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Social-cognitive outcomes of teachers' engagement in learning communities	[ "Knowledge management", "Workplace learning", "Empowerment", "Organizational learning", "Educational administration" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A broad consensus remains among scholars and practitioners that the competence and commitment that teachers bring to their teaching is affected by their opportunities to learn effectively together with trusted colleagues in communities of practice (Feiman-Nemser, 2001; Marks and Louis, 1999; Mc Laughlin and Talbert, 2001). A community of practice can be defined generally as \"a unique combination of three fundamental elements: a domain of knowledge, which defines a set of issues; a community of people who care about this domain; and the shared practice that they are developing to be effective in their domain\" (Wenger et al., 2002, p. 27). At the heart of Wenger's conceptualization lies the crucial point that membership is regulated by engagement in the group's practice and not by formal affiliation or structural position (Brown and Duguid, 1991; Duguid, 2005); this means that external teacher colleagues who do not work in the focal subject group, department or school, but do share the same knowledge domain, can also be included as valuable members (Printy, 2008). When teachers engage in open communication and collective reflection with external but trusted colleagues, these cross-boundary interactions will bring broadened and contrasting perspectives to those teachers' instruction (Carlile, 2002; Yanow, 2004). At the same time, learning through daily interactions within close-knit colleagues stimulates effective coordination through integrative learning (Hodkinson and Hodkinson, 2004). Therefore, local and external engagement are both important properties that define social learning in a community of practice (Osterlund and Carlile, 2005). Furthermore, it has been shown that schoolteachers' collaborative learning is positively related to their organizational commitment (Bryk et al., 1993; Marks et al., 2000), which has been defined as the willingness to put more effort than required into various domains of school work (Firestone and Pennell, 1993), as well as loyalty to their school organization (Mowday et al., 1982).\nContext of the study: Finnish primary education: Since the first OECD-PISA ranking in 2001, the Finnish primary school system has consistently performed well in terms of achievements for 15-year-old students in literacy, mathematics, and science (Valijarvi et al., 2002). Furthermore, one important but largely overlooked aspect of the Finnish basic school performance is the narrow achievement gap within a student cohort, in terms of a relatively small portion of variation between the highest and lowest performing achievement categories (Valijarvi et al., 2006). The between-school variances on the PISA achievement scales are remarkably small (Sahlberg, 2010). Specifically, Finland's between-school variance on the PISA reading scale in 2009 was approximately 7 percent, compared to a 42 percent average between-school variance in other OECD countries (OECD, 2010). Thus, the main trend exposed through four OECD panel studies in literacy, math, and science is a combinative stable feature of high level of performance, minimal between-school variation, and remarkably low variation within each student cohort (OECD, 2010; Sahlberg, 2010). Overall, the data on Finland supports the image of a homogenous basic education system anchored in a policy culture that highlights quality, equity, and equality. Notably, whereas many OECD countries have initiated reform initiatives that combine market-driven change - such as free choice of schools for parents, competition among schools, and public information about school performance, with state-controlled standardization and testing (Levin and Fullan, 2008) - the Finnish educational system represents \"another way\" (Hargreaves and Shirley, 2009; Shirley, 2011). In contrast to the \"global educational reform movement\" (Sahlberg, 2011), a typical feature of teaching and learning in Finland is high confidence in teachers and principals as professionals. Moreover, Finnish teachers and students are encouraged to innovate learning methods by trial-and-error in the classroom, which contrasts with the global message of standardized education (Shirley, 2011). Not surprisingly, an often-cited reason behind the stable basic school performance is the academic standard and societal status of the high standard of Finnish teacher profession (Payne and Huffman, 2005). First, the Finnish basic school system has been systematically built on a highly educated teacher corps; for 30 years now, teachers have graduated with a Master's degree from research-orientated programs (Reichers, 1985). Second, the remarkably low intake rate for teacher education in Finland, which is completely the inverse of the societal popularity and status of the occupation, ensures a high academic standard of the teaching corps. As a rule of thumb, only one in ten applicants are selected to actually study to become class teachers (Valijarvi et al., 2006). Third, Finnish teachers typically enjoy a high degree of professional autonomy in their classroom work, which is embedded in a societal culture of trust and non-interference (Curry et al., 1986). As Sahlberg (2007) noted, this culture of trust infuses multiple levels of the school governance system, which manifests itself in only modest demands of accountability on teachers. Fourth, Niemi (2009) stressed the systemic development of education toward decentralization during the last 30 years as a contributing factor of productive schooling. Local autonomy for municipalities and schools is a stable feature of Finnish curriculum policy, which means that broad national frameworks are adapted and developed toward practice by professional teachers and school leaders at the local level. Fifth, Finnish primary school teachers teach less than in the other countries in the OECD studies, a fact that is referred to as the \"quantity versus quality paradox.\" Whereas Finnish teachers teach approximately 600 hours a year (800 lessons of 45 minutes each), the average number of hours taught by teachers in the lower-secondary grades in the USA is 1,080, which means teaching six lessons a day. Having said that, Finnish teachers have many other responsibilities besides teaching, such as assessing students' overall progress, preparing and developing their local curriculum, participating in a range of school health and well-being initiatives, and providing support for those students who need special assistance (Sahlberg, 2010). As noted, \"most primary schools are truly professional learning communities where teaching is a holistic profession combining work with the students in the classroom with their colleagues in the staff room\" (Sahlberg, 2010, p. 64).\nTheoretical background and hypothesis development: Social learning in a community of practice\nMethod: We conducted a non-experimental theory-based evaluative correlation design (Shadish et al., 2002) of a single-level unit model (Kozlowski and Klein, 2000), the unit of analysis of which is the individual teacher. The data collection instrument was a manually collected survey in a school setting. A field sample of 246 individual teacher responses from ten schools was examined in order to test the hypotheses. The average age of the respondents was 42.7 years, and 73 percent were men. All participants were asked to evaluate their learning behavior associated with our model.\nResults: Preliminary analyzes\nDiscussion: A growing empirical base of research around teachers' work in communities of practice has shown that mutual engagement fosters group identity, mutual trust (Tschannen-Moran, 2001), and social ties (Brouwer et al., 2012); however, some have argued that \"there still exists a significant gap in our knowledge as to the quality of collaborations and how these social interactions may impact\" (Daly et al., 2010, p. 363). Therefore, the purpose of our study was to bridge this gap by linking teachers' organizational commitment and sense of impact to their engagement in communities of practice. The study displayed different relationships between learning behavior, namely, two distinctive forms of mutual engagement and two different social-cognitive outcomes. Local collegial collaboration in close-knit groups supported the teachers' perception of working in an appraisable school, as well as their feelings of loyalty and their bonds with school goals. As we expected, the results revealed that intense learning engagement with external but trusted colleagues from other schools strengthened teachers' effort-outcome expectancy (sense of impact); this finding aligns with those of Kong and Pearson (2005). The results suggest that collaborative learning within a core milieu supported teachers' organizational commitment. However, these endeavors did not support the teachers' cognitive sense of impact. On the other hand, engagement with external colleagues did support their sense of impact, but not their organizational commitment. Overall, our study suggests two partial social-cognitive outcomes related to two distinct aspects of learning engagement situated in teachers' communities of practice. These outcomes are the first major contribution of this work to the extant literature on the gap between theory and practice of teachers' work in communities of practice.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to seek to investigate Etienne Wenger's theory of social learning in a community of practice by modeling two simultaneous aspects of teachers' collaborative learning: their engagement in close-knit internal groupings and engagement with colleagues that work externally to the core group. These two learning processes are related to two social-cognitive outcomes: teachers' organizational commitment and their sense of impact.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study investigated a field sample of 246 individual teachers from ten Finnish primary schools. Hypotheses were developed and tested by using multiple regression and structural equation modeling.\nFindings: The results indicate that local engagement supports teachers' organizational commitment. However, this form of collaborative learning behavior did not support their sense of impact. Moreover, external engagement with trusted colleagues supported sense of impact but not organizational commitment.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study reinforces the importance of teachers' engagement in communities of practice. Specifically, the results suggest two specific social-cognitive outcomes related to two different learning processes situated in teachers' community of practice. It would be highly valuable to replicate this study in various multi-level settings.\nPractical implications: The study highlights teachers' engagement in communities of practice as a source of their motivational basis and their commitment. Findings recommend school leaders to facilitate internal and external learning communities.\nOriginality/value: The study provides empirical evidence regarding the partial relationships between teachers' local and external learning engagement and the social-cognitive outcomes of these forms of learning behaviors.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
From commodity to brand: antecedents and outcomes of consumers' label perception	[ "Collective label", "Purchase intentions", "Willingness to pay", "Consumers", "Brands" ]	[ { "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: The growing international competition and increasing choice of products in the market makes it important for producers to achieve a competitive advantage. Introducing brands and labels is one of the main tools to distinguish products from the competition and to get a better position on the market. There have been a lot of studies looking on how consumers form their preferences for traditional brands and what factors influence their intention to buy these brands and willingness to pay for a branded product. Research has for example shown that brand trust has positive effect on brand attitude (e.g. Okazaki et al., 2007), and brand attitude is positively related to consumers' purchase intentions (e.g. Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Wilson et al., 1975; Laroche and Howard, 1980). In the current study we replicate the results of the previous studies on the example of collective labels - brands owned by an organisation or an association, whose members use the label to identify themselves with certain characteristics - and develop and test a new model summarising the effects of different variables on consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay.Even though theory of branding is applicable to a collective label (Norberg, 2007), there may still be some differences (Herstein and Tifferet, 2007). Due to the growing relevance of collective labels as promotional tools and their distinctive characteristics compared to the traditional brands, more research on collective labels is necessary. Thus, the purpose of our study is to investigate if purchase intentions and willingness to pay for a collective label are influenced by the same factors that apply to traditional brands. Studies on consumer information processing of collective labels (Bjorner et al., 2002; Miyazaki and Krishnamurty, 2002; Fotopoulos and Krystallis, 2001; McEachern and Warnaby, 2004) do not offer a clear picture of which factors influence consumer preferences for products with this kind of labels. To address this gap, we develop and test a model looking on the significance of various aspects of consumers' perception of a collective label as predictors for consumers' intention to buy the labelled commodity and willingness to pay for the label. We focus not only on the traditional factors known to influence consumers' preferences for brands (e.g. attitude toward the brand/label, trust in the brand/label, consumers' perceptions and income) but also on such a label specific factor as the importance of the label. To our knowledge, the current model is the first model defining the purchase intentions and willingness to pay for the collectively labelled product.Therefore, the current article contributes to the literature in three ways. First, we replicate the results of the previous studies on branding and extend the literature through introducing a new model defining consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay. Second, we develop and test a model that can be applied to collective labels. Third, we introduce a new label specific variable - importance of the label - and find how it influences purchase intentions and willingness to pay for a labelled commodity.The article is organised as follows. First, a conceptual framework is discussed and our research model is introduced. Then, the context of our study is described and a description of the collected consumer data is given. Next, our findings are presented. Finally, we summarise our findings, indicate managerial implications and suggest further research directions.\n2. Conceptual framework: A collective label can be defined as a brand owned by an organisation or an association, whose members use this label to identify themselves with a certain level of quality, particular geographical origin, or other characteristics set by the organisation. The function of the collective label is to inform consumers about certain particular features of the product for which the collective label is used. Labelling is especially important for so-called credence goods (Nelson, 1970; Roe and Sheldon, 2007) which quality can neither be verified by personal inspection and through readily available product information (cf. search goods) nor through repeated purchases and consumption (cf. experience goods). It may be argued that the quality label converts credence quality into search quality by virtue of the label being verifiable (Sweeney et al., 2008). By using collective labels and like this provide information to consumers before or at the point of purchase, marketers have got another means to create markets for differentiated quality products (Vertinsky and Zhou, 2000). Moreover, collective advertising has proven useful in order to improve consumers' awareness, perception and increase demand (Kinnucan and Venkateswaran, 1990).The focus of this article is to develop and test a model linking different variables related to a collective label (attitude toward the label, trust in the label, consumer expectations to the labelled product, and importance of the label) and demographic variables (income) to consumers' intention to buy the labelled commodity and willingness to pay for the label.The model presented in Figure 1 summarises which factors are expected to influence attitude toward the label, purchase intentions and willingness to pay for the labelled product.2.1 Antecedents of attitude toward the label\n3. Method: 3.1 Data collection and sample\n4. Results: A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to verify the unidimensionality, reliability convergent validity and discriminant validity of the scales used to measure the antecedents of willingness to pay. Structural equation modelling (Joreskog and Sorbom, 1996) is employed to test the hypotheses. The data is analysed using LISREL 8.80.4.1 Measure validation\n5. Discussion and conclusions: The purpose of the current paper is to develop and test the model defining which factors influence consumers' buying intentions and willingness to pay for a product marked with a collective label. Table V gives a summary of our findings.Out of 11 hypotheses, ten were supported. As we expected consumers' purchase intentions toward the labelled product are influenced by their attitude toward the label and their expectations to the labelled product. Importance of the label does not have a direct effect on purchase intentions. However, label importance has an influence on the attitude toward label and therefore an indirect influence on purchase intentions. Consumers' willingness to pay (more) for the labelled product is found to be influenced by attitude toward label, expectations to the labelled product, importance of the label, purchase intentions and personal income. As seen, attitude toward the label plays an important role in consumers' buying behaviour. In its turn, attitude toward the label is influenced by trust in the label, expectations to the labelled product, and importance of the label.5.1 Managerial implications\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to examine the significance of various aspects of consumers' perception of a collective label as predictors for consumers' intention to buy the labelled item and willingness to pay for the label.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The online survey was organised based on random sampling from a panel consisting of 46,000 people who had previously agreed to serve as online consumer panellists for a large market research firm. A total of 2,844 invitations were sent out and 684 panellists answered the invitation. The final sample consisted of 522 subjects.\nFindings: - The authors have developed and tested a model looking at the significance of various aspects of consumers' perception of a collective label as predictors for consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay for the labelled commodity.\nPractical implications: - By defining which factors influence consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay for the labelled product the paper suggests what managers should pay attention to when they introduce a new label for a commodity.\nOriginality/value: - The current article contributes to the literature in three ways. First, the paper replicates the results of the previous studies on branding and extends the literature through introducing a new model defining consumers' purchase intentions and willingness to pay. Second, the paper develops and tests a model that can be applied to collective labels. Third, the paper introduces a new label specific variable - importance of the label.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Increasing the strategic role of HR: the importance of macro-economic conditions	[ "Change", "Strategy", "Macro-economics" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Recent complaints about HR revolve around the sentiment that the function lacks forward vision, business relevance, and strategic insight. Nowhere is this more obvious than when the function tries to introduce change, with many HR change projects being viewed by the business as vanity projects - rarely impacting the bottom line. In reaction to this, the HR function has increased the drive to incorporate relevant business strategy into their projects. What is often overlooked, however, are the importance of macro-economic trends on HR's position within the business - and by extension the likelihood of success for these projects.\nThe importance of strategic considerations for change: Strategic considerations need to form the bedrock of all justification for change. If one regards the major theories of change management one sees, they begin with the requirement to define the change. This definition needs to develop a clear and succinct problem statement which justifies the need for change. For the project to succeed and be granted business buy-in, this problem statement needs to take into account internal and external factors affecting the organization. The purpose of a strategy is to develop these factors into a coherent vision. These factors, therefore, can be incorporated by using a strategy as the basis for this justification.\nMacro-economic trends and HR: By studying macro-economic trends, HR functions can increase the impact on, and buy-in from, the business by timing appropriate interventions to match contemporary conditions and sentiments. By doing this, they can help drive wider strategic conversations across the business.\nHR's increased input to business strategy: By understanding macro-economic trends, HR departments can be more prescriptive with their interventions and, as such, will be able to increase their role in driving the direction of the organization. Through this understanding, HR will be able to adjust interventions to ensure it is closest to the current trends and help the business stay ahead of their competitors - for example by capturing the best talent. Furthermore, by looking at trends within the current market, HR departments can predict future conditions and adjust as necessary. An example of this would be if the warning signs of future recession are present - increased bankruptcies, reduced tax collections, and shrinking corporate profits - HR can tail of attraction initiatives and help the business begin to consolidate its position before the effects of the downturn begin to bite. Through this insight and forward vision, HR will be able to drive wider business conversations about the direction of the organization, adding tangible value to the bottom line.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce notions for increasing the strategic position of the HR function by outlining the influence that macro-economic trends play on the role of the function and the success of its initiatives. The main focus is on how HR can over time change with economic cycles to add tangible value and drive strategic conversations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This argument is split into three sections: the importance of strategic considerations for change, macro-economic trends and HR, and HR's increased input to business strategy. It looks at the work of key theorists in change management, analyzes the history of HR and develops these arguments into conclusions about how to improve HR's strategic role.\nFindings: Key theories of change management demonstrate that strategy is critical to the success of change projects. This means encompassing both internal and external factors affecting a business. By examining the historical development of HR it is clear to see that macro-economic trends are a significant external factor that is not often investigated by HR. If HR can harness this information, they will be able to implement proactive initiatives and drive strategic conversations.\nOriginality/value: The notions outlined in this paper identify a significant factor for the success of HR that is not often investigated by the function, allowing HR to implement more effective initiatives at optimal times.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Education for sustainable development (ESD): Exploring theoretical and practical challenges	[ "Evaluation", "Sustainable development", "Environmental education", "Education for sustainable development", "ESD debate", "Program evaluations" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The idea of education for sustainable development (ESD) germinated through the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) entitled Our Common Future. The United Nations' Decade for Education for Sustainable Development or DESD (2005-2014) encompassed action themes, including overcoming poverty, achieving gender equality, health promotion, environmental protection, rural development, cultural diversity, peace and human security, and sustainable urbanization (UNESCO, 2005). The World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (2009) defined ESD as \"an approach to teaching and learning based on the ideals and principles that underlie sustainability\" including with key issues as:\nThe objective(s) of ESD: Existing tools and methodologies for measuring and evaluating the initiatives in ESD are often derived from indicators developed in the fields of citizenship education, conservation education and particularly EE (Reid et al., 2006; Wals, 2009; The Earth Charter, 2011). McKeown and Hopkins (2003) have argued that ESD is not likely to replace EE but become one of its important goals. Other authors have argued that ESD has become the dominant perspective of EE (Sauve, 1996, p. 29). Other scholars tend to conflate EE and ESD objectives (Eilam and Trop, 2010; Arlemalm-Hagser and Sandberg, 2011). Evaluations of EE sometimes include topics of \"sustainability\" as evidenced by the volume on EE evaluations (Jacobson et al., 2006), and special journal issues (The Journal of Environmental Education 1982, 13(4), New Directions for Evaluation (2005, 108), Journal of Evaluation and Program Planning 2010, 33(2)), as well as on-line resources such as Auditing Instrument for Sustainability in Higher Education (AISHE, 2014): www.eauc.org.uk/audit_instrument_for_sustainability_in_higher_educ, My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant (MEERA): www.meera.snre.umich.edu (Zint et al., 2011); Place Based Environmental Education Evaluation Collaborative: www.peecworks.org. Since it is argued that evaluations of ESD can benefit from the \"lessons learned\" from EE evaluations (Zint, 2013), comparison of objectives of EE and ESD seems warranted.\nOn local contexts and cultural relativism: The common methodologies of program evaluations include the National Foundation for Educational Research's (NfER) study of the implementation of the \"citizenship\" curriculum in England (Kerr, 2006), or the BLK \"21\" programme in Germany (de Haan, 2006) as well as generic EfS checklists (Schroter, 2010). However, it is not clear whether these national evaluation studies or best practice examples can be universally applicable in other nations, as many anthropologists have pointed out (Owens, 2012). Extensive work on classroom ethnography (starting with pioneering research involving direct observation of the classroom by Smith (1969)) involves ethnographic researcher to enter the world of his \"subjects\" through participant observation (Carspecken and Walford, 2001) it has not yet fully employed in formal education settings to address ESD. The Ways forward section of this article will discuss how such methodology can be useful.\nImplications: We may now return to the question in the Introduction: what does the program evaluation literature suggest for evaluating \"Western\" programs in developing countries? First of all we want to make clear that we are not able yet to give a clear definition of evaluation (vs research) and more specifically, how to define evaluation consistently with program evaluation. To give such a definition another analysis is needed which will be developed in the follow-up research.\nMethodology of ESD: Once the aims of ESD are established, another challenge is to devise the most efficient and strategic method of achieving these objectives (Rickinson, 2001, 2003). The most important challenge is didactic: what are the best available teaching methods, keeping ESD's objectives in mind?\nProceed or not to proceed?: While evaluations of EE programs have been demonstrated to help meet EE objectives (Jacobson and McDuff, 1997; Norris and Jacobson, 1998; Jenks et al., 2010; Zint et al., 2011), the case of ESD evaluations may be more complex. This complexity stems primarily from the fact that the very objectives of ESD need further critical reflection. Since the time of the publication of the Belgrade Charter there have been heated discussions particularly in the Journal of Environmental Education and Environmental Education Research about the \"ends\" of ESD. In the article \"Environmental education research: to what ends?\" Jickling (2009) argues against the post-structuralism claims that education has no meaning and no ends, other then the ones that are subjectively ascribed to it. After cautioning about perils of prescribing research agendas, Jickling suggests that key normative questions exist at the intersection of \"education\" and \"ethics\", and that they point to an area of research that deserves more attention. Remarkably, while Jickling (2009, p. 215) does discuss the interceptions of ethics and environmental ethics, as well as ethics and education, he does not address environmental ethics in relation to EE, although he does argue that normative questions need to be recognized as important areas of inquiry and that the most value laden ideas concern \"ethics\" and \"education\".\nWays forward: In the recent evaluative study of EE published in this journal, Schneiderman and Freihoefer (2012) used the new ecological paradigm (NEP) questionnaire for tackling environmental attitudes. NEP has been a reliable instrument in several previous studies, has measured other populations' attitudes toward the environment (Dunlap, 2008), and was linked to evaluation of EE program by the researchers. However, previous studies of NEP did not found to address deep ecology values or explicitly engaged with the interface between environmental ethics and sustainable development (Lundmarck, 2007; Kopnina, 2011b, 2012c). Therefore, one way forward is the scale for measuring attitudes to sustainable development and using various methodological strategies to discuss these with students of higher education (Kopnina, 2012a). At the core of this methodology is the participatory evaluation of students' comprehension of sustainable development. The Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes Toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale is used as an opener for a classroom discussion about what sustainable development is, how subjects such as biodiversity conservation, perception of environment, priorities of addressing social and environmental problems are framed (Kopnina, 2012c). Methodologies of classroom ethnography (Owens, 2012), participant observation (with researcher as a lecturer) and dialogical learning (Meijers, 2009) are employed.\nConclusions: This article aimed to express the profound concern with \"what are we actually teaching in ESD\", and related to it the question of \"what is actually being evaluated?\" Following this discussion, evaluation of existing evaluations of ESD could also be instructive in revealing practitioners' and/or researchers assumptions about ESD, which is crucial to understanding of an even bigger question: \"why are we actually using ESD?\"\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This article aims to explore the challenges posed by the conceptual framework and diversity of practice of education for sustainable development (ESD). The implications of plurality of ESD perspectives and methodological approaches as well variations in ESD practice will be addressed. Critical framework for conceptualizing of ESD which takes environmental ethics into account will be proposed through the discussion of The Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes Toward the Sustainable Development (EAATSD) scale.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper opted for a general review approach, covering literature that provides an overview of the concepts and practices of ESD, as well as program evaluation studies. Additionally, qualitative evaluation of EAATSD scale with students of higher professional education was conducted, using in-depth interviews and dialogue with individual students as well as classroom discussions.\nFindings: It was found that there are wide and inconclusive debates about the aims of ESD based on the critique of sustainable development discourse in general and instrumentalism embedded in ESD in particular. According to the qualitative evaluation, EAATSD scale can be used for testing anthropocentric and Ecocentric Attitudes Towards Sustainable Development in students of higher education. Based on these results, this scale was found to be revealing of the critical view of paradoxes and challenges inherent in multiple goals of sustainable development as well as useful for testing anthropocentric and ecocentric attitudes in students of higher education.\nResearch limitations/implications: Reliability of the scale needs further statistical testing, and as is the case in conventional EE/ESD evaluations, and consequent research is necessary to improve institutional, national, and international applicability to particular cases. Future research should draw from this critical review in order to devise alternative evaluation tools.\nPractical implications: In practice, this implies that currently administered evaluations of generic ESD, while useful in concrete cultural or institutional settings, might be premature. The article concludes with the reflection upon which conceptual, methodological, cultural, and ethical challenges of ESD which should be useful for ESD researchers and practitioners in different national settings.\nOriginality/value: This article fulfills an identified need to address the paradoxes of sustainable development and to study how ESD can be more effective.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The effects of gender role orientation and career/family role salience on organizational identification and intention to leave	[ "China", "Organizational identification", "Intention to leave", "Career role salience", "Family role salience", "Gender role orientation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Organizational identification (OID), referred to employees' perception of oneness with the organization (Mael and Ashforth, 1992), has been a widely studied construct in management research during the past two decades. The positive effects of OID on some employee and organizational outcomes have been well documented in the literature (Haslam and Ellemers, 2005; Riketta, 2005; van Dick, 2004). The gender difference in OID, however, has not been adequately examined. More research is thus called for to enhance our understanding in this regard.\nLiterature review: Gender role orientation\nHypotheses development: Gender role orientation and career/family role salience\nMethod: Sample and procedures\nResults: Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion and conclusion: In this study, we developed and tested a conceptual model to investigate some important antecedents and outcome of OID in the Chinese context. We predicted that masculinity and femininity are, respectively, related to career and family role salience, which in turn affect an individual's identification with the organization and intention to leave. We further tested for the gender differences in the above relationships. Some new findings were obtained which contribute to the current body of literature.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how gender role orientation (i.e. masculinity and femininity) and career/family role salience affect individuals' organizational identification (OID) and intention to leave. Alternative models were developed to specify different relationships among the study variables.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected via a questionnaire survey of 362 employees from three large companies in China. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate alternative models and test the hypotheses.\nFindings: This paper found that masculinity was positively related to career role salience, whereas femininity was positively related to family role salience. Career role salience, but not family role salience, was positively related to OID, which in turn was negatively related to intention to leave. A positive relationship was also found between femininity and OID, as well as between family role salience and intention to leave.\nResearch limitations/implications: The cross-sectional nature of the data of this study precludes any definitive inferences about causality and directionality. The use of self-report measures also invites the potential threat of common method variance. The generalizability of results has been restricted, given that the respondents were drawn from three large companies.\nPractical implications: Organizations may provide more resources and support for their employees so as to increase their career role salience, which in turn enhances their level of OID. For employees who are high in femininity, employers may offer family-friendly programs to help them address resource drain from family to work, and hence to retain them.\nOriginality/value: This study provided evidence for the linkage between gender role orientation with career/family role salience. It also revealed the impacts of career/family role salience on OID and intention to leave. Some gender differences in this regard were highlighted.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Shaping consumer perception: effects of vertical and horizontal packaging alignment	[ "Utilitarian value", "Consumer perception", "Willingness to pay", "Information processing", "Organic food", "Packaging alignment" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Packaging design represents one of the most important elements in a firm's marketing mix to communicate product benefits and to gain competitive advantage (McDaniel and Baker, 1977; Rundh, 2009). Because of its presence at the point of sale and its role as a crucial aid upon which consumers rely for their decision-making, packaging design is a very powerful medium (Orth and Malkewitz, 2008). It offers the possibility to stand out from the mass of competitive products and thus to direct the consumer's choice in favour of a firm's own product (Clement, 2007).