs compliment SFs in climate change adaptation in pastoralism.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Organizational change capacity: the systematic development of a scale	[ "Organizational change", "Change management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Studies have shown that approximately 70 percent of planned organizational change initiatives fail. One of the primary causes for these failures is the lack of reliable and valid diagnostic instruments to assess and track an organization's capacity for change (Pellettiere, 2006). Unfortunately, scale development and construct measurement in the organizational sciences has been deficient (Armenakis and Bedian, 1999; Boyd et al., 2005), and this is particularly true with respect to organizational change (Lengnick-Hall and Beck, 2005).Our focus in this study is organizational capacity for change (OCC), which is defined as a combination of managerial and organizational capabilities that allows an enterprise to adapt more quickly and effectively than its competition to changing situations. Previous studies have argued for the central importance of this concept within the organization sciences (Meyer and Stensaker, 2006; Staber and Sydow, 2002; Voelpel et al., 2004), however, no study to our knowledge has yet attempted to measure this exact concept systematically.There are several tangentially related concepts and measures, but none of them quite captures the essence of OCC in a reliable and valid way. For example, organizational flexibility is defined as \"the capacity to respond to environmental change\" (Palanisamy and Sushil, 2003, p. 84). We have several concerns with this definition because it is:* too broad and general to be meaningful; and* not rooted in a theoretical framework.Furthermore, Palanisamy and Sushil (2003) operationalized organizational flexibility as a mono-dimensional construct using only four items. Also, they surveyed only one member of the organization; the respondents were primarily frontline and middle-level managers who have limited perspectives on the overall organization; and their study reported a rather low response rate of 21 percent but did not test for response bias. As such, the theoretical and methodological development of this construct is suspect.Hatum and Pettigrew (2004, p. 239) also investigated organizational flexibility which they defined as \"A combination of a repertoire of organizational and managerial capabilities that allow organizations to adapt quickly under environmental shifts.\" Because this definition was derived from the dynamic capabilities literature and is much more precise, we think that this conceptualization comes much closer to what OCC is. However, these authors operationalized organizational flexibility as a two-dimensional construct involving:1. degree of internationalization; and2. degree of product-market diversification.Furthermore, they only studied two organizations within a single industry, and there was no discussion about the psychometric properties of their construct. As such, we have concerns about the reliability and validity of their measure.Another related concept is organizational receptivity to change. Butler (2003, p. S48) defines organizational receptivity as \"an emerging, but undeveloped, notion which attempts to reveal the factors which contribute to organizations being either low-change, non-receptive contexts, or high-change, receptive contexts.\" Using comparative case studies, Butler examined two public services agencies - one which was receptive to change and one which was not receptive to change - and attempted to discern what the difference between the two agencies was. While the insights were fascinating, there was no attempt to precisely measure organizational receptivity to change due to the qualitative nature of the study.More recently, some scholars have tried to measure organizational learning which is clearly related to organizational capacity to change. Moilanen (2005, p. 71) defines this construct as \"a consciously managed organization with 'learning' as a vital component in its values, visions, and goals, as well as in its everyday operations and assessment;\" and he operationalized it as five inter-related dimensions. Clearly, this definition is problematic as it is tautological in nature. And while the author did survey multiple members within an organization, no senior-level management surveys were included in the study and the vast majority of respondents reported being frontline employees. Furthermore, no attempt was made to validate the measure because \"there is no agreement on the concept itself or its measurement\" (p. 78). Clearly, we can do better in terms of scale development.Most recently, Holt et al. (2007, p. 239) systematically developed a scale for \"employee readiness for change\" which they defined as \"the extent to which an individual or individuals are cognitively and emotionally inclined to accept, embrace, and adopt a particular plan to purposefully alter the status quo.\" Employing Hinkin's (1998) well-regarded scale development approach, they were able to develop a reliable and valid 25-item, four-dimensional measure of this important attitudinal construct. While we applaud their sophisticated scale development approach, they only examined this construct within two organizations. Furthermore, employee readiness for change and OCC are substantially different constructs.In sum, no studies that we are aware of have defined a construct exactly as we have and provided a reliable and valid measurement scheme. Hence, the focus of this study is on the systematic development of a reliable and valid measure of an organization's capacity for change (OCC). In this paper, we will detail the development of this construct and demonstrate the construct validity of each of its dimensions (Hinkin, 1998). In so doing, we advance the dynamic capabilities literature, enhance the field's potential for better understanding organizational change, and provide a managerially useful way of diagnosing and improving an organization's ability to respond to and proactively initiate change.\nOCC scale construction: To satisfactorily operationalize a construct with appropriate measures and determine construct validity, the proposed scale must demonstrate content validity, test criterion-related validity, and internal consistency (Hinkin, 1995, 1998). The details of this process for the OCC construct included item generation and refinement, assessment of the final scale's psychometric properties, and development of a nomological network to test criterion-validity.Item generation\nSummary and conclusions: In the twenty-first century, strategic leaders must frequently contend with the complexity and uncertainty of organizational change (Lawler and Worley, 2006). One of the most difficult aspects of leading organizational change initiatives is the leader's ability to diagnose and develop the organization's capacity for change (Bossidy and Charan, 2002). While there are helpful theoretical arguments that address various aspects of an organization's capacity for change (Kerber and Buono, 2005; Meyer and Stensaker, 2006; Staber and Sydow, 2002; Voelpel et al., 2004), there is no study that we are aware of that offers a comprehensive view of this construct, nor are there any reliable and valid ways to empirically explore it.This study attempted to fill that void by constructing a psychometrically sound inventory of OCC by:* reviewing the change literature and generating a parsimonious but comprehensive set of OCC dimensions and items;* surveying 3,725 employees within 161 organizational units in a wide variety of industries during the period of 1999-2005 to refine the OCC dimensions and items; and* conducting a single industry study of OCC with 51 organizations in the rural telecommunications industry in 2005.The result is a reliable and valid inventory of 32 items that characterizes an organization's or an organizational unit's capacity for change along eight dimensions.In addition, the results associated with the rural telecommunications industry study are informative and provide helpful insights for future research. First, the positive, significant relationship between OCC and financial performance supports the contention that OCC is a strategically important organizational capability, which may be a source of competitive advantage. Additional studies assessing OCC's potential explanatory power in other organizational contexts would be interesting and useful, and may contribute to our understanding of the dynamic capabilities logic within the resource-based view of the firm. We think that Lawler and Worley (2006, p. 40) have it exactly right when they declare that \"the most important capability an organization can have is change capability. And it is the one capability that most organization's lack today.\"Second, our finding that OCC is positively related to organizational adaptability, but not related to organizational alignment, raises interesting questions about how an organization might think about and/or deal with misalignments while undergoing significant change. According to organizational scholars, adaptability is the capacity of an organization to respond to a changing external environment (Staber and Sydow, 2002; van de Ven and Poole, 1995). According to Gibson and Birkinshaw (2004), organizational adaptability can be conceptualized in terms of formal structural aspects and contextual management systems. From our perspective, OCC is a much broader concept than both formal structure and systems that includes not only management systems, but also informal and elusive organizational characteristics such as human, social, and relational capital. As such, these two concepts are related but not identical.Alignment, the second element in the pioneering contextual ambidexterity framework advanced by Gibson and Birkinshaw (2004), focuses on the degree to which an organization's management systems are consistent with its objectives. In an environment that is undergoing rapid change, an organization's objectives and/or internal processes may also be changing (Arogyaswamy and Byles, 1987). Therefore, tight alignment, or internal fit, at a particular point in time may be problematic, indeed even counterproductive (Voelpel et al., 2004). For this reason, it was expected, and our data supported this expectation, that organizational alignment was not systematically related to OCC.Finally, the relationship between perceived environmental uncertainty and OCC is positive and significant as expected. In task environments that strategic leaders perceive to be more uncertain, our findings support the logic that these leaders can ensure that the organization is better prepared for change and more flexible.\nConclusions: Despite the substantial support for the scales developed on a broad array of organizations and industries, there are several limitations of this study which should be noted. First, organizational change is a complex, context-specific phenomenon (Pellettiere, 2006). As such, our measure does not specifically evaluate the task environment. While our research suggests that environmental uncertainty demands higher levels of OCC, future research should attempt to link OCC to specific environmental conditions to better understand how to change more effectively. Second, our measure does not consider the specific nature of the organizational change (Beer and Eisenstat, 1996). As such, additional research is needed to learn if OCC is more or less applicable for such things as technological or administrative changes.Third, our scale does not consider the size of the changes being undertaken (Kerber and Buono, 2005). Consequently, future research needs to identify whether a quantum or incremental change has any moderating impact on OCC and firm performance. Finally, our data used to develop this study were all developed in the USA. As Trompenaars and Wolliams (2003) point out, change is often viewed differently in different cultural contexts. While Judge and Elenkov (2005) initially studied the relationship between OCC and environmental performance in Bulgaria, we clearly need additional studies of OCC in other national cultures.Nonetheless, the OCC construct offers a promising new measure for analyzing an important dynamic capability within the resource-based perspective that might assist organizational scholars interested in the relationship between organizational change and firm performance. The organizational change and development literature is huge and relatively fragmented when compared to other organizational phenomena (Armenakis and Bedian, 1999; van de Ven and Poole, 1995). The distillation of some of that literature into an organizational-level construct, which we call organizational change capacity, is an important step forward for organizational studies. Indeed, the union of the OCC concept with the resource-based perspective may help move the organizational change literature to a more coherent theoretical perspective; as well as respond to criticism about the resource-based perspective that its constructs are so vague as to be meaningless (Priem and Butler, 2001).In addition to its theoretical contribution, this inventory offers a useful instrument with high face validity to any or all practitioners or consultants seeking to better understand, prepare for, or enhance an organization's capacity for change. Indeed, this measure might even be useful in assisting strategic leaders to \"compete for the future\" (Hamel and Prahalad, 1994) and/or allow change consultants to provide more evidence-based assessment and recommendations (Armenakis and Burdg, 1988). Perhaps, this is why Welch (2005) argued that the ability to successfully lead organizational change is the key to \"winning\" in the twenty-first century.Recent research by Lawler and Worley (2006) suggests that organizational change capability is the new and increasingly important strategic imperative of the twenty-first century. We hope in some small way that we have contributed to better scholarly understanding of organizational change, and provided a useful instrument for consultants and practitioners so that organizational change can unfold with less pain (Abrahamson, 2000) in a more timely fashion with better results.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to systematically develop a reliable and valid construct that can facilitate and enhance the organizational change process by following Hinkin's suggestions for construct development. The \"Organizational Capacity for Change\" (OCC) construct provides a multi-dimensional assessment tool to diagnose and guide organizational change.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In the first empirical study, the paper provides details on the creation and refinement of the OCC instrument by reviewing the results of nearly 3,600 respondents in 161 organizational units in a wide variety of industries from 1999 to 2005. In the second empirical study, it tests the OCC instrument in a single industry to determine the validity of the measures.\nFindings: - The result is a reliable and valid multi-dimensional, 32-item instrument which describes a new construct in the organizational sciences that can be used by executives to prepare for and enhance their organizational change process, or for scholars to study the organizational change process.\nPractical implications: - Theoretically, this measure refines and extends the dynamic capabilities literature. Pragmatically, this measure provides a tool for assisting executives to lead organization change initiatives.\nOriginality/value: - This measure provides a reliable and valid tool for assessing organizational change capacity, as well as provides a means for gauging improvement in organizational change capacity over time.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Region of origin and its importance among choice factors in the wine-buying decision making of consumers	[ "Wines", "Consumer behaviour", "Country of origin", "Brands", "Decision making", "Australia" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Increasing competition in domestic and global wine markets means there is a growing need for Australian wine producers to become more sophisticated marketers of their products and develop a better understanding of the needs of the consumer (Wine Australia, 2007).The Australian wine market is characterised by a plethora of wine brands which complicates the purchase decision (Bruwer et al., 2005; Rasmussen and Lockshin, 1999; Lockshin and Spawton, 2001; Batt and Dean, 2000). There are four main reasons for the complexity in the wine market. Firstly, there are many brands competing for shelf space (over 20,000 wine labels in Australia alone) (Tolley, 2005). Secondly, wine is a product of agricultural nature (it depends on climatic conditions and annual production cycles) which results in a lack of dependable and consistent high-quality supply (Hollebeek et al., 2007). Thirdly, there are complicated brand hierarchies and many different cues on the label that can influence decisions including brand name, sub-brand, region, sub-region, grape variety, vintage, producer, style, winemaker and specific vineyard (Bruwer and House, 2003; Lockshin et al., 2006; Lockshin and Hall, 2003; Lockshin and Albisu, 2006; Lockshin et al., 2000). Fourth and finally, is the unique consumer behaviour in this category (Hollebeek et al., 2007). The wine consumer choice processes therefore warrant further study due to the highly complex nature of the wine product category and its notable differences from other fast-moving consumer goods (Hollebeek et al., 2007; Lockshin et al., 2000, 2006; Lockshin and Hall, 2003).Understanding what drives wine choice, how it varies by market segment and the underlying motivations of the consumers' wine-buying decisions is critical to successful wine marketing (Hollebeek et al., 2007). Due to historical circumstances, Old World (e.g. France, Italy, Spain) wine producers have given superiority to the origin of the grapes and have promoted their appellations whilst New World (e.g. the USA, Australia) winemakers have generally built strong proprietary brands and promoted the grape variety (Remaud and Couderc, 2006; Lockshin and Spawton, 2001; Bruwer and House, 2003; Bruce-Gardyne, 2005; Ling and Lockshin, 2003; Anderson, 2003). It is therefore critical to understand which of these approaches is most effective in commercial terms.The successful growth of New World wine from about 5 per cent of global trade to over 28 per cent in the last 20 years (Rothfield and Wittwer, 2008; IWSR, 2008) suggests that consumers have responded to the promotion of strong proprietary brands (Anderson, 2003; Lockshin and Albisu, 2006; Steiner, 2004). Free from the Old World's constraints of strictly controlled appellations and winemaking practices, New World producers were able to more successfully meet the needs of consumers (Anderson, 2003). They recognised that consumers wanted clear and easy-to-understand messages, strong brands and a consistent, low-priced and approachable style of wine (Bruwer and House, 2003; Anderson, 2003). Despite the now legendary achievements of \"Wine Brand Australia\", James Halliday and Hugh Johnson (2006, p. 23) write \"How long will the lucky and successful among New World wineries be able to resist the attraction of some kind of [regional] classification?\"As a result of the consolidation of retailers, mainly supermarket chains, small region-based wine producers cannot compete with the marketing might and dominance of large producers (Bruwer and House, 2003; Batt and Dean, 2000). Fortunately for these small wine producers, wines' unique link to the region of origin means there will always be a place for small brands and the development of truly global brands is still a long way away (Lockshin and Albisu, 2006). Furthermore, a regional branding approach can help differentiate a product and protect it from surges in supply from other regions or countries (Bruce-Gardyne, 2005; Thode and Maskulka, 1998).To know whether Australian wine producers should move towards a regional branding strategy for both domestic sales and exported wine the question of the importance of region of origin in consumers' wine-buying decision-making process (hereafter referred to as \"purchasing decision\") must be addressed. To answer this, the existing published research on wine marketing and consumer behaviour in the wine category in the Australian domestic market have been perused. The relevant aspects are outlined in the literature overview section that follows immediately after. In addition, a survey was conducted using a highly structured questionnaire to determine the level of importance placed by consumers on wines' region of origin relative to other product attributes. The details of the survey are described in the research methodology section of this article.\n2. Literature overview: Many factors influence the consumer's decision when making a wine purchase (Batt and Dean, 2000; Quester and Smart, 1998; Schamel, 2006; Lockshin and Hall, 2003; Bruwer et al., 2005; Hall et al., 2001). Perceived quality is critical to a consumer's decision to purchase wine as it is a reflection of the goodness of the product (Spawton, 1998; Lockshin, 1997; Orth et al., 2005). In the case of wine, since consumers are unable to determine the quality (e.g. taste the wine), prior to purchase, they instead seek proxy indicators to assist their purchasing decision (Chaney, 2000; Lockshin, 1997; Gluckman, 1990; Hall et al., 2001; Schamel, 2006). These indicators include price, variety, type, style, brand name, region, label/package and recommendation (Batt and Dean, 2000; Lockshin and Hall, 2003; Hall et al., 2001; Lockshin and Albisu, 2006). In an imperfect information environment such as wine retail, trustworthy signs of product quality and reputation can be effective in reducing decision-making costs to consumers (Schamel, 2006). Conversely, a good reputation allows high-quality producers to sell their wines at a premium price (Schamel, 2006).2.1 Region of origin\n3. Research objectives, methodology, assumptions and limitations: 3.1 Objectives\n4. Research results and discussion: 4.1 Geodemographics of respondents\n5. Conclusions, implications and recommendations: This research study adds to the body of knowledge on the regional dimension of wine branding and marketing and to a regional brand's role in Australian consumers' wine-buying decision-making process.The overall objective of this study was to determine the importance of wines' region of origin in consumers' wine-buying decision-making process. The first hypothesis proposed that region is a very important choice factor, particularly in its multi-dimensional context. The results confirmed this hypothesis. The relative importance of region of origin within the main wine product attributes was found to be fifth. When the regional composite variable (region, style and variety) was ranked against the other attributes of importance in the consumer's purchasing decision, it ranked third after quality and price. These results show that region of origin and the regional composite attribute are very important factors in the purchasing decision.The relative importance of region was found to vary under certain conditions and for certain market segments. The following hypotheses that explored how varying conditions affected region's importance, were confirmed:The hypothesis was that the degree of importance of wines' region of origin depends upon the consumer's gender. It was found that females were more strongly influenced by region than males.Consumers who had undertaken more trips to wine regions and visits to cellar door gave a higher score to the region of origin attribute than those who had not engaged in wine tourism. Additionally, respondents tended to agree with the statement \"I am much more likely to purchase wine from a region I have visited\". The difference in the scores between the groups was statistically significant hence the hypothesis (that there is a tendency for preference on wines' region of origin when the consumer has been to the region) was confirmed.Another conclusion based on behavioural segmentation was that red wine drinkers are more heavily influenced by region of origin than white wine drinkers in their wine choice behaviour.Finally, it was confirmed that high involvement wine consumers were more strongly influenced by wines' region of origin than low involvement wine consumers. This finding concurs with earlier studies (e.g. Hollebeek et al., 2007).The findings from this research suggest that region of origin is an important consideration in the consumers' purchasing decision, particularly for certain consumer groups. Therefore, wineries and wine marketers should utilise strong regional branding in conjunction with other important intrinsic and extrinsic wine attributes in order to target particular market segments. In the Australian domestic wine market, the female consumers and those who have a strong interest in wine should be targeted with regional branding. This could be achieved in practice through marketing campaigns in magazines that focus on these two groups such as Gourmet Traveller Wine and Vogue Entertaining (Hoffman, 2004).A high 72 per cent (1,672) of Australian wineries crushed less than 100 tonnes in 2007. These are boutique or \"small-to-medium size enterprises\" (SMEs) which do not have the marketing budgets to spend on national magazine advertising campaigns (Winetitles, 2008). These region-based boutique wineries are struggling to contend with market forces such as a stagnant domestic market (Bruwer and Reilly, 2006), high Australian dollar (Bourlioufas, 2006; Willard, 2007) and increasing downstream consolidation squeezing producer margins and creating a battlefield for market share (KPMG, 2003; Willard, 2007). If they are to succeed in the current climate, Australian SME wineries must look at new marketing strategies and channels (Werden, 2007). Regional branding provides a clear point of difference from competitors, both foreign and domestic, that helps small wineries to compete (Tolley, 2005; Bruce-Gardyne, 2005). In addition, direct-to-consumer sales through mail order, cellar door and e-commerce allow boutique region-based wineries to recoup more of the margin in a price-competitive market place (Bruwer and Reilly, 2006; Willard, 2007).The importance of wine tourism in building positive regional brand image has been highlighted in this study. Wineries should collectively promote regional wine tourism, whether through particular themed events or simply by generic promotion of the region. This is critical to the success of a regional brand as consumers who have been to a cellar door are more likely to purchase wine from that region in a bottle-shop when they return home. To target those consumers who do not partake in wine tourism wineries should also consider bringing their cellar-door to major capital cities. This could take the form of a tasting dinner at one of the fine dining restaurants in the CBD, involvement in a wine expo or simply a tasting day at one of the major wine retailers, such as Dan Murphy's.The high involvement wine consumer segments should be paid particular attention in any regional branding campaign as they are most strongly influenced by a wine's provenance. According to Bruwer and Li (2007), the most highly involved consumer segment in the latest WRLTM model (version 3) is the conservative, knowledgeable wine drinkers (19.2 per cent of the Australian market). The geodemographics and wine-behaviour patterns of the \"strong interest\" group in this study most closely resembled the characteristics of this segment. The habits and geodemographics of the highly involved consumer segments should therefore be analysed by wine marketers before launching any regional branding strategy. Importantly, the high involvement consumers are more likely to buy and drink wine most frequently and spend more per bottle, indicating that the most impactful regional branding should be focused on premium and super-premium priced wines.Whilst this study added to the body of knowledge on the question of Australian wine consumers' use of region of origin as a factor in their purchasing decision process, it also had shortcomings including the relatively small sample population giving rise to difficulties in statistical analysis of sub-segment behaviour. Additionally, the study had limited geographic reach given that more than half of the sample population completed questionnaires in a suburban Sydney wine bar with a very local clientele.Further research on a national scale should therefore be conducted. Any follow-on to this study should include a sampling of consumers across Australia and a larger sample population.This study looked at region of origin compared to other generic intrinsic and extrinsic wine attributes. An important future research area is the comparison of the strength of influence of specific regional brands, such as Coonawarra, Margaret River and Barossa Valley and under what conditions, if any, the strength of each regional brand varies.Finally, as retail consolidation and price margin-squeeze continues to make national off-premise retail wine sales problematic for the many SME wineries, future studies must assess the channel impact on the influence of region of origin and other wine attributes. Further research, perhaps conducted online, should aim to effectively analyse the variation of wine-choice behaviour between on-premise, off-premise and internet/mail-order wine consumers.Opens in a new window.Figure 1\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of wine's region of origin in the consumer wine-buying decision-making process in the Australian domestic market.