\nTheoretical background: Packaging alignment, information processing and product perception\nStudy 1 (pilot study): A fundamental assumption for the derived hypotheses refers to possible differences in the efficiency of information processing between horizontally and vertically aligned content. Research on visual processing ability has shown information on the horizontal axis tends to be perceived more efficiently than information on the vertical axis (Deng et al., 2016; Shi et al., 2013). To test in a first step whether the findings can also be applied to the research context of marketing organic food, we conducted a pilot study. In detail, we first aimed to test whether the design alignment of product information (i.e. horizontally and vertically aligned product information) has an influence on the perception of the viewer and, in particular, how effectively the information about the product is perceived by the viewer. As we assume horizontally (vs vertically) aligned product information can be processed more easily and efficiently, this should lead to a more effective perception of product information. To measure the effectiveness of perception, we look at the respondents' recall of the product information. As used in other research studies, recall of the presented information provides an indirect indicator of the respondents' information processing (Taylor, 1957; Torres and Roig, 2005). We opted specifically for this proven measurement method and not for a direct inquiry for the ease of information processing to avoid directing the focus of the respondents to information processing and thus possibly causing a major bias in the results.\nStudy 2: As a fundamental rationale of the hypotheses could be empirically confirmed by the pilot study, we proceeded by testing the hypotheses in the following main study.\nGeneral discussion: Discussion of the results\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Packaging represents an essential issue for marketers in terms of effectively communicating the product's benefits, especially in the case of organic food products. Because of logistical advantages, rectangular packaging is frequently used for organic food products. However, the question arises whether packaging alignment may significantly influence consumers' decision-making at the point of sale. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the effects of rectangular packaging alignment (vertical vs horizontal) on consumer perception in the context of organic food products.\nDesign/methodology/approach: On the basis of the empirical results of a pilot study, a between-subjects online experiment with a sample size of 699 participants and two conditions (vertical vs horizontal packaging alignment) was performed. Analyses of covariance and PROCESS mediation analysis were used for data analysis.\nFindings: The results of two empirical studies confirm the relevance of differences in consumers' horizontal and vertical information processing for the research context of organic food and provide evidence for the assumed relevance of packaging alignment by ultimately showing a change in packaging alignment affects consumers' willingness to pay. Importantly, this effect is mediated by utilitarian value perception.\nOriginality/value: This paper importantly contributes to research on packaging design of organic food products. Specifically, the relevance of an efficient utilitarian value perception for the consumer's willingness to pay is highlighted in this context. Potential implications of these results for companies, consumers and public health are discussed.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Individual differences in consumer responses to traditional versus virtual concept testing	[ "Consumer behaviour", "Tests and testing", "Cognition", "Virtual concept testing", "Innovativeness", "Change seeking", "Cognitive effort", "Generalizability theory" ]	[ { "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.\nIntroduction: Concept testing plays a pivotal role in the new product development process. It is a widely used method for estimating \"customer reactions to a product idea before committing substantial funds to it\" (Moore, 1982, p. 279). A typical concept test presents selected respondents with a statement describing a new product idea and asks them to respond to questions, such as liking and purchase intent, which are indicative of its market potential (Crawford and Di Benedetto, 2008).According to the survey of new product managers (Peng and Finn, 2008), trends in new product concept testing include making more use of virtual testing. A related direction is to measure consumer preferences in the context of competitive sets and in more realistic and natural shopping environments. Virtual reality allows the most thorough and realistic means of presenting a product concept to the consumer by combining all of the advantages of texts and visuals (for example, adding motion and sound, presenting relevant environmental, supporting mix inputs et al.). Dahan and Hauser (2002) review six interactive, web-based methods of gathering customer input and suggest that consumer research projects costing up to $200,000 can be accomplished at a fraction of the cost. Virtual techniques have now become pervasive in the engineering, design, simulation, and testing of new products (Dahan and Srinivasan, 2000; Von Hippel, 2001; Vandenbosch and Dawar, 2002; Dahan and Hauser, 2002; Balasubramanian et al., 2003; Urban and Hauser, 2004; Fuller and Matzler, 2007). A few prior research suggest that virtual testing yields more positive (if not identical) test results and more valid testing data (Dahan and Srinivasan, 2000; Von Hippel and Katz, 2002; Fuller et al., 2006). Most recently, Peng et al. (2011) compare the testing results in traditional and virtual testing environment for five heterogeneous innovations and indicate that both environments yield identical mean scores, while the latter provides better quality of data given the same sampling design.On the other hand, the product management literature has identified several individual characteristics that could influence how subjects respond to new products in concept tests (Schindler et al., 1989; Duke, 1994; Von Hippel, 1986; Reidenbach and Grimes, 1984; Schoormans et al., 1995; Moreau et al., 2001; Wood and Lynch, 2002; Klink and Athaide, 2006; Peng and Finn, 2010). Respondent selection has long been considered one of the most important decisions facing practitioners in the design of concept test. Practitioners employ a variety of screening criteria to select respondents, such as product class usage and specific product usage. This screening process eliminates respondents who are not part of the target market. But there could be other respondents who also do not provide useful information. The survey of product managers (Peng and Finn, 2008) found wide use of lead users (for radical innovations) and influential/market mavens. Presumably, these groups are expected to provide better predictive information for decision-making. If potential respondents vary substantially as to the quality of concept testing data they can provide, a screening process that successfully eliminates those respondents who cannot provide useful information can leave more reliable information for managerial decision-making. If the cost of screening a respondent is lower than the cost of having a respondent participating in the test, screening can reduce the overall cost of achieving the quality of testing data required for decision-making.The present study examines the influence of innovativeness, change seeking propensity and cognitive effort on consumer response to traditional versus virtual testing environment. In particular, two research questions are raised for investigation in this paper:1. Are the personality traits of the potential customers who are sampled in different testing environments an important determinant of the testing results?2. Do some types of respondents provide substantially higher quality data in different testing environments?To address these questions, this study simulates a traditional and a virtual concept testing environment, using consumers, who can be clustered into segments on consumer characteristics assumed to influence their test responses. Generalizability theory (hereafter G theory) approach (Cronbach et al., 1972), which has long been identified as a superior approach to measurement issues in marketing (e.g. Peter, 1979; Rentz, 1987; Finn and Kayande, 1997), will be used to assess the psychometric quality of the evaluation data. The new criteria in the approach include the variance components obtained in a Generalizability study (hereafter G study) for the facets which can be used to determine the contribution of each facet to the observed variation in the testing and G coefficient (Index of data quality) for the different objects of measurement.The rest of the article is organized as follows. We first discuss the individual characteristics in the literature that could influence consumer responses to different testing environments and set up the hypotheses. Then we examine the hypotheses using an online concept testing like study where five heterogeneous product concepts provided the stimuli for repeated measures of consumer reactions in both traditional and virtual testing environments. The conclusions and marketing implications are presented at the end of the study.\nTheoretical considerations and hypotheses: Concept testing assumes that all respondents can understand the concepts and provide an unbiased response to the proposed product (Reidenbach and Grimes, 1984). But a number of individual characteristics have been found to influence how subjects respond to new products (Peng and Finn, 2010). Schindler et al. (1989) suggests that subjects high on innovativeness should be used in concept testing, especially for major innovations. Duke (1994) argues that low scores on innovative products might occur if a wide cross section of customers is used in the tests instead of using only innovators. Von Hippel (1986) maintains that lead users are a preferred source of input for the development of very new products.Reidenbach and Grimes (1984) show that high knowledge groups provide more accurate evaluations. Consistent with this, Schoormans et al. (1995) suggest that the expertise of consumers would enhance their ability to evaluate both major and minor innovations. However, Moreau et al. (2001) conclude that experts are not more prone to adopt discontinuous new products than novices because the experts' entrenched knowledge in a product domain is associated with lower comprehension, fewer perceived net benefits, and weaker preference for the discontinuous new product. Wood and Lynch (2002) find consumers with higher product knowledge learn less about a new product, due to motivational deficits. Klink and Athaide (2006) conclude that the individual difference variable of adoption orientation should be accounted for in concept testing. Most recently, Peng and Finn (2010) indicate that the respondent characteristics such as innovativeness, change-seeking tendency and cognitive processing propensity influence the mean evaluation of the tested concepts and the psychometric quality of the concept tests.Despite a rebirth of enthusiasm for personality trait research in psychology, generated by the five-factor model (McCrae and Costa, 1987), consumer personality research has been in the doldrums for decades (Baumgartner, 2002). Work employing the hierarchical model of the influence of personality traits on marketing outcome is just beginning (Brown et al., 2002). Therefore, in this study, only established consumer research scales in the areas of innovativeness, change-seeking tendency and cognitive processing propensity are considered for their apparent theoretical relevance, while considering their managerial applicability.Innovativeness\nEmpirical research design: The study collected concept evaluations of five heterogeneous consumer appliances from members of an online panel. More than four hundred respondents who indicated positive interest in consumer appliances and owned and used at least two items in the list were recruited and randomly assigned to the two testing environments. This procedure resulted in 216 subjects for the traditional testing environment and another 216 subjects for the virtual testing environment. The same five heterogeneous products provided the stimuli for repeated measures of consumer reactions. Besides the testing environments, we controlled other testing factors (product presentation format, word quality, word length, and photo quality et al.) to be consistent in order to ensure the validity of the study. The consumer reaction measures were those identified by Peng and Finn (2008) as the most commonly used diagnostic questions in product evaluation testing. Online testing was used, as it allowed the product presentation order to be randomized to reduce the order bias and virtual techniques to be used, and was cost effective.Stimuli preparation\nResults and discussions: Dimensionality of the personality trait data\nConclusions and implications: This study examined the effects of individual differences in the evaluative outcome and generalizability of concept testing in traditional and virtual concept testing environments. The findings led to the following conclusions.First, it is found that subjects with higher innovativeness and change seeking report significantly more favorable concept evaluations. Concept tests that intentionally or accidentally screen out respondents who are low on innovativeness will generate more favorable new product assessments. Thus using firm or industry norms to interpret the outcome of concept testing will be biased unless it accounts for whether the screening processes that were used resulted in equally innovative or variety seeking samples of respondents. Second, the effect of innovativeness on concept testing outcomes is relieved in virtual testing environment. However, the effect of change seeking on concept testing outcomes is even more substantial in virtual testing than in traditional testing. Third, the study provides evidence that the quality of concept testing data provided by respondents varies substantially with their innovativeness. The most robust result is that consumers who are high on innovativeness provide much more generalizable data than consumers who are low on innovativeness when scaling concepts. This finding holds for every measure of innovativeness. However, the effect on data quality is mitigated in virtual testing environment. Fourth, there is no obvious effect on data quality for the Need to Evaluate scale used to capture cognitive effort characteristics in both traditional and virtual testing environment. Interestingly, consumers who are high or low on Need to evaluate provide no different information when scaling appliance concepts in both traditional and virtual testing environments.Managerially, the current results indicate that a product manager wanting to concept test a pool of appliance concepts can benefit from screening for the respondents who will provide higher quality concept testing data in traditional testing environment. However, based on the point estimates, the effects of traits on differences in the generalizability of concept testing are more often mitigated in virtual testing environment. The findings indicate that subject selection is not a more critical issue in virtual testing than in traditional testing, as virtual environment allows the most thorough and realistic means of presenting a product concept to consumers and enhances their understanding and enjoyment of the task.\nLimitations and future research: Clearly our research has limitations and leaves some questions unanswered. The current research collected a considerable amount of data from each respondent. Therefore, it was limited to a respondent sample of a size consistent with that normally used in concept testing, but substantially smaller than normally used for work on the structure and effects of personality traits. Thus the current research relied on exploratory factor analysis of the scale scores and was unable to test alternative approaches to the relationship between the personality trait constructs and the observed scale items. Nor could it test for the possible impact of common method bias. In addition, because there are currently no statistical tests for comparing our G-coefficients, only the variance components could be tested for the data quality hypotheses.Future research requires substantially larger samples to address the structure and effects of personality traits as well as to investigate whether the results for innovativeness carry over to the seemingly related traits such as adoption orientation and expertise discussed in the literature.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of innovativeness, change seeking and cognitive effort on consumer responses to traditional versus virtual testing environment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The empirical study collects concept evaluations of five heterogeneous consumer appliances, from 400 members of an online panel. Generalizability theory (hereafter G theory) is used to assess the psychometric quality of the evaluation data in different testing environments.\nFindings: - The results show that subjects with high innovativeness and change seeking report significantly more favorable concept evaluations and generate better quality data. However, the effect of innovativeness on testing outcomes and data quality would be reduced in virtual testing environment.\nPractical implications: - The results indicate that using firm or industry norms to interpret the testing outcome will be biased unless it accounts for whether the screening processes result in equally innovative or variety seeking samples of respondents.\nOriginality/value: - Managerially, the current results indicate that a product manager wanting to concept test a pool of appliance concepts can benefit from screening for the respondents, who will provide higher quality concept testing data in a traditional testing environment. However, the effects of traits on data quality are mitigated in a virtual testing environment. The findings provide a surprising insight that subject selection is not a more critical issue in virtual testing.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Security information management as an outsourced service	[ "Communication technologies", "Information systems", "Data security" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Information systems security has been a research area for a long time. Initial viruses and worms propagated slowly through the exchange of magnetic containers. With the development of TCP/IP, security problems have become more frequent and taken very different forms, and have lead to the development of new security techniques. Very early in the development of the internet, vulnerabilities affecting operating systems have allowed attackers to move from system to system. Detecting attackers has been a necessity for military environments. Insufficient access control measures have led to the development of intrusion-detection systems (IDS).These IDS have been developed to detect abnormal behaviour of information systems and networks, indicating a breach of the security policy. Two families of techniques have been developed, misuse-detection and anomaly-detection, to analyze a data stream representing the activity of the monitored information system. Misuse-based analysis detects known violations of the security policy, explicitly specified by the security officer. Anomaly-based analysis detects deviations from the normal behaviour of the monitored information system.The objective of IDS today is to inform operators on the security health of information system. This mostly improves accountability but does not protect the information system from attacks. The development of dependable analysis techniques, particularly reduction of false alarms and identification of attack context, has enabled the migration to efficient intrusion protection systems, merging access control at the network layer with access control at the application layer. Distributing IDS components onto single workstations should create an efficient multi-layered approach to information security in the near future.Beyond intrusion detection and protection, security information management (SIM) platforms have emerged to manage alerts created by intrusion detection and prevention systems and other security tools, and provide a global view of the security state of the information system. These platforms are a must-have for large organization concerned with the security of their information systems, and are offering facilities for alert correlation, display and threat management.However, these new security tools are also more difficult to install, configure, manage and maintain that their predecessors. Where a firewall could be managed with a few sets of rules and be upgraded at rare occasions, intrusion detection and prevention systems require frequent updates to their signature bases and careful management of the events that have been generated. As the level of knowledge needed to accomplish these tasks increases, it has become a natural solution to outsource the security monitoring and log management, and include incident response in the package.This paper studies SIM from an outsourcing perspective, highlighting the issues found while developing a SIM platform for managed security services. Section 2 introduces the SIM topic and gives architectural information about our solution. Section 3 focuses on alert correlation, the processes that drive alert management and present alerts to the operators; alert management is a key function of SIMs particularly in outsourced environments since the sheer volume of alerts make it impossible to handle all of them manually. Finally, Section 4 describes the specific issues related to an outsourced SIM service.\n2 Security information management: Owing to the volume and diversity of security and log information sources, SIM platforms have emerged in recent years as the solution for concentrating heterogeneous logs and providing the security officer with a homogenous view of the security state of its information system.The requirement for a central event processing platform comes from the fact that many devices only provide a partial view of the security state of the information system, coherent with their role. Offering the desired global view can only be done by concentrating and consolidating as many information sources as possible. Note, however, that this does not mean that there will be only one SIM platform per organization, as SIM platforms should be able to communicate with one another.2.1 SIM functions\n3 Alert correlation: The need to automate alert processing and to reduce the amount of alerts displayed to the operator by the system is a widely recognized issue (Debar and Morin, 2002) and the research community has proposed as one solution to correlate related alerts to facilitate the diagnostics by the operator. A recent state of the art related to alert correlation can be found in Debar et al. (2004).Alert correlation has three principal objectives with regard to information displayed to the operator:1. Volume reduction. Group or suppress alerts, according to common properties. E.g. several individual alerts from a scan should be grouped as one meta alert.2. Content improvement. Add to the information carried by individual alert. E.g. the use of topology and vulnerability information of monitored system to verify or evaluate the severity of the attack.3. Activity tracking. Follow multi-alert intrusions evolving as time passes. E.g. if attacker first scans a host, then gains remote-to-local access, and finally obtains root access, individual alerts from these steps should be grouped together.We perform volume reduction eliminating redundant information by aggregating alerts that are not strictly symptoms of compromise and appear in high volumes. Only changes in the behaviour of the aggregate flow are reported to the user. Correlation techniques capable of detecting unknown, novel relationships in data are said to be implicit and techniques involving some sort of definition of searched relationships are called explicit. As the aggregation criteria are manually selected, this is an explicit correlation method. Overall, we aim to save operator resources by freeing the majority of time units that manually processing the background noise would require and thus to enable him to focus on more relevant alerts. Even though this manual processing is likely to be periodic skimming through the accumulated noise, if there are several sources with omnipresent activity, the total time used can be significant. Next we discuss why despite the large amounts of alerts background noise monitoring can be useful.3.1 Correlation with vulnerability information\n4 Outsourced SIM: Given the cost and knowledge required to deploy intrusion detection/prevention devices and build a successful SIM environment, several service providers offer outsourced SIM within their managed security services offerings. Indeed, even the SIM software vendors have been creating such managed services offerings to help further the technology.4.1 Architecture of an outsourcing SIM\n5 Conclusion: In this paper, we have presented intrusion detection and SIM as two important and active research domains for information systems security. While intrusion detection offers mature technologies for deployment, SIM remains an interesting research subject from which we can expect new advances. Related to intrusion detection, we expect that research will focus on application-level attacks and on much more accurate sensors and detection algorithms than are currently available. The sheer number of uninteresting intrusion detection alerts generated by these tools will require continuous tuning and development, until systems become more secure.We have explored the application of these techniques to security outsourcing, highlighted issues with architecture, information security, privacy, volume and correlation. While these issues may exist when deploying a SIM within a single organization, they are much more critical in outsourcing, because customers will share the same platform. We have proposed solutions to these problems, based on performing functions (aggregation and correlation) as close to the data collection as possible, and on access control policies. In practice, these solutions have proven effective in preventing information leakage between customers, while enabling security operators with a global view of the alert information.SIM will continue to foster research in alert correlation, leading to more complex scenarios that actually provide reliable threat information to the security officer. Once this stage is reached, we will see a large body of research taking place on automated countermeasures, i.e. ensuring that attacks are dealt with efficiently and accurately, with as little human intervention as possible. Automated countermeasures are very likely to bring additional issues to the security outsourcing problem, as the customer and the service provider need to ensure accountability and efficiency of the outsourced security process. The traditional access control mechanism we use in protecting customers is probably insufficient, as we will need to introduce contextual information, legal constraints and service level agreements in the security policy decision process. A simple example related to this is the importance of service during business hours. While shutting down access to a service to prevent an attack may be acceptable when nobody is using the service, it may be impossible or unacceptable to do so during business hours. This simple distinction is often not readily available in access control models, hence the need to develop new ones suitable to this environment.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Security information management (SIM) has emerged recently as a strong need to ensure the ongoing security of information systems. However, deploying a SIM and the associated sensors is a challenge in any organization, as the complexity and cost of such a project are difficult to bear. This paper aims to present an architecture for outsourcing a SIM platform, and discuss the issues associated with the deployment of such an environment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper is an overview of the typical SIM and a possible architecture for its outsourcing.\nFindings: - The paper explains that the day-to-day operation of a SIM is beyond the financial capabilities of all but the largest organizations, as the SIM must be monitored constantly to ensure timely reaction to alerts. Many managed security services providers (MSSP), therefore, propose outsourcing the alert management activities. Sensors are deployed within the customer's infrastructure, and the alerts are sent to the outsourced SIM along with additional log information.\nOriginality/value: - The paper illustrates that intrusion detection and SIM as two important and active research domains for information systems security.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
What makes teacher teams in a vocational education context effective? A qualitative study of managers' view on team working	[ "Team building", "Team working", "Education" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Secondary vocational schools in the Netherlands are increasingly reshaping the delivery of the instruction and coaching of their students into a team-based organisational structure. Instead of being responsible for instruction in one or two subjects, teachers are part of an interdisciplinary team, in which they have to collaborate with other team members to teach students the necessary competences to become a professional in their chosen occupation. As secondary vocational schools are required to design all their courses based on Competence-Based Education (CBE), these teacher teams are expected to be essential to ensure the implementation of CBE, so as to improve the quality of education. CBE has its origin in the European ambition to become the most dynamic and competitive region in the world (Lisbon, 2000). In order to attain this goal, the Dutch government decided to improve the level of its vocational education by changing the way teaching and learning was organised, and assumed that CBE would contribute highly to this improvement. CBE implies an integration of different subjects within courses, and an integration of theory and practice (Ritzen, 2004). Vocational qualifications should consist not just of specific skills, but of \"competencies\" as well: the qualifications needed to practise a certain profession in an actual work situation (Basoski et al., 2009; Biemans et al., 2004; Van der Meijden et al., 2009; Van Merrienboer et al., 2002). Effective CBE requires the synergy of teachers from different disciplines. Teachers are therefore organised into interdisciplinary teams, responsible for the educational programme of one or more particular subgroups of students.\nTeacher team effectiveness models: The framework that is used to guide our qualitative study is the Input-Process-Outcome (IPO) model as developed by McGrath (1964). This model is one of the most comprehensive models that has guided research on team effectiveness for over 40 years. It has been used in very many studies from a number of disciplines on team effectiveness, including studies on teacher teams (e.g. Somech and Drach-Zahavy, 2007). In the IPO model, team effectiveness (outcome) is considered to be influenced by both input and process factors. The inputs or antecedent factors enable members' interactions and include factors such as individual team member characteristics (e.g. competencies, personalities), team-level characteristics (e.g. task structure, external leader influence), and organisational and contextual factors (e.g. organisational design features, environmental complexity). These various input factors combine to drive team processes. Process factors describe the interaction between team members and refer to the activities of the team which transform the inputs into outcomes, for instance information exchange or collaboration. The outcomes (team effectiveness) refer to the results and by-products of team activities. Researchers have applied many criteria to define the effects of the input and process factors on team effectiveness (Crow and Pounder, 2000; Somech and Drach-Zahavy, 2007; Van den Bossche, 2006). In general, three categories of criteria for measuring team effectiveness have been distinguished: team performance (e.g. standard of quality), social criteria (e.g. capability of team members to work together in the future: team viability), and personal criteria (e.g. team members' personal well-being) (e.g. Hackman, 1990). It is important to include social and personal criteria in a definition of effectiveness, because Hackman argues that a team that carries out its task well, but is unable to work together in the future, is not an effective team. The stability of a team where members are able to work together well and feel committed to the team is also an important indicator of effectiveness. Moreover, team innovation is often taken as a dimension of team effectiveness in educational settings (Somech and Drach-Zahavy, 2007). Team innovation is the introduction or application within a team of ideas, processes, products or procedures that are new to the team and that are designed to be useful (West, 2002).Building on the general IPO model, Hackman and Oldham (1980) proposed that the level of effort, knowledge and skills, and performance strategies of teams and team members are process criteria of effectiveness. Several features of the team and its context can lead to improvements in these process criteria. In particular, Hackman and Oldham proposed three classes of input variables: organisational context factors (e.g. the reward, education and information system), work design factors (e.g. the structure of the group task, the composition of the group and group norms), and healthy interpersonal process factors. Conley et al. (2004) used Hackman and Oldham's model to study interdisciplinary teams in middle schools. Findings indicate that two fundamental variables, knowledge and skills applied to the work and performance strategies, are core mediators (processes) in the model. These results suggest that team effectiveness is influenced by the degree of specialised skill and knowledge members bring to bear on tasks and on performance strategy. Two healthy interpersonal process factors were also found to have direct effects on perceptions that teaming had improved teaching and learning. Specifically, weighting/balancing inputs and implementing strategies have a direct effect on teaching and learning effectiveness. Conley et al. have shown that, as in previous research (Crow and Pounder, 2000), teachers who perceive their team to be highly participatory and team members to be comfortable sharing ideas, report favourable team outcomes. Recently, Somech and Drach-Zahavy (2007) have found that frequency of meetings and functional heterogeneity (input factors) are positively associated with the four interaction processes: exchanging information, learning, motivation and negotiation, which, in turn, lead to team innovation. Moreover, their study indicates that frequency of meetings is positively associated with exchanging information, which, in turn, enhances team performance.In this study, we have also chosen to use the general IPO model as a guide to our qualitative study, to categorise factors important for team effectiveness in a vocational education context. We examined what is considered to be team effectiveness and what input and process factors are mentioned in that respect.\nMethod: Procedure and sample\nResults: Team effectiveness\nConclusion and discussion: The aim of this study was to detect factors that may enhance the effective functioning of teacher teams in Dutch vocational education. We interviewed 28 managers and examined what they considered to be team effectiveness and which input and process factors they mentioned that affect team effectiveness. Table II summarises our main findings.In order to determine what factors influence team effectiveness, we have related the results from our qualitative study to what is known about team effectiveness from the literature. By doing this, we will provide a framework for future research on team effectiveness in schools.Team effectiveness (outcomes)\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - At a time when secondary vocational education is implementing competence-based education (CBE) on a large scale, to adapt to the needs of students and of the labour market in a modern society, many vocational schools have recognised that interdisciplinary teacher teams are an important condition for this implementation. In order to provide students with the right competences for the labour market, different subject teachers should work and learn together and, by doing so, should be able to develop changes and improvements to ensure the effective implementation of CBE. In spite of the appeal of forming teacher teams in vocational education, studies on this subject show that teams in educational settings are not easily implemented. This paper aims to address this issue.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In this study, 28 managers from a Vocational Education and Training (VET) college in The Netherlands were interviewed in order to find factors that are related to effective team functioning. The authors choose to rely on a qualitative approach, because there has hardly been any empirical validation of factors that are related to effective team functioning in a vocational education context. In order to determine what factors influence team effectiveness, the results from the interviews have been related to what is known about team effectiveness from the literature.\nFindings: - By relating the results from the interviews to what is known about team effectiveness from the literature, a framework for future research on team effectiveness in schools is provided. In line with the organisational and psychological literature on team effectiveness, the managers distinguished several aspects in their definition of team effectiveness. Moreover, the findings of the study highlight the importance of the development of task interdependence, transformational leadership, and group efficacy for producing effective teams in education.\nOriginality/value: - Although teams and team functioning have been the focus of researchers from different disciplines and have been studied from different perspectives, studies on the conditions that support or limit the successful implementation of teacher teams in vocational education are still scarce. The results of this study are expected to provide a deeper understanding of the mechanism that underlies the ability of teacher teams in vocational education to function effectively.