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Data collection takes place by means of a self-administered and online approach in tandem utilising a highly structured questionnaire completed by wine consumers. The sample is limited to three groups of wine consumers - patrons of a wine bar in Sydney and two online wine communities unlocking access to a cross-section of on-premise trade and online consumers. The active memberships of the online communities amount to 3,600. In total, 352 usable surveys are obtained.\nFindings: - Region of origin is an important choice factor in the wine-buying decision making process of consumers, but particularly so in terms of its multi-dimensional nature (region name, wine type and grape variety). The most important choice factors in consumers' wine-buying decisions are quality, price, grape variety, wine style and region of origin. Region of origin varies in degree of influence within different segments. Higher ratings for region of origin are given by female wine consumers, high involvement wine consumers and consumers who have participated in wine tourism to a greater degree.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The findings of this research suggest that wine's region of origin is a significant choice factor in the Australian consumer's wine-buying decision making process. More than half of the respondents are residents of Sydney and the findings are therefore tentative due to the geographical limitation.\nOriginality/value: - This study is of value to academic researchers, wine industry practitioners, and on- and off-premise operators alike as it furthers the understanding of the importance of various choice factors in the consumer's wine-buying decision-making process and in particular the relative importance of region of origin within the main choice factors. It also highlights the specific market segments (geodemographic, behavioural and involvement level) and conditions under which the relative importance of region of origin varies.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Consumer attitudes towards local wines in an emerging region: a segmentation approach	[ "Market segmentation", "Consumer behavior", "Wines", "United States of America" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Wine consumers today are presented with a bewildering selection of varietals and brands of both domestic and imported products. In addition, wine has been driven forward by opportunities in continuously growing emerging wine markets worldwide. Consumers in new wine regions are faced with a choice between more familiar, non-regional wines and newer, regional products. What drives their choice is certainly worth researching.\nWine market segmentation: Market segmentation is not a new topic in wine marketing. In his groundwork on wine market segmentation, McKinna (1987) developed a model of five market clusters, which later was empirically tested and narrowed down to four major segments of wine consumers, defined as \"connoisseurs\", \"aspirational drinkers\", \"beverage wine consumers\" and \"new wine drinkers\" (Spawton, 1991). Spawton's classification was based on consumer expectations and risk-reduction strategies. A variety of other segmentation processes can be discovered in the wine marketing literature. Spawton (1998) indicated that the wine industry has been subject to all types of segmentation. In their review of different segmentation approaches, Bruwer et al. (2002) concluded that wine markets have been segmented based on nine major segmentation variables: quality, consumption, risk reduction, occasion-based, cross-cultural, behavioral, involvement, geographic, wine-related lifestyles. The Appendix (Table AI) includes some of the segmentation studies in wine marketing. Although the list is not all-inclusive, the sampling demonstrates different approaches that have been taken for wine market segmentation.Market segmentation analysis has been applied to various regional markets (e.g. Australia, Ireland, Texas, Niagara). A few studies focused on the analyses of emerging wine regions, but segmentation of these developing markets has been formed mostly on demographic (Dodd and Bigotte, 1997), geographic (Hashimoto and Telfer, 2003) or behavioral (Keown and Casey, 1995) variables. The approach taken in this study is based on local residents' attitudes towards local wines. Attitudes were operationalized through three variables: assessment of local wines; recommendation of local wines to others; and rating of quality of local wines.The three variables were chosen as the basis for cluster formation due to the well-documented importance of these factors in wine consumer behavior. Wine quality is a characteristic that is difficult to define and evaluate. Because many of the measures of quality are intrinsic and difficult to access before consumption, consumers often rely on various perceived signals of quality - price, producers, brand, vintage, etc. (Lockshin et al., 2000). Despite the complexity and subjectivity of the wine quality variable, quality perception has been found amongst the most prominent factors influencing consumer's choice of wine (Orth and Krska, 2002). It is particularly important for wine producers in emerging markets to create favorable product quality perception that, in turn, can lead to higher preferences and willingness to purchase the product.Wine is an experience product, meaning that prior to purchase, consumers usually do not know whether or not the wine meets their standards of quality. However, consumers often use decisive factors other than quality in their purchasing behavior. For example, wine consumer purchasing decisions depend largely on consumers' overall assessment of products. In many cases, consumers may or may not have tried the products, but will have an overall impression (assessment) of them, regardless of previous experience. This assessment can be formed as a result of impersonal (e.g. media, reviews, advertising) or personal (friends, sales personnel, acquaintances) sources of information (Dodd et al., 2005). The role of consumer overall assessment of products in developing regions is particularly significant, as these impressions will influence whether or not favorable information about new products will be passed on.A great deal of research on consumer decision-making has found that in many purchase situations \"word of mouth\" is a very strong influence on consumer choice. Indeed, wine markets are difficult shopping environments for wine consumers because wine markets are fragmented and often restricted in the nature of shopping activities that are allowed. As a result, wine consumers are likely to rely heavily on other people's recommendations (Dodd et al., 2005; Spawton et al., 2006). In the current research, the speculation was that in the new wine market, willingness to recommend regional wines as opposed to wines from other regions will vary among local residents. Therefore, the decision was made to use recommendation behavior as the third criterion for cluster formation. Consumer characteristics that are related to the likelihood of recommending region's wines can provide more insights for the understanding of wine consumer behavior in the emerging wine region.Based on the preceding discussion, assessment of regional wines, rating of quality and recommendation to others were considered as factors playing an important role in consumer attitudes towards the local products. These three variables were selected as criteria for cluster formation. Therefore, the purpose of the current paper is (a) to examine local residents' attitudes towards local wines in an emerging wine region, (b) to segment the developing wine market into distinct market segments based on their attitudes towards regional wines, (c) to provide socio-demographic and wine consumption profiles for each segment and (d) to examine any potential differences between the segments.\nMethod: Overview\nResults: Cluster analysis\nDiscussion: The results of the cluster analysis were interesting for a number of reasons, the most striking of which was the role of recommendation behavior. Of particular interest was the difference in recommendation behavior between two of the clusters - local advocates and local non-advocates. While local advocates are willing to recommend the local wines to other people, non-advocates would not recommend them. It is especially significant because both groups have relatively similar high-quality ratings and assessments of the local wines.It is particularly unfortunate for local wineries to have local people believe that the wine quality is good, but to also be unwilling to recommend the wines to others. The wine industry relies heavily on recommendations from one person to another for introducing new products. In fact, in a number of studies (Dodd et al., 2005; Mitchell and Hall, 2004; Spawton et al., 2006), recommendation by friends and family is seen as one of the most important sources of information and was found to be a very strong influence on consumer choice. Wine consumers are likely to rely on recommendations about wine because wine can be a high risk and a highly complex product. However, we currently know very little about why some people are more willing to provide recommendations than others. By better understanding how information is transferred from one person to the next will assist marketers in their efforts to establish new products or introduce new brands or regional wines.This study is an initial attempt to identify various segments that exist in a newly developing market. The study sets the starting point in investigating new markets consumer characteristics and reasons for their behavior. The findings do show distinct groups and indicate that some people are more likely to recommend local wines than others despite similarities in attitudes and perception of quality. The characteristics of these groups indicate that there is one strong group (local enthusiasts) that is enthusiastic about local wines, purchases these wines on a regular basis and appear to be especially interested in blush/rose and sweeter wines. These consumers may be newer wine consumers who may feel intimidated by other wines, but have come to know local wines through visiting wineries and reading about them in local media. The local wine industry provides products that meet their needs and consumers reciprocate by purchasing regional products and recommending them to others. The local wine industry should capitalize on this segment and attempt to provide products that meet their needs as they are potentially a very loyal consumer group.The detractors appear to be a very different cluster. This group probably includes many of the \"connoisseurs\" in the Spawton (1991) segmentation study. Their income levels seemed substantially higher than the other groups, with almost 38 per cent in the highest income group compared to just 10 per cent in the enthusiasts group. The detractors have the money to purchase imported products from France, Italy and Australia and are probably very image conscious with respect to brands. Local products are likely to be seen by this group as less of a fit with their social image. Media source recommendations can also be critical and the findings could also be important in understanding how recommendations from these sources get passed along.Differences in the final two groups seemed to relate more to ethnic background rather than income levels. Advocates seem to have a larger portion of minority groups, while consumption patterns also seem to indicate that they consume wine less frequently but preferred wine over white and blush. Interestingly, consumption of Texas wine is relatively infrequent for both groups, with California being the preferred region of origin. Why one group is willing to recommend Texas wines, whereas the other is not, remains unclear at this point, but cultural and resident factors may be playing a role in how some of these consumers answer questions and their need to feel loyal to their new home. Relatively, new residents in particular may feel they need to be positive about recommending all local things in their new home state despite having similar perceptions of quality to others who feel less obligated to recommend these wines.Many wineries in newly developing areas where there is not a strong wine culture or tradition of consuming dry wines focus on production of sweet wines, despite the fact that they are often not considered as serious wines by the wine media or others more involved in the wine business. Several wineries in Texas for instance have been very successful with sweet red wines that satisfy the interest in healthy red wines but also satisfy some consumers' taste for sweet wines. These wineries will typically have both a \"serious\" group of wines that also indicate that they are involved in the \"real\" wine industry. If wineries in these new areas just focus on dry styles, it may be difficult to find a large enough segment, which is interested in these dry wines, at least until the region becomes better known and is accepted as a wine producing area. Many wineries in New Zealand and Australia were very successful in selling semi-sweet wines during the 1970s and 1980s as much of the public in those countries were not interested in drinking dry style wines. Later, as the local market developed and the wineries continued to learn how to produce higher quality wines, the wineries were then able to successfully introduce a wider range of new drier style wines and successfully export them around the world.\nLimitations and future research: The findings from this research leave many questions unanswered concerning the characteristics of the clusters and more importantly, the reasons why some people who have similar attitudes to local wine products are less willing to recommend this product to others. This study did not, however, get to this critical question, but it hopefully highlights this issue and will give impetus for further investigations into this research area. There are a number of possible explanations, some of which have been mentioned in the discussion section, but until empirical work is completed they will remain as speculation.A significant limitation is also the fact that this study investigated just one new wine region. The results, therefore, could be region specific in terms of an emerging region being linked to local residents buying the product. The overview of other wine markets presents evidence that the growth of a new wine area could be just as successful through marketing outside the region (rather than relying on word of mouth within the region). For example, New Zealand and Australia gained most interest in their home markets only after recognition was achieved internationally. This gave people within the local market confidence that the wines were as good as traditional overseas competitors in Europe and helped develop regional loyalty by consumers in those two countries.The current study outlines the importance of local residents' loyalty for markets such as Texas, where nearly all wine produced in the state is being sold locally. In addition, the segmentation developed in this study may not apply to other areas which are at different stages of development in terms of their wine industry. Additional efforts in other regions of the USA and other countries would be useful to help determine some generalizable results. However, it may also be found that each state or region is unique regarding development and the population of each area is different with respect to attitudes towards their local wine industry. Nevertheless, some interesting aspects regarding the propensity to recommend and an analysis of the antecedents to recommend could be important outcomes.Media source recommendations can also be critical and the findings in this study could also be important in understanding how recommendations from these sources get passed along and their impact on consumers. It may be the case that consumers are in fact passing along to others the information they receive in the media and if media comments are positive, then it is likely that consumers will pass this along as well.Opens in a new window.Figure 1.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The current study is an initial attempt to segment the wine market in an emerging region and examine local residents' attitudes towards local wines.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study was conducted using data collected from US households through a telephone survey. Consumer attitudes towards local wines were operationalized through assessment of local wines; recommendation of local wines to others; and rating of quality of local wines. The K-means clustering algorithm was applied to classify the respondents into clusters.\nFindings: - The developing wine market was segmented into four clusters: \"local enthusiasts\", \"local detractors\", \"local advocates\" and \"local non-advocates\". Socio-demographic and wine consumption profiles for each segment are developed. Of particular interest was the difference in recommendation behavior between two of groups of consumers with similar relatively high-quality ratings and assessments of the local wines. Despite the similarity in attitudes, local advocates are willing to recommend the regional wines to other people, whereas non-advocates would not recommend them.\nPractical implications: - By better understanding how information is transferred from one person to the next will assist marketers in their efforts to establish new products or introduce new brands or regional wines.\nOriginality/value: - The market segmentation approach taken in this study is based on local residents' attitudes towards local wines. The study sets the starting point in investigating new markets consumer characteristics and reasons for their behavior. Of particular interest for future research is consumer recommendation behavior.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Internet marketing research in hospitality and tourism: a review and journal preferences	[ "Research", "Internet marketing", "Correspondence analysis", "Hospitality and tourism" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Marketing research in hospitality and tourism constitutes a major topic in both fields and have been growing steadily over the past three decades (Yoo et al., 2011), partially because it has been addressing a number of changes within the hospitality and tourism industry as well as from external social, political, environmental and economic developments. A recent critical trend in this subfield is the introduction of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), which has become one of the major factors impacting and changing the hospitality and tourism industry, in general (Buhalis and Law, 2008; Leung and Law, 2007; Liu et al., 2011). The Internet technology, as one of the most important information technologies that has been invented, is replacing traditional marketing tools and leading to fundamental changes in the principles and operations of marketing practices (Oh et al., 2004). As the Internet technology continues to develop, Internet marketing, or e-marketing, has been predicted to be one of the influential future trends of the hospitality and tourism industry (Oh et al., 2004; Yoo et al., 2011). The significant role of Internet technology in the hospitality and tourism industry prompts an emerging research direction on Internet marketing or e-marketing. Dev et al. (2010) looked into hospitality marketing research from 1960 to 2010 and named the 2000s a decade of Internet marketing (Web marketing).\nLiterature review: Hospitality and tourism marketing research review\nMethodology: Data collection\nResults: Topical review\nDiscussion and conclusion: The present study reviewed Internet marketing research published in eight hospitality and tourism journals (CHQ, IJHM, JHTR, IJCHM, ATR, TM, JTR and JTTM) from 1996 to 2013 in an effort to develop a classification of Internet marketing research topics and summarize significant trends of Internet marketing research in the hospitality and tourism discipline. A 5-category and 27-subcategory classification of research topics was identified based on 331 reported studies. In five topical categories, customer behavior was the most popular category, followed by marketing strategy and marketing function categories, with a small percentage of research focusing on marketing research and legal/political environment categories. The majority of articles were empirical research using quantitative or mixed research design. Survey and document methods were the most prevalent data collection methods, while multivariate statistical techniques including SEM and univariate statistical techniques were the most popular data analysis methods. In terms of industry sectors, the hotel/lodging industry and destination/DMO/convention and visitors bureau were the two focused industries.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide a progress review of published Internet marketing research within the top eight hospitality and tourism journals and to provide suggestions on future research directions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study collected 331 Internet marketing-related articles published in the top eight hospitality and tourism journals during the period of 1996-2013. Using content analysis, the study analyzed and discussed research topics, research methods and industry sectors of selected articles. The study period was broken into three sub-periods and used correspondence analysis (CA) to examine the significant changes of topical areas over time. A follow-up CA was conducted to compare the topical and methodological preferences of the selected eight journals.\nFindings: In all, 5-category and 27-subcategory classifications of research topics were identified in the study. The two-dimensional perceptual map indicates that Internet marketing research in the hospitality and tourism fields experienced introduction, growth and maturity stages. The research focus changed from business perspective to customer perspective and then to both business and customer perspectives. The eight top hospitality and tourism journals were grouped into four journal sets that share similar article characteristics and preferences.\nResearch limitations/implications: Due to the sample size, the classifications and trends generated in this study may not be generalized to all Internet marketing research in hospitality and tourism disciplines. The process of identifying topic and method categories might be biased, especially in identifying new topics. Future research may apply CA method in literature review studies on other research topics.\nPractical implications: The study analyzed published research in Internet marketing in the hospitality and tourism fields and provided topical and methodological recommendations to academia for future research. This study may also give hospitality managers new insights into Internet marketing applications in the industry.\nOriginality/value: This study is one of the few attempts to provide a comprehensive review of Internet marketing research in the hospitality and tourism fields. This study uses CA in literature review study, opening up a new way to easily analyze and visually display the literature trends. This study also creatively compared the publication preferences among eight top-tier hospitality and tourism journals using correspondence analysis.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Low carbon retrofit: attitudes and readiness within the social housing sector	[ "Sustainable retrofit, Social housing, Strategy, Drivers and Barriers, Housing, United Kingdom" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Modernisation, retrofit and refurbishment are used interchangeably in the literature (Bell and Lowe, 2000; Hong et al., 2009; Kelly, 2009; Jenkins, 2010; Reeves et al., 2010) to describe the upgrade of a property's physical characteristics to improve its environmental performance. Here, we will use the term sustainable retrofit. Sustainable retrofit includes upgrades to the fabric or systems of a property that may reduce energy use or generate renewable energy.\nMethodology: The aim of the Retrofit State of the Nation Survey was to gain an understanding of the current attitudes to and extent of sustainable retrofit in the social housing sector. The survey approach was adopted in order to reach a large sample around the themes identified in Table II. The survey objectives were developed with housing professionals, both consultants and social housing asset managers, who identified key areas of interest. The survey was undertaken with Fusion21 and Procurement for Housing, social enterprises that deliver procurement services to social housing registered providers (RPs). The survey is limited to capturing broad attitudes at specific point in time. A follow-up study may provide an interesting perspective of the trajectory of these attitudes.\nResults and discussion: The results are discussed in three categories of response:\nConclusions: The findings from the study show that the social housing sector is aware of sustainable retrofit as an issue. There is a level of strategic intent and a view that the issue is important. A number of linked issues will drive or hamper the desired market formation for sustainable retrofit. The first issue is policy. The study was during a time of uncertain policy, which to some extent has been resolved. However, issues with the implementation of certain policy initiatives such as delays to the Green Deal and the Renewable Heat Incentive are still an issue. If the UK Government wishes to deliver the market transformation it desires, policy uncertainty will need to be reduced. Policy makers must also recognise that decisions with regards to social housing are not made in a vacuum. Decisions that reduce income will impact the ability of social housing providers to engage with the sustainable retrofit agenda. The second issue is the organisational perspective. What are the drivers for individual organisations to engage with the sustainable retrofit agenda? There is a view from the respondents that sustainable retrofit is important, but organisational priorities, the need for a well-defined business case, and access to finance are all facts of life that aspirations will come up against. Social housing providers will not be inclined to engage in sustainable retrofit if it does not deliver for the organisation and its residents. Finally, in shaping the market, the social housing providers and their residents are taking on risk. Low levels of knowledge concerning sustainable retrofit, in both social housing providers and their supply chains, means that there are risks of non-performance of installations. In the longer term, this could also mean defects in properties, potentially leading to negative health effects for residents. Social housing providers' first obligation is to their residents. Market-making, no matter how desirable for the UK Government, should not be pursued at the risk of residents' health or financial well-being.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The study was designed to assess the attitudes, strategic readiness and drivers and barriers to the adoption of sustainable retrofit within the UK social housing sector.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study was undertaken using a structured questionnaire that was completed by 130 providers of social housing.\nFindings: The study showed that social housing providers were aware of the sustainable retrofit agenda, but with varying levels of strategic readiness. Immediate benefits to residents were seen as important drivers, as opposed to more remote issues such as climate change. The emerging nature of the sustainable retrofit market was seen as a major potential risk for residents.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study represents a snap-shot of adoption and effectiveness issues, therefore does not show the trajectory of adoption which should be addressed in a follow-up study.\nPractical implications: The social housing sector has been viewed as a market maker for the sustainable retrofit market. The study shows the attitudes of the sector to this role.\nSocial implications: The study has implications for the understanding social housing providers' engagement with the sustainable retrofit market to address fuel poverty and climate change. Social housing's role as market maker has implications for policies such as Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation.\nOriginality/value: The study covers approximately 20 per cent of the social housing stock under management and gives a robust perspective of current views on adoption and effectiveness of retrofit technologies within the social housing sector. This is useful for both other social housing providers and policy makers.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How CSR impact meaning of work and dysfunctional customer behavior	[ "Corporate social responsibility", "Emotional exhaustion", "Dysfunctional customer behavior" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In 1983, Hochschild first introduced the concept of emotional labor which requires frontline service employees (FSEs) to manage their own emotions while producing organizationally desired emotions in order to deliver quality service. FSEs often interact with demanding, unfriendly and sometimes even abrasive customers, yet they are expected to remain courteous and professional throughout each service encounter (Geng et al., 2018; McColl-Kennedy et al., 2009). As boundary spanners, FSEs serve as bridges between the service firm and its customers, which can often contribute to negative emotions and emotional exhaustion, which in turn negatively impacts their job performance (Dallimore et al., 2007; Singh et al., 1994). To overcome verbal dysfunctional customer behaviors, FSEs are encouraged to employ practical coping tactics to alleviate the stress they experience when customers behave in deviant fashions (Echeverri et al., 2012; Reynolds and Harris, 2006). Furthermore, FSEs expect that their organizations will be fair and provide proper managerial interventions when dealing with verbally dysfunctional customer behavior (Gong et al., 2014).\nConceptual framework and hypotheses development: The proposed conceptual model is depicted in Figure 1. We anticipate that FSEs' strong CSR perceptions of their service firm employer are negatively related to their verbal dysfunctional customer behavior perceptions. FSEs' perceived verbal dysfunctional customer behavior is also expected to mediate the linkage between FSEs' CSR perceptions and emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, we anticipate that FSEs' strong CSR perceptions directly affect the positive task significance of their work, which sequentially leads to job satisfaction. We also expect perceived task significance will have a negative relationship with emotional exhaustion. Next, we develop the constructs of our model and present supporting literature for their respective posited relationships.\nResearch method: To test the posited relationships of our conceptual model, we conducted a survey of FSEs with the support of one of the largest property and casualty insurance companies in South Korea. The survey data were provided by customer service representatives and their supervisors who work in the participating insurance company's claims department. Serving individual customers with property and casualty insurance coverage, the primary duty of the sampled customer service representatives and their supervisors was to assist customers when filing a claim, such as serving those customers who experienced a car accident. In many instances, these FSEs were interacting with customers under very stressful circumstances. In our preliminary discussions with employees of the insurance company, we learned that it was common for customers to insist on receiving greater compensation than allowed under the terms and conditions of their insurance policies.\nResults: Overall fit statistics suggested a good fit between the hypothesized model and the observed data. The proposed structural model exhibited acceptable levels of fit with kh2(218)=393.79, NFI=0.94, CFI=0.97, GFI=0.90, and RMSEA=0.051. Given the satisfactory fit of the structural model, the standardized coefficients are inspected. Table III lists the hypothesized test results.\nDiscussion: The manners in which CSR activities are associated with the job performance of FSEs remain relatively unexplored (Korschun et al., 2014). This study suggests that FSEs' perceptions of CSR are strategically valuable, especially as a preventive mechanism to defend against FSEs' emotional exhaustion. In part based on social identity theory (Hogg and Abrams, 1988; Tajfel and Turner, 1986), an individual's positive associations of being employed by a socially responsible organization are shown to have a negative relationship with their perceptions of verbal dysfunctional customer behavior. Further, the findings demonstrate how FSEs' CSR perceptions can indirectly weaken the emotional exhaustion effects that may result from dealing with dysfunctional customer demands. This is the first study to examine the potential contribution of CSR perceptions within the context of FSEs' boundary spanning emotional labor. CSR can play an instrumental role in indirectly impacting the emotional exhaustion suffered by FSEs, by simultaneously strengthening the meaning of their work and weakening their perceptions of verbal dysfunctional customer behavior.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how frontline service employees' (FSEs) perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) can enhance meaningful work perceptions as well as help alleviate FSEs' perceptions of verbal dysfunctional customer behavior.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The conceptual model is empirically examined through a survey of 306 FSEs of a large insurance company in South Korea and tested via structural equation modeling.\nFindings: The results indicate that FSEs' perceptions of CSR are negatively related to their perceptions of verbal dysfunctional customer conduct, which in turn is shown to be directly linked to emotional exhaustion. FSEs' CSR perceptions strengthen their view that they are performing meaningful work (i.e. perceived task significance), which in turn strengthens their job satisfaction.\nPractical implications: CSR has a preventive effect on workplace stress reduction, as FSE perceptions of CSR may help them cope with the emotional fatigue of dealing with dysfunctional customer behavior. CSR also provides a needs fulfillment effect, as FSEs' perceptions of CSR foster perceived task significance and helps reduce their emotional exhaustion from work.\nOriginality/value: This is the first study to examine the potential impact of CSR within the context of FSEs' boundary spanning emotional labor.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Moral conflicts in project-based learning in ISD	[ "Learning", "Information systems", "Ethics", "Project management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Success in information systems development (ISD) projects is heavily dependent on the project manager and the project team (Jurison, 1999; Hartman and Ashrafi, 2002). Research on ISD project teams has been carried out from the production (e.g. methods, techniques, and tools), individual (e.g. individual contributions to the team), political (e.g. power relations among stakeholders; Sarkkinen and Karsten, 2005), contextual (e.g. organizational competitiveness), and social (e.g. how IS developers work together to produce software; Barki and Hartwick, 2001) perspectives (Sawyer et al., 2008; see also the discussion on ISD as a social phenomenon in Sarkkinen, 2006, pp. 17-19). Virtual teams in ISD have also been studied from various viewpoints (Dube and Robey, 2008). Teamwork and project management are considered necessary skills in all computing disciplines, including information systems (IS) (Computing Curricula, 2005), and in many institutions these skills are taught in project-based learning (PjBL) environments, i.e. on project courses. The research on IS teaching via PjBL has focused on learning outcomes, motivation, and on how future project managers should be educated (Tynjala et al., 2009; Helle et al., 2007b). However, with regard to research on PjBL, Helle et al. (2006, p. 287) argue: \"[...] serious research on the topic is virtually non-existent.\" What is common to ISD and PjBL research is that, despite the increased attention paid to professional ethics and codes of ethics (Berleur and Brunnnstein, 1996; Peterson, 2002), very few studies are conducted from the perspective of moral psychology. Moral psychology is a sub-field of psychology that explores the development of moral reasoning and opinion formation in individuals (Mendola, 1995, p. 510). The major themes covered include moral conflicts, situations in which a moral requirement such as a moral value or obligation is at stake, and confronting them (Hoffman, 1982), and moral behavior and moral development (Bebeau, 2002; Kohlberg, 1981). We do not know what kind of moral conflicts actors in ISD, especially team members and project managers, and PjBL environments confront. The IS literature acknowledges inadequacy in abilities and behaviors from the moral perspective; however, Jiang et al. (1999) argue that IS professionals ignore social, political, and psychological issues in their work, Grupe (2003) classified the variety of conflicts of interest they may face, and Vartiainen and Pirhonen (2008) studied moral success and failure in ISD projects, for example. Conflicts have been studied in the context of IS research, but the concept of conflict does not inherently include the moral perspective - Robey et al. (1989) rather considered conflicts as disagreements between individuals and groups, for example.Given all these viewpoints, it is critical to study ISD project teams and their management not only in the business context but also in teaching future project managers in PjBL environments. If we do not rigorously investigate the teaching and its effects on students, we may not provide our future IS project managers with adequate skills for the demanding IS sector (Tynjala et al., 2009). In order to support the development of IS ethics education in the PjBL context, i.e. in project courses, we need to know what moral conflicts students in such environments confront. To this end, this case study addresses the following research question:RQ. What do students in a PjBL environment in IS education perceive as moral conflicts?This paper is organized as follows. Section 2 introduces the theory of PjBL and its application in IS education, and a theory of moral behavior. Section 3 describes the process of collecting and analyzing data on the moral conflicts perceived by students on a project course, and the conflicts are reported in Section 4. Section 5 discusses the results and the implications for practice and research, and evaluates the study.\n2 PjBL in IS education and the theory of moral behavior: PjBL and its application in IS education\n3 Research design: The research stage\n4 Results: The three concerns: the project task, human issues, and outside parties affected by the project; emerged in the referential or \"what\" aspect (the rows in Table I). Project-task-related conflicts related arrantly to attaining the objectives of the project, carrying out the work tasks and meeting the learning objectives. In terms of human issues, the students considered the treatment of the individuals who were involved in the project tasks. In these conflicts, they recognized the interplay between human issues and work tasks. In conflicts related to outside parties, they are sensitized to the consequences of the project for firms, groups and individuals, for example.The structural, or \"how\" aspect (the columns in Table I) denotes the development in moral intention from moral failure, or the intention to act in a morally wrong way, to moral success, or the intention to resolve moral conflicts as effectively as possible. Inclination to moral failure means that the student identifies a morally relevant decision-making situation (moral sensitivity; Rest, 1984) and knows what is the right thing to do (moral judgment), but deliberates about failing to do it for some reason (failure in moral motivation or character). The students themselves considered these acts, or the intention to carry them out, to be against the norms of the group, the university, or society. Students experiencing moral-success conflicts tried to find out what was the morally right thing to do in a socially complex situation. Concern for fulfilling duties and obligations and concern for the other were present in these deliberations. These categories are presented below, starting from moral-failure conflicts. The title of each category describes the core conflict: in the case of moral failure, \"Will I [perform the immoral act]\" and in the case of moral success, \"How can I [resolve the complex moral conflict]\".Moral failure\n5 Discussion: This study revealed six types of moral conflicts perceived by IS students in a PjBL environment. The triplicity of themes identified, i.e. human-, task-, and outside-party-related moral conflicts, reflects those found in other studies taking other ISD perspectives (Boyd, 2001; Brittain and Leifer, 1986). However, this study highlights the moral perspective (see Sawyer et al., 2008, on perspectives of ISD research) and the moral conflicts involved (see Robey et al., 1989, on conflicts in ISD). In particular, it highlights the morally challenging nature of the IS project manager's job. The moral perspective emerged in the form of moral failure in terms of the intention to act in a morally wrong way, and moral success as the intention to resolve moral conflicts as effectively as possible. The observation that self-interest affects moral decision making is not new (Myyry and Helkama, 2007), and in the IS professional's work self-interest emerges in the form of conflicts of interest in seeking a balance between personal and corporate or organizational interests (Grupe, 2003, p. 28). In this study, the moral conflicts under investigation peaked in the job of the IS project manager: he or she is duty-bound not just to deal with moral conflicts in getting the work done through the project team (e.g. maintaining a good spirit and work momentum), but also to react to the perceived wrongdoings (e.g. neglect of work tasks) and to control his or her own ego-centric impulses (e.g. using the position to take revenge on colleagues). The results also show that IS students are aware of and concerned about the impact of ISD on the affected parties (e.g. employees of the client). This concern should not surprise us given the powerful nature of the computer as a tool (Moor, 2008) and the given aim of ISD to rationalize business processes. These results give IS educators an insider view of the moral complexity students on a project course confront (Vartiainen, 2007, 2009). The aim of the following teaching suggestion is to support students in such situations. Moreover, the study findings carry implications in terms of advancing the moral perspective on IS research.Teaching implication: the just IS student project community\n6 Conclusions: This study enhanced understanding of moral conflicts in PjBL through an analysis of conflicts perceived by students on an IS project course. The data included diaries, drawings, interviews, and questionnaires; and a phenomenographical approach was taken in the analysis. Six types of moral conflict along two aspects were found. On the referential aspect, they were related to work tasks and human issues, and to outside parties affected by the project. On the structural aspect, the moral conflicts related to moral failure in terms of deliberation about whether to engage in morally wrong acts, and to moral success in terms of intending to resolve moral conflicts as effectively as possible. On the basis of the results and in line with theories of moral psychology, it was suggested that introducing the just community approach to project courses in IS education might be beneficial. Such an environment could foster students' moral development on all major dimensions of moral behavior. Future research should consider such an environment and its effects on FCM, and extend the investigation to business contexts in ISD.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of moral conflicts in information systems development by studying student perceptions in an information systems (IS) project course implemented in close collaboration with information technology firms.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper is based on an empirical case study. Students' perceptions of moral conflicts were gathered through diaries, drawings, and questionnaires; and the analysis was inspired by phenomenography.\nFindings: - The analysis reveals six types of moral conflicts. Students face conflicts related to their work tasks and to human and outside parties, and inherent in them is an inclination to moral failure in terms of doing something they perceive to be morally wrong, and also the desire for moral success in resolving the conflicts as well as possible. Students practicing the project manager's job confronted the most difficult moral conflicts.\nPractical implications: - The just IS student project community is suggested as a way of integrating ethics into IS education, and extending the research on moral conflicts to the business context is recommended.\nOriginality/value: - The paper offers two contributions. First, it develops the research on IS and project-based learning (PjBL) from a moral perspective and second, it facilitates ethics integration into IS education in the PjBL context.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The impact of representation media on customer engagement in tourism marketing among millennials	[ "Telepresence", "Virtual reality", "Flow", "Customer engagement", "Enjoyment", "Online travel purchase" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The tourism sector is one where the experience is truly important (Williams, 2006). Due to this experiential nature, consumers not only wish to gather information on the physical destination characteristics and inspiration for their next travels but also wish to get a preview of the look and feel of the destination (Cho et al., 2002) and as such engage more strongly with a particular destination. The inability to discover the \"experience attributes\" (Nelson, 1970) of travel due to the intangibility of tourism as a service makes evaluation of a destination before consumption without an actual visit rather difficult (Gartner, 1994; Ye et al., 2011). Moreover, it is important to generate strong customer engagement (i.e. the psychological state of the consumer as a result of interacting with a service; Brodie et al., 2011), as customer engagement (CE) is key to creating a good customer experience. Consequently, consumers may experience uncertainties regarding their travel purchase decisions and seek as much information as possible about the destination to reduce their perceived risk (Cho et al., 2002).\n2. Theoretical background: 2.1 Virtual reality in travel\n3. Research objectives: Inducing high levels of telepresence via a virtual environment is expected to have a positive effect in travel marketing (Cheong, 1995; Guttentag, 2010). Nevertheless, besides conceptual studies on the power of VR as a marketing tool, theory-driven and evidence-based empirical research on the mechanisms that determine the effectiveness of various VEs is scant (Tussyadiah et al., 2018). For example, while researchers have examined the impact of a single type of virtual environment (cf. Table I), such as Huang et al.'s (2016) examination of user acceptance of tourism in virtual worlds, there is a call for research to compare different types of representation media in a tourism context (Huang et al., 2016). Yeh et al. (2017) recently compared two types of VEs: pictures and stitched 360deg images and found that 360deg stitched pictures (i.e. the medium that has a higher potential in terms of eliciting telepresence) evoke stronger AIDA responses, especially for consumers experiencing high arousal. As outlined in Section 2.3, several types of virtual environments exist. While Yeh et al. provided evidence for the superiority of a medium that has more potential regarding the elicitation of telepresence, the present study further extends this knowledge by examining pictures vs two other media that are expected to have an even stronger ability to elicit telepresence, namely 360deg video and genuine, newest generation HMD VR. As such, the first objective of this study is to examine whether and to what extent the three tourist destination representation media differ in terms of perceived levels of vividness and interactivity and their ability to induce telepresence in the context of destination marketing. Besides identifying key innovative characteristics of VR in tourism, the second objective of this study is to explain potential differences in consumer behavioural outcomes as a result of these drivers for travel marketing. In particular, the impact of perceived telepresence on flow, enjoyment and online purchase intentions, and how these CE antecedents and components interrelate, is examined.