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Business succession planning: a review of the evidence	[ "Leadership", "Organizational change", "Business planning", "Strategic management", "Career development" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Built on the idea of change, the roots of business succession planning (BSP) lie within anthropology and the study of kinship (Fox, 1967, pp. 16-7, 1993; Fortes, 1970, p. 305; Parkin, 1997, pp. 22-3, 127). Early work into business succession by authors such as Christensen (1953), Gouldner (1954), Trow (1961), and Guest (1962) helped to fuel its dissemination into a wider management context, which in the present day encompasses leadership planning, change management, human resources, and indeed almost any area of business involving change. While it may not have received as much attention in the general management literature as one might expect, it is unarguably a critical issue for any corporation, team, or individual, to consider how it plans for the future.One definition of BSP is:The transfer of a business that results from the owner's wish to retire or to leave the business for some other reason. The succession can involve a transfer to members of the owner's family, employees, or external buyers. Successful succession results in a continuation of the business, at least in the short term (Martin et al., 2002, p. 6; SBS, 2004, p. 7).Thus, in broad terms, it is a process through which companies plan for the future transfer of ownership and/or top management. However, care should be exercised so as to not confuse succession planning with replacement planning. While replacement planning is often referred to as a means of risk/crisis management aimed at reducing the likelihood of catastrophe from the unplanned loss of key personnel (Rothwell, 2001, p. 7), succession planning entails a longer term and more extensive approach towards the training and replacement of key individuals (Wolfe, 1996; Rothwell, 2001, p. 7). Consequently, a more expansive definition is:A deliberate and systematic effort by an organisation to ensure leadership continuity in key positions, retain and develop intellectual and knowledge capital for the future, and encourage individual advancement (Rothwell, 2001, p. 6).In this context, BSP encompasses not only top-level management, but also a breadth of other factors. It can cover issues such as the procedures necessary for a successful transfer, legal and financial considerations, psychological factors, leadership development, and exit strategies. As mentioned above, early work on family succession was based on the study of kinship, and as we shall see, this is still often intertwined with BSP.The bulk of research associated with BSP concerns small- to medium-sized businesses (SMEs (companies with up to 250 employees)) but there is also a body of work-related larger companies, including multinationals. Succession issues are generally applicable to organisations regardless of size, sector, and geographic location.Statistical data compiled by the Small Business Service (SBS) in the UK reveals that SMEs accounted for over 50 per cent of employment in 2003 (SBS, 2003a, b). In Wales and Northern Ireland, this figure is even greater at over 70 per cent of all employment, while a similar trend can also be observed in many other areas in the UK (SBS, 2003a, b). Manifestly, we are talking here of a substantial proportion of the British economy, and as will be shown in the examination of existing research presented here, there is a serious threat to the future prosperity of existing SMEs in terms of the lack of adequate succession planning.Among the variety of notable work relating to BSP in the UK, the SBS (2004) has recently complied a report in conjunction with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTi) which identifies the problems associated with business succession, thus highlighting the Government's concerns in this area. Similar concerns can be found in Europe, as encapsulated in documents produced by The European Federation of Accountants - FEE - (FEE, 2000); and in the USA, via the Small Business Administration (SBA), and BSP issues in Australia, Finland, Canada, and China have also been reported in the literature. The clear message that can be gleaned from all this is that BSP is a global issue, yet it is an area where comparatively little rigorous research has been carried out, particularly with respect to methods of application. The aim of this paper is to synthesise the available evidence in order to provide a broad reflection of how BSP affects various types of businesses, to report on approaches towards the use of BSP including barriers against it and financial and legal matters, to identify evidence relating to best practice, and to highlight gaps where further work might justifiably be carried out.\nMethods: A number of decisions had to be made with regard to how the relevant BSP literature was to be unearthed for this research, in particular the sources of information, and the search terms to be used when accessing databases. In order to capture a broad coverage of BSP literature, searches were carried out using the following sources:* BSP textbooks;* academic journal databases available at the University - Emerald, Science Direct, Wiley InterScience, Kluwer, JSTOR, and EBSCO;* web sites of relevant business-support communities and governmental organisations (such as SBS and DTi); and* other significant BSP articles/reports cited in the literature.Search criteria for databases included BSP-related terminology even if apparently related only indirectly, such as terms related to business exit strategies, management training/development, and leadership. The searches began with articles central to the BSP debate, and from there moved to articles on possible related topics. Searches were carried out by combining each term shown in column 1 with each in column 2 in Table I using AND and OR operators - for example, (business AND succession) OR (management AND succession). Categories searched were abstract, titles, and keywords. No restrictions were placed on publication date or journal subject.Over 400 articles and nine books were found via electronic sources and deemed to cover BSP in a significant amount of detail. A further 100 or so articles and reports were identified through citations (because of the iterative nature of this exercise, the precise number of articles considered is not given here, but those central to this study can be found in the bibliography). Articles ranged from commentary found in business magazines to well-conducted surveys and methodology in academic journals, from case studies to BSP textbooks. Some had to be excluded as being too brief for the final analysis (this applied mainly to commentaries in business magazines). The number of hits may be considered modest in comparison to those available within established management disciplines such as marketing, tourism, or accountancy, but the breadth of issues revealed was noteworthy.\nSummary of main findings: Context of BSP and general issues\nSummary and conclusions: This article has offered a broad reflection on the key themes which emerge from the BSP literature. Issues addressed have included the context in which business succession takes place, psychological, legal, financial, and fiscal matters, and where available, the key methods used in the BSP process. It can be seen that there is a lack of research in this area, in particular, on established and reliable methodology for the entire BSP process. It is also evident that BSP is not an individual or small-group effort. It requires continuous investment of time, resources, and support by the given company as a whole, and input and advice from financial and legal experts. But even if formal plans are developed and implemented, they will simply raise the chance of success and not guarantee it.The most telling issue of all, however, is that the advice available in the literature clearly lacks consensus. Not only are there stark differences between advice in general management articles, but also within texts where the topic of BSP is considered in great detail. A good example is that of Wolfe (1996) compared with that of Hawkey (2002). Wolfe certainly provides a practical approach towards succession planning, where issues are made transparent and actions are encouraged. Yet Hawkey, good on financial aspects, presents a completely different viewpoint. Succession planning is generally considered to be a unique, case-by-case process, where a one-size-fits-all mentality is simply not appropriate, and thus the wide variation in viewpoints cannot be avoided. It also covers a large number of topics, from finance to law, leadership to human resources, training to performance measurement - little or no area is excluded. No text on the topic can therefore ever be sufficient to cover all related issues, just as no individual can purport to be proficient in each and every area. This goes some way as to explaining the possible shortfalls of academic work in BSP, as the key issue is not the difficulty of conducting the necessary research, but how all the different fields of study can be linked together effectively, and crucially, how the process can be made into a practical reality for the business world.As with the study of kinship, succession planning simply cannot be subjected to one golden rule, just as no amount of planning can ensure children turn out exactly the way their parents want them to. It therefore remains a strong argument that BSP can never be adequate to guarantee seamless, successful transfers. However, as we have seen, the BSP umbrella contains individual processes, all of which can be controlled to a degree by certain methods. It is to be hoped, at the very least, that the degree of uncertainty associated with succession planning can be reduced. In particular, for small companies without the resources of large corporations, the evidence provided here should go some way to promoting continued survival and prosperity. It cannot be taken to be a generic plan for succession planning, but it is hoped that it provides an appropriate starting point to enable the mass of information to be put into a cohesive context.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This article aims to review business and academic literature on the topic of business succession planning (BSP). The purpose is to allow the vast quantity of evidence and opinion to be contextualised, and enable a better understanding of the key themes within BSP, particularly with respect to small, family-owned businesses.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - An extensive literature search of business magazines, journal databases, textbooks, and relevant reports and citations was carried out. A categorisation of the evidence, involving over 400 articles, allowed informed discussions on the key themes surrounding BSP.\nFindings: - Key findings include family succession, legal, financial, and fiscal components, barriers against implementation, and methods for managing the process. A detailed summary of these and other topics is given, which together constitute the critical themes which should be borne in mind by businesses facing BSP.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The main weakness of this paper is the lack of theoretical development. However, the findings prompt key areas for future research, and help to contextualise the topic for any potential new developments in succession planning.\nPractical implications: - Despite the need for further scientific and validated studies, businesses are urged to devote sufficient resources and attention towards succession to promote long-term survival and prosperity.\nOriginality/value: - This paper allows researchers and business practitioners to obtain a wholesome reflection on the key themes within BSP, which are often exacerbated by the sheer volume of diverse opinion. The value of this paper is that it amalgamates the available evidence and offers a detailed, informed insight into the current state of research and practice in business succession.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Attitudes and motivations of Polish students towards entrepreneurial activity	[ "Entrepreneurship", "Education", "Poland", "Attitudes", "Motivations", "Students", "Entrepreneurialism" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This study appraises the impact of a dedicated enterprise education course to a cohort of undergraduate business students within a Polish University building upon the results of Jones et al. (2008). The focus of the study is to qualitatively evaluate its impact and effectiveness in encouraging nascent entrepreneurial activity within an emerging European Union (EU) country.There has been an incredible proliferation in entrepreneurship education provision globally during the last decade owing to its potential social, economic and educational benefits (Charney and Libecap, 2000). For example, in the USA, Kuratko (2005) observes that there are now more than 2,200 courses at over 1,600 schools with another 100 dedicated centres. However, there remains a debate within academia regarding the effectiveness of taught enterprise education and further evidence is necessary to validate its impact (EC, 2007). Rae et al. (2011) argue the need for all students to develop an enterprising mindset, skills and experience as part of their programme of study. They also emphasise the importance of developing creative thinking, confidence, social and communication skills. This study will provide rich evidence towards this debate particularly within the context of an emerging European economy. The results suggest that participation in taught enterprise education can have a positive impact on attitudes towards entrepreneurship. This study will inform academia and the enterprise education community and assist the construction of effective programmes of study.The paper is structured as follows: it commences with a review of the relevant literature and a description of the study locality and the enterprise education programme concerned. Thereafter, the methodology employed within the study is outlined. The subsequent section provides the results of the research alongside the key themes of the results. The study concludes in providing a discussion and conclusion on the significance of the study which are contrasted against the extant knowledge\nEnterprise education and training: background context: The small business sector in Europe remains paramount to the success of a local community's economic prosperity and the European Commission (EC) is committed to encouraging business start-up (Jones et al., 2008). The EC recognises that this requires a significant commitment from all parties in both the public and private sectors within and between member nations (Nyman et al., 2006). Baldassarri and Saavala (2006) also highlight that Europe needs more entrepreneurs willing to innovate and initiate business start-up in the current economic climate (Jones et al., 2008).Additionally, it is widely acknowledged that enterprise start-up and growth activity can assist regions in developing their economies increasing the levels of employment especially those regions that have previously suffered from high unemployment (Hisrich and Drnovsek, 2002; Wolnicki, 2006). Notable European examples include Twente University, which has created over 200 associated enterprises. Arizona University claims that its entrepreneurship graduates have founded over 100 enterprises (Charney and Libecap, 2000), whilst Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates have created over 4,000 enterprises with associated revenues of $232 billion (Voisey et al., 2005).To encourage such entrepreneurial activity within the UK, a wide range of developments have occurred involving the higher education (HE) sector which include the development and widespread provision of entrepreneurship education, increased linkages between industry and academia, the growth of science parks, business incubators and business support and spin-out programmes (Voisey et al., 2005). In terms of measuring the utilisation of enterprise education within HE, the NIRAS (2009) survey noted that five out of the 21 million (24 per cent) HE students in Europe were engaged in enterprise education, with 48 per cent of HEIs providing it within the curriculum. The National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship's annual report noted that HE student engagement in the UK was 16 per cent whilst 77 per cent of HEIs in England offered enterprise education as part of their curriculum (Rae et al., 2010). Gibb (1993) noted its major objective is to assist develop enterprising people and an attitude of self-reliance through the process of learning. Enterprise education should therefore develop entrepreneurial people and their aspirations by providing individuals with the appropriate understanding and skills to instigate and maintain enterprises (KSV1870 Holding AG, 2010; Gatewood et al., 2002). Given the importance of SMEs to the world's major economies (Hisrich and O'Cinneide, 1996, Jones et al., 2008) the importance of enterprise education as a vehicle for new enterprise start-up should not be underestimated.In terms of gender, Allen et al. (2007) and Bosma and Harding (2006) indicated that males were twice as likely to start a business as females. Correspondingly, the EC (2000) noted that female entrepreneurs face particular problems in setting up in businesses that are different from those encountered by male-owned enterprises. Furthermore, women may face considerable problems raising finance and may also have had less opportunity than a comparable male business owner to acquire the necessary confidence, skills and networks required to start and grow a successful enterprise (Jones et al., 2008). In addition, gender-specific discrimination by finance and support providers, customers or employees may represent a further barrier (Lituchy and Reavely, 2004). Therefore, the provision of basic enterprising and business skills can assist initiate and sustain potential enterprises.Entrepreneurship in Poland\nDesign/methodology/approach: In total, 122 students from KAUE who had undertaken the SANE course were involved in semi-structured interviews between the years 2006-2010. Participating students were drawn from cohorts of Business and Finance undergraduate programmes on a random sample basis, although allowing for an equal gender-specific distribution. The data collected was limited to the experience of Polish students with other nationalities excluded. Each student was interviewed individually on a face-to-face basis for around 30 minutes. An equal gender split was achieved, with 60 male and 62 female students interviewed, all between the ages of 18 and 24.Procedure\nResults: This section considers the findings of the study by focusing on the key emergent themes of the study namely the impact of the course on student's entrepreneurial attitudes, motivations and attitudes towards the learning experience.Students' entrepreneurial attitudes\nDiscussion and conclusions: Overall, the study confirmed that entrepreneurial education can positively reinforce student attitudes towards an entrepreneurial career choice within a developing country such as Poland. The quantitative evidence within Jones et al. (2008) is qualitatively confirmed and enriched in this study. It was apparent that student's entrepreneurial attitudes increased and they demonstrated heightened interest in the opportunity of a future or immediate entrepreneurial career. Unquestionably, Polish students in this study and Jones et al. (2008) demonstrate entrepreneurial traits and skills. Students commented that they would now seriously consider the option of a future or immediate entrepreneurial career post graduation due to the SANE course. Other respondents noted that they had not previously considered an entrepreneurial career. Post course, they now regarded it as a viable alternative to public sector or similar employment. Students recognised and appreciated the concept of adopting an enterprising and entrepreneurial mindset to enhance their self-employment or employability options. Thus this study can be added to the body of evidence indicating that enterprise education can positively impact on both entrepreneurial attitudes and career choices.Students viewed undertaking a dedicated entrepreneurial education course as a rewarding and different experience to that of their normal programme of study. The students appreciated the applied and interactive pedagogy that enabled them their theoretical knowledge in an applied and practical manner. Use of quizzes and business games enriched the learning experience. The students also valued the use of multimedia to enable them to hear the stories of successful entrepreneurs from a firsthand perspective. The construction of the SANE in terms of content with focus on the concept of entrepreneurship, requisite skills and business planning was well received and confirms the suggestions of Gibb (1999) and Jack and Anderson (1999). Several students commented that they would welcome the opportunity to undertake further such courses and would recommend it to others. Thus the opportunity to undertake a dedicated entrepreneurial programme was regarded as both rewarding and educationally beneficial towards their development. From the University perspective, entrepreneurial activity and engagement could be encouraged by providing incubation support facilities to effectively facilitate the start-up process.It was apparent that there was a different perception according to gender towards course content. Female students stressed the importance of raising their awareness and self-confidence regarding the opportunity of an entrepreneurial career. In other words, they need to be convinced that becoming an entrepreneur is an achievable and rewarding career alternative. In SANE, this was achieved by the use of female case studies highlighting the underpinning reasons for success and attainability of an entrepreneurial career option. This study confirms the findings of Jones et al. (2008) that female students have an entrepreneurial mindset and are predisposed to the consideration of such a career. However, this study highlights the need to provide focused gender-specific entrepreneurial education for female students, utilising stories of successful women entrepreneurs that they can relate to. Female students, on completion of the course, recognised the value and rewards that an entrepreneurial career might provide as noted by Zapalska (1997). This issue supports the prior research of Lituchy and Reavely (2004), who found previous discrimination against women entrepreneurs. This might result in a lack of cultural belief by females in Poland regarding the accessibility of an entrepreneurial career. By contrast, male students were found to be more self confident in their own entrepreneurial predisposition and more interested in the minutiae of the business planning process. In other words, the male students believed that they had the skills to be entrepreneurs but needed assistance in the development of their business plans.In conclusion, it is apparent that Polish undergraduate students have an entrepreneurial mindset and an appetite for entrepreneurial education to acquire relevant knowledge that they can utilise to inform career opportunity and choice as proposed by Socha and Weisberg (2002) and Kierulff (2005). The Polish economy needs to develop its next generation of entrepreneurs from its graduate population as recognised by Baldassarri and Saavala (2006) to initiate further economic growth. However, the Polish HE university system needs to urgently consider how it can effectively embed entrepreneurship education across and within its curriculum using the appropriate delivery pedagogy. There is a need to disseminate and share best practice across this sector. The literature review undertaken within this study revealed minimal literature examining the developing of an entrepreneurial culture within graduate students in Poland. The results of this study suggest that male and female Polish students have different perceptions and attitudes towards an entrepreneurial career and there is a need to provide tailored provision to meet their gender-specific needs. This study suggests that entrepreneurship education is best delivered utilising a student-centred pedagogy that involves applied student learning potentially built around real entrepreneurial experience.The authors recognise that the findings of this study are limited to one institution within one geographical area of Poland. Collecting the qualitative data over a five-year period (2006-2010) can lead to criticisms regarding the comparability of the results. However, the authors are confident that the cohort results are comparable given that all students were undergraduates on the same programme of study with similar ages and backgrounds. Moreover, the rate of economic change in Katowice during this period was relatively static in comparison to previous years. The impact of hindsight basis on the student group was reduced by interviewing students individually following the SANE programme.Further research is required to explore whether these results are generalisable across other universities and regions and indeed other nationalities. Longitudinal research needs to be undertaken to explore the economic impact of SANE students who choose to undertake an entrepreneurial career option.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The Polish economy is continuing its expansion through the adoption of free market economics in the post-communist era. To encourage this growth in a future where difficult global economic conditions are likely to persist, it is essential that entrepreneurial activity is encouraged within the next generation of graduates. This study aims to explore the attitudes and motivations of Polish students towards an entrepreneurship education programme.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - To achieve the research objectives the methodological approach adopted for this study involved semi-structured interviews undertaken with 122 Polish students. Each student undertook an interview within which they were asked to reflect on the impact of an entrepreneurship education programme on their entrepreneurial attitudes and motivations.\nFindings: - This study builds on Jones et al., whose \"snapshot\" study found that Polish students had limited prior entrepreneurial experiences and expectations and welcomed the opportunity to undertake entrepreneurship education. The findings here confirmed the results of the prior study, but also provided greater insight regarding the reasons underpinning respondent behaviour.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The data collected within this study are limited to the experience of Polish students. It is questionable whether the results are generalisable to different nationalities. Additional research must be undertaken to explore this further.\nPractical implications: - The results have implications for the construction and delivery of entrepreneurship education to student groups.\nOriginality/value: - The study contributes to the extant knowledge in the context of the experience of enterprise education in a developing country. The paper will be of value to enterprise education providers in aiding the construction and delivery of such programmes.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
New separation materials based on gold nanoparticles	[ "Gold", "Nanotechnology", "Organic compounds", "Separation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nI. Introduction: At present time, the research on gold nanoparticles is one of the most important topic in chemistry, industry and materials science. This is mostly due to the versatility of these systems: the properties of gold nanoparticles can be used in a high range of applications thanks to the combination of their particular and unusual optical and electronic properties. The multi-scale organization of metal nanoparticles is a key step in their application as macroscopic nanodevices. Well-organized nanostructures often display valuable chemical, optical, catalytic, electronic and magnetic properties, that are distinctly different from those of their component parts or those of larger mass.Synthesis of metal nanoparticles is important both for the fundamental science and industrial application. Gold have attracted much attention due to their unusual physical and chemical properties, which provide their widespread application in different fields of science and industry. It is known that gold is very inert in bulk phase. However, gold nanoclusters possess high catalytic, biochemical activity and ability to change the properties of inorganic matrixes, so it application in biochemical sensors, optical industry and catalysis attracted much attention (Bond et al., 2007).The adsorption of elemental sulfur (S8) on gold particles supported on a number of oxides has been examined; with Au/TiO2 the molecule first dissociated to give Au-S bonds, but at higher coverages the S8 ring structure was maintained (Tada et al., 2004). Hydrogen sulfide was chemisorbed reversibly on Au(100) and (111), and probably also on the (110) surface (Meyer et al., 2004). Sulfur dioxide was only very weakly held, but it was more strongly chemisorbed on Au/MgO(100) than on \"model\" Au/CeO2 its adsorption needed anion vacancies in order to proceed (Rodriguez et al., 2005). Alkanethiols, alkyl sulfides and disulfides have been extensively studied in context of self-assembling monolayers (SAMs). The most studied SAM system is thiolates on gold surfaces. Sulfur bonded to metal surfaces or nanoclusters is an important topic in gold colloids and biosensors, as well as in catalysis.Nanosized gold clusters supported on oxide surface are most promising as active sites. Such systems attract scientist's attention during past decade, which is proved by numerous experimental data. The development of liquid chromatography resolution method is considered an urgent need in pharmaceutical, agricultural and other chemical industries. Perhaps most essential is the development of new organic compounds, which are necessary because of the different its properties. Various approaches to resolution have been developed and used, and stationary phase has proven to be one of the most effective, practical and economical. The low molecular selector based on stabilized by organic ligands gold nanoparticles on silica surphase are one of the newest and perhaps the most varied class of selectors for liquid chromatography. These stationary phases have been found to have a very good potential for resolution different organic compounds. It may be due to their specific structures and the possibility additional interaction between separating compounds and Au on surface stationary phase. Besides their relatively small size and the fact that surface stationary phase structure is known allows basic studies on recognition to be done easily and exactly. There is no information about application of gold nanoparticles in analytical chemistry for the chromatographical separation of organic compounds. Recently, we first report about synthesis of novel nanohybride system based on gold nanoparticles and inorganic matrixes that is useful for the separation of medicines (Salata, 2004). Considering the baffling complication of small nanoparticle preparation obtaining of the direct information about its electronic and geometrical parameters is difficult. So, the direct quantum-chemical simulation of surface complexes of gold clusters brings to provide for reliable and significant structural data, supplementing with model experimental results.Thus, development and innovation of new separation systems based on gold nanoparticles is actual and opportune aim. In present research, we first demonstrate the application of the synthesized sorbent for the aminopyridine mixtures separation.\nII. Results and discussion: 2.1 Quantum-chemical simulation\nIII. Conclusion: In comparison with known industrial analogues, the developed sorbent that consists of alumina, gold nanoparticle and organic ligand (L-cysteine) has the following advantages: simple sorbent synthesis, using commercial available precursors, stability and repeatability in separation experimental. All mentioned above claims that novel nanohybrid material is perspective for further industrial application. Presented novel nanohybride system based on alumina and gold nanoparticles with L-cysteine is protect by Russian Patent No. 2007.139813/15.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Gold clusters supported on oxide surface are most promising as active sites as biochemical sensors, in optical industry and catalysis, but there is no information about application of these nanoparticles in analytical chemistry for the chromatographical separation of organic compounds. Thus, the aim of this paper is the development of new separation systems based on gold nanoparticles.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The novel nanohybride system based on gold nanoparticles, cysteine and inorganic matrixes was synthesis. The results were obtained by the combined approach consisting quantum-chemical calculations, direct organic synthesis and using chromatography investigation of obtained sorbent for separation of aminopyridines.\nFindings: - The structure optimization of cysteine-gold cluster complexes reveals that adsorbed acid greatly changes the structure of gold nanoparticle and, consequently, changes its properties. The most bond energy is calculated for L-form 82 kcal/mol. Material based on alumina, modified gold nanoparticle with L-cysteine was synthesized and capacity coefficients for model compounds majoring by chromatography technique were obtained.\nPractical implications: - The developed sorbent that consists of alumina, gold nanoparticle and organic ligand (L-cysteine) can used in analytical chemistry for the chromatographical separation of aminopyridine. The material has same advantages: simple sorbent synthesis, stability and repeatability in separation experimental. The presented novel nanohybride system is protected by Russian patent.\nOriginality/value: - The paper presents a successful application of nanogold for analytical separation of organic compounds, new knowledge about properties of gold in nanosized region and information about bonding sulfur with nanocluster's surfaces, obtained by model physical-chemistry methods.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Supply chain professionals: A study of competencies, use of technologies, and future challenges	[ "Supply chain technologies", "Australia", "Competencies/skills", "Future challenges", "Supply chain professionals" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Supply chain management (SCM) has emerged as one of the primary factors in determining the competitiveness of organisations. In today's competitive environment, businesses have realised that the competition is no longer dependent solely on the capabilities of individual businesses but on the capability of a tightly integrated supply chain. SCM has experienced significant and rapid changes in recent years. These changes are driven by several factors including business environment, globalisation, technological advances particularly internet-based systems, and increased demands for delivering superior operational performance.\n2 Review of relevant literature: 2.1 Supply chain competencies and skills\n3 Methods: The research was conducted by means of a postal questionnaire survey which was developed in consultation with GS1 Australia which is part of GS1 Global - a not-for-profit organisation that supports companies in areas such as supply chain efficiency, traceability, inventory management, etc. The targeted respondents were supply chain professionals who are members of GS1 Australia. A total of 921 surveys were mailed out, and 148 responses were received, which constitutes a 16 per cent response rate.\n4 Results: 4.1 Competencies and skills for supply chain professionals\n5 Conclusions: Given the highly dynamic and rapidly changing business environment as well as the fact that more and more businesses are now engaged globally, it is essential that firms place greater emphasis on their supply chains in addition to their internal operations. In this regard, the competencies/skills of supply chain professionals, their use of relevant technologies and their awareness of future challenges are critical. The results reported in this paper add to the literature on these three aspects.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to report the results of a study focusing on the competencies and skills of supply chain managers, their use of supply chain technologies and future challenges in supply chain management (SCM), including issues relating to globalisation, environment, and supply chain integration.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses a questionnaire survey to collect data from Australian supply chain professionals. A total of 921 surveys were mailed out and 148 responses were received, giving a response rate of 16 per cent.\nFindings: Communication and teamwork is identified as the most important competencies for successful supply chain integration. Knowledge of a broad range of technologies is considered essential; however, their use remains somewhat low. Environmental issues relating to the management of scarce resources are identified as having a significant impact on supply chain strategies.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study adds to the literature on the above issues by providing empirical findings from an Australian context which can be used for comparative assessment against similar studies from other countries.\nPractical implications: The study provides insights for firms, industry associations, and governments by identifying the competencies and skills that are required to be developed for supply chain professionals. The findings also indicate the level of awareness and the extent of the adoption of information and communication technologies as well as the perceptions of supply chain professionals on the future challenges of SCM.\nOriginality/value: The study is timely given the highly dynamic environment that businesses currently operate in and the challenges that it presents to supply chain professionals.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Managing the visual environment of a fashion store: Effects of visual complexity and order on sensation-seeking consumers	[ "Retail environment", "Fashion store", "Visual complexity", "Order", "Sensation-seeking tendency" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: A store's environment has a direct and immediate influence on the shopping experiences of the customers who patronise it (Puccinelli et al., 2009). Environmental factors affect customers' emotions, which in turn, influence decisions to spend time or money in a store (Ballantine et al., 2015; Spence et al., 2014). An effective store design involves more than an attractive display of merchandise for sale. Many other factors, including lighting, temperature, colour, music, layout, and fixtures should also be carefully coordinated to provide customers with pleasant experiences in a store (e.g. Vieira, 2013).