\n4. Research hypotheses: Depending on the type of virtual representation, levels of interactivity, vividness and as a result telepresence, may differ. A medium can be ranked in terms of interactivity and vividness. For instance, Klein (2003) found that video with audio (vs with textual information) is perceived as more vivid and inducing a higher level of telepresence. Similarly, two-dimensional static photographs of products are found to be less interactive and vivid than pictures which a user can zoom in on or rotate (Li et al., 2002; Debbabi et al., 2010), while traditional video is also perceived as less vivid than VR (Van Kerrebroeck et al., 2017). Generally, three-dimensional and immersive VEs result in users perceiving more telepresence, interactivity and vividness when using the medium (Steuer, 1992; Yeh et al., 2017; Hyun and O'Keefe, 2012).\n5. Research methodology: 5.1 Procedure\n6. Analyses and results: 6.1 Effect of user interface on telepresence (ANCOVA results)\n7. Discussion: The objectives of this study were first to examine the extent to which the media differ in terms of perceived levels of interactivity, vividness and telepresence, and second to explain the differences in consumer behavioural outcomes as a result of these mechanisms.\n8. Limitations and suggestions for further research: Although this research contributes to the knowledge on the application of VR in tourism retail services, there are some limitations that must be taken into account. The first limitation of this study is related to the fact that we focussed on Millennials and thus used a student sample. While some studies suggest that this may not significantly affect validity when the research involves individual decision-making (McKnight et al., 2002) and effects of advertising (Singh et al., 2000; Wan et al., 2007), it should be acknowledged that the findings of the study may not be generalizable to other generations of travellers (Mazaheri et al., 2012; Peterson and Merunka, 2014). While we do find some initial support by Gibson and O'Rawe (2018, p. 102) for the absence of a relationship between VR usage/response and age, we acknowledge that further research to confirm this preliminary finding is recommendable as their study was based on only 129 consumers, aged 18-65+. Further research should examine how an older sample group reacts to the various media, as younger people are, for instance, often more likely to seek sensation (Xu et al., 2016) and are more open to new technologies (Venkatesh et al., 2003). A study considering a more diverse respondent sample, considering all age groups could allow for the comparison between age groups, possibly identifying age as a moderator. Upon examining broader groups in the population and/or longer term effectiveness of the VR medium in tourism marketing, close attention needs to be paid in designing the study so as to minimize non-response bias (cf. e.g. guidelines in Groves and Peytcheva, 2008).\n9. Implications: The findings of our study provide contributions both to the academic literature, and to the travel retail sector. The theoretical novelty of the results is in essence fourfold. First, the main originality in this research resides in the fact that it studies a novel medium of tourist destination marketing, namely VR, and in particular the newest generation of mobile HMD VR devices. While existing research in tourism marketing already demonstrated the effectiveness of VR-related representation media, such as virtual worlds (e.g. Second Life) or 360 virtual tours (without interaction/navigation options controlled by the user), the full potential of the newest generation VR using HMD such as untethered mobile Google Cardboards, is still to be uncovered. There is an urging call for particularly empirical support for previous conceptual research insights (Tussyadiah et al., 2018).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: As online travel marketing is evermore gaining importance, in particular regarding the pre-purchase presentation of travel destinations, it is imperative to examine how various media can engage consumers. The purpose of this paper is to identify how three prominent virtual representation media in tourism marketing differ regarding their potential in engaging customers. In particular, the authors examine whether they differ in the levels of interactivity, vividness and telepresence they elicit; and the impact of these dimensions on flow, enjoyment and online purchase intentions. The authors hereby focus specifically on millennials, who represent an important target market for the travel industry and are hard to reach via traditional media.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study presents a between-subjects experimental design comparing three virtual representation media portraying New York City, namely, photographs, 360deg video and virtual reality (VR). The findings are analysed with ANCOVA analysis and PLS path modelling.\nFindings: The findings reveal that various media indeed generate different levels of customer engagement. In particular, VR scores the highest on all dimensions, with interactivity having the largest effect on consumers' perception of telepresence. Such higher levels of telepresence in turn positively affect purchase intentions via mediation through flow and enjoyment.\nResearch limitations/implications: Future research should examine whether these findings are impacted by moderators, like consumer characteristics (e.g. socio-demographics, personality traits) and destination types.\nPractical implications: This study provides guidelines for tourism providers seeking to promote their sites in innovative and effective ways, in the anticipatory stage of the customer journey.\nOriginality/value: This study identifies interactivity as the most important driver for consumers' perception of telepresence in the context of pre-travel tourism information. Moreover, the findings also reveal the mechanisms behind enhanced customer engagement via various media.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Optimizing efficiency-robustness trade-offs in supply chain design under uncertainty due to disruptions	[ "Scenario planning", "Robustness and resiliency", "Supply chain design", "Network design", "Complex networks", "Mathematical programming", "Supply chain management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: General Motors suffered heavy losses in first quarter of 2008, as their key supplier, American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. and The United Auto workers went on strike for a period of 11 weeks. The strike cost the automaker $800 million in operating earnings and 30 plants were forced to idle due to strike. Caterpillar Inc.'s key production facility which manufactures highly critical high pressure couplings in Oxford, Mississippi, was disrupted by a tornado. This incident threatened to halt production of Caterpillar machines around the world as high pressure couplings are one of the highly critical component used in almost every Caterpillar machine manufactured around the world. Company managers acted quickly and avoided a big disaster.Network disruptions lead to supply uncertainty which although hard to quantify, is very important to performance of the supply chain. All supply chain networks and logistics systems are subject to such disruptions periodically these days. However, most of the past research on facility location and design, inventory and production planning and detailed scheduling has not given much attention to such disruptions. Melo et al. (2009) show that the vast majority of supply chain design literature is concerned with minimizing operation cost (OC) or maximizing profit. Research on designing robust supply chains subject to disruptions has only recently received significant attention.Both demand and supply uncertainty lead to unsatisfied customers, but most of the literature is focused on the effect of demand uncertainty supply chain performance. Majority of the work in the field of demand uncertainty, focuses on stochastic and robust optimization methods which plan for the expected and worst case scenarios, respectively.Chopra and Sodhi (2004) classify different types of risk supply chains are exposed to and the factors that drive them. They also recommend different type of risk mitigation strategies to mitigate the effect of supply chain disruptions. Hendricks and Singhal (2003) study the effect of supply chain glitches on shareholder wealth. They found that supply chain glitch announcements are associated with an abnormal decrease in shareholder value of 10.28 percent. They also found that small firms with high-growth prospects face a more negative reaction compared to larger firms thereby underlining the importance of risk management in supply chain design.Gaonkar and Viswanadham (2004) argue that there are two approaches to handle unforeseen events in the supply chain:1. design supply-chains with built-in risk tolerance; and2. to contain the damage once the damage has occurred.They propose a strategic level disruption management model for supplier selection to minimize supply chain shortfall due to supplier non-performance as some suppliers are susceptible to risks due to terrorist attacks, union strikes, port closure, etc.Venkatasubramanian et al. (2004) proposed a novel approach to design and analyze networks to maximize overall survival fitness of the network. They also show that how the structure and organization of a network is related to the overall performance objectives of the system. Snyder (2006) reviews various methods of supply chain network design in an uncertain environment. The paper also provides variety of optimization approaches under uncertainty and their application to facility location problems. Dong (2006) has developed an integrated robustness index of supply chain network based on network structural robustness and functional robustness. The robustness index can be used to evaluate both supply chain network robustness and individual node and link robustness. Meepetchdee and Shah (2007) define robustness, complexity and normalized efficiency of a logistical network using graph theoretic formalism. They define worst case robustness as the proportion of demand that has to be satisfied if a warehouse fails.Snyder and Daskin (2005) have developed reliability models for facility location that minimize operating cost and expected failure cost. They evaluate expected failure cost as the excessive transportation costs as customers need to be served from facilities much farther than regularly assigned facilities. They evaluate the trade-off between operating cost and expected failure cost and empirically show that substantial improvements in reliability can be made with marginal rise in operating cost.Since the exact failure probabilities for network elements are hard to quantify, most of the work in this area is focused on finding sub-optimal supply chain network design and routing strategies in the case of a network disruption. This is a rather reactive approach towards tackling the problem of supply uncertainty. We propose a proactive approach which incorporates robustness into the supply chain network design. We propose a design framework that addresses the node and edge failures explicitly by accounting for their impact on a network's performance measures of efficiency and robustness. Most of the previous work is concerned with quantifying structural robustness using graph theoretical approach. We define efficiency and robustness in terms of operational cost and expected disruption cost (EDC), respectively. The EDC is defined in terms of loss in opportunity cost incurred due to not meeting demand on time after a disruption has occurred. We use a scenario planning approach and formulate a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model with the objective of maximizing efficiency and robustness. We also evaluate the trade-offs between efficiency and robustness. The framework is applied to an automobile supply chain case study that illustrates the applicability of the proposed framework.\n2 Mathematical model: The generalized framework for node failure and edge failure is as follows. The model is a MILP model.Sets\n3 Case studies: To illustrate the applicability of the mathematical formulation, we consider an automobile manufacturing company operating within the continental USA. The company has a single manufacturing plant located in Detroit. The company has chosen ten potential warehouse locations at namely, Boston, Denver, Seattle, New York, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Jacksonville. There are 50 customer zones, each USA representing one.Problem description\n4 Conclusions and future work: Table VI compares the total cost as the sum of operational cost and EDC at a=1 with the minimum network cost for all the models. The savings expressed as a percentage of total cost is also shown. We notice that this long-term planning technique which accounts for disruptions that occur on a regular basis would potentially save $4-16 million a year when compared to a conventional efficiency-only design. We also notice that the savings are higher for an innovative product over a functional product due to much higher profit margins for the former. We have shown that by building robustness into network design it is possible to achieve considerable long-term savings without a significant loss in efficiency. A thorough analysis of all possible future scenarios is required to calculate the best network design which would lead to considerable amount of savings. In a competitive market environment these savings becomes all the more important for corporations trying to minimize costs to pass on the value to their consumers.This work is a first step towards quantifying the costs incurred on a network due to disruptions, and incorporating it in the strategic supply chain design. We have used simplistic assumptions for some of our calculations which can be improved upon by using more detailed estimates of EDC and robustness cost. Future work in this area can try to make the problem more realistic by incorporating complexities due to stochastic demand, multiple products, multiple manufacturing facilities, non-linear transportation costs, etc. More accurate disruption data which includes county level probabilities and factors other than those tracked by FEMA can be used to predict failure probabilities in the futures. More accurate estimates of EDCs can be obtained by accounting for contingency planning in supply chain by providing excess capacity to warehouses and using sub-optimal routing of goods to satisfy demand during network disruptions.\nAcknowledgements: The authors thank the anonymous referees for their valuable and constructive suggestions towards publication in the international journal of physical distribution and logistics management. The authors would also like to thank Professor Ananth Iyer (Krannert School of Management) and Dr Arun Giridhar (Purdue University), for their help and guidance towards this work. The authors are grateful for the partial support of this work by the US Department of Energy under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract, performed as part of the Instrumentation, Control, and Intelligent Systems Distinctive Signature (ICIS) of Idaho National Laboratory.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Supply chain network design is an important strategic decision that firms make considering both the short- and long-term consequences of the network's performance. The typical design approach implicitly assumes that, once designed, the facilities and the links will always operate as planned. In reality, however, facilities and the links connecting them, fail from time to time due to poor weather, natural or man-made disasters, or a combination of any other factors. This work aims to propose a design framework that addresses the facility and link failures explicitly by accounting for their impact on a network's performance measures of efficiency and robustness.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study incorporated a robustness metric for evaluating the resiliency of supply chains in the case of a network disruption. This robustness metric is based on expected losses incurred due to network failures. It defines efficiency and robustness in terms of operational cost and expected disruption cost (EDC), respectively. The EDC is defined in terms of loss of opportunity cost incurred due to not meeting demand on time after a disruption has occurred. The study used a scenario planning approach and formulated a mixed integer linear program model with the objective of maximizing both efficiency and robustness. It also evaluates the trade-offs between efficiency and robustness.\nFindings: - The resulting supply chain is much more reliable in the long term since we have shown that a significant amount of robustness can be built into the system without compromising a lot on efficiency.\nOriginality/value: - This work demonstrates a methodology which incorporates such disaster scenarios into the design of a supply chain network. This leads to a more reliable supply chain which would lead to higher profitability and lower disruption rates.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The political economy of CSR in Western Europe	[ "Corporate social responsibility", "Political economy", "Social welfare policy", "Europe" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Over the last decade, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has risen steadily higher on the international agenda. Large West European and North American multinational companies are now finding it necessary to develop CSR programmes and initiatives to comply with societal expectations voiced by sophisticated interest groups, often with considerable media coverage. Extensive expectations of responsible corporate behaviour are also embedded in a number of initiatives from governments and global organisations[1].The increasing engagement in CSR potentially indicates greater willingness to \"re-embed\" the economy in a wider societal context, following a period of neoliberal market exposure, deregulation, and separation of commercial and societal concerns. Drawing on Polanyi's distinction between a substantive and a formal understanding of the economy (Polanyi, 1944), CSR may thus be seen to represent a part of governance based on a more reflexive, dialogical rationality. This can be seen as a corporate response to society's counter-movement to the more extreme manifestations of the \"formal rationality of market forces\" (Jessop, 2001)The idea of a socially embedded modern market economy characterises several traditions in political economy. These include welfare state literature and more recent labour market literature; literature on negotiate tripartite governance, also called \"neocorporatism\", with its ties to the French regulation school; literature on business systems and varieties of capitalism, as well as literature on small states and their societal \"buffering\" against market forces.Against this background, one might see current CSR engagement as a revival of a socially embedded economy, where one would expect the traditionally most embedded welfare states with old neocorporative relations and co-ordinated market economies to be the strongest CSR performers. We may term this the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis.In contrast to this position is a strand of CSR research, which sees CSR as dominantly business-driven and detached from political initiative. As an example of this approach, Matten and Moon (2004) distinguish between implicit and explicit CSR, arguing that strong flagging of CSR may actually occur in countries with weak social embedding of the economy, such as the USA. Stronger societal embedding of the economy, they argue, results in a reduced need and role for business-driven CSR. We may term this the business-driven detachment hypothesis, in which CSR and more traditional socio-political initiatives to embed the economy socially are completely decoupled or even inversely related.This paper compares the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis with the business-driven detachment thesis by relating earlier patterns of \"social embeddedness\" in Western Europe and the USA to current patterns of industrial CSR engagement. It does so by examining how 17 West European nations and the USA are ranked on \"old\" embeddedness dimensions and comparing this ranking with \"new\" CSR rankings of nationally aggregated industrial performance.\nPerspectives on social embeddedness of the economy: The idea of socially embedded modern market economies characterises several previously mentioned traditions in political economy. As a basis for the empirical analysis that follows, we shall briefly review the core perspectives of these traditions and consider how they can be used to rank nations on social embeddedness of the economy.The welfare state and labour market approaches\nEmbeddedness in the four political economy perspectives: The empirical analysis underpinning this study focuses on the \"old\" Western Europe (EU 15) with the addition of Norway, Switzerland and the USA.In a simplified systematisation of the scores on the political economy and welfare state models presented above, we may measure social embeddedness of the economy in a four-dimensional space, where strong embeddedness is registered close to the periphery and disembeddedness is registered close to origo for each axis. The axes are scaled either through rank ordering of states (societal corporatism), linear typologies (welfare state/ labour market approaches) or social political models. Size is measured in GDP.Taking the division of European countries into Anglo-Saxon, Nordic, continental and Mediterranean as a basis for the grouping in the empirical analysis, we find that there is considerable consistency between the rankings along the four dimensions (Figure 2).The Nordic models\nThe modern CSR agenda: Following a period of neoliberalist re-emphasis on the liberal market model in the 1980s, CSR has now reinstated a stronger social and environmental agenda. However, unlike the welfare state model, it relies more on decentralised civil society initiatives, media exposure and business self-regulation than on active state intervention (Zadek, 2001; Elkington, 1998; Andriof et al., 2002; Midttun, 2005).In a situation of increasing globalisation of the economy with strong internationalisation of political governance, CSR can be seen to reflect the expectation of social and environmental decency and a felt need for sharing of wealth from global corporate operations. Large segments of the population, especially in rich welfare states, are therefore sympathetic to mobilisation against some of the negative side effects of the global market economy. The battles in Seattle and Geneva, and similar riots at WTO and World Bank meetings, as well as the formation of international movements against globalisation such as Attac, are symptoms of this (Gjolberg and Ruud, 2005).At the industrial level, large West European and North American multinational companies, in particular, are finding it necessary to develop CSR programmes and initiatives to comply with societal expectations, voiced by sophisticated interest groups, often with considerable media coverage. In an increasingly media-driven society, the concern with brand profiling and reputation effects lead to demands for corporate responsibility at a new level.Authors like Freeman (1984), Fombrun (1996) and Elkington (1998) have sought to include social/environmental responsibility into core business strategy, with reference to long-term value maximisation or to stakeholder participation. Their vision is that the firm itself, through its corporate social responsibility and transactions with stakeholders, will come to promote a socially embedded economic exchange where (neo)liberalists would focus more restrictively on short-term efficiency (Friedman, 1970) and welfare state proponents would institutionalise social and environmental responsibility through government-led regulation or negotiation.Given its emphasis on non-formal market-endogenous processes, the CSR model has tended to emphasise a non-authoritative, self-regulatory approach (Andriof et al., 2002; Zadek, 2001; Porter and Kramer, 2002). This approach places stronger emphasis on positive incentives than is the case under traditional welfare state regulation. In CSR mode, public authorities have extended their engagement into \"softer\" facilitating roles in which public sector agencies enable or provide incentives to companies to engage in innovation and industrial development (Fox et al., 2002). Public sector bodies may act as participants, convenors or facilitators in their partnership role (Fox et al., 2002). Public sector endorsement includes such issues as direct recognition of the efforts of individual enterprises through award schemes or \"honourable mentions\".\nPatterns of CSR performance in Western Europe: In order to analyse the relationship between the \"old\" (i.e. welfare state-social corporatism, political economy) type of social embedding of the economy and the \"new\" CSR embedding, we have developed a measure of CSR engagement based on four underlying sets of indicators:1. SRI analyses that include the scores on Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the FTSE4Good Index and list of the \"Global 100 most sustainable companies\" announced annually at the World Economic Forum.2. Industrial membership in CR communities that include member companies in the UN Global Compact and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).3. CR reporting, that includes industrial reporting according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and KPMGs CR reporting overview.4. CR Standards, that include only the environmental management standard ISO 14001 at the moment, awaiting the new ISO CSR standard that is presently under development.These indicators represent some of the most recognised international rankings. Notably, all indicators measure CSR engagement at the company level, since systematic policy data on CSR do not exist. However, company scores have been transformed into national counts through associating scores for companies with their home country. The scores have been normalised based on a weighting process, in which relative shares of the OECD economy and relative scores on the indexes are compared.We have designed the CSR graphs to be symmetric with the \"old\" embeddedness graphs, so that strong embeddedness is registered in the periphery and low embeddedness is registered close to origo (Figure 3).The Nordic models\nOld and new embeddedness: We initially presented two opposing hypotheses on the relationship between the \"old\" politically driven embedding including such approaches as the welfare state, social corporatism and political economy, and the \"new\" business driven CSR oriented social embeddedness of the economy. The first hypothesis, the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis, assumes that there is a positive correlation between the old and the new, implying that we should find a correspondence between national scores on \"old\" and national aggregates of industrial scores on \"new\" CSR approaches. The second hypothesis, the industry-driven detachment hypothesis, predicts that that the opposite is true. The researchers behind this hypothesis see traditional embeddedness as being \"implicit\" and societal in nature, while the new approach is more explicit and industry-driven, possibly pursued most vigorously in regions where implicit embeddedness is less predominant. This hypothesis would therefore seem to contradict the symmetry hypothesis as it apparently assumes that old and new embeddedness, rather than being two expressions of a common underlying national orientation, might in fact be functional alternatives. Our findings, however, are rather mixed.As far as the welfare state and political economy scores are concerned, we have shown that on the four dimensional counts of \"old embeddedness\", the Nordic countries and the Anglo-Saxon countries stand out as polar opposites, with the continental countries and the Mediterranean countries in mid-positions, the continental countries closer to the Nordic and the Mediterranean countries closer to the Anglo-Saxon model.When we consider the \"old\" and \"new\" embeddedness together at the aggregated regional group level, the findings tend to support the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis. As predicted, the Nordic group scores high on both the old and the new embeddedness, while the Anglo-Saxon group scores low on both measures. However, so does the Mediterranean group (Figure 4).Moving from regional aggregates down to national scores, we find that the Nordic group scores fairly internally consistent. Both the Anglo-Saxon, the continental and the Mediterranean groups, however, show more ambiguous scores.In the Anglo-Saxon group, the USA conforms to the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis, whereas the UK supports the detachement position, with Ireland somewhere in between.The continental group also contains significant variation within the group. The large differences between Switzerland, the Netherlands, and partly Austria, on the one hand, and France, Germany and partly Belgium on the other has led us to differentiate this group along the lines exhibited in Figure 3. One might argue that the continental \"elite\" performs more like the Nordic group, whereas the continental followers perform closer to the Mediterranean.In the Mediterranean group, Spain, is a considerable surprise. It scores high on the CSR dimension, while scoring relatively low on the traditional \"embeddedness\" dimension (Figure 4). One might argue that the Franco regime, which has not been counted here as part of the old embeddedness measure, might put it in a super-corporatist position. This would establish a better correspondence between \"old\" and \"new\" embeddedness in the Spanish case.The tendential empirical support for the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis at the aggregate regional level, but not across the whole set of national cases, indicates the limited explanatory power of the general embeddedness argument at the level of individual nations and raises a need for supplementary and more specific institutional analyses.In particular, the discrepancy between the US and UK CSR performance which according to both hypotheses should be more similar, although in opposite directions, may, for instance, be a result of differences in legal traditions. Seen from the point of view of the detachment hypothesis, the adversarial legal culture of the USA may raise obstacles to the strong and high profile CSR engagement at the company level one might expect, because it could render the company an easier target for legal action. An alternative interpretation can be found in the fact that the UK government traditionally has had much more active environmental and HSE regulations compared to the USA (Vogel, 1986). If so, the UK might be more embedded in the \"old\" sense, compared to what is reflected in the \"old\" embeddedness measures that we have employed in our analysis. This interpretation thus renders support to the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis.The Nordic countries, with more similar legal institutional traditions, act more homogeneously and the basic drivers implied in the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis thereby possibly work more directly. A possible combined hypothesis, based on the strong UK and Nordic orientation, is that the relationship between old and new embeddedness is U-shaped, where a strong and clear-cut advanced welfare state and labour market policy support strong industrial CSR on implicit grounds, while a more clear-cut liberalist order might support industrial CSR as part of an explicit CSR policy.The high CSR performance of Dutch and Swiss industry compared to France, Germany and the USA, might also indicate a small state factor. One can imagine that larger countries, with a larger home market, have more domestically-oriented CSR initiatives. The CSR indicators employed in this analysis only cover international initiatives, which might favour the smaller, internationally-oriented economies. The analysis does not capture purely national initiatives which might be more prevalent and popular in large economies.The countries with more mixed and intermediary \"old\" embeddedness positions could be seen to have problematic combinations of symmetric embeddedness and detachment oriented factors, thereby introducing contrasting orientations and hence a lower CSR performance. The lack of CSR rating of US firms, in this line of reasoning, would, as mentioned above, be explained by specific traditions of litigation.Institutionalised orientations may also help explain the peculiar differences in industrial orientation towards different indexes. The fact that Nordic companies predominantly choose listings on DSJI, while many of the continentals and Mediterranean companies choose the FTSE4Good, presumably reflects different patterns of internationalisation. When Nordic and UK companies internationalise, they prefer listings on the New York stock exchange. Continental and Mediterranean countries, on the other hand, seem to be more oriented towards FTSE in London.Furthermore, one might argue that the aggregated CSR indicators cover important distinctions in terms of CSR performance. While for instance it requires little or no effort to enter into the Global Compact and the GRI statsistics, the SRI indices and the WBCSD involves significant demands in terms of performance and engagement. Thus, one might argue that the Global Compact and the GRI represent more of an indication of interest than an actual measure of performance. The DJSI and FTSE4Good, which measure real performance, should arguably be given greater significance. This would strengthen the symmetric embeddedness hypothesis. Nevertheless Global Compact membership is gradually becoming more demanding and indicates a focus that is about to entail more and more screening of the firms' real commitment. The Mediterranean companies are quite active in this field and show clear ambitions with respect to future development.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The increasing engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) potentially indicates an attempt to \"re-embed\" the economy in a wider societal context, following a period of neoliberal market exposure, deregulation, and separation of commercial and societal concerns. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between this new social embedding of the economy and older traditions of social embeddedness, such as the welfare state, neocorporatist arrangements, and other socio-political and labour market arrangements.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper explores the relationship between old and new embeddedness by examining how 17 West European nations and the USA are ranked on \"old\" embeddedness dimensions and comparing this ranking with \"new\" CSR rankings of nationally aggregated industrial performance.\nFindings: - The overall findings at an aggregate level provides some support for the idea of a symmetric relationship between the \"old\", politically-driven embeddedness and the \"new\", industry-driven embeddedness. However, a finer inspection of the results reveals interesting diversity and variation between countries and between scores, indicating more complex national story lines.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Despite the limited set of countries and some measurement challenges, the analysis illustrates that the patterns of national industrial adaptation to the CSR agenda is strongly shaped by regional and national institutional contexts. While some of the institutional patterns shaping CSR in the \"old\" EU 15++ have been analysed in this paper, much work still remains to be done in extending and deepening our knowledge in this field.\nPractical implications: - The findings may help understand how a general framework like CSR interplays with political and institutional contexts as it trickles down into different West European political economies.\nOriginality/value: - The systematic analysis of old political and new corporate social embeddedness of the economy based on a broad set of indicators is new and sheds light on the institutional preconditions for- and shaping of CSR.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Universities' contributions to social innovation: reflections in theory & practice	[ "Innovation", "Tacit knowledge" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: There is growing interest in understanding universities' contributions to territorial development (Huggins and Johnston, 2009), reflecting an acknowledgement that cities' development is increasingly shaped by knowledge processes (Yigitcanlar, 2010; Sarimin and Yigitcanlar, 2012). Within emerging knowledge-based urban development (KBUD) models, universities - knowledge-based institutions - seem ideally positioned to contribute to KBUD processes (Perry, 2008; Benneworth et al., 2011). This special issue is concerned with understanding universities' contributions to these KBUD processes.\nSocial innovation as a societal change process: Social innovation and the grand challenges\nUniversities' contribution to social innovation processes: This SI model greatly facilitates understanding how universities involvement, and we draw here an analogy with TI processes. In TI, universities host a wide range of communities with knowledge, infrastructures, connections and networks, assets which TIs might find useful, providing that universities are able to establish good ground rules, thereby enabling both university and firm to benefit from interaction.\nDiscussion: why would universities engage in systematic social innovation?: This special issue seeks to broaden the view of how universities use close linkages with host urban communities to co-develop research, teaching and enterprise that stimulates wider socio-economic development in city spaces. This paper supports this by focusing on an increasingly important element of socio-economic development, namely social innovation. Because of social innovation's fuzzy nature, we sharpened its definition by highlighting four layers of meaning (novelty, value, networks, power shift) and two key essential components (innovative practice vs social justice). We also offered a synthetic SI process model which provides a basis for understanding different ways by which universities may become involved.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to resolve a tension in understanding how universities contribute to knowledge-based urban development (KBUD).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper is a conceptual paper, which analyses the tension as emerging between the university and the wider societal activity. The paper creates a framework for combining insights from both those theoretical frameworks to better understand why universities might choose to contribute to KBUD.\nFindings: The paper argues that it is important to understand the benefits that the universities get from participating in the KBUD. This can be through the unique tacit knowledge that emerges in the social innovation process, but their might also be value for the university in terms of two other variables, material resources and symbolic legitimacy.\nResearch limitations/implications: The paper is a literature review and therefore is limited to raising a series of future questions and directions for research in the field, as well as to providing a lens and context for existing work.\nPractical implications: There are clear implications for those seeking to improve universities contributions to KBUD. It is not merely enough for strategic leaders to come together and agree that promoting the university will promote KBUD: it is necessary to modify a range of processes within the university to ensure that a wide range of actors are able to benefit from participating in KBUD activities, and that it facilitates their own teaching and research activities.\nSocial implications: For universities to make a substantive contribution to promoting KBUD, policy-makers must ensure that they do not create disincentives through universities' teaching and research activities.\nOriginality/value: This is the first time that a paper has sought to bridge between theories of urban development and social innovation, and universities' internal institutional and organisational dynamics.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
I'm worth it or I need it? Self-gift giving and consumers' self-regulatory mindset	[ "Mindset", "Prevention focus", "Promotion focus", "Self regulation", "Self-gift" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In the context of current materialistic lifestyles, consumption is viewed as a means in the pursuit of happiness and the good life (Belk, 1985; Richins and Dawson, 1992). Consumers are increasingly self-oriented in their purchase and consumption behaviors, and offering gifts to oneself, i.e. self-gifts, has been recognized as an archetype of this social phenomenon (Mick and DeMoss, 1992).\nA self-regulatory perspective on self-gift giving: Self-gifts\nStudy 1: The objective of this first experiment was to test H1 and H2, that is, whether self-gift purchase intentions are stronger in achievement contexts (success versus failure) that are congruent with the person's regulatory focus (promotion or prevention).\nStudy 2: The objective of the Study 2 was to investigate the implications of situation-induced promotion versus prevention regulatory focus on self-gift purchase intention (H3, H4 and H5), as well as to examine the interactive effects of chronic and situational regulatory focus on self-gift purchase intention (H6, H7 and H8).\nDiscussion: Theoretical implications\nConclusion: Using regulatory focus theory to investigate the phenomenon of self-gift giving represents a novel and relevant way to contribute to research in this domain. This general conclusion should however be examined in light of some research limitations. A first limitation concerns the artificiality of the experiments. While the scenario-based approach offers a maximum of control over the effects of nuisance variables, the effectiveness of this procedure ultimately depends on consumers' capacity to imagine themselves in the described situation. Because the participants were randomized across the experimental conditions, this should not have had an impact on the effects that were observed. But, it remains to be demonstrated that these effects are representative of what would occur in a real environment. In spite of its inherent limitations because of its correlational nature, asking consumers to recall failure or success experiences is a data collection method that should be considered in future studies.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The aim of the research presented in this paper is to enhance our understanding of self-gift giving behavior. Self-regulatory theory is used as a conceptual support to achieve this objective. The main idea that is explored is that consumers' self-gift purchase intentions vary across contexts and situations to the extent that these are compatible or not with their self-regulatory mindset, whether it is chronic or situational.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Two studies, using a scenario-based experiment, were conducted to investigate the effects that regulatory focus has on consumers' intentions to buy themselves a gift.\nFindings: The results support the proposition that the chronic form of regulatory focus in success and failure situations has a significant impact on the intention to purchase a gift to oneself and show that the situational form of regulatory focus has an influence on self-gift purchase intention as well. They also confirm that situations that are congruent with consumers' self-regulatory mindset lead to stronger self-gift purchase intentions.\nOriginality/value: The main contribution of this research lies in delineating the role that some specific dispositional and situational factors play in shaping consumers' perceptions of success and failure events and how this impacts the eventual purchase of a gift to oneself. This contrasts with previous research on self-gift giving, where success and failure situations are assumed to be perceived similarly by consumers. Marketing managers wishing to stimulate consumers' propensity to buy themselves gifts should consider using regulatory focus as a segmentation basis. Marketing communications should be adapted to consumers' self-regulatory mindset.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Attention and past behavior, not security knowledge, modulate users' decisions to login to insecure websites	[ "Information security", "Mechanical Turk", "Browser login", "Human subjects research", "Security expertise" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Users on the internet are regularly confronted with complex security decisions that can affect their privacy. They must decide whether it is safe to enter their username, password, credit card details and other personal information on websites with very different interfaces and only a few visual clues on whether it is safe to do so. These security indicators include the protocol used, the domain name, the secure sockets layer (SSL)/transport layer security (TLS) certificate and visual elements in the browser window. Very few users understand the technical details of these various indicators.\n2. Background: Work in usable security has attempted to address the effectiveness and understanding of the various cues, indicators and warnings available in a variety of digital environments. At the same time, these studies must be constructed in a manner that avoids placing participants at risk. To study users' ability to properly use security indicators and avoid risk, work in this area has relied on surveys, roleplaying and priming to ascertain participants' understanding of the underlying technical concepts related to digital security and their use of the available technologies.\n3. Methodology: Introducing a performance bonus based on both speed and accuracy in completing the task was done to increase the motivation and risk-taking behavior of participants (Petzold et al., 2010). The primary question was whether users would ignore or simply miss security indicators when pressed for time. To address this question, a relatively large sample with a broad distribution of knowledge concerning security indicators is needed.\n4. Results: The primary question concerned how frequently participants would login to insecure websites. Overall, they were more likely to login to encrypted than to unencrypted websites (Mdiff = 0.23, 95 per cent HDI = 0.17, 0.28) and to non-spoofed than to spoofed websites (Mdiff = 0.21, 95 per cent HDI = 0.15, 0.27). Critically, the results revealed a strong response bias to login regardless of available security indicators (Figure 2). Participants' lack of sensitivity to the available stimuli was reflected in the relatively low d's in both the https/http manipulation (M = 0.41, 95 per cent HDI = -0.67, 1.35) and the no-spoof/spoof manipulation (M = 0.34, 95 per cent HDI = -0.67, 1.35).\n5. Discussion: Although these results suggest that security knowledge is related to a decrease in risky behavior, it would be a gross exaggeration to suggest that security knowledge is sufficient to ensure secure and safe behavior on the web. Limiting the analysis to just those participants who scored correctly on at least 80 per cent of the technical security questions (n = 32), the results show that they logged-in to 88 per cent of secure logins and 41 per cent of the insecure logins across both studies.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Modern browsers are designed to inform users as to whether it is secure to login to a website, but most users are not aware of this information and even those who are sometimes ignore it. This study aims to assess users' knowledge of security warnings communicated via browser indicators and the likelihood that their online decision-making adheres to this knowledge.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Participants from Amazon's Mechanical Turk visited a series of secure and insecure websites and decided as quickly and as accurately as possible whether it was safe to login. An online survey was then used to assess their knowledge of information security.\nFindings: Knowledge of information security was not necessarily a good predictor of decisions regarding whether to sign-in to a website. Moreover, these decisions were modulated by attention to security indicators, familiarity of the website and psychosocial stress induced by bonus payments determined by response times and accuracy.\nPractical implications: Even individuals with security knowledge are unable to draw the necessary conclusions about digital risks when browsing the web. Users are being educated through daily use to ignore recommended security indicators.\nOriginality/value: This study represents a new way to entice participants into risky behavior by monetizing both speed and accuracy. This approach could be broadly useful as a way to study risky environments without placing participants at risk.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Organizational socialization: the missing link between employee needs and organizational culture	[ "Socialization", "Organizational culture", "Employee behaviour" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A major concern of every organization is how well its employees fit into it because a great deal of time, money, and effort are invested in preparing employees for their jobs. Concern has even been raised regarding hiring discrimination based on employers' judgments of job candidates as being unsuited to the organizational culture (Green, 2005). On the other hand is the concern about employees who leave their jobs because they feel there is a mismatch between their needs and the culture of the organization. Thus, Hesketh and Myors (1997) noted that both the person and the organization are import influences on adjustment. This is reminiscent of arguments stressing individual differences in successful socialization (Jones, 1983), and of some admonitions emphasizing that greater attention should be given to employee needs (Scarpello, 1994) as well as to organizational cultures (Schein, 1996b).Since organizational socialization refers to the way employees interact with and adjust to an organization's culture, it is logical to expect that socialization should play a critical role somewhere between the ends of the employee needs-organizational culture dichotomy. Early writings on socialization, however, viewed it as a method by which people are \"processed\" (van Maanen, 1978), with little attention paid to the needs of the persons being \"processed.