\n2. Conceptual framework: 2.1 Visual complexity and store environment\n3. Method: 3.1 Stimuli\n4. Results: 4.1 Manipulation checks\n5. Conclusions and implications: This study investigated the effect of a store's visual complexity on consumer behaviour. Results of the analyses demonstrate that consumers' behaviours differed as a function of environmental order and individual sensation-seeking tendency. Consistent with past studies that have investigated how visual complexity affects aesthetic preferences (Berlyne, 1971; Vitz, 1966), the effect of visual complexity of a store environment on approach behaviours was curvilinear in shape, but only in the low-order condition. With the interaction effect of visual complexity and environmental order, we found that when the stimulus environment was highly ordered, visual complexity of an environment affected approach behaviours in a different way due to the moderating effect of individual sensation seeking.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of a fashion store's visual complexity on consumers' behaviour. Considering environmental order and individuals' sensation-seeking tendencies, the authors examine the effect of visually complex fashion stores on consumers in a more conclusive way to address the inconsistent effect found in the previous literature.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study features a 3 (visual complexity level: low, medium, high) x 2 (environmental order condition: low, high) between subjects design, with individual sensation-seeking tendency included as a moderator. Using this design, an online survey was administered to 188 participants in South Korea.\nFindings: The results indicate that there is a three-way interaction, where the interaction effect of visual complexity and environmental order is moderated by individuals' sensation-seeking tendency. The effect of visual complexity on approach behaviours had an inverted U-shape in the low-order condition, while had a positive linear shape in the high-order condition, and the interaction effect was significant only for high-sensation seekers.\nPractical implications: The findings assist practitioners in establishing strategies for visual merchandising and store design within fashion stores. It is suggested that retailers consider environmental order when organising a large amount of varied merchandise in a complex environment. Store managers must adjust the complexity and environmental order to meet the optimal stimulation level of their target consumers.\nOriginality/value: This study strengthens the literature on visual complexity by applying the concept to the retail environment. The results provide a significant contribution to the literature because they show how individual-level and store-level variables interact to influence consumer behaviour.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Chief Executive Officer's traits and open innovation in small and medium enterprises: the mediating role of innovation climate	[ "Structural equation modeling", "Open innovation", "Innovation climate", "Attitude toward OI", "CEO traits", "CEO'S entrepreneurial orientation", "High-tech SMEs" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Recently, open innovation (OI) is holding the attention of management sciences academics as one of largely discussed concept in innovation literature. Several topics inherent to OI have been addressed since the appearance of the concept by Chesbrough in 2003. The present paper focuses on OI strategies adoption antecedents. Theoretically, the literature of OI offers several determinants of OI strategies. However, the human resources perspective is little discussed in the literature (Schroll and Mild, 2012; Wynarczyk et al., 2013; Alexy et al., 2016; Bogers et al., 2018). Besides, OI is modestly explored in different management fields such as entrepreneurship, human resource management and corporate leadership (West et al., 2014). Former researches of OI adoption determinants have focused on contingent factors (Dahlander and Gann, 2010) and environmental characteristics (Hung and Chou, 2013), but little attention has been paid to the human side of the concept (Schroll and Mild, 2012; Wynarczyk et al., 2013). The effect of leadership dimensions on OI is still limited (Pieterse et al., 2010). Few studies investigated the effect of CEOs' (Chief Executive Officer) traits on OI adoption (Hung and Chiang, 2010; Ahn et al., 2017). Also, a very little attention has been addressed to the impact of CEOs' personality traits on OI particularly in emerging countries and developing economies such as Tunisia. Regarding this gap, the paper provides conceptual and empirical clarification of the extent to which CEO's traits affect OI through innovation climate (IC). This would value initiatives exploring key individual's characteristics influence on OI strategies within SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises).In fact, based on the upper echelons theory (UET), psychological characteristics of key individuals can reflect their intentions, perceptions, choices and behavioral tendencies (Hambrick, 2007). Thus, the psychological features of top managers may explain the firms' strategic decisions such as OI strategies. So, they should not be underestimated (Salter et al., 2014) particularly in SMEs' context. In fact, we reveal the role of CEO in implementing supportive organizational mechanisms which reinforce firms' IC and employees' creative competencies (Makri and Scandura, 2010; Trung et al., 2014). CEOs' willingness to take risks and tolerance of ambiguity are crucial for strategic orientation and OI adoption (Pansiri, 2005). Within SMEs, CEOs implement OI activities by establishing an organizational culture that is favorable for innovation openness revealing that supportive leadership is critical to OI strategies success (Agbor, 2008). Indeed, creating a climate that encourages innovation and creativity is part of leader's responsibility (Taylor et al., 2019).The resistance of employees is considered as major barriers to SMEs' adoption of OI strategies. This reveals the importance of IC in overcoming \"Not Invented here\" (NIH) and \"Not Shared Here\" (NSH) syndromes. The present work proposes that the CEO's personality traits have a significant impact on firm's IC (Jaiswal and Rajib, 2015; Popa et al., 2017) to a successful OI strategies adoption. In the same fashion, Remneland-Wikhamn and Wikhamn (2011) focused on the crucial role of the organizational climate in OI implementation. They assert that leaders build a supportive climate for the target to encourage knowledge exploitation and exploration. These concerns emphasize on the mediating role of IC.The empirical verification of the theoretical model is operated in high-tech Tunisian SMEs, the paper attempts to respond to the following question:To what extent do CEO personality traits affect directly and indirectly (through the mediation of IC) OI strategies adoption in Tunisian high-tech SMEs?A survey is scheduled by administrating a questionnaire within 178 CEOs in the high-tech based sectors. The choice of the frame is inherent to the dynamic nature of the sector which calls a huge sum of continuous innovations. The relevance of the empirical evidences is to disclose human levers to the adoption of OI strategies in the Tunisian context as a developing country. Furthermore, OI previous researches have focused on high-tech larger firms while few studies have analyzed OI in the specific context of SMEs (Popa et al., 2017). In this regard, current literature argues that OI is an important tool for SMEs to overcome scarcity of resources (Gassmann et al., 2010). Small companies benefit better than large companies from OI due to simpler organizational processes and adaptability to changing business landscape. Also, OI topic is weakly debated in Tunisia (Yamazaki et al., 2012) even though that OI seems to be a suitable alternative for the Tunisian SMEs to overcome the constraint of R&D investment financial resources (Rahmouni et al., 2011). Generally, Tunisia made from the innovation an extremely important issue since the recent Tunisian public policies seek to increase the innovative capacity and the competitiveness of the domestic firms (Yamazaki et al., 2012).The outline of the research is respecting the articulations of the theoretical model constructs. Basically, the construction of the model begins with the presentation of the concept of OI, CEO's traits and IC. The theoretical background is presented while these sections are made. The building of the theoretical model and hypotheses introduces the empirical evidences, the analysis and the discussion of the results.\n2. Theoretical frame and hypotheses building: 2.1 Human perspective of OI strategies\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Research design\n4. Results: The empirical study used the PLS method which is a nonparametric estimation method. The PLS is robust since it does not require a large sample size or normally distributed data (Hair et al., 2017; Fornell and Larcker, 1981). The confirmation study of the model is justified if the conceptual research model was valid and reliable. Two main steps are undertaken which are the assessment of the measurement model and then the structural model. The program of SPSS-IBM statistics 23 is used to perform the exploratory study by the principal components analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation to eliminate non-significant items. Once the unidimensionality of the construct is confirmed, the model is imported to the program of Smart-PLS 3.01 for the aim to test the hypotheses. 4.1 Test of the measurement model\n5. Discussion: The study of OI concept has taken an abundant attention in the last few years. The paper focuses on OI issue and its relationship with newly emergent concepts such as CEOs' traits and IC. The findings of the study reveal some theoretical insights about the human side of outbound and inbound OI. Also, the mediation role of the IC seems to be relevant to the study. 5.1 CEO entrepreneurial orientation, innovation climate and open innovation\n6. Conclusion: This study investigated the relationship between CEO's traits as drivers of OI and the mediation role of innovative climate in high-tech SMEs in Tunisia. The results show that CEO's EO and attitude are major antecedents for innovative climate and OI. Mainly, the findings attest that CEO's traits play a key role in creating an innovative climate establishing a favorable condition for OI adoption. Despite their relevance, few studies have considered CEO's personality traits when studying the determinants of OI. The human side of OI is little undertaken in the OI literature.This study contributes to a theoretical extension of OI determinants regarding CEO's EO, CEO's attitude and firm's innovative climate. Also, the study emphasizes on the fact that technology-intensive SMEs should pay more attention to foster EO and positive attitude of CEOs toward OI. The theoretical contribution of the research is expressed in the interest on the \"human\" side of OI strategies as an under-investigated topic in OI literature (Bogers et al., 2018). The main theoretical implication is presumed in the positive impact of EO and CEO attitude on the promotion of the exploration and the exploitation of knowledge within firms. Main result argues that OI issue should become more human-oriented strategy. This paper sheds light on the micro-foundation of OI by emphasizing the relevance of human factors and namely EO and attitude of CEO in OI issue. Scholars should be more interested in the fields of corporate leadership and entrepreneurship in the OI literature. From a theoretical side, the paper has also the advantage of combining two distinct literatures: OI literature and UET.From a managerial side, this study offers a reading grid for managers of high-tech SMEs to better lead and identify key factors for OI adoption. The results emphasize on the relevance of recruiting appropriate complementary top managers with high levels of EO and with positive attitude toward change in order to facilitate OI integration and to enhance competitiveness of SMEs. Entrepreneurially oriented CEO should be required in order to overcome NIH and NSH syndromes and to encourage knowledge import and export in the Tunisian SMEs. The best lever to stimulate OI adoption in SMEs is to have top managers with high level of EO and positive attitude toward OI. In fact, high-tech SMEs are more likely to adopt OI and to implement innovative climate when the CEOs are entrepreneurially oriented with positive attitude toward OI. In the same fashion, the results show that the innovative climate as a crucial driver of OI can be enhanced when the CEOs seek to behave entrepreneurially. Moreover, innovative climate is found to be a relevant driver of OI encompassing the key role of attitude and EO of top managers.Despite these contributions, some limitations and future insights need to be highlighted. As the paper used a limited number of predictors, future researches should emphasis on the relevance of other possible predictors of OI adoption, notably the effect of contextual factors. Future research may consider also other CEO characteristics (e.g., CEO demographic attributes) that can affect OI integration. For future research, it may be worthwhile to use the scale elaborated by Remneland-Wikhamn and Wikhamn (2011) as an Open IC Measure in order to highlight the openness aspect within the organizational climate.The generalization of our results is also a limitation as this study was conducted in Tunisian high-tech SMEs. It may prove helpful to carry out a comparative study between several types of industries, different countries (Arbussa and Llach, 2017) or between large companies and SMEs. Also, it would be relevant to investigate the Top Management Team features rather than the CEO ones, namely in the context of large firms (Hambrick, 2007). The limitation of generalization is also inherent to the PLS-SEM approach adopted by the paper. In fact, the results concern the only selection of the study which is an important pitfall of the PLS. Finally, further qualitative investigations are recommended dealing with the Tunisian national innovation ecosystem in order to extract constrains to OI integration in SMEs.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to study the impact of Chief Executive Officer's (CEO's) personality traits on open innovation (OI) strategies and the mediating effect of innovation climate by mobilizing the upper echelons theory and the OI literature. In fact, CEO's role in OI promotion has been under-investigated in the literature especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and in developing economies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on the structural equation modeling, a survey is scheduled by administrating a questionnaire within 178 CEOs in Tunisian high-tech sector. The relevance of the empirical evidences is to disclose human levers to the success of OI strategies in the Tunisian context as a developing country.\nFindings: The results show the importance of CEO's entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and attitude in promoting innovation climate and so then OI strategies. The study offers a reading grid for managers of high-tech SMEs to better lead and identify key factors for OI adoption. Innovative climate is found to be a relevant driver of OI encompassing the key role of attitude and EO of top managers.\nPractical implications: Results highlight the relevance of the recruitment of appropriate top managers with high levels of EO and with positive attitude toward OI in order to facilitate OI integration and to enhance SMEs' competitiveness. Entrepreneurially oriented CEOs should be required in order to overcome \"Not Invented Here\" and \"Not Shared Here\" syndromes, to support innovative climate and to encourage knowledge import and export in the Tunisian SMEs.\nOriginality/value: This paper sheds light on the micro-foundation of OI by emphasizing the relevance of human factors and namely EO and attitude of CEOs in OI issue. It provides conceptual and empirical clarification of the extent to which CEO's traits affect OI through innovative climate. This would value initiatives exploring key individual's characteristics influence on OI strategies within SMEs.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Other-customer failure: Effects of perceived employee effort and compensation on complainer and non-complainer service evaluations	[ "Consumer behaviour", "Customer satisfaction", "Complaints", "Compensation", "Employee behaviour" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In many service environments, customer dissatisfaction with the consumption experience is derived, at least partially, from the misbehavior of other customers. Bitner et al. (1994), for example, collected 700 incidents from customers of airlines, hotels, and restaurants. They found other-customer misbehavior to be the source of 22 percent of the dissatisfactory incidents. More recently, Grove et al. (1998) in their investigation of the antecedents of both satisfying and unsatisfying incidents that occurred at Florida theme parks, concluded that other customers were responsible for the smallest proportion (14.09 percent) of satisfying events, but the largest proportion (30.95 percent) of dissatisfying events. This problem customer group may be even larger in industries in which the customer has greater input into the service delivery process.What are the specific behaviors of that give rise to dissatisfaction? Examples of frequently mentioned misbehavior include: talking loudly, breaking into line, unruly children, smoking, drunkenness, verbal and physical abuse, and so on (Grove and Fisk, 1997; Huang, 2008; Martin, 1996; Martin and Pranter, 1989). Other-customer failure is said to happen when any action by another customer has a negative impact on one's own service experience (Huang, 2008).Several studies have shown that unsatisfactory customer-to-customer encounters reflect negatively on the customer's global evaluation of the service firm (Huang, 2008; Hui and Bateson, 1991; Grove and Fisk, 1997; Grove et al., 1998; Guenzi and Pelloni, 2004; Martin, 1996; Moore et al., 2005; Raajpoot and Sharma, 2006). Martin (1996), in his survey of restaurants and bowling alleys, found that negative other-customer public behavior diminished customer satisfaction with the firm. Harris and Reynolds (2003) reported that the dysfunctional customer behavior lessened the extent of one's loyalty and satisfaction toward the service organization. Martin and Pranter (1989) thus suggested that service firms should actively engage in \"compatibility management,\" the process of attracting a homogeneous clientele to the service environment, then actively managing both the physical environment and customer interactions, to minimize the frequency of dissatisfying customer-to-customer encounters. However, little is known about what service firms could or should do to mitigate the affected customers' dissatisfaction when other-customer failure does occur.Improving customer satisfaction is an important goal in business today. The aim of this study is to explore how the recovery response to other-customer failure influences the affected customers' level of satisfaction, negative word-of-mouth (WOM), and repurchase intentions toward the firm. This will not only assist marketers to build a better recovery strategy when other-customer failure occurs, but also makes a broader contribution to the service literature, by providing insight into interpersonal relationships in customer-to-employee encounters in response to other-customer failure.Other-customer failure\nStudy 1: Research design\nStudy 2: Sample and procedures\nGeneral discussion: Findings from prior marketing research show that other-customer misbehavior is a major source of customer dissatisfaction and complaints. The goal of the present study is to clarify what service firms and their employees can and should do to minimize the affected customers' dissatisfaction and negative WOM, so as to enhance the customers repurchase intentions toward the firm where the other-customer failure had occurred. Several important findings and contributions related to marketing theory and real-world practices can be drawn.First, the outcome valence (other-customer failure discontinues as opposed to continues) has a strong impact on how complainants and non-complainants rate their satisfaction and subsequent behavioral intentions. Customers who had voiced their complaints expressed lower levels of satisfaction and repurchase intention, and were less likely to indulge in negative WOM than did those who did not voice their complaints if other-customer failure discontinued (favorable outcome in Study 1). In contrast, when other-customer failure continued (unfavorable outcome in Study 2), both complaining and non-complaining customers gave similar low scores for satisfaction, repatronage intentions, and high scores for negative WOM. The effects of outcome valence on consumer service evaluations have been documented in a number of marketing studies (Brady et al., 2006; Parasuraman et al., 1985), however, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to highlight the difference that outcome valence makes on service evaluations for complainants and non-complainants in the context of other-customer failure.Second, although firms might view the misbehavior of other patrons as uncontrollable, our findings show that consumers consider management of other-customer misbehavior an important component of the service process, and this affects their overall service evaluations (Bitner et al., 1990). When participants felt the employees exerted a great deal of effort to help solve such problems, they felt more highly satisfied, more willing to come back, and less willing to engage in negative WOM. On the other hand, when participants felt that the employees had not made a good-faith effort, they offered low scores for satisfaction and repurchase intention, and high scores for negative WOM, similar to those who did not receive any help from the service employees. These findings are important and should be distinguished from those arrived at in previous studies. In prior research, the different degrees of EE (between high and low) was manipulated and its effect on service evaluations was investigated (Mohr and Bitner, 1995; Sarel and Marmorstein, 1999; Specht et al., 2007). Our study included \"no EE\" in the experimental design. This kind of research design not only more accurately reflects real world situations, but also provides more precise information about customer feelings and perceptions when they suffered from other-customer failure and received (high, low- or no) effort from employees.Third, as hypothesized, our results show that offering compensation is not the cure-all. This conclusion is consistent with previous service failure and recovery research findings (McCollough et al., 2000; Wirtz and Mattila, 2004). However, our results further indicate that offering compensation was only effective in increasing satisfaction and repurchase intentions, and diminishing negative WOM for non-complainants in the low EE condition. In short, offering compensation had the strongest impact on non-complaining customers who received unsolicited help from the service employees. These findings illustrate that the influence of compensation on post-recovery satisfaction and behavior intentions was largely dependent on customer perceptions of employee-exerted efforts for other-customer failure. When EE was perceived as high, offering compensation seemed to be unnecessary, since it did not further enhance satisfaction and favorable behavioral intentions (a ceiling effect). In addition, when EE was perceived as absent, the positive effect of compensation was lessened, that is it did not increase satisfaction and favorable behavioral intentions toward the firm.To sum up, in this study we examined the importance of the as yet under-researched issue of how organizational recovery responses to other-customer failure influence a customer's service evaluations of the firm. These findings had not been studied previously, because in much of past work, the focus has been on the antecedents and classifications of dysfunctional customer types (Grove and Fisk, 1997; Harris and Reynolds, 2003), the negative effect of customer interaction on the service experience and satisfaction (Bitner et al., 1994; Martin, 1996), and why and how the other-customer's misbehavior influences customer satisfaction toward the firm (Huang, 2008). The primary contribution of this study to the service marketing literature is that it provides empirical results that shed some light on the responses of both complainants and non-complainants to organizational recovery efforts after the occurrence of an other-customer failure problem. These findings can assist marketers to build better recovery strategies when other-customer failure occurs.Managerial implications\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to explore how the organizational recovery response to other-customer failure influences the affected customer's level of satisfaction, unfavorable word-of-mouth (WOM), and repurchase intentions toward the firm.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Two experimental studies: 2 (complaint versus no complaint)x3 (employee effort (EE): high versus low versus no)x2 (compensation versus no compensation) were used to test the research hypotheses in a restaurant context.\nFindings: - In cases of other-customer failure, the outcome valence (failure discontinues versus continues) influences how complainants and non-complainants rate their perceptions of satisfaction and subsequent behavioral intentions toward the firm. Customers who perceive that there has been good EE made to help solve the problem of other-customer failure give higher service evaluations than those who perceive little or no EE. Additionally, there are insignificant differences in the rating of satisfaction, repurchase intention, or negative WOM from customers in the latter group. Offering compensation is not a cure-all. It has the strongest effect on non-complainants in the low EE scenario.\nPractical implications: - Service managers need to design well-balanced organizational recovery systems in terms of the outcome of recovery (i.e. compensation) and the way in which the recovery process is delivered (i.e. EE) to the affected customers in response to other-customer failures. Since the influence of compensation on service evaluations is largely dependent on customer perceptions of employee-effort, providing employees with the appropriate problem-solving skills for working with both problem-causing customers and the problem-affected customers is a key issue for service marketers in cases of other-customer failure.\nOriginality/value: - The paper examines the importance of the as yet under-researched issue of how organizational recovery responses to other-customer failure influence a customer's service evaluations of the firm.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Food away from home in Brazil: the role of sociodemographic factors and family structure	[ "Consumer expenditure survey (POF)", "Family structure", "Food away from home (FAFH)", "D12", "C25", "R22" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Economic development and the improvements of living standards caused major changes in the nutritional habits of populations. Time has become a crucial factor for eating choices which are also influenced by the growth of women's participation in the labor market, income and the facilitations of domestic life. As part of the phenomenon called \"food transition\" (Batalha et al., 2005), the increase in the consumption of food away from home (FAFH) has gained significant attention and has been mostly studied in the developed world. A direct correlation between income and expenditures with FAFH[1] has been confirmed in many studies of consumer behavior. Interestingly, this effect has also been observed in developing economies[2].\n2. Model and empirical strategy: The literature has confirmed the relationship between family time value, income and FAFH consumption (Mccracken and Brandt, 1987; Jensen and Yen, 1996; Byrne et al., 1998; Stewart et al., 2004). Since the classic study of Prochaska and Schrimper (1973), household production theory, initially introduced in Becker (1965), is used to incorporate time opportunity costs to explain the demand for FAFH. Other references of this theoretical framework are in Yen (1993) and, more recently, Stewart and Yen (2004), Keng and Lin (2005) and Bai et al. (2012). In the household production theory, households are not only consumers but also producers of commodities. They maximize their utilities subject to time constraints and income constraints. Preparing food at home or eating out are examples of these commodities and the acquisition of food represent the input demands in the household production. These demands multiplied by their prices generate expenditure equations. In this study, we estimate expenditures with FAFH. We define our expediture equation (Engel's curve) functional form as in the following equation, without the inclusion of price[4]:(1)\n3. Data: This study uses data from the last Consumer Expenditure Survey - POF (in Portuguese, Pesquisa de Orcamentos Familiares) 2008-2009 which was conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics - IBGE (in Portuguese, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica) between May 2008 and May 2009 through interviews in a sample of Brazilian households.\n4. Results: 4.1 FAFH consumption in Brazil\n5. Concluding remarks: This study investigated the determinant factors of FAFH consumption at the disaggregate level in Brazil. Even though we are not the first to assess FAFH consumption, we present an analysis of FAFH expenditures estimating Engel's equations instead of the probability of eating away from home for several categories of FAFH. We also included the characteristics of the sample design in our estimations. This is important for demand analysis studies that use multi-stage sampling consumer expenditure surveys. Even though the use of sample weights is common in estimation procedures, it is not common in the estimation of systems of equations and more studies should be done to investigate the implications of using them for demand analysis.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to estimate the determinants of per capita expenditures with disaggregate food away from home (FAFH) including variables such as family structure.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors estimated a system of expenditure equations (SUR method) with data from the latest Consumer Expenditure Survey of 2008-2009 - (or Pesquisa de Orcamentos Familiares - POF), considering the complex sample design in estimation procedures.\nFindings: The authors found a positive relationship between woman's opportunity cost of time and FAFH spending only when the authors considered the effects of wife's education in higher income class. Hiring domestic help diminishes FAFH spending, mostly for lunch and dinner time meals. The presence of children in the household decreases the consumption of most FAFH categories.\nSocial implications: Even though, Brazilian FAFH consumption has been increasing, the presence of women in the labor market seems to play a small role in the determining this type of food consumption. Family structure plays an important role in determining FAFH.\nOriginality/value: The contribution of the paper is to estimate FAFH expenditures at the disaggregate level and by income class for Brazil. The authors also included alternative family structure specifications as determinants in the model. The authors considered the sample design characteristics in estimation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Is anybody listening? The impact of automatically evaluated job interviews on impression management and applicant reactions	[ "Personnel selection", "Job interview", "New technologies", "Automatic applicant assessment", "Impression management", "Faking", "Applicant reactions" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Technology-assisted job interviews have come a long way. They developed from classical telephone interviews (Chapman et al., 2003) over asynchronous digital interviews (i.e. applicants send videos of their interview responses to the organization; Langer et al., 2017) to automatic assessment of interviews (Nguyen et al., 2014). Reasons for this development include higher efficiency and independence from time and space when conducting interviews (Blacksmith et al., 2016). Additionally, providers of automatically evaluated interviews promise that the reduction of human influence on applicants' rating (i.e. through automatic evaluation of the interview performance) leads to more fairness and objectivity (Chamorro-Premuzic et al., 2017).Strongly related to these proposed advantages are theoretical assumptions (e.g. within the model of faking likelihood; Levashina and Campion, 2006) that applicants might engage in less impression management (IM) during technologically advanced interviews (cf. Blacksmith et al., 2016). For instance, media richness theory (Daft and Lengel, 1986) predicts that it is less (or even not at all) possible to use interviewer-directed IM behavior during technology-enhanced interviews. Similarly, when applicants realize that their interview answers will be analyzed automatically (e.g. using machine learning algorithms;, cf. Naim et al., 2015), they might be unfamiliar with how to positively influence their evaluations. Consequently, automatically evaluated interview approaches could decrease applicants' use of honest as well as deceptive IM. In the case of diminishing deceptive IM, automatically evaluated interviews might then even increase the potential validity of interviews (cf., Barrick et al., 2009) as they reveal the real capabilities of applicants instead of their ability to use deceptive IM (e.g. lying about past work experience; Roulin et al., 2015).However, research also indicates that technology-enhanced interviews evoke negative applicant reactions (e.g. Blacksmith et al., 2016; Langer et al., 2017) partly because applicants' opportunity to use IM diminishes in these kinds of interviews (Blacksmith et al., 2016). Thus, hiring managers might consider using technology-enhanced interviews in order to ensure that applicants show their true colors (i.e. to decrease deceptive IM) with the consequence that this might also lead to applicants removing themselves from the applicant pool because they see less potential to put their best foot forward.Until now, the aforementioned assumptions regarding IM in technology-enhanced job interviews are speculative because of the lack of research investigating IM use in these interviews. The current study therefore builds on the process model of self-presentation by Marcus (2009) and the model of faking likelihood (Levashina and Campion, 2006) and uses an experimental design with a minimal manipulation (i.e. telling participants that their interview recordings will be evaluated by a human or by an algorithm) to investigate the effects of perceived automatic evaluation on applicant behavior, IM use, and applicant reactions.\nBackground and development of hypotheses: Automatic evaluation of job interviews\nMethod: Sample\nResults: Manipulation check\nDiscussion: The goal of the current study was to investigate the effect of perceived automatic evaluation of job interviews on IM behavior and applicant reactions. The results of the current study are the first to provide empirical evidence for the existence of a trade-off between IM behavior and applicant reactions supporting assumptions by previous research (e.g. Blacksmith et al., 2016; Langer et al., 2017) and support including technology as a situational factor that affects behavior into theories describing the antecedents and consequences of IM behavior (e.g. Levashina and Campion, 2006). Participants reported slightly less use of deceptive IM, but at the same time perceived slightly lower opportunity to perform when they expected that their interview responses would be evaluated automatically. In addition to the self-report results, findings imply that the experimental manipulation affected participants' interview behavior. More precisely, participants who believed that the interview will be evaluated automatically provided slightly shorter interview answers. Furthermore, the results regarding recording duration of the interview answers and deceptive IM suggest that perceived automatic evaluation of interviews may have an (albeit small) impact on behavior during interviews.Telling applicants that their interview answers will be evaluated automatically seems to be one of the rare techniques to influence deceptive IM behavior. This might also imply that the use of automatic evaluation could affect validity of interviews. Since our results indicate that the effect of the automatic evaluation only decreased deceptive IM, the latter assumption becomes even more likely. Prior research has suggested that the validity of selection instruments is especially endangered by deceptive attempts of IM (Levashina and Campion, 2007), whereas honest IM is a logical consequence of application situations and for some industries might even be necessary behavior for good job performance (e.g. for sales jobs) (Barrick et al., 2009). Although the current study can only be a starting point for investigating the influence of technology on IM, automatic evaluation may be an interesting way of preventing applicants' use of deceptive IM while preserving applicants' honest, natural, and for some industries maybe even desirable IM behavior.Furthermore, results showed that participants perceived less opportunity to perform in the automatic evaluation condition regardless of the opportunity to use honest IM and that deceptive IM did not correlate with opportunity to perform. This contradicts the potential explanation (cf. Langer et al., 2017) that participants experienced less opportunity to perform because of less use of deceptive IM. To resolve this issue, it has to be clear that opportunity to perform is not just a consequence of applicants' opportunity to use IM, it also includes being able to present one's abilities in selection situations (Bauer et al., 2001). Participants in the automatic evaluation condition were perhaps not entirely convinced that the evaluation algorithm would be able to accurately analyze their responses in order to assess their abilities. Prior research by Langer et al. (2018) provides tentative support for this assumption: They informed their participants about the capabilities of an automatically evaluated interview and participants were still skeptical about its usefulness. In the case of our study, participants might have questioned the capabilities of the procedure, leading to doubts as to whether an automatically evaluated interview provides them with adequate opportunity to show their potential.In contrast to the findings for opportunity to perform, other applicant reaction variables were not significantly affected by our manipulation. In the case of job relatedness, it seems that our participants were generally not impressed with any version of the asynchronous audio recording interview (i.e. an overall mean value of 2.26 on a scale from 1 to 5). However, future research should still take job relatedness into account because results for this variable approached classical standards of significance, tentatively indicating that participants might be even more critical about job relatedness of an automatically evaluated interview.Within the current sample, fairness was not significantly different between the conditions, indicating that telling applicants that there will be an automatic evaluation of the interview did not affect justice expectations negatively (Colquitt et al., 2001). However, the effect sizes for opportunity to perform (where there was a significant effect) and fairness (where p = 0.06) were comparable (0.31 and 0.29), indicating that researchers should not prematurely dismiss the hypothesis of small fairness differences between the conditions.Regarding privacy concerns, results are clearer: The manipulation did not result in significant differences. In contrast to the respective hypothesis, mean values of privacy concerns were, if anything, higher in the human rater condition. A cautious explanation for this finding is that participants in the human rater condition might have been unsure about who would access their interview recordings and what the respective listener will infer from these recordings. In the case of an automatic evaluation, participants might be less concerned about such issues because they might have thought that only a machine \"listened\" to the recordings.Limitations\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Automatic evaluation of job interviews has become an alternative for assessing interviewees. Therefore, questions arise regarding applicant reactions and behavior when algorithms automatically evaluate applicants' interview responses. This study tests arguments from previous research suggesting that applicants whose interviews will be automatically evaluated may use less impression management (IM), but could react more negatively to the interview.