\" Although there has been increased interest in some aspects of employee behavior (see Bauer et al. (1998), for a review), their motivational needs have been largely ignored in organizational socialization research.Another area of research that has gone largely unexamined is the relation between organizational socialization and organizational culture. Given that all definitions of socialization consider it to have as its objective the fitting in of people with the organization's culture (Louis, 1990), it is somewhat surprising, as Bauer et al. (1998) noted, that little research has been conducted to assess the relation between socialization and organizational cultures. To address these research gaps the present study examines the relationships among the three concepts of:1. employees' manifest needs;2. the content areas of organizational socialization; and3. three classical conceptions of organizational culture.With the objective of determining the role that socialization plays in linking persons with organizational cultures.Conceptual foundations\nMethod: Respondents\nResults: Tests for common-method bias and multicollinearity\nDiscussion: The results of the correlation and regression analyses yielded clear support for the hypothesized links between employees' motivational needs and the content domains of organizational socialization; and organizational socialization and organizational culture. Additionally, the results of the SEMs further strengthened the idea that the organizational socialization content areas play a major role in linking employees, vis-a-vis their motivational needs, to all three facets of organizational culture, whether they are bureaucratic, innovative, or supportive in nature. Each side of this link is discussed below, focusing on the more powerful results of the regression analyses, followed by their implications for management.The needs-socialization link\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to address the two research gaps in the literature between employee needs and organizational socialization; and organizational socialization and organizational culture by examining the relationships among four employee motivational needs (for achievement, affiliation, autonomy, and power), four organizational socialization content areas (training, understanding, coworker support, and future prospects), and three facets of organizational culture (bureaucratic, innovative, and supportive).\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Questionnaire data of 156 full-time employees from a variety of organizations are analyzed by correlations, regressions, and structural equation modeling (SEM).\nFindings: - Employee motivational needs explain significant variance for all socialization domains; whereas socialization explains significant variance for all organizational cultures (while needs explain little or no variance for culture). Regression and SEM analyses establish that organizational socialization links employee needs to organizational culture.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Whereas socialization is confirmed as the link between the person and the organization, future studies could examine how the socialization content areas link persons to other organizational variables, such as leadership styles and political behavior.\nPractical implications: - Employee needs should be taken into account as regards the content domains of organizational socialization programs, and management should consider these domains as relevant to the socialization of employees in all types of organizational cultures.\nOriginality/value: - This is the first empirical study on the interrelationships among employee needs, organizational socialization content areas, and facets of organizational culture.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Citizen feedback as a tool for continuous improvement in local bodies	[ "Continuous improvement", "Policy making", "Accountability", "Citizen complaints handling", "Citizen feedback" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Legitimizing choices in public administration (PA) assume complex contours in concomitance with an ongoing financial crisis, forcing public institutions to maintain current service levels while facing reduced economic and human resources. Acting consistently with respect to users' expectations and needs can promote the development of an image of PA as a transparent actor and careful listener to citizens' desires and needs, particularly those conveyed as of complaints derived from personal or collective inconvenience or harmed interests.\nLiterature review: The public sector is far from considered infallible. Its intrinsic nature is human as it is ruled, managed and represented by human beings, not inclined to perfection. This implies mistakes in the day-by-day activity, misinterpretations of laws and norms by both civil servants and citizens, and the incorrect expectation that every request should receive a satisfactory reply. This confusing reality of liabilities and discomforts leads to the hard work of efficient complaint handling as a consequence of service failure. It should lead to CA, to anticipating potential criticalities and, thus, reducing malcontent.\nMethodology: The research design rests on empirical case studies located in the same geographical area (Yin, 2005). The approach poses \"why\" or \"how\" questions by the authors who had no control over the events treated but wanted to consider the operative links in a medium-term period (How do public managers and politicians treat complaints? Why should public managers and politicians pay more attention to feedback? Why are complaints not yet an adequate tool for planning in the public sector?). The initial questions were based on the literature review presented above, with attention for a contemporary phenomenon in a real life context. The case studies are aimed at clarifying a series of decisions (why feedback is not used to its full potential). A description of the background clarifies how the feedback is treated and explored.\nCase studies: An online search uncovered several best practices relating to the issues treated in this paper, such as practiced by Milan Municipality (Comune di Milano, 2013), Amsterdam City Council (Hassan, 2010) and Finland with its creative response to the problem. It has set up a Complaints Choir that literally translates a chorus of simultaneous complaints from many people in music (www.complaintschoir.org/news.html). Research studies came from institutions such as DESA (2013), NAO (2008), OECD (2001), GAO (2000), TARP (2007), Health Committee of the House of Commons (2015), and Ombudsman reports (European Ombudsman, 2017; Queensland Ombudsman, 2010).\nFindings: In the period 2011-2013, CS1 received 120 complaints in total and took 11 CA. In the same period CS2 received 578 complaints and implemented 172 corrective or PA.\nConclusions: Researching complaints management is demanding because complaints are but one technical \"tool\" in a panorama of customer relationship methodologies developed in fields other than the public sector. It does not have a rich academic literature and is usually investigated in connection with general organizational or political studies. A practical approach to the subject would seek more complexity than found in the theoretical framework mentioned above. Few local bodies have dedicated structured complaints management systems; many have non-homogeneous systems and data are generally unavailable.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the feedback discourse by exploring how public managers and politicians use complaints from citizens to improve the overall and specific performance of public services. The main research questions are: Can citizen complaints analysis be a useful planning tool in the public sector? What can public managers learn from citizen feedback?\nDesign/methodology/approach: Applying an empirical approach (Yin, 2005), the multiple case studies treated in the paper aim to clarify a series of decisions (particularly, why feedback is not used to its maximum potential). The overall design includes a defined set of questions, and the research protocol includes data retrieval, collection and analysis. A new cataloging model is proposed to homogenize the spectrum of analysis. This model is intended to create a parallel between two local bodies different in size, mission, and complexity, but which have front office facilities and are in the same territory and have the same potential target population.\nFindings: In total, 698 complaints and 183 corrective or preventive actions were analyzed. Public managers' attention seems to focus on technical or normative issues rather than on aspects of public services. This may be explained by the lack of funds for training, the scarce use of relational and human capital development leverage, and the concomitant necessity to guarantee at least the same level of services as provided in previous years, confirming the \"Blame the rich and credit the poor\" mantra.\nOriginality/value: This paper offers a strategic approach to learning from citizen's feedback that other scholars or practitioners have not yet provided. There are many academic studies on customer feedback as a continuous improvement tool for the private sector, but few for public administration.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Measuring trust and commitment in collective actions: Evidence from farmers' marketing organizations in rural Ethiopia	[ "Cooperatives", "Trust", "Social capital", "Choice experiment", "Collective action" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Trust is a psychological state embracing the intention to accept vulnerability based upon positive expectations of the intentions or behaviors of others (Rousseau et al., 1998). As others have noted (Colquitt et al., 2007; Ferrin et al., 2008), the definition stresses two key elements: the willingness to be vulnerable and the expectation of favorable treatment by another party and their relationships. Trust has long been recognized as promoting economic growth (Knack and Keefer, 1997; Zak and Knack, 2001), building better institutions (Laporta et al., 1997; Slangen et al., 2003), creating human capital (Coleman, 1998), reducing corruption (Uslaner, 2002), and encouraging better management of public goods (Ostrom, 2000). Trust facilitates social and resource exchange, increases communication, and enhances cooperation between individuals (Tsai and Ghoshal, 1998). Trust improves willingness to participate in collective actions, helps avoiding inefficient non-cooperative traps, and reduces free-riding problems (Ostrom, 2000). It also enhances contract enforcement in smallholder agriculture (Masuku, 2009) and increases participation in civic organizations (Laporta et al., 1997). Trust in cooperatives makes members committed to the organization (Borgen, 2001), loyal to their cooperatives (James and Sykuta, 2006), and active participant in the governance of the cooperatives (Barraud-Didier et al., 2012). However, trust cannot be easily created and maintained (Lyon, 2000).\nMethodology: Experimental design\nResults and discussions: Level of trust in smallholder marketing cooperatives\nConclusion and implications: Trust and commitment are important behaviors in collective actions. They determine not only the short-term success of the group but also its long-term sustainability. This is particularly important in smallholder producers' organizations where members are isolated and crowded with external interventions. Trust is one of the instrument for members to cooperate and improve their organization as it has been an important element in other forms of collective actions. People commit themselves to common goals and purposes if they have trust among themselves and trust in the institutions that they built. Despite the importance of these behaviors, their empirical measurement has been a challenge. In this paper, we employed choice experiments to measure trust and commitments of members to their cooperatives in rural Ethiopia. The choice experiment was designed to capture the different aspects of trust such as relativism, extent of incentive, and types of transactions.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the theoretical and empirical possibility of measuring trust and commitment in collective actions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study employs choice experiments to estimate trust implicitly as opposed to the common practice of measuring trust explicitly. Several experiments were conducted to assess members' level of trust and commitment to marketing cooperatives in rural Ethiopia.\nFindings: The results of the study indicate that significant number of farmers do not yet have trust in their organization and fellow members in both absolute and relative terms. The probability of trust increases when members actively participate in cooperative governance, are less diverse, stay longer in the cooperative, and when cooperatives are older. The authors also learnt that both trust and commitment have indeed improved the performance of farmers' market organizations. Trust in cooperative is asymmetrically sensitive to incentives and disincentives.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study implied that research efforts attempting to estimate trust in collective action shall use an implicit measurement and consider the sensitivity of trust to relativeness, incentives and types of transactions.\nPractical implications: The findings of this study showed that rural organizations that are established with external help, such as agricultural cooperatives in Africa, seem to struggle to earn the trust of their current and potential members. This implies that given the effectiveness and persistence of informal rural organizations emerged through mutual trust, cooperatives must be organized either through informal ways as trust-based organizations or based on cooperative business principles of voluntarism and independence.\nOriginality/value: This paper employs the behaviorally appealing choice experiment approach to capture the different aspects of trust such as relativism, sensitivity of trust to incentive and types of transactions in smallholder producers' organizations.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Subjective well-being, knowledge sharing and individual innovation behavior: The moderating role of absorptive capacity	[ "Knowledge sharing", "Absorptive capacity", "Subjective well-being", "Innovation behaviour" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Innovation is the novel recombination of knowledge that an individual possesses and new knowledge that they obtain, which enables enterprises to seek new opportunities and exploit existing opportunities more efficiently (Matzler et al., 2013). Innovative behavior generally occurs at an individual level (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995), because individuals can generate new and novel ideas that regularly reflect a broad shift in perspective and a reorientation of existing activities (Naveh and Erez, 2004). According to Amabile (1993), when individuals exhibit creativity and innovation, they can better accomplish their tasks, which in turn, enhance organizations' performance and competitive advantages in an uncertain environment. In the long run, individual innovation behavior is a key factor in the survival and growth of organizations. Thus, in order to improve the organizational innovation level, it is particularly critical to study antecedents of individual innovation behavior.\n2. Theory and hypotheses: Figure 1 illustrates the research model. This study predicts that individual innovation behavior is influenced indirectly by subjective well-being, while knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity are regarded, respectively, as mediator and moderator in the relationship between subjective well-being and individual innovation behavior.\n3. Method: 3.1 Data collection\n4. Analyses and results: 4.1 Construct validity and reliability analysis\n5. Discussions: 5.1 Major findings\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of subjective well-being on individual innovation behavior. The authors propose that such effect is mediated by knowledge sharing, and individual absorptive capacity moderates the relationship between knowledge sharing and innovation behavior.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A research model was developed. Survey data were based on a sample of 220 employees from 20 enterprises in China. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses and bootstrap approach were applied to test the research model.\nFindings: Subjective well-being has significantly positive influence on individual innovation behavior, and this effect is mediated by knowledge sharing. Furthermore, absorptive capacity moderates the mediated relationships between subject well-being and individual innovation behavior via knowledge sharing.\nPractical implications: This research sheds light on an effective role to promote individual innovation behavior in management practices. It suggests that harmonious atmosphere, communication platform, and well-established learning plans can be cultivated to enhance individual innovation ability.\nOriginality/value: This research discusses the antecedent of innovation behavior from the viewpoint of individual psychology, and identifies the different roles of knowledge sharing and absorptive capacity on individual innovation behavior.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Culture, religion and social capital: evidence from European regions	[ "Europe", "Culture", "Social capital", "Religion" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Social capital has been actively dealt with in the literature over the past decades and the sources of social capital have been widely discussed in the literature, especially at the individual level. However, social capital can be and has been analysed at different levels: it can be viewed as an asset of an individual (e.g. Bourdieu, 1986; Coleman, 1988), but it can also be studied at the level of society - as an attribute of a country or a region (Portes, 1998; Putnam, 1995). The social capital of individuals can be aggregated to the social capital of a country or a region at the society level (van Oorshot and Arts, 2005). At that, the level of social capital in a country or a region is based on the individuals' social capital that, in turn, depends on the individuals' characteristics. However, it can be expected that there are also macro-level factors that form the background and can be assumed to have their influence on the level of social capital in a region, for example different cultural factors, such as religion, but also the differences in values and beliefs. While religion has been sometimes included into the analysis of the factors of social capital, cultural differences have not received much attention in the literature.\n2. Theoretical framework: The notion of social capital usually covers various characteristics of the social environment. Social capital is a complex concept with many dimensions, and there are also many definitions of it (see, e.g. Leana and van Buren, 1999; Adler and Kwon, 2002 for overviews of different definitions). One of the first introducers of the concept, Bourdieu (1986), for example, defines social capital as \"the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalised relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition\". According to Putnam (1995), social capital \"refers to features of social organisation such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit\". Networks (participation) and trust form the core of most definitions of social capital, covering both the structural and cognitive aspects of social capital. Structural social capital includes social networks, both informal (formed by the interpersonal relationships between friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbours, etc.) and formal (defined as participation in associations and voluntary organisations: professional, religious, cultural, etc.). In addition, civic participation is often considered as a dimension of social capital, encompassing actions that address issues of public concern. Cognitive social capital includes, for example, general trust and the trust in different institutions like the police, government, legal system, etc., also referred to as institutional trust.\n3. Data and operationalisation: The data about social capital and religiosity were drawn from two databases: the European Social Survey (ESS) and the European Values Study (EVS), which among others include various questions pertaining to religion and social capital. The EVS (EVS, 2008) is a multi-country survey that is repeated every nine years and covers an increasing number of European countries. Here, the fourth wave (year 2008) is used. The ESS (ESS, 2008) is a biennial multi-country survey covering an increasing number of European countries as well. The first round was conducted in 2002 and this paper uses the fourth wave (year 2008) data, as for this year data from both surveys are available. There are usually 1,500-2,500 respondents per country in the case of the ESS and 1,000-2,000 respondents per country in the case of the EVS. Also, both surveys provide weights in order to ensure that the regional-level data would be representative of the demographic structure of a country. All this offers a good basis for combining these two surveys. For example, Akcomak and ter Weel (2009) used both surveys in order to describe social capital. In addition, both surveys enable to analyse the regional level as well, as they include respondents from all regions of a particular country. This study uses data on the NUTS 1 level. The NUTS - nomenclature of territorial units for statistics - is a widely used hierarchical classification of regions within countries established by Eurostat (see Eurostat 2012). The number of respondents per region was 443.28 on average in the EVS and ranged from 20 to 1,793, in the ESS the number of respondents per region was 545.74 on average at the NUTS1 level and ranged from 21 to 2,367. The regional-level initial indicators were obtained by aggregating individual-level data using the weights provided by the ESS and EVS. After that, data from two databases for the same regions were combined. The number of respondents was quite low in some regions and here the weights used are supposed to ensure the data to be representative of the demographic structure of a region.\n4. Results and discussion: In order to analyse the relationships of religion and culture with social capital components, regression analysis was used. The results of the regression analysis for five components of social capital are presented in Tables II-VI. For all models, the p-value of the F-statistic was below 0.001. The values of the adjusted R2 were in the case of formal networks notably lower than in other cases. Here, one possible explanation is higher skewness (2.13 for formal networks while for other social capital components, it remained lower than 1 in absolute values) and kurtosis (6.20 for formal networks, for others lower than 1.50 in absolute values). Still, these values satisfy the normality assumption with absolute values of skewness less than 3 and of kurtosis less than 8 or 10 (Kline, 1998). Regarding possible multicollinearity, the VIF values ranged from 1.64 to 3.66 that is lower than the commonly accepted limit for the VIF: less than 10 (Kline, 1998).\n5. Conclusions: This exploratory study intended to shed some light on the possible relationship of religion and culture with the level of social capital in a particular region. As a novelty, in order to capture societal culture, Hofstede's (1980) original concept of four cultural dimensions was used. The data of 85 regions from 26 European countries were analysed.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible relationship of religion and culture with the social capital in a particular region.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data of 85 regions from 26 European countries are analysed. Regression analysis is used for analysing cultural dimensions, religion-related aspects and the communist past as possible factors of social capital components. In addition, graphic analysis is used for the generalisation of the results.\nFindings: The results from both the regression and graphic analyses indicate that cultural dimensions capture the possible reasons for different levels of social capital better than religion-related aspects or the division according to the communist background.\nResearch limitations/implications: Conclusions can be drawn only for the European regions analysed. Data were not available for regions in all European countries and including control variables was limited by the data availability.\nPractical implications: When intending to develop policies for increasing social capital, the culture of a particular region should be assessed in order to predict the success of the policies.\nOriginality/value: The novelty of this study lies in including cultural dimensions based on Hofstede's concept to the set of possible factors determining the level of social capital in a region.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Voters' information behaviour when using political actors' web sites during the 2011 Scottish Parliament election campaign	[ "Information behaviour", "Election campaigns", "Political parties", "Candidates", "Internet", "Social media", "Twitter", "Facebook", "Scotland" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In May 2011, the Scottish National Party (SNP) swept to power in the Scottish Parliament elections, winning 69 of the 129 available seats with a 45.4 per cent share of the constituency votes and a 44 per cent share of the regional votes, thereby forming the first ever Scottish administration with a working majority. This was, as The Scotsman newspaper proclaimed, \"an achievement unprecedented in modern Scottish politics\" (Anon, 2011). The Scottish electoral system had, after all, been designed specifically to prevent one party winning an outright majority, with its proportional, regional votes approach intended to balance out any gains made from the first-past-the-post constituency seats.\nLiterature review: Since the mid-1990s, a significant body of literature has emerged that has discussed the use of the internet as an electoral tool by political actors worldwide. As Ward and Vedel (2006) observe, the early literature heralded a general wave of enthusiasm about the potential impact of the internet on the political sphere, where \"mobilisation\" or \"equalisation\" theorists predicted that it would facilitate a new, more participatory style of politics, bringing parties and politicians and an increasingly disaffected electorate closer together, and drawing more people into the democratic process. Within a few years, however, these Utopian claims were being questioned by a second wave of more sceptical voices - \"reinforcement\" or \"normalisation\" theorists who argued that the internet, far from revolutionising political communication and participation, simply reflected and reinforced existing patterns of offline behaviour. More recently, a new wave of optimism has begun to emerge, prompted largely by developments in the USA, where, for example, Howard Dean's presidential candidacy campaign in 2004 (Hindman, 2005) and, in particular, Barack Obama's 2008 campaign (Cogburn and Espinoza-Vasquez, 2011) utilised new, more interactive web 2.0 technologies to raise campaign funds and create networks of supporters and volunteers.\nMethodological approach: The research was hosted by the Rosemount Community Centre, an Aberdeen City Council community learning facility located in central Aberdeen. At the time of the study, the centre offered a varied programme of classes, ranging from flower arranging to computing for beginners. It also hosted regular advice surgeries with two of the local government councillors representing the local electoral ward. It was anticipated, therefore, that in conducting the study in the centre it would satisfy the researchers' long-standing philosophy of getting as close as possible to the everyday lives of their research subjects, and in the process would reach a wide cross-section of the local population. The research also took place at a time when there appeared to be a lack of trust in local democracy in Aberdeen, caused largely by the council's response to a public consultation on controversial plans to redevelop a Victorian park located in the heart of the city centre (Ross, 2010). With this in mind, it was hoped that the nature of the research would appeal to potential participants during a period of heightened political awareness locally, particularly as a number of the city's councillors were standing as candidates for election to the Scottish Parliament.\nDemographic profile of the study sample: Table I illustrates the key demographic features of the participants. As can be seen, there was a reasonable spread of ages in the sample, although more females than males participated in the research. When compared with recent official statistics (Aberdeen City Council, 2003; Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics, 2010), the sample was, proportionately, better educated and from higher socio-economic classes than the Aberdeen population as a whole. The sample was also slightly over-representative in terms of retired individuals.\nStudy results: Respondents' prior political activity\nPost-search questions: The periods of information seeking were followed by a series of structured, evaluative questions. 49 (76.6 per cent) of the respondents believed that the types of sites they had just visited were a useful way of providing campaign information, although 15 of these felt that they would be of greater benefit to younger, more computer-literate voters. The internet was generally regarded as a cost-effective way of disseminating up-to-date campaign information to a wide audience, although many respondents felt that the parties and candidates could be doing more to advertise the existence of such sites:\nConclusions and further research: This study, using the interactive, electronically-assisted interview method, was successful in eliciting a rich stream of data from voters about the use and potential impact of online election campaign sites. Above all else, it revealed the dichotomy that appears to exist between the online electoral information needs of the public in North-east Scotland, and the nature and the extent of the information actually provided by parties and candidates.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study of voters' online behaviour conducted during the 2011 Scottish parliamentary election campaign.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study used an interactive, electronically-assisted interview method, where 64 citizens were observed and questioned while they searched for, browsed and used information on the web sites and social media sites of political parties and candidates standing for election to the Scottish Parliament.\nFindings: While online campaign sites were generally regarded as serving a useful purpose, as being easy to use and understand, relatively interesting and likely to be visited again, there was very little evidence in this study to indicate that they had any significant impact on voting behaviour during the 2011 Scottish campaign. Rather, the participants' comments suggest that more traditional information sources, particularly print and broadcast media, coupled with long-established campaign techniques, such as leaflet deliveries and door knocking, continue to be more influential in determining Scottish voters' democratic choices.\nResearch limitations/implications: The paper presents results obtained from a sample of 64 citizens of North-east Scotland. As such, the authors would lay no claims to the results of the study being applicable outwith the Scottish setting.\nPractical implications: The findings have implications for those candidates successfully elected to the Scottish Parliament, who may have to significantly modify their information practices on entering parliament. The study also has implications for the broader, international, political and information research communities, as it has added to a rather sparse body of qualitative work on voters' online election information needs. The voter-centred methodological approach used in the study has the potential to be used or adopted more widely, to aid our understanding of the use and impact of online campaign tools.\nOriginality/value: This study forms part of an ongoing series of investigations by the authors, which has examined the use of the internet by political parties and candidates during parliamentary election campaigns in Scotland. These are the only such studies which have looked specifically at the Scottish political arena. Internationally, most studies of users of online campaign resources have been largely quantitative in nature. The qualitative research discussed in this paper is, therefore, particularly timely and potentially significant.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Will normal-sized female models in advertisements be viewed as positively as small-sized models?	[ "Normal‐sized model", "Small‐sized model", "Instructional frame", "Adaptation‐level theory", "Brands", "Attractiveness", "Women" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: 1.1 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder\n2. Theoretical background and hypotheses: 2.1 The instructional frame and model evaluation of new brands\n3. Study 1: 3.1 Pretest\n4. Study 2: While study 1 provided empirical evidence as to how model evaluations are influenced by instructional frame and adaptation level associated with brands, thus suggesting when NM can be used in advertisement, two questions arise: first, are the results generalisable to other brands; and second, are there variables that confound the results? Particularly, H1a and H2a hypothesised that when they are in a non-traditional frame, NM are rated as more attractive than when they are in a traditional one. H1d proposed when they are both presented in a traditional frame, NM are rated as less attractive than SM. The results of study 1 refute these explanations. Thus, further evidence concerning the instructional frame effect on model evaluation is needed before a conclusion can be drawn.For the first question, it could be that some subjects might have strong perceptions of \"Gucci\" which might have impacts on research findings. In study 2 we explored brand effects using \"Topshop\" (a more generic brand associated with SM) and \"Aboty\" (a fictitious new brand) as a boundary condition to the generalisability of the results of study 1. With regards to the latter question, a number of studies identify moderator variables that condition framing effects. Extant literature suggests that the clearest limit on framing effects is provided by individual predispositions such as values (e.g. Druckman, 2001; Barker, 2005; Shen and Edwards, 2005). For example, Brewer (2001) shows that prior opinions about gay rights fundamentally shape individuals' reactions to and evaluations of alternative gay rights frames - individuals who have strong values are less amenable to frames that contradict those values (also see Gross, 2000, Brewer, 2003). In general, strong predispositions reduce framing effects by increasing resistance to disconfirming information. Given that participants' level of health-consciousness concerning SM might have an effect on their evaluation of differently-sized models, we measured the level of health-consciousness and tested its interaction with instructional frame.4.1 Method\n5. General discussion: The present research shows that considering instructional frame and brand effect offers insights into consumers' model evaluations. Study 1 intended to answer two questions: first, whether NM would be evaluated more positively than SM, and second, whether frame setting and brand would have any impact on NM and SM evaluation. We addressed these two questions by investigating the instructional frame and brand adaptation-level effects on model attractiveness evaluations of a fictitious new brand in comparison with an established luxury brand associated with SM. Using a different fictitious brand and a more generic brand, study 2 aimed to test the generalizability of study 1's findings. Study 2 also investigated the direct and indirect impact of health-consciousness concerning SM on the results.The present research found that SM were evaluated as more attractive when the instructional frame activated traditional stereotype SM than when it activated non-traditional stereotype NM. These findings were applicable to both new brands and established brands. For new brands, NM were rated more favourably than SM in the non-traditional frame. However, in the same frame, it was hypothesised that for well-established brands, NM were perceived as being as attractive as SM, given brand effect on adaptation level. The findings were consistent with this explanation. Adaptation-level effect was also evident in the traditional frame. Specifically, for established brands, SM were evaluated more favourably than NM. In contrast, for new brands, there was no significant difference observed between evaluations of NM and SM in the traditional setting.Contrary to Peck and Loken (2004) and Loken and Peck (2005), who reported that larger-sized models were evaluated as more attractive in the non-traditional frame than they were in the traditional frame, our initial analysis indicated that perceived NM attractiveness was not significantly different between the non-traditional frame and the traditional frame. Study 2 provided further insight in relation to the instructional frame effect. Specifically, by controlling the effect of health-consciousness concerning SM, study 2 revealed that NM were perceived as more attractive in the non-traditional frame than in the traditional frame. These finding were consistent between new brands and established brands. Thus, instructional frame effect was evident.In general, the results of this research support the conclusion of prior research, i.e. that the instructional frame influences consumer judgments (e.g. Herr, 1989; Tversky and Kahneman, 1981), and, more specifically, judgments of the portrayals of women in advertising (e.g. Debevec and Iyer, 1988). That is, the manner in which female body types (both NM and SM) are perceived depends on the way in which the information is framed. If the information is framed in a way that activates non-traditional NM (e.g. in a non-traditional frame), NM should be perceived as more attractive than when the information is framed in a way that activates traditional stereotype SM (e.g. in a traditional frame). Following the same logic, SM should be perceived as more attractive in a traditional frame than in a non-traditional frame.Differently to advertising new brands, advertising established brands activates consumers' prior knowledge of the brands, which guides the attention to and processing of the information (Kent and Allen, 1994). This research first raised the question about how brand might contribute to model body size evaluation. Consistent with adaptation-level theory (Helson, 1948), this research suggests that brand adaptation level and instructional frame conjointly affect NM and SM evaluation. As a stimulus, brand pulls the adaptation level toward its own value (Engel and Parducci, 1961).The current research makes four important contributions to knowledge. First, whereas previous research documented the negative consequences resulting from the portrayal of SM in advertisements and consumers' positive evaluations of portrayals of larger women, consequences resulting from using NM had been overlooked until this research. Second, whilst past research investigated whether or not unconventional female models could be perceived positively (e.g. Peck and Loken, 2004; Loken and Peck, 2005; Martin et al., 2007), how and to what extent consumers might evaluate unconventional models differently to stereotype SM remained unexplored. Thus, knowledge of comparative advantages/disadvantages in the relationship to the use of unconventional models versus SM was lacking until the present research. Third, using two experimental studies, the current research is one of the few which provides empirical evidence of framing effects on consumers' judgment of commercial persuasion in marketing literature. Fourth, effects associated with using alternative models (rather than traditional stereotype SM) on brands (new vs well-established) were unknown until the current research.In terms of managerial implications, the results of the current study contradict the traditional view that only SM can result in positive consumer cognitive consequences. Our findings suggest that SM are only preferred over NM when advertising established brands that have a strong association with SM in a traditional frame that activates SM from memory. There is no clear advantage concerning the use of SM over NM when advertising established brands in a non-traditional frame that primes non-traditional stereotype NM from memory. In contrast, NM are more effective when advertising new brands in a non-traditional frame. The use of NM may result in consequences equally positive to the use of SM when advertising new brands, even in a traditional frame. Taken together, only when both conditions are met (a. the target market is fashion magazine readers; b. when advertising an established brand which is associated with SM) will the use of SM result in more positive consequences than the use of NM. Otherwise, marketers are safe, or even better off, using NM in print media advertising. Marketing strategy should also take into account consumers' level of health-consciousness concerning SM. The use of NM in advertising will result in more positive outcomes if the products/brands target populations with a higher level of awareness of health problems concerning SM.The current research is not without its limitations. It is important to note that this research only investigated established brands that are associated with SM. There are many established brands that are not necessarily associated with SM; for example, Evans (large-sized models) and Bhs (more mixed-sized models). The findings of this research are merely suggestive to these brands, but point to new directions for future research. Another limitation of the current research is the research design. Like many other previous researches, this research adopted a within-subject research design. We provided strong justifications for the adoption of the within-subject design. However, there is a risk that the study suffers from disadvantages in association with this design. For example, the respondents saw the sample model in two sizes in the current study; it is possible that the stimuli might draw subjects' attention to the study's intent (Orne, 1962; Weber and Cook, 1972). Consequently, subjects' inferences might influence their answers on the dependent variable, subsequently influencing study outcomes. Furthermore, the repeated measurement of the dependent variable might lead to carryover effects, which could compromise research results. Future research can validate the research findings by adopting a between-subject design. The respondents of the current research were young women aged between 18 and 25. Although the use of only young women meant a more focused study, the findings of the current research might not be generalisable to other age groups. Future research should also consider validating the research findings using different age and gender groups.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Despite the call from the public domain to use normal-sized models (NM) in advertising and the fact of the recent movement in the practitioner's domain concerning the use of NM, knowledge of the advantages/disadvantages concerning the use of NM in comparison to small-sized models (SM) is lacking. Prior research indicates that framing changes attitudes by altering the underlying considerations used in one's evaluation, but there are few studies that test framing effects on consumers' judgments of commercial persuasion. Moreover, an actionable understanding of the brand effects on consumers' model evaluation remains unexplored. The purpose of this paper is to address these unresolved issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In two studies, the paper examines the effects of different instructional frames on consumers' evaluation of NM as opposed to SM for new brands. The paper also examines how and to what extent brand effects of established brands might alter the effects of instructional frame on NM and SM evaluations. Furthermore, the paper investigates the direct and indirect impact of consumers' health-consciousness concerning SM on the results. Research findings are discussed.\nFindings: - The present research shows that considering instructional frame and brand effect offers insights into consumers' model evaluations.\nOriginality/value: - This research contributes to literature by bridging four knowledge gaps. First, this research is one of the few which investigated consequences resulting from using NM. Second, knowledge of comparative advantages/disadvantages in the relationship to the use of unconventional models versus SM was lacking until the present research. Third, this research is one of the few which provides empirical evidence of framing effects on consumers' judgment of commercial persuasion. Fourth, brand effects on consumers' model evaluations were unknown until the current research.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The role of budget speech: a Malaysian Government study	[ "Malaysia", "Government", "Hybrid", "Governmentality", "Budgeting" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The aim of this paper is to explore the role of annual budget speech in the \"articulation\" of ways in which the government manages the economic and social life (Hopwood, 1984). Drawing on Miller and Rose (1990) and Miller et al. (2008), it suggests that budget speeches are hybrids for governmentality practices, in that they attempt to articulate and achieve multiple objectives by putting together various economic and non-economic rationales, technologies for shaping human behaviours, and initiatives to engage actors to work towards common goals. The paper argues that the budget speech is not only the representation of government priorities but also a technology of intervention, the mechanism that translates thought into reality (Miller and Rose, 1990) and assigns accountability to various constituents. It is through the budget speech that the government articulates its ideas of managing the economic uncertainty, as well as influences the behaviours, feelings, activities and aspirations of others in order to achieve its intended objectives (Miller and Rose, 1990). In Malaysia we will illustrate that the budget speech has become a hybrid of objectives to deliver economic growth but also to promote social cohesion that is underpinned by various rationales, technologies and actors. The former objective of economic growth was dominant at the beginning of the period under investigation (2007-2011), before the latter objective of social cohesion assumed this position from 2009 onwards when encouraging economic development became subordinate to ensuring social harmony.\nHybrids of governing economic and social cohesion through budget speech: Budgets are a technology to manage economic performance but they can also be simultaneously employed in other ways to manage social cohesion, which means they act as a hybrid with more than one purpose. This is especially important for the Malaysian context because of an increased pressure to manage a multi-ethnic, multi-racial society under new and prolonged pressures of austerity. The country had experienced race riots in 1969, and the 1997/1998 Asian financial crisis had triggered social unrest in neighbouring Indonesia, which meant that the Malaysian Government was acutely aware of the need to ensure that all citizens benefited from its policies. Indeed, it could claim to have achieved this to a large degree, since the country remained stable in the aftermath of the 1997/1998 Asian financial crisis.\nMethodology: Due to its capacity to provide detailed descriptions of the phenomena under investigation, this paper adopts an archival research method. In this way, we study the discourses or broader socio-economic ideas that were articulated through budget speeches. The content of documents is an essential source of data (Prior, 2004), and our descriptive analysis of them also examines the rhetoric that ministers use, i.e. the claims that a text appears to inscribe and its relation to other texts (Atkinson and Coffey, 2004). As such, this study analysed budgetary speeches for their contents, rhetoric and wider socio-economic relevance, and also studied other public documents that referred to them, including newspaper and magazine articles.\nMalaysian budgetary formulation process: Malaysia's annual budget formulation process starts with the issuance of budget circulars every January, after which government agencies prepare and submit their estimates for the New Year. In March, the Treasury receives the submission and studies the individual estimates and a preliminary hearing is conducted in April, followed by budget hearing between the months of May and July. In between August and September, the Ministry of Finance approves the budget, and budget documents are then printed and submitted to Parliament. After the first parliamentary hearing the budget is tabled for a second time, and this event is known as the budget speech and is broadcast through electronic media. In between September and December, Parliament debates and approves the New Year budget. By the end of December, the Ministry of Finance issues a warrant for expenditure and upon receiving this, government agencies can execute the budget.\nThe link between budgetary speeches and measures to manage economic and social cohesion: The 9th Malaysian Plan and budget speeches of 2007 and 2008\nHybridisations of economic governance with social cohesion through budget speech: This paper has examined the budget speech during the period of financial crisis as an illustration of its significance for articulation of the Malaysian economic and social agenda. It now draws on the framework of governmentality (Miller and Rose, 1990) and the concept of hybrids (Miller et al., 2008; Kurunmaki and Miller, 2006, 2011) to explain the role of budget speech as a hybrid of objectives of economic performance and social cohesion underpinned with rationales, technologies and actors that help to educate the citizen on self-government. In particular, it demonstrates how the budget speeches included a mixture of rationales for resource allocation (both economic development and social cohesion), technologies (the mechanisms it sought to use to shape economic and social activities) and actors who are expected to take part in governing the economy and social well-being of the citizen.\nConcluding thoughts: In order to understand the ways in which the Malaysian Government has used budget speeches as a hybridisation for governance of economic performance and social cohesion objectives that are underpinned with rationales, technologies and actors, this paper analysed the budget speech held in the year before the 2008 financial crisis, during the crisis and immediately afterwards, up until 2011. The research adds to governmentality literature that primarily has been focused on western liberal democracies, with insights from a South East Asian context in the form of Malaysia. Further, this study also adds to the limited literature that investigates hybridisation of practices and processes (Miller et al., 2008).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the role of budget speech in the Malaysian Government as a \"hybrid\" for governing both the economy and social cohesion.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Through archival research, a governmentality framework and the concept of hybrids (Miller et al., 2008) are employed to explore the role of budget speech in articulating ways in which the government managed the economic and social agenda.\nFindings: Previous governmentality studies have primarily been conducted on economic performance in western liberal democracies. Such research has illustrated the framework, measures undertaken by the government and choices of the governable person in actions for economic life. This paper applies these studies to a South East Asian context and finds that budget speeches between 2007 and 2011 are hybrids, in that they set out ways of achieving the two key priorities of post-independence Malaysia - the need to promote economic development whilst also fostering social harmony. Most notably, it finds that economic development was the dominant priority in those budget speeches held prior to the global financial crisis and 2008 general election, whereas social cohesion assumed this position from 2009 onwards.\nOriginality/value: The findings have both practical and social implications for Malaysia, but also other jurisdictions that are using budget speeches to try to promote economic reforms and foster social cohesion.