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Participants (N = 124; primarily German students) took part in an online mock interview where they responded to interview questions via voice recordings (i.e. an asynchronous interview). Prior to the interview, half of them were informed that their answers would be evaluated automatically (vs by a human rater). After the interviews, participants reported their honest and deceptive IM behavior as well as their reactions to the interview.\nFindings: Participants in the automatic evaluation condition engaged in less deceptive IM, felt they had fewer opportunities to perform during the interview, and provided shorter interview answers.\nResearch limitations/implications: The findings of this study suggest a trade-off between IM behavior and applicant reactions in technologically advanced interviews. Furthermore, the results indicate that automatically evaluated interviews might affect interview validity (e.g. because of less deceptive IM) and influence interviewees' response behavior.\nPractical implications: Hiring managers might hope that automatically evaluated interviews decrease applicants' use of deceptive IM. However, the results also challenge organizations to pay attention to negative effects of automatic evaluation on applicant reactions.\nOriginality/value: This study is the first empirical study investigating the impact of automatically evaluated interviews on applicant behavior and reactions.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Opening interlibrary loan to open access	[ "Open access", "Interlibrary loan", "Interlending", "Academic libraries" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Even though open access materials are freely available on the internet, library users still request them through interlibrary loan (ILL). In February 2009, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) University Library began tracking borrowing requests for open access materials. As the number of requests filled with open access documents continues to grow, IUPUI University Library is able to provide a service to users and cost savings for the library by utilizing this material. This paper presents data regarding IUPUI University Library's open access ILL borrowing requests for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and describes some of the most commonly used online resources for filling these requests.Discussion of open access is generally focused on scholarly journal publishing and the free availability of content either directly from publishers or through the self-archiving efforts of authors. Proponents of open access in this context argue that it allows for wider dissemination of scholarly work, thus providing authors the opportunity for greater impact. It also lowers the cost barrier to providing content for libraries and, in the academic world, gives the institution access to the scholarly output of its faculty. However, many other documents fit the general criteria of open access: digital, online content that is both free of charge and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions (Suber, 2010). Based on these criteria, I include conference papers, electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), and public domain works in my discussion of open access ILL requests.\nLiterature review: There is no shortage of articles on open access, but very little tying open access to ILL. In 2006, Karen Kohn encouraged ILL practitioners to find both free lenders and free materials in order to lower ILL costs (Kohn, 2006, p. 58). The section on finding free materials describes \"sites that list journals with free full-text access and databases that either include full text or provide links to full text at publishers' Web sites\" (Kohn, 2006, p. 61). Kohn also rightly suggests checking for online availability of commonly free materials such as government documents, reports, and white papers before attempting to borrow them. Despite listing a number of resources for open access journal articles, Kohn never uses the term open access beyond recommending the Directory of Open Access Journals. The sites the author recommends are still prominent sources for open access materials.In the same year, Heather G. Morrison discussed open access and its implications for resource sharing. Morrison uses the majority of her article to provide an overview of open access, a list of specific open access resources, and a discussion of a Canadian library network knowledgebase, which includes records for open access journals. Where she sets herself apart is in her presentation of possible implications of open access on resource sharing. Early in the article, Morrison quotes Mike McGrath's statement that open access \"is one of the reasons for the decline in document delivery in many countries\" (McGrath, 2005, p. 43), but does not entirely accept this assertion. She suggests that increased user expectations may result in \"a decrease in routine interlibrary loan requests, combined with an increase in more complex requests requiring more expert knowledge and/or more advanced search skills\" (Morrison, 2006, p. 106). While IUPUI University Library has not seen a marked decrease in routine ILL requests, it is clear that users are locating rare materials that do require more effort on the part of staff to locate. Although Morrison did not present data to support her arguments, she rightly anticipated a partial shift in ILL work.Another article connecting open access and ILL was published in 2010 (Martin, 2010). Martin seeks to educate reference and ILL staff about open access resources and the importance of maintaining current awareness of new open resources and trends in open access. Martin's article is less an inventory of resources and more a primer on the open access landscape. The author presents a concise, straightforward introduction to different categories of open access materials. She sees this as a way to provide a value-added service to patrons without detriment to library departments. Martin includes a discussion of open textbooks and educational resources in addition to open access journal content. These additional types of open access materials should not be discounted in the ILL environment as this author expects we will begin seeing requests for such items in the near future.The literature discussing the use of open access materials to fulfill ILL requests is limited and largely focuses on educating ILL practitioners about open access and providing suggested resources for locating open access materials. This paper will present data on the use of open access materials in ILL and an updated survey of commonly used open access resources.\nOverview of institution and ILL operations: IUPUI is part of the Indiana University system, which comprises eight campuses across the state of Indiana. IUPUI also has its own extension campus, Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus, located approximately one hour south of Indianapolis in Columbus, Indiana. All Indiana University campus libraries collaborate in a number of ways including a shared online catalogue and a remote circulation service.IUPUI University Library Interlibrary Services department serves the faculty, staff, and students of the Schools of Art and Design, Business, Education, Engineering and Technology, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Informatics, Journalism, Liberal Arts, Library and Information Science, Nursing, Physical Education and Tourism Management, Public and Environmental Affairs, Science, and Social Work as well as University College. The campus's professional schools are each served by their own library. The Interlibrary Services (ILS) department consists of 1/2 FTE librarian, two FTE staff members, and approximately three FTE student employees. The University Library is an OCLC supplier, participates in RapidILL, and uses the OCLC ILLiad ILL management system.In fall 2008, the ILS department began offering an Article Delivery Service to deliver articles electronically from the library's print collection to patrons. Prior to fall 2008, only distance education students qualified for this service. This new service contributed to a large increase in requests in fiscal year (FY) 2009 as compared with the previous year. In FY 2008, ILS received a total of 16,638 ILL borrowing requests. In FY 2009, the first year of the Article Delivery Service, the department saw a 28 percent increase in borrowing requests received, with total submissions reaching 23,210.Total ILL borrowing requests increased slightly in FY 2010 to 23,422 submissions, of which 21,308 (91 percent) were filled through traditional ILL, the Article Delivery Service, or remote circulation between other Indiana University campus libraries. In FY 2011, requests declined 6 percent from the previous year, with 22,098 borrowing requests received and 20,093 (91 percent) requests filled through ILL, the Article Delivery Service, or remote circulation (see Figure 1).\nOpen access ILL workflow: IUPUI University Library uses OCLC ILLiad as its ILL management system, which provides greater automation and customization of ILL procedures than OCLC WorldCat Resource Sharing (Weible and Janke, 2011, p. 95). The ability to create custom e-mails, queues, and routing rules within ILLiad makes it easy to process and track open access requests. Two custom queues, \"Awaiting Open Access Searching\" and \"Awaiting Thesis Processing\", prompt ILS staff to search for open access materials before referring the request to a potential supplier via OCLC. Items published in the USA prior to 1923 fall into the public domain. In IUPUI University Library's ILLiad system, patron requests containing a pre-1923 publication date are therefore automatically routed to the \"Awaiting Open Access Searching\" queue regardless of document type. Staff members then use ILLiad add-ons to search the HathiTrust (www.hathitrust.org/), Internet Archive, and Google for freely available electronic copies. Likewise all requests with the document type thesis or containing the phrase \"Dissertation Abstracts\" are automatically routed to the \"Awaiting Thesis Processing\" queue. Staff members then search the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database for subscription access and the internet for the existence of an ETD if not accessible through ProQuest.Staff members search OCLC first for all requests that fall outside of these two queues. OCLC holdings information prompts ILL staff to verify local holdings and, in the case of returnables, the library holdings of other Indiana University campuses. Requests for returnable items held locally or within the Indiana University library system are transferred to the remote circulation service for processing. Through the Article Delivery Service, locally owned non-returnable items are delivered electronically to patrons through the document delivery module in OCLC ILLiad. If an item is not available locally or through the remote circulation service, the staff member proceeds with requesting the item through OCLC unless it is apparent from the OCLC record that the material is open access. The staff member might also locate an open access item in the course of citation verification. Extensive searching for open access options does not occur for these requests until all other borrowing options have been exhausted.When an open access document is located, the staff member enters information into the request form including the URL in the Call Number field, \"open\" or \"etds\" (depending on the document type) in the Lender field, and changes the System ID to OTH. The Lender field entry allows for internal tracking of requests filled using open access materials and ETDs. She then saves the PDF to the ILLiad web server and sends the patron a custom e-mail notifying him of the document's availability. The URL located in the Call Number field is automatically inserted in the e-mail for the patron's reference. The email also informs the patron that the document was found freely available on the internet. IUPUI University Library chooses to deliver open access documents to patrons for their convenience. In acknowledgement of the staff time and effort required to locate and deliver these materials, open access requests are counted towards the department's fill rate. If a library preferred not to deliver the document to a user, the staff member instead could choose to send the URL to the patron and complete the request without actually posting the document to the user's account, or cancel the borrowing request and provide the URL in the cancellation e-mail.\nOpen access borrowing requests and resources: In FY 2010, 318 borrowing requests were filled with open access materials. The following year, 487 were filled for an increase of 35 percent. Though these requests account for a small percentage of the whole, many of them would have been difficult to fill through traditional means and would have a negative impact on the department's overall fill rate. Over two years, borrowing these 805 items through traditional ILL carries the potential cost of $14,087.50 based on Mary Jackson's 2004 cost estimate of $17.50 per borrowing transaction (Jackson, 2004, p. 31). Assuming borrowing all of these items would even be possible, the cost to potential lenders would be approximately $7,462.35 based on Jackson's mean lending cost of $9.27 per transaction (Jackson, 2004, p. 31). Although there are minor costs associated with processing open access requests, this represents a significant savings for the library and our lending partners.The 805 open access requests received during the two-year period under study represent a wide range of material types (see Figure 2). The most frequent was journal articles (405), followed by books and book chapters (136), theses and dissertations (108), conference papers (104), reports (44), government documents and patents (five), and other miscellaneous materials (three). This ranking remains largely the same when considering individual years, with only theses and dissertations and conference papers trading places in FY 2011. A discussion of the top four document types follows.Article requests\nConclusion: In 2010, OCLC Research released a report on the findings of 12 user behaviour studies, which found that seven of the 12 provided evidence for the \"increasing centrality of Google and other search engines\" in the information-seeking behavior of researchers (Connaway and Dickey, 2010, p. 27). This reliance on search engines may be a result of another common finding, the importance of speed and convenience to users (Connaway and Dickey, 2010, p. 32). The importance of convenience is reinforced in a paper by Connaway et al. (2011), in which they defined information source, ease of access and use, and time constraints as aspects of convenience. Significantly, the authors found that convenience is so critical to the information-seeking process that users will \"readily sacrifice content for convenience\" (Connaway et al., 2011, pp. 27-8).The simplicity of a Google search typically results in millions of results. It takes time and evaluative skill to process even a fraction of these for relevant and accurate information. However, users value speed and convenience most, making it virtually impossible for them to assess the full information landscape. They will make do with the first page of search engine results and may disregard library resources entirely. If access to an important information item is not immediately apparent from the point of discovery, it is unlikely the user will search extensively for access before submitting an ILL request.ILL requests are unlikely to decrease as a result of increasing numbers of open access materials. In fact, IUPUI University Library's ILL data shows that the number of requests filled with open access materials is actually growing while overall requests hold relatively steady. As more and more materials become freely available on the internet, users have increasing difficulty in navigating the vast information environment and the myriad options that the Library and the internet offer for finding what they want. ILL librarians and staff have specialized search skills and knowledge of resources of which our patrons are often unaware. Users can easily discover resources, but it is often up to ILL to deliver them. ILL departments must begin utilizing open access materials to enhance service and educate users about open access.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine interlibrary loan requests for open access materials submitted during fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and to determine the impact of open access materials upon fill rate for interlibrary borrowing requests.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Borrowing requests for open access materials were quantitatively analyzed and compared to total borrowing requests.\nFindings: - During the period studied, borrowing requests for open access materials increased while overall requests held steady. As the number of requests filled with open access documents continues to rise, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis University Library is able to provide a service to users and cost savings for the library by utilizing this material. The difficulty users have in navigating the online information environment makes it unlikely that interlibrary loan requests will decrease due to the growing amount of open access material available.\nOriginality/value: - The literature discussing the use of open access materials to fulfill ILL requests is limited and largely focuses on educating ILL practitioners about open access and providing suggested resources for locating open access materials. This research paper studies actual requests for open access materials and their impact on interlibrary loan.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Being a cleaner in The Netherlands: coping with the dirty work stigma	[ "Qualitative research", "Cleaning", "Stigma", "Facilities management", "Dirty work", "Relationship value" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Background: In 2010, The Netherlands was confronted with cleaning strikes (Herblot, 2010; Van Vlijmen and Van den Hoogen, 2013). These were the longest strikes The Netherlands had seen since the 1930s. The strikes had a huge impact on Dutch daily life. For nine weeks in a row, people in public life were confronted with the dirt and litter that usually get cleaned instantly. In 2012, these strikes were followed by new ones, that lasted even longer than nine weeks. Also, in 2014, cleaners organized strikes.\n2. Theoretical background: Philosophers like Adam Smith and Karl Marx already acknowledged alienation and dehumanization as central aspects of modern economy and modern organizations (Volf, 2001). The demand to be seen can be understood as a reaction to this dehumanization and, thus, as a demand to be recognized as a human being.\n3. Method: 3.1 Data collection\n4. Results: 4.1 Identification: creating personal and meaningful order\n5. Conclusions: During the cleaning course, one of the cleaners told the others that she had been confronted with a restroom that was totally covered with feces. I was there as a researcher and I was horrified by the idea of having to clean it. To my surprise, nobody was shocked: you just get your things, put on some gloves and a mouth cap and start cleaning. To my fellow students, the physical dirt was not as repulsive as it was to me. That did not mean they were not shocked at all. The social aspect of the story made everybody sad for a moment: why would anyone do that kind of thing?\n6. Discussion: Research that focuses on cleaning jobs is scarce. This research shows that being a cleaner affects people. During this project, however, participants were only interviewed one time, at the workplace. The participants in the cleaning course were followed for a longer period, but only during lessons. Given the fact that the stigma has moral consequences, further research into the way in which cleaners experience their jobs is recommended. This research should include a longitudinal perspective and not only focus on the workplace, but also on the effects on personal lives.\n7. Implications for FM: According to Jensen et al. (2012), facilities management is the management of relationships with internal and external customers, clients and suppliers. It is argued that the added value of FM is created in a network of relationships: \"FM value is relationship value\". One of the most important stakeholders for FM is the cleaning industry. In The Netherlands alone, over 4 billion euros are spent on cleaning every year. Every day tens of thousands of cleaners are creating FM value (Van der Spil and Van Diepen-Knegjes, 2014). The success of FM depends on how facilities managers cooperates with stakeholders like cleaners. Given the fact that being a cleaner had moral implications, FM should also consider how it can improve the experience of cleaners.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This study aims to explore what it is like to be a cleaner in the Netherlands. Drawing on the dirty work theory, it answers the question of how cleaners in the Netherlands cope with the dirty work stigma.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study used a qualitative approach: 24 cleaners were interviewed and the researcher participated in a three-month cleaning course. By doing so, an insiders' perspective was taken. Drawing upon the dirty work theory, a thematic analysis was made.\nFindings: Cleaners take great pride in their work, but because of their social invisibility, they are not recognized by the people they work for, and they fail in being proud of themselves. This has moral consequences since cleaners start doubting whether they are seen as equal. Eventually, cleaners have an ambivalent relationship with their job.\nPractical implications: Given the moral consequences, FM practitioners and researchers should take these findings into account. As FM value is dependent on the quality of the relations between FM and its stakeholders (e.g. cleaners), FM is challenged to think about its responsibilities toward cleaners and other dirty workers in its context.\nOriginality/value: There is not much research done in cleaning. The research that is done focuses on efficiency and organization of cleaning. Only little research focuses on the cleaner, an insiders' perspective is scarce.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Information systems integration after merger and acquisition	[ "Mergers and acquisitions", "Information systems integration", "Post-M&A integration" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are popular strategic activities and are expected to continue to grow (Bloomberg, 2012). According to Bloomberg's (2012)\n2 Literature review: A huge body of literature has investigated different perspectives of M&A activities such as values created by M&A (Jensen and Ruback, 1983), factors affect the success of M&A (Marks and Mirvis, 1998; Appelbaum et al., 2000; Nguyen and Kleiner, 2003; Lipponen et al., 2004), and M&A motives and performance (Goldberg, 1983; Morrison and Floyd, 2000; Kee, 2003). Other researchers have focused on post-M&A integration (Haspeslagh and Jemison, 1991; Birkinshaw et al., 2000; Larsson and Lubatkin, 2001). Some studies in this stream of literature analyze the challenges of post-M&A integration, such as organizational fit (Chatterjee et al., 1992), top employee turnover during the transition period (Walsh, 1989), and speed (Schweiger and Walsh, 1990). These studies all highlight the difficulties and the importance of bringing different organizations together in the post-M&A period. Nevertheless, prior studies may fail to address the complexity of the post-M&A integration, and a \"one-size-fits-all\" integration approach may not lead to successful M&As (Schweizer, 2005).\n3 Research methodology: We use a case study approach to extend our understanding of post-M&A IS integration. A case study approach has been recommended for M&A integration studies because of the need for detailed and contextual information (Larsson, 1990; Bower, 2004; Javidan et al., 2004). The case we use in our study is the merge in 2003 of a local leading internet communication equipment manufacturer, A Company, acquired by H Group, one of the biggest contract manufacturers of electronic equipment in the world. A Company becomes a subsidiary unit of the H Group and operates independently after the merge. The basic information of H Group and A Company is shown in Table I. These two firms have very few overlapped product lines, which become the motive of the M&A. In particular, the H Group would like to expand its capabilities in manufacturing communication equipment by leveraging A Company's existing market share and its R&D capabilities. At the same time, A Company can obtain the experience in the PC OEM market. Accordingly, both companies can leverage each other's competitive advantages and continue to grow.\n4 Case findings and discussion: 4.1 Case findings\n5 Conclusions: The integration of ISs is critical to the success of M&A processes. However, given the complicated nature and the uniqueness of each M&A arrangement, such a role needs further investigation and can provide additional insights with different M&A contexts. Our results suggest that although both are large-scale companies, both companies have proper communication and negotiation among staff members, which leads to a clear target and the support of IS integration. Nevertheless, the cultural conflicts and the operational differences still cause resistance and change of management. More importantly, the IS integration process shows the importance of the contribution from both companies to better incorporate the operational needs. As discussed, our study provides insights and suggestions on how to manage IS integration in the post-M&A period, which in turn may result in M&A success. This study contributes to the literature by showing that the success of IS integration in the M&A context is determined by identifying critical functions and leveraging the pre-M&A know-hows of both companies. Furthermore, standardization of the two ISs may not be the first priority during the integration process. It is also beneficial to keep the uniqueness of the systems of both companies which reduces the concerns of potential resistance of the IT personnel. This study also has managerial implications. Our findings suggest that the importance of identifying and prioritizing relevant fields is critical in the context of a cross-business IS integration. Such process would improve the resource allocation decision and the effectiveness of post-integration evaluation.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The main aim of this study is to perform a case study to understand the information systems (IS) integration strategy of two high-tech companies after merger and acquisition.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors perform a case study on the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of two high-tech companies to illustrate the IS integration activities in the M&A processes.\nFindings: This study summarizes 26 fields from the IS integration process in the post-M&A period. These 26 fields highlight the challenges when standardizing the integrated system and the impacts on work routines as well as cultural resistance.\nOriginality/value: This study shows that the success of IS integration in the M&A context is determined by identifying critical functions and leveraging the pre-M&A know-hows of both companies. Furthermore, standardization may not be the first priority during the integration process. It is also beneficial to keep the uniqueness of the systems of both companies which reduces the concerns of potential resistance of the IT personnel. This study also has managerial implications. The findings suggest that identifying and prioritizing relevant fields in the context of a cross-business IS integration would improve the resource allocation decision and the effectiveness of post-integration evaluation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A model for implementing product modularity in buildings design	[ "Design", "Design management", "Platform" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Modularity, which refers to the partitioning of a system into smaller parts, has been examined in manufacturing for several decades. When applied to products, modularity refers to the partitioning of the product into chunks and the definition of interfaces among these chunks (e.g. Ulrich, 1995; Baldwin and Clark, 1997). Indeed, product modularity and related notions, such as off-site construction (OSC) and pre-fabrication, have been recently examined. Boyd et al. (2013) identified industry drivers and constraints for OSC in Australia, whereas Tam et al. (2015) evaluated best practices of pre-fabrication implementation in Hong Kong. Li et al. (2014) examined the waste reduction in China yielded by pre-fabrication. However, some studies focused on operational implications of OSC (i.e. time and cost) by adopting multi-skilled labor (Arashpour et al., 2018) or autonomous production tracking system (Arashpour et al., 2015). Finally, a review on the integration of OSC and BIM and a bibliometric study on OSC (Hosseini et al., 2018) have been carried out.\n2. Product modularity in manufacturing: The evolution of modularity in the automotive sector, namely initially to move work from the main production line to off-line assembly, then to outsource modules assembly and finally to outsource modules design, exemplifies the diversity of goals for employing such concept. Indeed, from an operational viewpoint, product modularity also supports outsourcing (e.g. Fixson et al., 2005; Ro et al., 2007). From a design viewpoint, it allows sets of components (modules) to be independently developed while ensuring that these can be appropriately integrated into the product (Cabigiosu et al., 2013). Modularity essentially involves the partitioning of a product into a set of physical chunks, with varying rationales for such partitioning according to the intended goal (Pandremenos et al., 2009; Sako and Murray, 1999).\n3. Fundamental underpinnings of product modularity: In manufacturing, integral and modular architectures are viewed as two ends of the continuum for product architecture. As for the latter, a number of taxonomies illustrating distinct forms that can be assumed by a modular architecture have been proposed (e.g. Ulrich, 1995; Salvador et al., 2002a, b; Pine, 1999). Yet, the applicability of such taxonomies in construction (simplify production, ease assembly, provide customization, etc.) has not been extensively examined so far. Voordijk et al. (2006) explored product modularity within product, process and supply chain domains. Halman et al. (2008) examined the opportunities, limitations and constraints for its implementation in the Dutch industry. Hofman et al. (2006) identified a priority list of housing attributes for customization, whereas Hofman et al. (2009) examined the alignment between modular product architecture and supply chain structures. Finally, Veenstra et al. (2006) proposed a method for developing product platforms in the house-building sector.\n4. Research method: This study is framed as design science research (DSR) or constructive research approach. Design sciences involve the development of solutions or artefacts to address a particular world problem (Van Aken, 2004). They differ from traditional sciences that seek to describe or explain a part of the world. Computer science, medicine and management are some disciplines where such approach has been applied (e.g. Kasanen et al., 1993; Van Aken, 2004). Distinct sequences of steps have been proposed for conducing DSR (e.g. Kasanen et al., 1993; Lukka, 2003; Vaishnavi and Kuechler, 2007; March and Smith, 1995). Yet, all of these involve solution development, typically after problem understanding, and solution testing, through implementation and evaluation against criteria such as ease of utility, quality and efficacy (Hevner et al., 2004).\n5. Results of Explanation I: Product modularity was considered at three different levels (i.e. building, system and component) for the low-income project examined (i.e. house layouts, roofs types and gables formats). These are summarized in Table I and detailed in the following sections. At the building level, there are four modules (Figure 5), and each module is comprised by one or more spatial voids and the components enclosing such void (Table I): platform, bedroom, bathroom and garage. At the system level, each module is a gable and there are five modules (Figure 4): shed, butterfly and open gable (for the platform), shed and open gable (for bedroom or garage).\n6. Results of solution incubation and testing: Applying product modularity involves answering two fundamental questions at distinct product levels (Figure 11): (1) what are the modules (conceptually and practically) and (2) what are the product variants? While looking at the latter, the following guidelines should be observed: (2.1) minimizing the number of modules, (2.2) maximizing the platform size and (2.3) maximizing the number of product variants (combinations). For the project examined here, product modularity was initially considered at the building level (namely the spatial voids and enclosing physical components required to create distinct house layouts), than at the system level (namely the gables to produce distinct roof types for the house layouts previously defined), and finally, at the component level (namely the boards forming such gables). Feedback loops are involved in such sequence: for instance, once the boards are defined and detailed to minimize material waste, the gables and roof types (particularly the roof steepness) are reviewed.\n7. Conclusions: This paper examined the fundamental underpinnings of product modularity (developed for manufactured products) and how these can be transferred to construction and its specificities: one-off products formed by complex spatial voids delivered by temporary supply chains (Vrijhoef and Koskela, 2000; Rocha et al., 2015). Indeed, such characteristics, in addition to the fact that each building is comprised by a single set of modules and produced via an unique work structure (da Rocha and Kemmer, 2018), do not allow a direct transfer of such concept from manufacturing. In order to address this research gap, a detailed analysis of a low-income housing project (artefact) and the identified underpinnings at distinct levels was carried out. Based on the artefact examination, according to Dimensions 1 and 2 (what are modules and how are these combined, respectively), a model to implement product modularity in buildings design was proposed and a number of findings were identified.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the fundamental underpinnings of product modularity and how these can be adapted to construction and its specificities (e.g. one-off products delivered by temporary supply chains) to create a model to design modular buildings.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research adopts a design science research approach. Explanation I (substantive theory devising based on the analysis of an artefact - a low-income housing project) is used, followed by Solution Incubation (a model to implement product modularity in buildings design).\nFindings: The model allows product modularity to be implemented at distinct levels (i.e. building, systems and components) at a single stage (building design), different from manufacturing where each level is considered at a distinct stage. This is in line with the project investigated: modularity was considered for house layouts, roof types and gable formats.\nPractical implications: The model provides a hands-on tool for practitioners to design modular buildings. The low-income project is also extensively detailed: three-dimensional models, floor plans and conceptual diagrams (outlining how fundamental underpinnings were applied at each level) are presented. There is a lack of comprehensive accounts such as the one presented here to demonstrate the application of product modularity in real-world projects.\nOriginality/value: This paper identifies and adapts the fundamental underpinnings of product modularity to construction, and it details how these were applied to a low-income housing design at distinct levels. Based on these two endeavours, a model to implement product modularity in buildings design is proposed.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Improving financial literacy in college of business students: modernizing delivery tools	[ "Experiment", "Video", "College of business students", "Financial literacy improvement" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: financial literacy - a significant individual and societal problem: Since the late 1990s, the study of \"Financial Literacy\" has been a hot-button issue in the popular press as well as in education, economics, management, finance and marketing journals. Politicians, pundits, educators, economists and the media fervently express trepidation that Americans, particularly younger ones, appear unable to save money, invest appropriately, handle credit, solve basic math and financial problems as well as comprehend both personal and national financial matters (Hamilton, 2013; Henager and Cude, 2016; Huhmann, 2017; Mandell, 2008; Marcolin and Abraham, 2006). Researchers have identified alarmingly lower levels of financial literacy in certain at-risk demographic groups potentially leading to negative financial behaviors (Bucher-Koenen et al., 2017; Nejad and O'Connor, 2016). Recent studies have also shown that consumers may be over-confident in their perceived financial literacy (subjective vs objective financial literacy - see Hadar et al., 2013) and as a result may take part in riskier financial behaviors (Nejad and Javid, 2018; Porto and Xiao, 2016).\nStudy purpose: The purpose of this study is to extend the conceptual and theoretical literature related to financial literacy improvement in young people, particularly in college of business students. We analyzed the effectiveness of short videos vs taking a more traditional finance course and evaluated the impact on the participants' performance on a financial literacy test. Working with online media sources already in place, the researchers utilized video self-tutorials, and an experiment was conducted with 244 college of business students to explore if these online tutorials would significantly improve financial literacy in business majors. Specific business school major, GPA, demographics and exposure to a personal finance course were each analyzed, as well as more appropriate measures of college student literacy proposed. The study more deeply explores marketing and management majors, potentially at risk for poor financial literacy demographic groups, and calls for marketing researchers to assist in scale development and improvement. This study also extends research in utilizing greater diversity in teaching perspectives (Xiao and O'Neill, 2016), and simplifying and modernizing information/content learning and delivery (Huhmann and McQuitty, 2009) using online web tools and systems (Alwehaibi, 2015; Wankel, 2010).\nFinancial literacy and students: The GAO (2012) defined financial literacy as: \"the ability to make informed judgments and to take effective actions regarding the current and future use and management of money. It includes the ability to understand financial choices, plan for the future, spend wisely, and manage the challenges associated with life events such as a job loss, saving for retirement, or paying for a child's education\" (p. 3). The origins of academic research and measurement of financial literacy began with US high school seniors and the development of a lengthy measurement instrument in the late 1990s with the \"Jump$tart, Baseline Survey 1997-1998 of 12th Graders\" (Mandell, 2008). Scores on the measure were problematic at best, with high schoolers in the \"failing ranges\" of 48-57 percent (Jump$tart, 2014). American university students performed poorly displaying a \"dismal knowledge\" of personal finance (Chen and Volpe, 1998; Volpe et al., 1996) with a mean score of 53 percent on the instrument in the early years of survey (Hanna et al., 2010). Although the performance of a sub-segment including both college-bound and college students improved in the late 2000s, the annual nationwide high school and college student averages were by most measures still \"not passing\" (OECD, 2005). Jump$tart survey results support a litany of research indicating American consumers, particularly younger ones, are financially illiterate and this is causing serious issues at home as well as in business and society (Fernandes, 2014; Malcolm, 2012; Mandell, 2008; Marcolin and Abraham, 2006).\nVideo treatment development: In order to quickly roll out a video tool easily accessible to students, previously developed financial literacy videos on YouTube were chosen. It should be recognized, however, that instructors could create and develop their own videos for this or related pedagogical purposes. Researchers hoped the learning module could be integrated later into an introduction to business course - or a principles of marketing course (perhaps during \"break-even analysis\" or \"marketing math\") without having to add any significant class time to the curriculum. Dowell and Small (2011) found that college students' incorporating online resources into their self-regulated learning strategies can significantly improve engagement and outcomes. Lusardi and Mitchell (2014) indicated that videos can be particularly compelling at improving financial literacy and Henager and Cude (2016) suggested that young people specifically respond to new and creative self-directed learning options. We hope this research contributes to the growing literature on packaging learning modules for millennials and delivering them online through YouTube and social media (Alwehaibi, 2015; Phillips and Trainor, 2014).\nExperimental protocol and composition: The use of several introductory courses with multiple sections allowed the researchers to reach a wider variety of majors than otherwise possible. The researchers included a question allowing them to assess if a student had previously taken personal finance. We were agnostic as to how differing majors and previous exposure to personal finance might impact the experimental results, although it was expected that those students that had taken such a course in the past would score higher on measures of financial literacy. Students in the experimental group were given the link to the video and asked to view it within a two-week period before Spring break. Both the control and experimental groups were asked immediately after spring break to fill out a questionnaire in class for extra credit - providing an interval of time between viewing the module and measuring financial literacy. There were no discussions of financial literacy in any of the classes. No details about the study were provided until after all students had completed the survey.\nExperimental findings: The primary research finding was that the relatively short (just over one hour) video treatment had a significant positive effect upon financial literacy scores for the students - across all majors (see Table I). The video treatment had a stronger positive effect than a previously taken personal finance course (since most of these students are juniors, many of them would have recently taken the personal finance course - or even taking it concurrently). The most important finding is that those students exposed to the video module scored significantly higher than those who did not receive the treatment (p<0.001; F-statistic=20.03). Having had a personal finance course also had a stronger positive effect (p<0.03, F-statistic=4.64) but curiously there was not a significant interaction effect (p=0.21).\nFinancial literacy-level findings: Unexpectedly, the mean score of marketing students (7.64) on the questionnaire was not significantly lower than that of other majors (finance=7.69, accounting=7.50, management=6.88) contrary to previous research (particularly Chinen and Endo, 2012). In fact, the score differences between majors were not significantly different, although management's lowest score was marginally lower than the others (p=0.0593). Previous research indicating that women perform significantly lower than men was supported (3.96 vs 4.71; p=0.0002 - see Bucher-Koenen et al., 2017; Nejad and O'Connor, 2016). African-Americans (3.59) scored lower than the other demographic groups (range: 4.33-4.56) for a p-value of 0.016, also supported by the literature (Harnisch, 2010). There were no other significant race/ethnicity differences in scores. There were also no significant score differences between varying GPA level, or classmen (juniors vs seniors, etc.). See Table IV for a full summary of findings.\nDiscussion, implications and limitations: This research uses an experiment and teaching innovation to significantly improve financial literacy scores for college of business majors. Findings indicate that a web-based learning module was an effective teaching tool in improving financial literacy; surprisingly more effective than having taken a personal finance course. This supports Paramonova and Ijevleva's (2015) research on web-based marketing tools, and Lusardi et al. (2017) and using videos and visual tools to improve consumer financial literacy. Video modules appear to be very effective delivering content to students outside of the classroom, particularly to teach additional and related concepts (Wankel, 2010; Kitchenham, 2011).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop and test through an experiment, an innovative online video teaching module that significantly improves financial literacy in college of business students. Specific business major financial literacy levels are also tested.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A total of 244 college of business students were given a financial literacy test. Half of the students were exposed to the \"treatment\" (watched a video module), while other half were not. The videos comprised 67 min of micro-lectures that students could download, free of charge, at their own convenience. The researchers analyzed the impact of a previous personal finance course on students' financial literacy levels and tested across four business majors.\nFindings: The video intervention was the most successful at increasing financial literacy, surprisingly more so than having taken a past personal finance course. Interaction effects were not significant. Four college majors were tested with a shorter, improved financial literacy measure - finding, to our surprise that non-quantitative business majors (particularly marketing students) are not less financially literate than other majors. Supporting past research, the authors found that female and African-American college students performed significantly lower on the test.\nOriginality/value: The research adds value to the literature by developing and testing a modern, novel teaching innovation to improve financial literacy in young adults. Using an experimental setting, the authors showed that the innovation was more effective than the commonly proscribed personal finance course. This is one of the few studies to measure financial literacy levels for specific college of business majors.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Concluding reflections on "Leadership for learning in the context of social justice: An international perspective"	[ "Leadership", "Social justice" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The three of us were pleased to be invited by Guest Editor Anthony Normore to provide our reflections and concluding comments for this special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration (JEA) on \"Leadership for learning in the context of social justice\". The theme for the Special Issue is an important and timely one, and is one well aligned with our individual and collective experiences and scholarly interests. Furthermore, the diversity of authors, nations, topics, epistemologies, and methodologies represented in the nine articles is impressive, and we read the pieces with great interest. We have organized our responses to the scholarship contained in this Special Issue as follows: we begin with a brief introduction; this is followed by a section that provides commentary on each of the nine main articles. The third section discusses several cross-cutting themes that emerged from our readings of the articles and addresses future directions for international social justice leadership research and practice.\nIntroduction: In Spring 2006, when we were first contacted about contributing to this special JEA issue, we were immediately intrigued by the idea of writing a response to a collection of scholarly work located at the intersection of international educational leadership and social justice. All three of us are strongly interested in advancing and deepening social justice work in educational leadership, and are increasingly driven by a sense of urgency about doing so. So, the idea of expanding the conversation about social justice in educational leadership to include and be informed by international perspectives seemed like a promising step, one for which the time had come.When the completed manuscripts arrived, we turned first to the Guest Editor's introduction to see how Normore framed this collection of work and how he made the case for its value and utility. Early on in his introduction, Normore pointed out that social justice has become increasingly prominent in Western nations' dialogs around educational leadership and policy, noting the themes of several recent University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA), American Educational Research Association (AERA), and Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM) conferences. We agreed that this seemed to be the case, which caused us to wonder when this rise to prominence began and to muse more generally on what sort of attention both social justice and international perspectives on educational leadership had garnered among Western educational leadership and policy researchers in the past.Perusal of Jack Culbertson's (1995) thorough and careful history of UCEA, Building Bridges: UCEA's First Two Decades, revealed that interest in and activity around both international educational leadership and social justice issues occurred farther back than any of the three of us remembered. For example, Culbertson reported that in 1966, UCEA initiated the first in a series of International Inter-Visitation Programs (IIP):These programs fostered the creation of international networks and facilitated the exchange of ideas about the training of educational administrators. More importantly, they provided settings in which leaders could generate new initiatives, including the formation of new transnational organizations (p. 117).Clearly, there has been interest in international educational leadership among scholars in US research universities for more than 40 years. More recently, this topic seems to have maintained a steady, though not large, presence in US educational leadership discourse over the past decade. For example, UCEA hosts an international breakfast at its annual convention that is well attended, and articles that focus on international issues appear regularly in educational leadership journals such as Educational Administration Quarterly (EAQ) and, of course, JEA.Likewise, social justice issues emerged as a concern among UCEA membership at least as far back as the 1970s, when Paula Silver was hired as UCEA Administrative Associate, and she developed the Computerized Research and Placement System (CORPS), which \"was designed to gather and store data [...] to help women and members of minority groups obtain administrative posts\" (Culbertson, 1995, p. 161). Also of particular interest in the history of social justice activities in UCEA was the fact that in 1976 UCEA launched a journal titled Emergent Leadership: A Focus on Minorities and Women in Educational Administration, the purpose of which was to help \"educational leaders reduce sex and racial discrimination\" (p. 164). The journal eventually changed names and then was discontinued in 1987 due to low subscription numbers. As these two examples show, social justice has had a place in educational leadership scholarly discourse for more than 30 years; however, the degree to which this interest has been sustained and the depth to which the issues have been explored is open to debate.It seems clearer that the most recent renaissance of concern for social justice issues in educational leadership and policy research in the USA began in the mid-1990s. This is illustrated by the vigorous conversation around the Social and Cultural Influences on Schooling domain of the UCEA Knowledge Base, captured in a series of EAQ articles, including Kofi Lomotey's (1995) \"Social and cultural influences on schooling: a commentary on the UCEA Knowledge Base Project, Domain I\" and Scheurich and Laible's (1996) \"The buck stops here - in our preparation programs: educative leadership for all children (no exceptions allowed)\". Furthermore, there is little doubt that the prominence and prevalence of social justice concerns in organizations such as UCEA and in Western, particularly US, educational leadership journals has been on a steady rise since then.Work focused explicitly on the intersection of these two areas of scholarship - social justice and international educational leadership - however, has been extremely scarce. We could locate only one other, also very recent, place this topic has been addressed in research journals - a 2006 Special Issue of Leadership and Policy in Schools, edited by Lauri Johnson and James Ryan (Johnson and Ryan, 2006). Thus, the current Special Issue of JEA represents a welcome and important contribution to the research literature in our field.\nComments on individual articles: In this section, we provide brief commentary on each of the individual articles in this Special Issue. We begin with Normore, Rodriquez, and Wynne's \"Making all children winners\".The authors' findings add to the evidence that deep community engagement and involvement can leverage substantial school change provided by earlier reform models such as James Comer's School Development Program (Comer et al., 1996) and the Alliance Schools profiled by Dennis Shirley (1997) in Community Organizing for Urban School Reform. This article's central focus, the Movement Model of leadership, provides a compelling example of a mechanism through which leaders can translate social justice beliefs into social justice action in a way that makes sense in the context of their community culture. Drawing thematic conclusions across all the sections of these findings will give the reader a clearer sense of the \"take away\" value of this piece.The second article, \"Looking towards the source\", by Johansson Fua, offers an elegant profile of traditional Tongan society and does an excellent job of linking central Tongan cultural beliefs to requirements for successful leadership in that society. This work makes a strong contribution toward helping all of us think more complexly about the challenges of leadership for social justice in a postcolonial society. In future work, we would be interested in seeing an exploration of the specific ways Tongan leadership, constructed as the author describes it, might interact with the current policy context and the challenges of addressing social justice issues, such as inequities in student achievement. In other words, how might school leaders in Tonga balance strong cultural expectations for respect demonstrated in particular ways with the idea that respecting students means insisting that they learn?McMahon's \"Educational administrators' conceptions of whiteness, anti-racism, and social justice\", the third article in this Special Issue, addresses a gap in existing research literature by exploring whiteness with leaders of Canadian schools that serve students of color. As with the growing body of work in this area conducted in US schools, the findings suggest that white school administrators, overwhelmingly, have limited understanding of their own white privilege and that they work in contexts that actively suppress discourse around race and justice issues of any sort. The author's recommendations call for change in the form of alliance formation among anti-racist Canadian school administrators. Doubtless, there are school leaders in Canada who successfully operate from a social justice orientation; we'd love to see work that focuses on them, along the lines of the work of Hernandez (2006) and Theoharis (2007) with US social justice school leaders.The fourth article, \"She didn't ask me about my grandma\" by Kana and Aitkin, provides a wonderful example of a method for teaching social justice that is not in widespread circulation - process drama. We were thrilled to see this new tool for the professor's toolbox and appreciated the article's careful explanation of the process and sensitive researcher reflexivity. This piece makes an important contribution to the research literature in that it gets down below general notions of \"we should teach prospective teachers about social justice\" to \"this is how we can successfully teach prospective teachers\" about social justice. The field needs more, more, more from these authors.Landorf and Nevin's \"Inclusive global education\", the fifth article in this Special Issue, lays out an interesting and novel argument for integrating theory and research in global education with that in inclusive education. The authors do a careful and thorough job of building the case for integrating the strengths of two complementary fields and of proposing strategies for education leaders to use in making use of the integrated approach. As this concept is developed in future work, consideration should be given to the complex histories of special education in schools and the concept of inclusion in both school and society in individual nations. For example, in countries in which universal education for all children is a relatively recent development, what constitutes special education and inclusion is radically different from what is found in the primarily Western, developed nations from which the theory base of inclusive education arose (see, for example, Stough, 2003; McCabe, 2003). This makes the notion of inclusive global education necessarily a highly complex one.\"Leadership for social justice in Hong Kong schools\", Chiu and Walker's sixth chapter, provides yet another exceptional portrait of a particular national school leadership culture. Additionally, the authors do an outstanding job of explaining how the Hong Kong school leadership culture creates formidable challenges for leaders seeking to advance social justice. We were left wondering, however, how well the proposed solutions that are outlined at the end of the article would work and what would happen to Hong Kong school leaders who tried to implement them, given that the solutions seem parallel to what it typically recommended in Western educational leadership literature. In other words, grounded in the Hong Kong context, what are the possible implications of these proposed solutions?The seventh article, Collard's \"Constructing theory for leadership in intercultural contexts\", could be considered the theme piece for this Special Issue. The author's call for \"more nuanced theory, which acknowledges complex interactions between agents from different cultures\" is precisely on target, and Collard does a fine nice job of reviewing the salient literature and of building his case. Additionally, it is particularly gratifying that the other articles in this Special Issue, as a group, take a significant beginning step toward development of the type of more fine-grained and culturally respectful theory and research that Collard calls for.Brooks and Jean-Marie's \"Black leadership, white leadership\", the eighth article, is an exceptionally well-done qualitative study of high-school leadership that makes use of an analytic tool drawn from anthropology - moiety cultural analysis. This article would make excellent case study material for teaching social justice in school leadership because, like the Kana and Aitkin piece, it gets down beneath surface level discourse on race and reveals some of the detail of how race actually operates to shape the course of day-to-day life in schools. We would have liked to see more from the study participants included in the findings, but no doubt space limitations were a factor.The ninth and final article, Stevenson's \"Morals and markets in the UK\", reports the findings from yet another solid study of school leadership. This article is a particularly good example of one that answers Collard's call for research that deals appropriately with complexity. We particularly liked the way this piece discusses challenges to social justice leadership while still leaving space for leader agency and acknowledging the possibility of the coexistence of accountability policy and social justice-oriented leadership.\nThemes, implications, and future directions: As a set, the nine main articles in this Special Issue on \"Leadership for learning in the context of social justice: an international perspective\" make a substantial and important contribution toward incorporating international perspectives into an existing research discourse on educational leadership for social justice. International diversity has been a largely missing element from the set of social justice issues that have gained increasing prominence in the Western educational leadership discourse over the past 15 years, and it is heartening to see this special issue help us take an important initial step in a direction we need to go as a field. That direction is, of course, to do much more work in this area and to use the kinds of strategies with which we have success in moving other forms of diversity and issues of social justice from positions near the margin of our discourse toward its center.Clearly, there is much we can learn from one another as we do social justice leadership research, teaching, and practice in international settings around the globe, and our interactions with one another enrich us all. The challenges to doing such work in a way that allows us to build on each other's work in appropriately complex and culturally respectful ways are formidable, as several of the authors here have pointed out. However, as another author in this issue also pointed out, the challenges and the struggle are part of the ethics of doing such work.As research in this area expands and grows, one of the immediate challenges that will need to be addressed is how to systematically work against the hegemony of Western thought and colonialism that infiltrates all our discourses, even those that generate scholarship such as that found in this special issue. Even though this issue is explicitly focused on leadership for social justice in international settings, all the nations represented here are either Western or are countries that were colonized by Westerners at some point in their history. Thus, much remains unknown, even at this beginning stage, about how leadership for social justice might operate in other international settings that have histories and cultures vastly different from these.Another important challenge to be faced in future work on leadership for social justice in international settings is to continue to deepen and extend an approach taken by several of the individuals articles in this special issue; that is, to link social justice theory and rhetoric with social justice action in research, practice, and preparation of educational leaders. To that end, we hope the interest generated by the publication of this special issue results in increased and sustained attention to educational leadership for social justice in international settings. We congratulate all the contributors on a job well done, and we appreciate having been invited to joint in this effort.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of the paper is to reflect on and respond to the papers contained in this Special Issue of Journal of Educational Administration.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A commentary is provided for each of the nine articles in the Special Issue.\nFindings: - The papers in the Special Issue constitute a substantial and important contribution toward incorporating international perspectives into an existing research discourse on educational leadership for social justice. One of the immediate challenges that will need to be addressed is how to systematically work against the hegemony of Western thought and colonialism that infiltrates all our discourses, even those that generate scholarship such as that found in this Special Issue.\nOriginality/value: - The paper reflects on the current Special Issue, and provides directions for future research.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Do logo redesigns help or hurt your brand? The role of brand commitment	[ "Brand identity", "Brand loyalty", "Logos" ]	[ { "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.\nBrand aesthetics and logo re-design: As a brand element, a logo can be defined as a graphic representation or image that triggers memory associations of the target brand. Tom Peters (1999, p. 41) recognized the importance of a visually strong logo:Humans think visually. A picture is really worth a million words. And great brands have readily identifiable icons - just ask Nike or Apple or Shell - strong simple images that connect with customers.Logos are a prominent feature of a diverse array of direct and indirect communication vehicles ranging from packaging, promotional materials, and advertising to uniforms, business cards, and letterheads (Bottomly and Doyle, 2006; Henderson and Cote, 1998; Janiszewski and Meyvis, 2001). To this end, firms have also started to pay substantial attention to brand aesthetics, which encompasses an evaluation of the visual elements of a brand such as product, package, and logo designs (Burrows, 2008; Business Week, 2007; Scanlon, 2006). Firms such as Perception Research Services reported conducting hundreds of design and aesthetics studies every year for various clients including Kraft, Nestle, Wrigley, Target, and General Mills (Mininni, 2005). Interestingly, among the various brand elements examined, brand logo (apart from product and package design) is the most salient visual brand element for customers (Mininni, 2005). Not surprisingly, one in 50 companies will redesign their logo in a given year (Spaeth, 2002), and at considerable expense. For instance, UPS spent $20 million to introduce a new logo in 2003 (Griswold, 2003), while Xerox invested multimillions to update its logo (Xerox, 2008). Given the expense involved, firms would benefit by knowing which customers are likely to respond more or less favorably to such changes in their logo. Answers to these questions, though important, have not received systematic scrutiny. This is true despite some research conducted to systematically categorize various logo design elements (see Henderson and Cote, 1998; Henderson et al., 2003, for exceptions).Henderson and Cote (1998) provided a systematic typology to classify and study the visual elements of a logo, including the concepts of naturalness, harmony, elaborateness, parallelism, repetition, proportion, and shape. Madden et al. (2000) found that colors such as blue and white, when included in a logo, share similar meaning across countries, while colors such as black and red have considerably different meanings and associations. Klink (2003) found that brand names with front vowels and fricatives (the letters s, f, v, and c) were more closely related to lighter-colored brand names and angular brand logos. Later, Henderson et al. (2003) examined how customers from different cultures perceive different logo elements. A cross-sectional survey showed that consumers in China and Singapore perceived natural and harmonious logo designs more positively, whereas consumers in Western cultures perceived abstract and asymmetric logo designs more positively. The role of elaborateness as a primary driver of consumer perceptions of logos, followed by naturalness and harmony, was verified in another study as well (Henderson et al., 2004). Furthermore, it was found that the roundedness of a logo was a canonical feature of perceptions of logo harmony and naturalness. In particular, the more rounded the elements of a logo (as opposed to angular or sharp), the more it was viewed as being harmonious and natural. Thus, both from a theoretical and empirical perspective, the roundedness of a logo is a key design element.Interestingly, practitioners also view the roundedness of logo elements (as opposed to angular and sharp elements) as an emergent trend that is likely to endure. We interviewed 12 leading logo designers from multiple firms. The firms included the four largest corporate-identity firms as identified by the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA):1. Interbrand;2. Landor and Associates;3. Lippencott and Margulies; and4. Siegel and Gale.We also included six design firms from the mid-Atlantic area and a northeastern art institute. All interviewees (100 percent) indicated a trend toward increased use of rounded shapes for logos. One designer commented, \"[The tendency is toward] the use of more round-like shape. I see logos having a more bulbous design.\" Another designer stated, \"There is a movement toward traditional design. I think this is a response to the 'go-go' craziness of the dot-com era.\" The designers also discussed brand globalization and explained that more brands are moving into Asian countries where roundedness is preferred to angularity in shapes (Zhang et al., 2006).Finally, to verify that roundedness was indeed a logo-design element worth investigating, we analyzed Logos Redesigned (Carter, 2005), a collection of 192 recent logo redesigns. Two coders classified each redesigned logo as:1. no shape change;2. more angular shape from being initially rounded; or3. more rounded shape from being initially angular (87 percent initial agreement, differences resolved through discussion).Results indicated that 50 percent of all logos had changed shape. Among logos that had changed shape, 68 percent were more rounded; only the remaining 32 percent became more angular (p < 0.05).Thus, from a design perspective, we decided to examine this particular logo element - rounded shape - as our measure of the extent of logo redesign. In other words, in our empirical study we varied the extent of roundness of the logo to study its impact on logo evaluations and brand attitude among consumers.Changes in logo shape: theory\nStudy: The study design featured a 3 (degree of change: none, moderate, considerable) X 3 (commitment toward the brand: strong, moderate, weak) between-subjects design with commitment as a measured variable. We selected two brands of athletic shoes, Adidas and New Balance, based on past research (Ahluwalia et al., 2000) showing the brands are highly relevant to our sample of undergraduate students. A professional graphic designer modified the shape of the brand logos using two designs per logo: moderately redesigned and considerably redesigned. Pretests confirmed that respondents perceived the degree of change the designer intended. (Copies of the designs are available upon request from the first author).A total of 632 undergraduates at a large US university participated in the study for extra credit. Among them, 49 percent were males, and the average age was 21.86 years (SD =3.41). Neither age nor gender were significant covariates in subsequent analyses and will not be discussed further. Measures included scales for brand commitment, brand attitude, and logo evaluation. (See Table I for full details on measures used in the study.) In terms of procedure, students were told they were participating in a study about athletic shoes. Each participant was given a booklet that showed the base logo. After viewing the logo, they completed the brand commitment scale and brand attitude scale (pre-redesigned logo exposure). This study measures brand attitude twice - before and after exposure to the logo design. This was done to measure the change in brand attitude awareness after exposure to the logo design. However, to avoid methodological issues with using difference scores (Edwards, 1995), post-exposure brand attitude was used as the dependent variable and pre-exposure brand attitude was included as a covariate in the model.Next, participants viewed the redesigned logo. Because this was a between-subjects factor, each participant saw only one version (no change, moderate change, considerable change) of the redesigned logo. Then respondents completed a brand-attitude scale (post-redesigned logo exposure). Finally, they provided demographic and product-ownership data.Results\nGeneral discussion: Summary of results\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Logos are a critical component of brand aesthetics. Frequently companies redesign their logos, and many redesigns result in more rounded logos. How do such redesigns affect consumers' brand attitudes? The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of brand commitment on consumer response to logo shape redesign.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This research uses a field experiment with 632 respondents and examines two athletic shoe brands: New Balance and Adidas.\nFindings: - The greater the degree of change in the roundedness of a previously angular logo, the more likely it is that strongly committed consumers will evaluate the redesigned logo more negatively (in terms of brand attitude). Such logo evaluations, in turn, mediate the joint effect of logo redesign and commitment on overall brand attitude. Conversely, weakly committed consumers react positively to such changes.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The literature on aesthetics and brand attitude are combined to show that not all consumers view changes in brand elements such as logos similarly. Strongly committed consumers view these changes negatively; weakly committed consumers view them positively. An information-processing approach provides the underlying theory for this finding. Thus, logo evaluation partially mediates this change in brand attitude, but it does not fully explain the change in brand attitude after exposure to logo redesign.\nPractical implications: - Strong brands gain strength by developing a base of strongly committed customers. Attempts to change brand elements - such as logo redesigns - can affect customers differently depending on whether they are strongly committed, mildly committed, or not committed at all. Thus firms attempting to change brand elements, particularly their logos, should be fully aware of the potentially negative impact on their most important customers - those having the strongest brand commitment.\nOriginality/value: - To one's knowledge very little research has examined the relationship between logo redesign and brand attitude. Henderson et al.'s call to examine consumer responses to changes in design stimuli is followed. Importantly, the study is the first to show that visual elements of a brand (e.g. logo) can differentially impact consumer response based on brand commitment to such an extent that strongly committed customers react more negatively than weakly committed customers to redesigned logos.