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Teachers: emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment	[ "Emotional intelligence", "Job satisfaction", "Organizational commitment", "Teachers", "Iran" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: There is evidence indicating that most teachers in most school systems are not satisfied with their jobs, moreover, there is high turnover or drop-in-drop-out syndrome among the teachers. It is also evident that people join the teaching profession as the last resort when all efforts to get into other profession have failed. However, because of the central position teachers occupy in the educational system, the National Policy on Education throughout the world admits that no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers. The Policy, therefore, recommends some steps towards the enhancement of an efficient teaching profession. These include training and recruitment of more efficient teachers at primary, secondary and high school levels (Adepoju, 2001; Adeyoju, 1999; Ajayi, 1999).What makes a teacher successful has been a central research question of organizational scientists for decades. Although various approaches and research methods have been used for studying this elusive question, it still remains unanswered. Studying teacher skills, however, seems to be one promising stream of research that has potential for providing answers or at least shedding some light on the organizations problem. As Whetten and Cameron (1994, as cited in Derman, 1999) noted teacher skills form the vehicle by which teacher strategy, teacher practice, tools and techniques, and personality attributes and style work to produce effective outcomes in organizations.In the last decade or so, a growing body of research regarding the importance of emotional intelligence for successful teachers has been witnessed. Underlying this research interest is the view that people with high emotional intelligence competencies are more likely than less emotionally intelligent people to gain success in the workplace. Particularly, scholars have noted that social skills are essential for teachers; as individuals ascend the organizational hierarchy, social intelligence becomes an increasingly relevant determinant of who will and who will not be successful (Hooijberg et al., 1997; Zaccaro, 2001).Little research has been conducted in an organizational context and therefore as Dulewicz and Higgs (2000) suggested there is need for rigorous research to underpin the usefulness of emotional intelligence in organizational settings whether public or private on both personal and organizational levels. To the extent of my knowledge, it seems that none of the studies have investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among teachers in the context of Iran. Furthermore, researches that have empirically examined relationship between these three variables have reported mixed findings and observed weak to modest relationships. In this perspective, therefore, the present study gains significance as the results can assist the teachers and organizations in enhancing the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of the teachers thus stemming the tide of high turnover in the teaching profession.The study seeks answers to the following research questions:RQ1. Is there any significant relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction among high school English teachers?RQ2. Is there any significant relationship between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment among high school English teachers?RQ3. Is there any significant relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment among high school English teachers?RQ4. Is there any significant difference among participants with different ages and gender concerning their emotional intelligence?RQ5. Is there any significant difference among participants with different ages and gender concerning their job satisfaction?RQ6. Is there any significant difference among participants with different ages and gender concerning their organizational commitment?\nLiterature review: Research on emotional intelligence\nMethod: Participants\nFindings: EI, job satisfaction, organizational commitment\nDiscussion: In this study six research questions have been investigated. First of all, concerning the relationship between EI and job satisfaction (RQ1) among high school English teachers, it was found that there was a positive significant correlation between EI and job satisfaction. In other words, higher level of EI is associated with higher level of job satisfaction. These findings are in line with the ones reported by Adeyemo and Ogunyemi (2005), Carmelli (2003), and Villard (2004). These results might be due to the fact that teachers with high emotional intelligence are able to recognize, manage, and use their emotions to eliminate ensuing obstacles and advance their career horizons than those with low emotional intelligence.Regarding the relationship between EI and organizational commitment (RQ2), it was found that there was a positive significant correlation between EI and organizational commitment. In other words, higher level of EI is associated with higher level of organizational commitment. These findings are in line with the ones reported by Ashforth and Humphrey (1995) and Carmelli (2003). According to Abraham (2000) employees who were more able to recognize and express emotion, more able to understand their own and others emotions, more able to manage both positive and negative emotions in themselves and others, and who were more able to effectively control strong emotional states experienced at work were more likely to be more committed to the organization than those employees who had difficulty with these aspects of EI. Abraham (2000) suggested that those employees who had higher levels of EI would view their relationship with the organization as an extension of the relationship they have with co-workers and managers.Another important relationship examined in this study is the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment (RQ3). The current study supports the existence of a positive significant correlation between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This result concurred with those of the previous researchers (Rose, 1991; Petrides and Furham, 2006). A logical explanation of this result could be that organizational commitment is a function of job satisfaction. The various dimensions of job satisfaction such as satisfaction with pay, co-worker, supervision, and work itself are needed by the workers to meet their basic needs. When teachers' needs are met, there is the likelihood that the level of organizational commitment manifested by the teachers would be high.With regard to RQ4 that deals with the role of age and gender in EI levels, it was concluded that there was no significant difference among different age groups of high school English teachers concerning their EI. In other words, age did not have any role in the high school English teachers' EI levels. These findings confirmed the results reported by Chan (2004) and also Harrod and Scheer (2005). There was also significant difference between emotional intelligence of male and female high school English teachers, with females reporting higher EI level. These findings were in line with the ones reported by Harrod and Scheer (2005), while in conflict with the findings of Chan (2004), and Hopkins and Bilimoria (2008).Regarding the role of age and gender in job satisfaction levels (RQ5), it was concluded that there was no significant difference between job satisfaction of male and female high school English teachers. These findings are consistent with the work of Arani (2003), and Klein (2007). It was also concluded that there was no significant difference among the high school English teachers with different ages concerning their job satisfaction. In other words, age did not have any role in the high school English teachers' job satisfaction levels. These findings were also in line with the ones reported by Arani (2003), and Klein (2007).Regarding the role of age and gender in organizational commitment (RQ6), it was found that there was no significant difference among the participants with different ages concerning their organizational commitment. In other words, age did not have any role in the high school English teachers' organizational commitment. These results support the work of previous researchers who found similar results (Savery and Syme, 1996), but are in conflicts with the findings of Allen and Meyer (1990). The findings of this study also revealed that there were no significant gender differences among participants concerning their organizational commitment. These findings support the work of previous researchers who reported similar findings (Shirbagi, 2007; Powell, 2000, cited in Singh et al., 2004), while are in conflicts with the findings of Marchiori and Henkin (2004), Savery and Syme (1996), and Singh et al. (2004). The reason for the contradictory findings may be related to such factors as culture, society, the context in which the research was carried out.\nConclusions: In conclusion, it is important to note that without a good understanding of the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment, between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, as well as the relationship between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment, whatever intervention is done to enhance organizational commitment may not achieve the expected result.Due to the important effects of these constructs on educational system, the relationships between them were investigated in this study. It was found that there were positive significant correlation between EI and job satisfaction, between EI and organizational commitment and also between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Furthermore, it was found that there was no significant difference among high school English teachers with different genders and age concerning their job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Also the results showed no significant difference among participants with different ages concerning their EI, but findings in this study provide support for gender differences among participants concerning their EI, with females reporting higher EI level.The implication of these findings is that retaining talented and knowledgeable teachers becomes the concern of both the organizations and the individual teacher.Organizations need to select teachers who have high emotional intelligence because this may have positive impact on the extent to which they can succeed in retaining their valuable work force.Similarly, teachers who have high emotional intelligence are likely to be able to balance work with organization demands in order to minimize work conflicts. Therefore, counseling and personnel psychologists should be used by various organizations and school systems to enhance the emotional intelligence of teachers. Various organizations that employ teachers have the responsibility for providing attractive and conducive working environments that will motivate the teachers and enhance their commitment and satisfaction to their career and organizations.Based on the results of this study some recommendations and implications, for both managers and researchers, can be suggested. Managers need to understand that teachers' work outcomes are likely to be influenced by their EI; which in turn is affected by their interaction with their colleagues and managers. Superiors need to understand how to manage their EI before trying to develop the EI of their subordinates. Moreover, the conflict that teachers face at their work is likely to have negative influence on their readiness to create and innovate. Therefore, they may tend to participate, but not to create, innovate and/or produce. To reduce the conflict, organizations must consider and try to increase the levels of EI for their teachers. This will help them to increase their job satisfaction and organizational commitment.The other findings of this study showed that there was no significant difference among high school English teachers with different age and genders concerning their job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Therefore, it is suggested that high school English teachers can increase their job satisfaction and organizational commitment regardless of their age group and gender. In other words, all teachers regardless of their age and gender can improve these characteristics and enjoy them during all the time in their life. Furthermore, the findings in this study provide support for gender differences among participants concerning their EI, with females reporting higher EI level. It is implied that female teachers might have the higher abilities to recognize and regulate self and other's emotions than males and they are more effective teachers, so the organizations and school systems can use more female teachers to enhance their effectiveness.As with any study of this nature, a number of limitations have to be pointed out. First, although this study utilized validated and usable measures, the data collected were from self-report measures that have their obvious limitations and as with all self-report measures, social desirability biases are a concern (Bagozzi and Yi, 1978, cited in Gardner, 1983; Williams and Brown, 1982, cited in Gardner, 1983). Second, the design of this investigation does not allow making causal statements. Finally, the investigation was conducted with a small sample that may be not representative of the population, so one should be careful to make generalizations to other populations. A larger sample size would help in the robustness of the findings, especially if the sample's variability is large.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment, and between job satisfaction and organizational commitment among high-school English teachers. Furthermore, the study aims to examine the role of gender and age in emotional intelligence, job satisfaction and organizational commitment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The participants were selected by proportional stratified sampling and simple random selection. This study adopted a survey research design that utilized an ex post facto research type in which the researcher used questionnaires to collect data from the respondents.\nFindings: - The results of the study indicate that there is a positive significant relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment, and between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. It is also found there is no significant difference among high-school English teachers of different genders and ages concerning their job satisfaction and organizational commitment. But concerning emotional intelligence, the findings in this study provide support for gender differences, with females reporting higher emotional intelligence, but the results show no age differences among the participants.\nOriginality/value: - The present study gains significance as the results can assist the teachers and organizations in enhancing the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of teachers, thus stemming the tide of high turnover in the teaching profession.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
HRM spreads word to the world: When culture and country affect company	[ "Cross‐cultural management", "Human resource management", "International business", "International human resource management", "Leadership", "Multinationals", "Talent retention", "Transitional companies" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nGood practice and fairness understood across continents: Wherever a company is based or wherever it employs people, there are some simple \"givens\" which are understood by all nationalities and cultures at all levels of a good organization. These are the practices and philosophies adopted by companies which offer their people the opportunity to thrive and advance within the business; offer fair remuneration; work in a co-operative and sustainable manner with their stakeholders; have mechanisms in place to recognize good performance - in short, do all the things which good human resource management (wherever it is based) should achieve. Organizations which do not follow such good practice, or perhaps limit it to some areas or some people within the company, are not the ones which should expect to succeed against global competition.Cultural differences within multinational organizations can, and will continue to, cause difficulties from time to time but they should always be regarded as surmountable problems. Embedding \"fairness\" into all the organization's actions and practices should be a pivotal aim that is encouraged from the top and embraced by everyone. Different people's definitions of \"fairness\" might not be entirely the same but people the world over have a pretty similar idea of what being unfair looks like.The days when \"going global\" merely meant opening up an office or manufacturing base overseas and sending a home-grown manager to oversee the operation have long gone. So too have the days when the HR administrative task of coordinating payroll and personnel issues across several continents was considered sufficient. These days HR has a further pressure to withstand. It has got to be a leader rather than a follower, a persuader, a champion and convincer rather than a tacit accepter of other's decisions, and most of all it has got to act swiftly.The burdens falling on HR heads these days might seem unbearable at times but organizations' top brass have to understand the necessity and value of effective HR in a multinational environment and be prepared to pay for it. Not to do so might prove to be a false economy of catastrophic proportions. Nor is it an issue which can be kicked into the long grass for future consideration when, maybe, \"times are better\"; it has got to be addressed now because the world is changing fast and the slow-to-adapt are going to be left behind.\nBusiness leaders have to get used to being fleet of foot: According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' \"Talent mobility 2020\" report the number of people on international assignments increased by 25 per cent in the last decade and a further 50 per cent growth is predicted by 2020. PricewaterhouseCoopers' international mobility partner Carol Stubbings, says: \"Governments and companies will have to work together to manage some of the barriers to international mobility that will otherwise impede global competition and operations. As companies venture into underdeveloped locations, organizations and governments would benefit from sustainable co-investment in the infrastructure needed for individuals to live and do work comfortably - this might extend to schooling and training, medical facilities or entertainment.\"Change is inexorable. Business leaders have to get used to being fleet of foot. Effective leaders have to regard sudden and game-changing occurrences in the environment in which they work as the norm, even as the intensity of those changes accelerates. They have to see as \"normal\" the need to recognize new perspectives, adopt new strategies, have the vision to reorganize, re-evaluate, restructure in the face of dynamic conditions constantly and relentlessly altering the business landscape. Good leaders might congratulate themselves on achieving all this but are they any good at taking their people with them? The HR role ought to ensure they do.The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) says the stresses and pressures generated by structural or operational change lead to an increased need to pay attention to what is going on with the people in the organization. Their research shows that leading transition involves guiding people though a process of grieving, letting go, building hope and learning. In many ways, the bigger challenge for leaders is to manage the longer-term, human aspects of change: recovery, revitalization and recommitment. The CCL says: \"Research shows that 75 per cent of change initiatives fail. Why? Managing change requires leaders to deal effectively with both the structural side of leading change and the human dynamic of transition. When the skills associated with either side are overplayed, leaders destabilize the organizational culture by eroding trust.\"\nAn increasingly critical talent shortage: \"Instead of a loyal, productive and enthusiastic workforce, executives and managers must lead employees who are insecure, fearful and skeptical. By failing to gain sufficient buy-in from employees, leaders slow down and undermine their progress toward new goals.\" Michael Wakefield, a CCL faculty member, says: \"When leaders ignore or minimize the people side of managing change, perfectly good strategies and change initiatives stall or fail.\"Having that loyal, productive and enthusiastic workforce will be easier to achieve at a time when the organization can pick and choose talent. But a critical talent shortage is another burden pressing down on HR. Lance J Richards, of the Kelly outsourcing and consulting group, says: \"A major demographic shift is almost upon us. Companies are facing a demand-supply impasse that is virtually locked-in for the next 40-50 years, and HR professionals must hold the key.\"While it is true that unemployment levels in many countries remain at historical highs, the issue facing HR is an increasingly critical talent shortage: a shortage of those individuals who bring specific knowledge and skills to an organization, and who make an immediate, lasting impact.\"Population growth in many major, developed economies is well below replacement rates and has decreased significantly since the 1970s. This means there will be fewer people of traditional working age, relative to the total population. Unfortunately, many of the countries with fast-growing populations do not have the educational infrastructure to develop enough skilled labor to meet the shortfall in industrialized countries. This results in a paradox: high unemployment despite the global shortage of talent. To be clear: we do not have a people shortage, we have a talent shortage.\"Skills shortages, particularly leadership skills, force HR departments to examine their own leadership skills development programs as HR is recognized as a major strategic tool in ensuring the competitive edge of a multinational company.San Francisco-based consultancy Global Integration lists some of the challenges facing global management and global leaders:* The people you are leading come from different cultures and are based in several locations and timezones.* Global managers have limited face-to-face time and need to make an impact through technology and stay visible to your people.* You need to make practical decisions on where to be global and where to be local: global managers know that one size does not always fit all.* You need to create clarity, direction and effective implementation in a complex international environment.* You need to lead, communicate, inspire and involve across barriers of language, culture and communications technology.* Your followers are diverse and have widely different ideas about what they expect from a leader. The leadership style that works in one country may fail in another.* Despite international business complexity, you need to deliver things rapidly.* You need to balance and lead multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.* There are only 24 hours in a day - and someone, somewhere in the world needs you for all of them.There are particular HRM challenges for multinational firms in emergent economies, such as those in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). Those countries' economies have come a long way in a relatively short time in shaking off the yoke of highly-regulated and controlled systems to embrace the market-driven and global outlook of their neighbors, particularly those within the European Union. But have they fully understood the importance of their HR operations working and developing within a global, free-market context? Professor Frank M. Horwitz, Director of the UK's Cranfield School of Management, calls for a deeper understanding of international HRM in transitional CEEC markets, which will require four levels of analysis - global multinational company/HR practice diffusion, the salience of European Union institutional and regulatory environment, national regulatory systems, and firm-level strategic choice models.And while all this is being considered we should not lose sight of the fact that, when emerging economies have emerged and transitional economies have completed their transition, the economic domination and perceived authority of the developed countries of the west is likely to no longer exist. Let's hope those western HR evangelists will have spread the appropriate message by then.\nComment: This review is based on \"Flat world, hard boundaries: how to lead across them\" by Chris Ernst and Donna Chrobot-Mason, \"Future HRM challenges for multinational firms in eastern and central Europe\" by Frank M. Horwitz, and \"The impact of Chinese cultural values on human resource policies and practices within transnational corporations in China\" by Yu Fu and Nicolina Kamenou. Chris Ernst and Donna Chrobot-Mason consider what are the major organizational boundaries and what kinds of practices can leaders employ to span them. Frank M. Horwitz investigates the challenges for multinational companies in transitional economies in central and eastern European countries. Yu Fu and Nicolina Kamenou focus on cross-cultural issues faced by transnational corporations when formulating and implementing HR policies and practices in their Chinese affiliates.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.\nFindings: - The burdens falling on HR heads these days might seem unbearable at times but organizations' top brass have to understand the necessity and value of effective HR in a multinational environment and be prepared to pay for it. Not to do so might prove to be a false economy of catastrophic proportions.\nPractical implications: - The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.\nOriginality/value: - The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]

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