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Analyzing key influences of tourists' acceptance of online reviews in travel decisions	[ "Technology acceptance model", "Online reviews", "Electronic word of mouth", "Elaboration likelihood model", "Information adoption model", "Travelers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Information is the bedrock upon which tourism is built, and the role of information technology has long been recognized within the tourism academy (Capriello et al., 2013; Vallespin et al., 2017). One of the most important consequences of the development of the internet in the context of tourism information provision is the widespread appeal of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), which is stimulated by the popularity of social network websites and mobile applications (Capriello et al., 2013; Gvili and Levy, 2016). Word-of-mouth (WOM) has long been considered as a vital external information source for travel-related product purchases and decision making. In contrast to offline WOM, eWOM provides a persistent public record online so that the information is not ephemeral but leaves a permanent record (Yang et al., 2012). The emergence of eWOM in the travel and hospitality industry has seen a growth in the popularity of travel portals such as tripadvisor.com and ctrip.com. As third-party opinion platforms, they have amassed a wealth of travel information, and have established themselves as important avenues for eWOM by allowing users to interact and provide reviews on restaurants, hotels, or local tourist attractions. The fast-spreading popularity of eWOM in tourism has resulted in increasing interest in research in this area.\n2. Theoretical background and research hypotheses: 2.1 eWOM\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Methodology and data analysis\n4. Results and findings: 4.1 Model fit - measurement models, second order factors and overall model\n5. Discussion and conclusion: 5.1 Key findings\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine what influence travelers' adoption of online reviews, and whether the online reviews will influence their travel planning decisions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 193 respondents from eWOM websites and analyzed using structural equation modeling.\nFindings: The results revealed that eWOM has a significant influence on travel decisions. Furthermore, travelers were willing to adopt information from eWOM and this information was useful in their travel planning and decisions. Gender and time spent on online reviews were found to affect travel planning and decisions. Travelers also found that the reviews and issues raised in eWOM had credibility and were of good quality.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study was not able to incorporate all factors which may be relevant to this study and so further theoretical development may be necessary to develop the conceptual model. The sample size, while adequate, can be expanded further.\nPractical implications: Operators and administrators of eWOM can use these findings to develop more user-friendly interfaces so that more positive reviews and sales can be generated.\nSocial implications: The results showed that travelers who adopt the information in eWOM will, in turn, use eWOM in their travel planning. This confirms the importance of eWOM and travelers in general will translate their pre-travel decisions into actual travel planning.\nOriginality/value: This research extended existing eWOM and information system adoption studies and focused on the travel planning context. This research validated the significant roles of eWOM argument quality and credibility in predicting the information usefulness of eWOM.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The challenge of managing informally	[ "Line managers", "Informality", "Workplace conflict", "Devolution", "Dispute resolution", "Procedures" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Since the publication of the Gibbons (2007) review into the UK's system of dispute resolution, public policy has signaled a loosening of regulation and the promotion of more informal approaches to resolving workplace issues. The abolition of statutory dismissals and grievance procedures in 2008 and the introduction of a less prescriptive Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures was followed by the Coalition's consultation over \"Resolving Workplace Disputes\" which set out their vision \"for an employment dispute resolution system that promotes the use of early dispute resolution as a means of dealing with workplace problems\" (BIS, 2011a, p. 3). The government argued that the existing regulatory framework encouraged unduly formal approaches to workplace disputes which increased costs and restricted economic growth (BIS, 2011b). Subsequently, a series of measures has been introduced aimed at curbing the risks of employment litigation and providing employers with greater flexibility in the way that they respond to individual employment disputes.\nLiterature review: As part of an on-going devolution of people management responsibilities, the role of line managers (McGovern et al., 1997; Cunningham and Hyman, 1999; Hall and Torrington, 1998b; Larsen and Brewster, 2003) has progressively shifted to what Hales describes as \"performance oriented supervision\" (Hales, 2005). This includes appraisal and performance review practices as part of a developmental approach, but also involves the management of poor performance (Dunn and Wilkinson, 2002; Newsome et al., 2013) through the application of absence and capability procedures. Although these are also now more explicitly linked to disciplinary outcomes, managers are encouraged to act in a \"flexible and positive way\" (Armstrong and Barron, 2005, p. 12) and there appears to be an emphasis on the benefits of informality as a way of building consensus and enhancing performance in the context of employee involvement for example (Marchington and Suter, 2013). \"Proactive\" interventions by line managers are increasingly perceived to reduce the likelihood of problems becoming entrenched or escalating into more overt conflict between the individual employee and the organisation, thus avoiding formal disciplinary sanctions (Teague and Roche, 2012).\nMethodology: This paper draws on data from a variety of discrete projects, carried out over two waves. The first wave was primarily designed to examine accompaniment and representation in disciplinary cases and employee grievances. This involved case studies at seven different sites. This was then followed by five case studies which examined specific aspects of conflict management. Although the two waves of research were separate, a common area of enquiry in both projects and the semi-structured interviews conducted within them was the role played by front-line managers in handling workplace conflict.\nFindings: The challenges of managing informally\nDiscussion and conclusions: It could be argued that the current government emphasis on the informal resolution of disputes and conflict in the workplace (Gibbons, 2007; BIS, 2011a, b) fits well with managers' own preferences. However, our case studies suggest that managing informally is both complex and challenging and that for various reasons both organisations and managers might find procedural approaches to be more straightforward.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the orientations of line managers in handling workplace conflict. In particular it examines the tension between the traditional preference of frontline managers for informal approaches and the perceived certainty of written disputes procedures.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper draws upon findings from 12 organisational case studies, focusing on interviews conducted with HR and managers.\nFindings: As line managers undertake more responsibility for people management, their preferences for informal approaches to workplace issues appears to be being replaced by a more rigid adherence to policy and procedure. This is largely driven by a lack of confidence and expertise in conflict management and a fear of the repercussions (both legal and organisational) of mishandling difficult issues. Written procedure therefore provides managers with both a systematic guide but also a protective shield against criticism and litigation.\nResearch limitations/implications: It is not possible to generalise from a limited sample, therefore this suggested change requires further exploration to assess whether it has been evidenced in organisations more widely.\nPractical implications: For practitioners this research highlights the critical requirement for organisations to develop key skills among line managers to enable them to respond effectively to problems at an early stage.\nSocial implications: For policy-makers, the barriers to line managers implementing informal resolution should be considered.\nOriginality/value: This paper enriches understanding of line managers' current role in people management and the challenges they face in doing so informally.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Strategic, future-proof succession planning connects Telefonica with success: How HR was able to move the process on	[ "Leadership", "Succession planning", "Engagement", "Talent management", "Strategic workforce planning" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Today's organizations are operating in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment where change is the new normal. This new business arena requires much more from our talent. We now need a mobile, agile workforce ready and willing to take up new roles. For HR teams, though, this presents a significant challenge.\nAddressing the right issues: In a recent series of benchmarking interviews with global HR directors, Ochre House identified a number of barriers that are yet to be addressed. They included:\nOvercoming the barriers to success - the Telefonica story: Our client Telefonica is one of the world's leading integrated telecoms operators, providing communications, information and entertainment solutions with a presence in 24 countries worldwide. According to Jo Macbeth, UK and Europe talent manager at Telefonica, recent developments have created a greater need for sufficient talent strategies.\nTaking a different approach: While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to effective succession planning, the Telefonica example suggests there is a way to evolve current processes into a more business-aligned strategy. While this case study provides a best-practice example, Jo Macbeth did outline six key tips for HR teams looking to move the succession-planning journey on:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Outlines the barriers to efficient, strategic and future-proofed succession plans, centered on a case study example of Telefonica.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Draws on information provided by the company's UK and Europe talent manager.\nFindings: Describes the journey taken by Telefonica to build a succession plan that is both relevant now and adaptable to future demands, including key advice for HR specialist and resourcing teams.\nPractical implications: Shows that current succession plans are not working as effectively as they might. A fresh approach to the process can lead to HR developing a plan that is future proof, addresses the emerging talent market and is a true reflection of the current workforce.\nSocial implications: Emphasizes the importance of effective talent management in a constantly evolving business world.\nOriginality/value: Provides a useful case-study example of successful talent management and the main issues that a future-proof plan ought to consider.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Developing school resilience for disaster mitigation: a confirmatory factor analysis	[ "Disaster risk management", "Confirmatory factor analysis", "Disaster mitigation", "Disaster resilience", "Schools preparedness" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Disaster mitigation is required to be comprehensively designed for people in a disaster-prone area. Bogardi (2006) states that the biggest danger caused by a disaster is the high number of damage and death. In this case, disaster management should consider every condition in the natural and social construct holistically because the risk of the disasters cannot be significantly separated from predisposition, susceptibility, fragility, weakness, and deficiencies or lack of capacities.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 School resilience\n3. Method: This paper presents the result of a research conducted by employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative method, i.e. using sequential mixed method (Creswell and Clark, 2003). By mixing the approaches, it is expected that through this research, comprehensive data were obtained. The research took place in three senior high schools in disaster-prone areas in Indonesia, i.e. Yogyakarta, Kediri, and Padang. The settings were chosen by considering some important aspects, including that the three areas are prone to tectonic earthquake, which is, earthquake which happens due to the movement of tectonic plates. There are three tectonic plates in Indonesia, including Australian plate, Eurasian plate, and Pacific plate. Historically, Java and Sumatera oftenly experience earthquake of more than six Richter scale.\n4. Findings and discussion: 4.1 Findings\n5. Conclusion: The developed instrument is said to be accurate and consistent to measure school resilience. This is proven by the significant contribution of teachers and students in building their resilience for disaster mitigation. By conducting a model test with CFA test employing Lisrel program, the hypothesis is in accordance with the empirical data. Therefore, a construct model of school resilience indicator which is proposed is considered to be proper to explain two factors forming school resilience, i.e. mitigate risk factor in the environment and build resilience in the environment. Six variables that were investigated, i.e. increase bonding, set clear and consistent boundaries, teach life skills, provide caring and support, set and communicate high expectations, and provide opportunities for meaningful participation, are important aspects in building school resilience for disaster mitigation.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to create a valid and fit instrument to measure school resilience, and to understand teachers' and students' contributions to build school resilience.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The construct of school resilience is adapted from Henderson and Milstein's (2003) concept regarding two factors: mitigating risk factor in environment and building resilience in the environment. Senior high school teachers and students in a disaster-prone area in Indonesia were chosen as the sample using purposive sampling technique.\nFindings: The results of this research are that the instrument is considered as good, valid, reliable, and fit for measuring the students' and the teachers' contributions in building school resilience; and the results of the confirmatory factor analysis test of the hypothesized model of school resilience of teachers and students in a disaster-prone area are in line with the empirical data. Based on the analysis of the value of the major loading factors, teachers and students show different contributions. In building school resilience for disaster mitigation, teachers begin by mitigating risk factor in the environment whereas students tend to give a priority to build resilience in the environment.\nPractical implications: The results of this study are applicable to develop school resilience on disaster mitigation, and the instrument of the research provides a practical contribution to broader research scope, in terms of different population, school level, socio-cultural background, and disaster-prone area.\nOriginality/value: This study presents reliable instrument to measure teachers and students' contribution in building school resilience. This study also sought to understand the different contributions shown by teachers and students in building school resilience for disaster mitigation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Innovation strategy and performance of international technology services ventures: The moderating effect of structural autonomy	[ "Autonomy", "Innovation strategy", "International technology services venture", "ITVs", "Non-financial performance", "Structural autonomy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: International and internationalising technology ventures must innovate in order to remain relevant in the chosen market/s and ahead in the race of competition; such is the nature of today's international competition. Innovation is often thought of as a critical strategy for technology ventures (Li and Atuahene-Gima, 2001; McCann, 1991). Even with such potential, the findings of empirical research on the effect of innovation on technology venture performance are mixed; where two-thirds (or 67 per cent) reported a positive relationship and the rest (33 per cent) a negative or no relationship (Capon et al., 1990). This trend of mixed empirical results has continued, with Chandler and Hanks (1994) reporting a negative relationship; and Ndubisi and Agarwal (2014) reporting a positive relationship. Earlier, Ndubisi and Iftikhar (2012) investigated the relationship in enterprises of different sizes and found a positive effect of innovation on performance in both small and medium-sized firms. The contradictory empirical results have been linked to causes such as failure to integrate factors that may moderate the strength of innovation-performance relationship in most of the models. In recognition of the gap in research integrating contingency factors in strategy research (Ginsberg and Venkataraman, 1985), Li and Atuahene-Gima (2001) examined the moderating effect of environmental factors and relationship-based strategies of new technology ventures and highlighted the importance of such integration. There are also reports of managerial efforts in establishing organisational efficiency as the final goal of innovation development and implementation (Brancheau and Wetherbe, 1990; Damanpour and Evan, 1984). Decades later, the dearth of studies investigating other potential moderators of the relationship between innovation strategy and technology venture performance remains an important research gap, more so in non-western contexts.\nMethod: The hypotheses were tested using data collected from ITVs from Pakistan. The ventures provide ICT services to clients located around the world. Pakistan's ICT is the fastest growing economic sector in the country (Pakistan Software House Association (PSHA), 2010) and boasts of highly skilled yet significantly less expensive human resources, with exceptional capability/expertise in software design and development. International demand for ICT services has increased significantly in the last decade for Pakistan's ICT firms, which compete mainly on the bases of cost competitiveness and quality. The rising demand is also because ICT is thought of as a powerful competitive factor for firms (Barney, 1999; Porter and Miller, 1985) with a great potential to radically change the landscape of modern business and competition (Hasan and Harris, 2009).\nResults: Direct relationships: predicting innovation\nFuture research and conclusions: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the moderating effect of structural autonomy in the association of service products innovation, process innovation and administrative innovation with quality performance of international technology ventures from a key Asian economy. The focus of the study on ITVs from one country poses a limitation to generalisability of the findings; as such replications of the model in other contexts are called for in order to overcome this limitation. Second, there are other types of autonomy documented in the literature besides structural autonomy that future research could examine their moderating role in the relationships tested in this study or their direct and/or indirect effect on innovation types and organisational performance. They include managerial autonomy, policy autonomy, financial autonomy, legal autonomy, and interventional autonomy. Future research may also investigate the impact of autonomy typologies as well as other dimensions of EO (such as risk-taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness) on the rate or speed of innovations development and/or diffusion in international markets.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of structural autonomy in the relationship between innovation strategy and performance of international technology services ventures (ITVs).\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 200 ITVs serving markets outside their country of origin. Instrumentation followed standard procedure by adapting validated and parsimonious items from existing literature. Factor and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were applied to examine the hypothesised relationships.\nFindings: The results indicate a significant relationship between innovation strategy (namely service products innovation, process innovation and administrative innovation) and performance of ITVs. Structural autonomy moderates the relationship between process innovation, administrative innovation and performance. There is no moderating effect of autonomy in the association of service products innovation and performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study corroborates the argument that service firms have more to gain by granting autonomy. In the context of ITVs, such gains are directly linked to performance through enhanced innovation in service products, processes and administration. It adds to the growing suggestions and rebuttals in the literature of a trade-off between innovation and communication; and between exploration of new knowledge and exploitation of existing knowledge in organisations when there is autonomy.\nPractical implications: Management can increase innovation and performance by granting greater autonomy to employees. Managers who are concerned that autonomy's capacity to increase innovation capability may come at the expense of intra-organisational communication can be assured that intra-organisation communications can exist in the face of autonomy, and there is no real trade-off after all. Similarly, there is no basis for any concern for potential trade-off between exploration of new knowledge and exploitation of existing knowledge in organisations.\nOriginality/value: Research suggests that autonomy of subsidiaries, units, groups or individuals encourages innovation, and that innovation strategy can enhance organisational performance. However, there is a counter-argument that same autonomy potentially hinders exploitation and performance of innovations. The study sheds more light on these anecdotal views based on data from ITVs.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Umbrella brand price premiums: effects of compatibility, similarity, and portfolio size	[ "Brands", "Premium pricing", "Brand management" ]	[ { "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.\nConceptual framework and hypothesis: Attribute compatibility\nMethod: Previous brand portfolio studies test the effects of portfolio size and similarity (e.g. Dacin and Smith, 1994; Meyvis and Janiszewski, 2004); we both extend their findings and include attribute compatibility in our analysis.Pretest\nResults: Effects of portfolio characteristics on brand equity\nConclusion and discussions: This study applies network externalities theory to explain the portfolio characteristics of brand equity and highlights the role of attribute compatibility in a portfolio. The results demonstrate that consumers value attribute compatibility in a product portfolio. Although they are not statistically significant, the patterns of the price premium effects indicate that similarity in the product set also enhances the effect of attribute compatibility. This point makes intuitive sense; attribute compatibility offers extra convenience when products can be used together. The more similar products are, the greater are the chances that consumers will use them in combination. In other words, consumers not only recognize the value of attribute compatibility but also consider this feature more valuable as the chances of using it increase. Finally, as the product portfolio grows larger, diversification may result in a lower average price premium. To minimize this size dilution effect, firms should increase the similarity across their product portfolios.This study also produces some unexpected results, including evidence that subjects prefer to avoid buying all products from a single brand. Although attribute compatibility increases consumer convenience, consumers do not want to be constrained, such that they can only buy products from one brand. The problem becomes especially obvious for larger portfolios. In this sense, the presence of compatibility in a large portfolio may be less effective, because consumers are unlikely to benefit fully from this feature. However, the strength of a brand may help reduce this concern. Further research should examine the role of the parent brand's strength on the effectiveness of attribute compatibility. For example, all Apple products connect easily together; as the Apple brand's position in the market improves consumer concerns about choosing only Apple brand products may decline.\nManagerial implications: The study provides several important implications to brand managers. First, findings show that people value the compatibility attributes within a brand. Therefore, the study strongly encourages managers to develop compatible attributes among within a brand. When introducing a new brand extension product to the market, companies may consider highlighting features connecting products together. The Canon plug-in printing feature is an example of connecting different Cannon products together. Consumers value such kind of compatibility and would increase the likelihood of choosing different products under the same brand name. Meanwhile, such feature help increase brand loyalty by making the new products more attractive to existing consumers since they already have the product ready to work with the new one. Strong competitors in electronic industry, such as Canon, Sony, and many other companies all design the products with features connecting their own brand products. This study first time provided empirical evidence to support such practice.Second, as an immediate extension of the results, companies may consider offering such compatibility attribute by forming strategic alliances with other companies. For example, Netflix provides video streaming a group of electronic devices including Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii and etc. As Netflix becomes competitive, those equipments compatible with Netflix service would add extra value to their customers. In a similar vein, consumers should value such compatibility with a higher price premium. While this study only examines the compatibility within a brand name, future studies should examine such impacts in form of strategic alliances.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The study aims to examine the characteristics of product portfolio on the price premium of an umbrella brand. Specifically, the study seeks to explore three aspects of a product portfolio: the presence of attribute compatibility, similarity, and portfolio size.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A total of 232 subjects participated in the 2 (with/without compatibility)x2 (product sets: high similarity/low similarity)x3 (portfolio size: small, medium and large). Results support the hypothesis about the three factors.\nFindings: - Experimental results show that subjects on average are willing to pay a 9.45 percent price premium for the brand with the attribute-compatible portfolio. The effect of attribute-compatibility is more obvious for a similar than a dissimilar portfolio. In addition, larger portfolios dilute the price premium.\nOriginality/value: - The study first addresses the factor of attribute compatibility among a product portfolio. A product portfolio with attribute compatibility has features linking products together. For example, the \"direct-print\" feature among Canon products allows its cameras to print directly on Canon printers. The study finds that such a feature increases a brand price premium by 9.45 percent.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The evolution of business ethics research in the realm of tourism and hospitality: A bibliometric analysis	[ "Tourism", "Hospitality", "Business ethics", "Codes", "Bibliometric analysis", "Journals" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: This paper delineates the progress of business ethics research related to tourism and hospitality (T/H) so that scholars can develop effective research programs and practitioners can understand how research in this area has emerged. The intellectual structure of business ethics in T/H utilizes bibliometric analysis to assess articles addressing business ethics published in prominent T/H journals, as well as articles related to T/H published in leading business ethics journals included in the Social Sciences Citations Index (SSCI).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Business ethics research\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Criteria for database and journals selection\n4. Results and discussion: 4.1 Identification of reviewed articles\n5. Discussion and conclusions: 5.1 Conclusions\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to illustrate how business ethics research is progressing in the tourism and hospitality (T/H) industries and suggest a research agenda.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study applies bibliometric analysis to articles related to business ethics topics in the T/H fields published between 1995 and 2014 in six, nine and five leading hospitality-, tourism- and business ethics-oriented journals, respectively.\nFindings: This study provides a broad view on business ethics research in the T/H fields based on leading authors, institutions, themes and methods used over the past two decades.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study assesses the progress of business ethics research in the hospitality and tourism fields. Only articles published in select, prominent Social Sciences Citation Index journals were analyzed.\nPractical implications: This analysis focuses on published articles related to business ethics in the T/H fields. As such, it facilitates researchers, academic scholars and professionals in contributing to the field more effectively and advancing scientific progress in the literature. It aids practitioners by evaluating the extent to which scholars have investigated key issues in the field.\nOriginality/value: This study is the first to utilize bibliometric analysis to assess business ethics research focusing on T/H activities published in leading tourism, hospitality and business ethics journals.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Exploring managerial flexibility: determinants and performance implications	[ "Management technique", "Flexible learning", "Performance levels" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The last decade's technology industry has faced a turbulent and hyper-competitive environment created by multiple factors: information technologies, innovation, demanding customers, and market globalization. This pressure has forced firms to develop new managerial practices (operational, organizational and strategic) to determine and sustain a competitive advantage. According to Sommer (2003, p. 177), we should consider \"the concept of competitive advantage redefined in terms of organizational speed and flexibility.\" Companies that wish to achieve competitive advantage must take into account a new paradigm: flexibility. Some organizational practices developed serve as tools to cope with change and provide the companies with flexibility. Yet in the literature, we find little research about the relationship between hyper-competition, managerial flexibility and financial performance. This relationship can be valuable for research, since it allows us to understand how managerial flexibility became a new paradigm to cope with a complex, hostile, dynamic and uncertain environment.Managerial flexibility maintains a close relationship with the concept and characteristics of environment. For Emery and Trist (1965), a turbulent environment has high degrees both of interconnectedness with the organization and of change itself. In turbulent and hyper-competitive environments, that is, environments that face many changes and strong pressure from the competition, organizations that wish to control the situation must try to remain flexible. Competitive intensity requires firms to take a flexible approach so that they can adapt and improvise to put their best foot forward (Moorman and Miner, 1998). Organizational change requires the implementation of various managerial practices (McAdam and Galloway, 2005).Our main objective is to assess how the level of environmental turbulence influences managerial flexibility and how this influence leads firms to achieve higher financial performance. The development of scales to measure organizational flexibility helps managers, consultants and researchers to investigate new ways to solve the performance problems of some companies (Kathuria, 1998). We will operationalize flexibility using the concept of fit as a discrepancy between the managerial practices developed by excellent firms and the managerial flexible practices developed in the company. This constitutes an alternative method to measuring the concept of fit put forward by Venkatraman and Prescott (1990), who suggested the use of the ideal profile based on performance differences. In contrast, in our research the CEO defines the ideal profile that we use as comparative standard.\nTheoretical model: Managerial flexibility\nMethods: Sample\nResults: Table II shows the inter-factor correlations matrix to evaluate the significance level of the existing relationships. Significant and positive correlations exist between the factors, with the exception of turbulent environment with other factors. This fact makes sense, since the literature has not hypothesized these relationships. Table II also shows the approximately 95 percent interval required to confirm that the model does not have multi-colinearity problems. Because the value of 1.00 does not appear in the confidence level of the correlation, we do not find correlated endogenous constructs (Anderson and Gerbing, 1988).The results for the different hypotheses are shown in Figure 2. To test the hypotheses, we developed a structural equations system with the help of the Lisrel 8.30 software. On the basis of the hypotheses formulated, we defined environment and financial flexibility as exogenous constructs. The constructs concerning metaflexibility, managerial flexibility fit and performance were taken as endogenous constructs. The causality relations considered are non-recursive. The relationship of causality between financial flexibility and performance can be particularly problematic. For this reason, we initially opted for testing the direct and indirect causal relationship between the firms' financial flexibility and their performance. We carried out both recursive and non-recursive causality tests for these constructs. The results support the causality relationship defined in H5.The first hypothesis is confirmed significantly with regard to the influence that environmental attributes have on metaflexibility (t=5.30, p<0.001). The perceived environment has a positive significant impact on the degree of metaflexibility. There is also a positive influence of financial flexibility on metaflexibility (t=12.09, p<0.001) and managerial flexibility fit (t=1.27, p<0.10), confirming H4 and H3. This means that a greater level of financial flexibility increases the levels of metaflexibility and leads to a more favorable fit of the managerial flexibility gap. Likewise, the influence of the metaflexibility level on the managerial flexibility fit is also proven (t=5.69, p<0.01), which confirms the second hypothesis. This, we believe, reveals that an organization's learning capability improves the fit of the managerial flexibility levels. As regards performance, the results point to the influence of financial flexibility (t=11.98, p<0.001) and the managerial flexibility fit (t=2.32, p<0.01). This data confirms H5 and H6. In other words, a good fit in the managerial flexibility level and a high degree of financial flexibility imply an improvement in organizational performance. The results of the different indicators of the model's goodness-of-fit are satisfactory (NNFI = 0.95, CFI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.060, GFI = 0.97, IFI = 0.96 and AGFI = 0.96). This confirms that the equations that define the model represent the information well. The (kh2 statistic's value is significant (kh2=531.00, 211 df, p<0.001), which is normal, considering the sensitivity of this indicator to sample size (Hair et al., 1998). The remaining indices have values within the acceptable range. In short, these results validate the hypotheses formulated.\nDiscussion and conclusion: This paper provides an analytical approximation that studies how the determinants of managerial flexibility increase firm performance. The study begins by underlining how much attention the literature pays to managerial flexibility. We base our argument on an approximation in which the comparison of actual and required flexibility determines the degree of managerial adaptability that should influence subsequent organizational performance.Most researchers have become increasingly concerned with manufacturing and strategic flexibility. However, there is a notable lack of discussion and research on the analysis of the role played by managerial flexibility. Our study reviews and includes the different studies that show that flexible managerial practices can act as critical factors for organizations facing environmental change. After surveying the literature, we suggest that managerial flexibility may be a critical factor in the process of environmental turbulence confronting organizational systems. There is a need to develop alternative methods to measure flexibility. We also analyze the problems posed by measuring flexibility in terms of fit. The few existing empirical studies use flexibility indices. There is no analysis made of the fit between real flexibility and the level required by the environment as an explanatory variable of organizational performance.Our empirical study concentrated on three industrial sectors within the framework of the European Union: chemicals, electronics and vehicles. This choice of sectors responds to the interest inherent in carrying out a study of managerial flexibility in contexts with a high technological and competitive component. We found that a good fit in the level of managerial flexibility and a high degree of financial flexibility are related to better organizational performance. Likewise, the results revealed that achieving a good fit in an organization's level of managerial flexibility is conditioned by factors such as its metaflexibility and financial flexibility. Finally, it was shown that the characteristics defining the business environment have an impact on the level of metaflexibility.These major findings provides some theoretical and managerial insights into understanding the factors that determine an organization's degree of managerial flexibility as an organizational factor that helps it to face environmental turbulence. First, environmental turbulence affects the organization's learning systems. With a stable environment and low competition, organizations are not compelled to change their learning systems and thus do not feel the need to use new managerial systems and practices.Second, financial flexibility has a significant influence on achieving managerial flexibility (Sommer, 2003). The managerial flexibility fit is related to the organization's capacity to redesign managerial practices and adapt to environmental requirements. Without an optimal flexible capital structure that guarantees adequate financing of the changes, achieving good fit for the level of flexibility is impossible, regardless of whether the capability to learn and assimilate the changes is high.Third, the concept of metaflexibility contributes to explaining changes in managerial practices. This study addresses the idea that a greater level of organizational metaflexibility leads to a better fit of the level of managerial flexibility. Flexibility is a form of meta-control aimed at increasing the capacity to develop alternative options and implement new managerial practices. However, we observe that financial flexibility can also be a determinant of an organization's learning capability or metaflexibility. Consequently, a higher level of organizational metaflexibility is related to the level of managerial flexibility. However, this effect is mediated not only by the amount of financial resources available, but also by financial flexibility, since organizational learning usually entails a substantial economic cost.Finally, this study documents the fact that managerial flexibility can be defined as a permanent characteristic within the organization. For this reason, we have developed a measurement procedure to determine a gap, including the level of fit, between real and required managerial flexibility. This gap enables us to reflect the differences between what CEOs perceive to be their sector's requirements, in terms of environmental demands, and what they actually perceive within their own organization. The CEO is typically portrayed as someone who has primary responsibility for establishing managerial systems. The notion of fit included in this research enables us to carry out cross-sectional studies to measure it. This approximation allows us to check whether the fits between CEO-perceived requirements and the actual practices of their organizations bring about improved performance.Organizations' managers have an important job to do, creating the conditions that facilitate the development of alternative managerial options and maintain the organization's cushion of financial resources to facilitate the change between alternative options. Managers that perceive more environmental turbulence tend to be more sensitive to slack resources and possessing more dynamic learning systems. The use of managerial practices that supply the organizations with a set of alternatives measures should be co-aligned with the environmental characteristics. An excess of flexible practices can mean an excess of costs and thus a reduction in performance. When the environment is turbulent, managers should invest in flexible practices to confront variability. To promote this managerial flexibility, a learning system highly responsive to the environment is required. In summary, to increase organizational performance, depending on the environmental characteristics, managers should develop a balance between organizational slack, the learning system and the managerial practices used. Unbalanced managerial systems (e.g. financial flexibility without metaflexibility or vice versa, an excess or a lack of managerial practices) can decrease performance.This study has several limitations. The model is based on few factors. Future research should include more factors that affect managerial flexibility and some antecedents of organizational learning (Garcia-Morales et al., 2006). The introduction of information systems flexibility would be highly illustrative. The cross-sectional nature of the research into dynamic concepts such as flexibility and change on an organizational level means that we are able to analyze only an organization's specific situation, not its behavior over time. Thus, an organization may demonstrate a good fit at the time the diagnosis is made, but may have the dynamic fit capabilities with regard to future changes. We have based our arguments on the perceptions of persons holding the main responsibility for managerial systems in their organizations and have used a fit-based approximation to measure flexibility. We have thus softened this limitation somewhat, by selecting pairs of items that reflect dynamic flexibility qualities. Future research about flexibility should consider performance as a multidimensional outcome, integrating managerial flexibility in a balanced scorecard framework. Finally, the study sample is limited to EU member states, as well as to three specific sectors with a high-technological component. These sectors, in turn, are involved in the manufacture and commercialization of tangible goods that are very sensitive to change. Other sectors may give different results. To enhance the generalizability of this study's main results, future research may replicate this study to other industries or use samples from multiple countries to obtain comparative insights.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to propose a model to assess managerial flexibility and its determinants.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors perform a literature review to identify the main dimensions of managerial flexibility. Flexibility as a firm capability to co-align the firm and the business environment permanently is deeply related to the notion of fit. The proposed model integrates different approaches to fit. Based on an empirical, transnational study, the research proposes a model for managerial flexibility.\nFindings: - Three types of flexibility are measured: managerial flexibility, financial flexibility and metaflexibility. Financial flexibility and metaflexibility determine the degree of managerial flexibility, which in turn has positive implications for performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The variables included in the model are not exhaustive. The concept of fit implies a static perspective of flexibility.\nPractical implications: - The results are useful both for researchers and for practitioners. Researchers can benefit from a review of managerial flexibility and a methodology that combines different approaches to fit: matching, covariation and profile deviation. Practitioners can learn that managerial flexibility, articulated in some managerial practices, has positive effects on performance when they are in line with the requirements of the environment. In order to activate these practices, firms should maintain a commitment to learning capabilities and financial resources.\nOriginality/value: - Three contributions are important for research. First, the paper proposes a model for explaining the nature of managerial flexibility. Second, it shows that flexibility and fit are interrelated concepts and that fit improves the measurability of flexibility. Third, managerial flexibility has positive implications for firm performance.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
"Landholding-patriarchy hypothesis" and women's autonomy in rural India: An exploration of linkage	[ "Gender", "Property rights", "Agricultural economies", "Social policy", "Feminism", "Rights" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Women are half the world's population, but not with half the share of wealth, well-being and opportunity (IPS, 2011).\n2 Rationale of the study: The valid argument that stands out, after conceptualising from the above is whether \"landholding-patriarchy hypothesis\" is one of the key structural and institutional factor that influence women's autonomy. The landholding of the family is a crucial determinant of women's status and decision-making power. However, the recent analyses in gender studies have overlooked this significant hypothesis. The discourse on women's autonomy always remained subsumed within different discourse like rights and representation of women in society. The recent assessments tend to concentrate on restrictions in education and employment as robust indicators of women's autonomy. Further, when these factors improve, there ought to be a corresponding improvement in women's autonomy; this improvement does not seem to happen at the anticipated level. Presumably, the potential answer lies in the intra-familial patriarchal economic structure rooted in land, an area barely given a thought in the assessment of level of women autonomy in India. Therefore, this paper attempts to identify the underlying mechanism of association between the size of household landholding and women's autonomy empirically with a blend of historical perspective both, of India and abroad.\n3 Data: This paper uses the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3, 2006) data to explore the association between the household landholding and women's autonomy in rural India. The International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Macro Internationals under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), India coordinated NFHS-3 survey. The NFHS is the India equivalent of the worldwide Demographic Health Survey (DHS). DHS is a standardised survey conducted over 80 countries, and the 240 surveys across these countries have a standardised format for sampling procedures and questions. The NFHS-3 data is a repository of information collected from a countrywide representative sample of 109,041 households, 124,385 women in the age group of 15-49 years, covering all the 28 states of India that comprises more than 99 per cent of the national population (IIPS and Macro International, 2007). This study uses information about currently married, rural women in the age group of 15-49 years for the overall analysis (for details of sampling, please see IIPS and Macro-internationals, 2007).\n4 Method: In this study, we have used a two-part methodology. The first part provides theoretical background based on existing literature on women's autonomy and related information in formulating the \"landholding-patriarchy hypotheses\". The second part of this study evaluates the empirical evidences of the association between the size of household landholding and women's autonomy. In addition, an analytical framework is presented to illustrate the interconnectedness between household landholding and women autonomy.\n5 Results from the empirical findings: 5.1 Household landholding v. women's autonomy\n6 Discussion: Though several studies have presented evidence of gender-based discrimination in India, there is an apparent setback in terms of evidential and theoretical context of critical determinants of increasing masculinity. Absence of a theoretical framework and empirical evidence based efforts has been a major constraint in explaining lower women's autonomy. In order to address the decisive gap, \"landholding-patriarchy hypothesis\" is adopted as the principal means, to understand the linkages between size of household landholding and women's autonomy in rural India. The household landholding and women's autonomy relationship is attributed to the higher preference for males in order to maintain or inherit large size of landholdings in accordance with the cultural context of division of labor in Indian society. With the control on critical economic resources, men exercise their control on women's freedom as women depend on men financially and economically. As evident from the study, curtailing of women autonomy is obvious in case of households with larger size of landholding than households with smaller size of landholding.\n7 Conclusion: This study offers insightful evidence supporting the \"landholding-patriarchy hypotheses\". The study suggests that, in spite of, the fact that women are educated and employed, male continues to dominate particularly in large landholding families, and women do not have much socioeconomic freedom to exercise their choice. The analysis suggests that there is an exigent need to re-establish gender line discussions around \"landholding-patriarchy hypothesis\" to develop suitable strategies to address male preference and reduce gender discrimination in Indian society. This underlying mechanism (landholding and patriarchy relationship and its influence on women's discrimination) has to be brought to the centre stage of gender related analysis and policy agenda. Given the issue of female oppression in terms of property (land) rights and inheritance laws, the solutions can be found in restriction of male dominance in land ownership and property inheritance. Focus should be placed on proper implementation of land rights laws, women's access to land ownership and management to amelioration the status of women. Independent ownership of land and other property is vital for promoting the empowerment of rural women in India.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The paper aims to find out how far the size of household landholding directs patriarchal traits and thus influence women's autonomy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study used a two-part methodology. The first part provides theoretical background based on existing literature on women's autonomy and related information in formulating the \"landholding-patriarchy hypotheses\". The second part of this study evaluates the empirical evidences of the association between the size of household landholding and women's autonomy.\nFindings: Results indicate considerable variation in women's autonomy with the size of their household landholding: women's autonomy decreases with increasing size of household landholding. Evidence suggests that landholding directs patriarchal traits, as manifested in a reasonable influence on women's autonomy in rural India.\nOriginality/value: The paper innovates a means to understand the contributing factors to lowering women's autonomy, thus explore the relevance of \"landholding-patriarchy hypothesis\".\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Social media for environmental sustainability awareness in higher education	[ "Higher education", "Literature review", "Social media", "Awareness", "Environmental sustainability" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Environmental sustainability awareness is one of the prerequisites for environmental attitude and behavioural change in caring for the natural environment in the face of impeding climate change and global warming. Higher education across the globe holds the responsibility for shaping students and staff in terms of environmental awareness and changing the attitude of future generations towards the importance of preserving the natural environment. In the current context of higher education, various faculty members are playing an active role in creating environmental sustainability awareness among the university students, such that any development and environmental degradation attributed to universities through their daily business activities is being minimised. Universities have the potential for educating the younger generations, particularly students towards environmental sustainability through their education system, curriculum, syllabus, practices and Green University vision. Towards this end, this paper posits that social media can be repurposed as a tool to convey environmental sustainability awareness to students and staff in higher education.\nObjective of this review: This study investigates the role of social media in higher education for environmental sustainability awareness. Based on the literature search, it was found that there is an absence of an SLR type of paper published with regard to the topic of the role of social media in environmental sustainability awareness in the context of higher education. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to capture, summarise, synthesise and critically comment on how higher education around the world addresses the issue of environmental sustainability and raising awareness among students and staff, either with or without the assistance of social media.\nMethodology: To facilitate the objective attainment of this review, three research questions were constructed, as per SLR requirements:\nDiscussion: In this section, discussion pertaining to the entire findings made out of the SLR process is presented. The discussion is geared towards understanding the role of social media in creating environmental sustainability awareness in higher education.\nConclusion: In general, environmental sustainability awareness is not an entirely new topic in the literature. It has been heavily discussed in various academic publications, such as journals and conferences. However, the topic is multi-faceted as it is approached from various angles as discussed above. Environmental sustainability and its awareness is currently a global movement, and discussion of this topic does exist around the world. From Asia to Africa to Europe, North America and South America, the topic is of interest to higher education. The topics however revolve around a green curriculum, green syllabus, green lessons, green practices and even a green university. However, there is still a lack of studies on the use of technology of any kind highlighted as a means to disseminate the environmental awareness issue. More so, in the age of social media, very limited research deals with the use of social media, such as Facebook or Twitter to create awareness among students, staff and administrators of higher education on environmental sustainability. This can be seen as an opportunity missed, where the pervasiveness of social media should actually be leveraged as the most effective medium to convey the message on environmental sustainability awareness. Therefore, there is a huge potential in this research area concerning how social media can be optimally leveraged to benefit environmental sustainability and the vision for sustainable development. Future research needs to take advantage of this current gap to investigate this topic and be empirically supported by theories using quantitative, qualitative or mixed-method-based research. Future studies could also develop relevant frameworks to propose an effective use of social media for creating environmental sustainability awareness in higher education.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The explosion of social media use such as Facebook among higher education students is deemed to have great potential in widely disseminating environmental sustainability awareness. The paper aims to capture, summarise, synthesise and comment on the role of social media to garner interest of students and staff on environmental sustainability issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Systematic literature review technique is adopted, and three selected online databases were searched for relevant papers for review. Specific data were extracted from each paper, and the discussion section was based on the developed research questions.\nFindings: Higher education needs to fully leverage the ubiquity of social media to extend how environmental sustainability is viewed by the students and staff. Sustainability practices conducted at the university level such as recycling, reduction of electricity and water consumptions and paper reduction in classroom and used to engage students on environmental matters. For staff, social media can be leveraged as to convey the university policy and assist in their quest to become full-fledged green universities.\nResearch limitations/implications: Some of the limitations of this research include the lack of keyword search using synonyms or related terms equivalent to the term \"awareness\", lack of forward and backward searches, and the papers were searched until end of 2013 only. Future research needs to take advantage of the current limitations to investigate this topic and be empirically supported by theories using quantitative, qualitative or mixed-method-based research. Future studies could also develop relevant frameworks to propose an effective use of social media for creating environmental sustainability awareness in higher education.\nPractical implications: Propagations of environmental sustainability awareness in higher education would be more effective with the use of social media.\nSocial implications: In principle, the increase of environmental awareness level would increase the students' good behavioural conduct on environmental sustainability.\nOriginality/value: While the broad topic of environmental sustainability in higher education is widely discussed, the role of social media in shaping environmental sustainability awareness is still under researched. This situation provides a significant potential for exploration by sustainability researchers to craft their investigation on the effective role of social media in creating environmental awareness in higher education.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
An examination of the entrepreneurial intent of MBA students in Australia using the entrepreneurial intention questionnaire	[ "Entrepreneurship", "Management education", "Theory of planned behaviour", "Intent" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The relationship of entrepreneurial activity with long-term economic development and growth has long been established (Engle et al., 2008). Entrepreneurship has been identified as a key element in solving development imbalances globally (GEM, 2012) and is acknowledged politically and elsewhere as having a positive impact on wealth generation and poverty amelioration (Lee-Ross and Lashley, 2009). Key global indicators bear witness showing that 25 per cent of the general adult population intend to start a business within three years (entrepreneurial intent (EI)). In total, 54 per cent believe they have the required skills and knowledge to start a business (perceived capabilities). Additionally, 45 per cent consider that there to be opportunities for entrepreneurship as a career choice (GEM, 2016, p. 16).\nLiterature review: Evidence suggests that entrepreneurship depends on the presence of \"pull\" and \"push\" factors. The former attract individuals to an industry whilst the latter are negative circumstances such as unemployment, redundancy and job dissatisfaction (Mueller and Thomas, 2000). Pull and push factors may also influence the individual externally. That is, they have little to do with internal predispositions or personality characteristics of a person but rather are those which are uncontrollable contextual factors (Zimmerer and Scarborough, 2005). However, Krueger et al. (2000) consider contextual factors to have poor predictive ability. In other words, opportunities may present themselves but exploitation depends on the capabilities and motivation of the individual (e.g. see Beugelsdijk and Noorderhaven, 2005 and Segal et al., 2005).\nTheory and instrument: Attitude towards entrepreneurial behaviour concerns a general evaluation of that behaviour; in other words, whether it is attractive or not. This is based on perceived consequences of the behaviour and whether it will lead to desired positive or negative outcomes, for example, autonomy, personal wealth and achievement motivation (Engle et al., 2008). Subjective norms are based on personal appraisal of the social pressure to perform the entrepreneurial act. This assessment is an estimate of support for the behaviour by significant others including friends, work colleagues, family and so on (Pruett et al., 2009). After reviewing the evidence, Linan and Chen (2009) conclude that subjective norms appear less important in their own right in affecting EI. Instead, they argue that the impact of this collective factor is equivocal. Some researches has revealed a significant relationship with EI, whilst, in others, none has been observed. Other studies show a positive relationship between subjective norms (e.g. see Schlaegel and Koenig, 2014) and both attitude and perceived behavioural control. This is because of the social capital element of subjective norms and the resultant impact of values communicated by influential others. Sometimes referred to as self-efficacy and perceived feasibility (Engle et al., 2008) or \"self-belief\" (Ibrahim and Mas'ud, 2016), perceived behavioural control is about a personal assessment of one's competence and control in becoming an entrepreneur. In short, the TPB provides an explanation of how the individual and collective antecedents predict intent (Ajzen, 1991). Figure 1 summarises the major tenets of Azjen's TPB model as discussed above.\nEIQ: The EIQ was developed and tested using 519 students from two Spanish and Taiwanese universities by Linan and Chen (2009) rooted in Ajzen's (1991) TRB. These authors explain its development and cross-checking with other similar instruments used, for example, by Krueger et al. (2000) and Autio et al. (2001). In short, psychometric properties were found to be robust in Linan and Chen's original study and other researchers have shown similar results (e.g. see Malebana, 2014).\nMethodology: A standpoint of pragmatism was adopted for the present research. Briefly, this is where objectivity, observable phenomena and subjective meaning can produce useful knowledge depending on the research questions (see Sekaran and Bougie, 2013, p. 30). Linan and Chen's (2009) EIQ was used to gather data from final-year MBA students across two Australian campuses of the same university. Students undertaking entrepreneurship subjects were deliberately chosen as this was seen as a strong indication of their future EI. Permission for the study was granted by the MBA director. Specific lecturers were then approached to see whether they would be willing for the researcher to distribute the EIQ to students at the beginning of lectures; all agreed. The researcher waited for the anonymous forms to be completed and collected. It was believed that this approach would help increase response rates. In total, and after cleaning data from a convenience sample of 260 students, 249 questionnaires were useable.\nPsychometric properties of the EIQ: The robustness of the TPB, through the EIQ, is yet to be substantiated in an entrepreneurial context, particularly in Australia. Therefore, the data were subjected to a principal components analysis. This attempts to mathematically derive a small number of variables to explain the information in the observed variables (Suhr, n.d.).\nResults: Scatterplots revealed the relationships between predictor variables and EI to be linear. Interaction effects were unremarkable. Tolerance and VIF statistics suggested no significant level of collinearity. Coefficients for the TPB appear in Table II showing correlations between each predictor variable and EI to be significant.\nDiscussion and conclusion: The aim of this study was first to assess the sections of Linan and Chen's EIQ purported to correspond with Ajzen's (1991) TPB for measuring EI amongst final-year MBA students. The dimensionality of the instrument was found to be satisfactory with each appropriate item loading cleanly on model-specified factors. The second aim was to see how well the three independent variables of personal attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control predict EI.\nLimitations and recommendations: The usual limitations of using students, whilst no different to many other studies, including generalisability hold. Furthermore, individuals may change their intent at or after graduation. A one-shot research design used here is unable to address that issue; longitudinal and quasi-experimental research into EI is therefore recommended. Also, like many studies, the present research only looked at issues which would encourage EI. It did not scrutinise factors leaving entrepreneurship as the only option such as unemployment, redundancy and job dissatisfaction.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the entrepreneurial intentions of MBA students in Australia. Linan and Chen's Entrepreneurial Intentions Questionnaire (EIQ) was used for this purpose which, in part, is based on Azjen's theory of planned behaviour.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using a pragmatic approach, a purposive convenience sample of 249 students from an Australian university was used. Permission was granted from the MBA director to visit a number of classes to distribute and collect completed survey forms.\nFindings: The psychometric properties of the EIQ were confirmed. However, the \"subjective norm\" predictor variable was not corroborated as an antecedent of \"entrepreneurial intent (EI)\".\nResearch limitations/implications: These findings cannot be truly generalised given the nature of the research design. Furthermore, the intentions of students may be different by the time they graduate.\nPractical implications: The weak relationship between subjective norm and intent questions the value of networking with industry groups. University education should focus on developing those characteristics associated with the remaining independent variables. For example, a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship should be developed together with confidence building and self-efficacy linked to \"perceived behavioural control\".\nOriginality/value: The psychometric properties of the EIQ were confirmed but, unlike other studies, the \"subjective norm\" predictor variable was not corroborated as an antecedent of EI. Therefore, the value of support from family, friends and associated support organizations such as Chambers of Commerce become questionable in terms of EI.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
"Tacit pedagogy" and "entanglement": practice-based learning and innovation	[ "Innovation", "Learning processes", "Workplace learning", "Lifelong learning", "Organisational development" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Workplaces are now generally understood to be dynamic and evolving contexts for practice, in which significant learning takes place informally; where much of the knowledge involved, whatever the domain of practice, is tacit and shared between teams and communities of practice; and in which work processes, organisational structures and relationships change and evolve constantly as they interact with changes in the social, political and economic environment.\n2. Three practice-based accounts of innovation: The accounts of Ellstrom (2010), Billett (2012) and Guile (2014), already mentioned, are all clearly critical of \"standard paradigm\" conceptions (Beckett and Hager, 2002) of workplace learning and innovation. However, they diverge in terminology and in the main focus of their attention. Both Ellstrom and Billett see innovation and the evolution of workplace processes as emerging from dualistic tensions: between the largely explicit and top-down \"logic of production\" and the more implicit and bottom-up \"logic of development\" (Ellstrom, 2010, pp. 32-33), or between employees' motivation and \"the constraints provided by the workplace\" (Billett, 2012, p. 95). Ellstrom's perspective is primarily that of organisational development and his conclusion is that the traditional \"top-down model\" of planned change needs to incorporate practice-based changes \"from below\". He highlights the significance of employee autonomy, and of employee motivation and engagement in making use of this autonomy. In comparison, Billett's \"socio-personal\" account primarily reflects the employee's perspective, and the active role of employees, for better or worse, in the evolution of work processes over time:\n3. The study: TLZ R&D is a relatively small division of a large broadcast-engineering and media corporation, (TLZ), partly supported by public funds under the terms of a charter nearly 100 years old. It has played a major role in many of the most important technological developments in broadcasting since the 1920s. TLZ itself is a household name, but its research and development (R&D) division has a much lower public profile. There have been consistent research themes throughout its history, for example, the search to improve signal compression while maintaining quality, improving the experience of the users of its technology and its public service responsibilities.\n4. TLZ R&D: findings: The most significant findings from the data on TLZ R&D, as indicated above, will now be elaborated in more detail.\n5. Discussion: As we have seen, the study suggests that informal dimensions of practice, relatively neglected in the literature (Jensen et al., 2007), are of central importance in understanding the mechanisms supporting or inhibiting productive changes in the workplace. It further spotlights three specific interrelated practices, clearly visible in the work of the TLZ engineers, which are associated with realising the innovative potential of practice. We now discuss the implications of these findings and introduce two new conceptual terms.\n6. \"Tacit pedagogy\": The concept of \"tacit pedagogy\", applied to contexts of workplaces or contexts of activity in general, is suggested as helpful in understanding the phenomenology of practice in TLZ R&D, as experienced by the engineers themselves. It denotes all aspects of environments for practice which impact upon practitioners, in both enabling and constraining senses, and including, critically, those more informal modes of knowledge and innovation described by Jensen et al. (2007) as \"Doing, Using and Interacting\", as well as features of the working environment which can be understood as agentic in practice (Knorr Cetina, 1999; Marchand, 2017). It also includes the explicit science, technology and innovation modes of knowledge (Jensen et al., 2007), when these act tacitly and in affective ways as well [see for example Knorr Cetina (1999)]. The key conceptual function the concept serves is to delineate the indeterminate space of potential within practice which allows us to account for unplanned or unexpected outcomes (which may be either desirable or undesirable, depending on the perspective of the observer). It is important that this space is understood to include explicit, formal and codified elements of practice, but that it is not restricted to these. This space appears in Guile's (2014) account of \"recontextualisation\" as an implication of the essentially unpredetermined nature of the judgements made by practitioners in peer-reviewing the quality and validity of each other's representations of practice. Another dimension of this space is constituted by the continuous interaction, for better or worse, between the dynamic environment and human practitioners; this point rebalances Ellstrom's (2010) organisation-based account of practice-based innovation, and enriches Billett's (2001, 2012) delineation of \"affordances\" for workplace learning.\n7. \"Entanglement\": \"Entanglement\" is proposed as an analytical and descriptive term which can overcome the phenomenological distortion in most accounts of practice and workplace learning implied by positing discrete dualities such as \"theory and practice\", \"formal and informal\" or \"tacit and explicit knowledge\". It is suggested on the evidence of this study, that TLZ R&D practitioners in the moment of practice experience these dualities not as distinct entities but as mutually undifferentiated elements of the field of practice. They use their professional judgement to manage these entangled dualities, for better or worse, in their continuous reconstruction and renewal of practice. The term is not intended to echo its use in particle physics; a powerful precedent for using it in this epistemological context can be found in Barad (2007) who in her critique of technocratic epistemology speaks of \"the mutual constitution of entangled agencies\" (p. 33). Introducing the term is also not intended to imply that there is no value in making use of these intellectual distinctions; rather it is a reminder that such conceptual devices distort practice as it is, for the most part, experienced and enacted.\n8. Conclusion: This paper suggests that observing instances of \"writing up\", \"peer review\" and \"boundary crossing\", and particularly of the degree to which and the ways in which, in different situations, they are undertaken formally or informally, provides a viable methodology for evaluating the significance of the informal dimensions of workplace practice, learning and innovation, and that this approach may pay dividends in other contexts of practice too. Applying this approach to other contexts of practice would extend productive research in this field and help further develop the theoretical literature framing it. Different situations in which this conceptual, epistemological and methodological approach might produce interesting and valuable data would include practice in purely commercial organisations, in wholly Web-based digital collaborative projects, designated \"crowdwork\" by Margaryan (2019), in contexts characterised by self-employment and consultancy, in other forms of precarious contract work and in \"hobbyist\" activities (Marchand, 2017).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper argues that the informal dimensions of practice are critical for understanding workplace learning and innovation, but have been under-theorised and under-researched. This paper aims to build on the thinking of Ellstrom (2010), Billett (2012) and Guile (2014) to account for the emergence of innovation through practice, and propose two new concepts for improving our understanding of innovation as process: \"tacit pedagogy\" and \"entanglement\". This argument is evidenced through a recent study of team-working in a high-profile engineering company.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Qualitative interview data was collected on the informal features of organisational culture and work processes supporting innovation, and how these features intersect and interrelate with the formal features and procedures of the organisation.\nFindings: Three generic modes of team-working practice are identified which, it is suggested, are likely to be associated with innovatory working, and are observable practices available to future researchers.\nPractical implications: Productive approaches to the organisation of work processes so as to enhance practitioner learning and the potential for innovation are evidenced and evaluated.\nOriginality/value: The concepts \"tacit pedagogy\" and \"entanglement\", intended to improve theoretical understanding of learning and innovation through practice, are introduced.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Experience design and the dimensions of transformative festival experiences	[ "Festivals", "Experience design", "Liminality", "Positive psychology", "PERMA", "Transformation economy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Traditionally, festivals originated as periodic events for the purpose of celebrating religious, historical, national and ethnic relations within a community (Ma and Lew, 2012). With the advent of the experience economy (Pine and Gilmore, 2011), festivals inhabited space and time for unusual encounters, human connections and memorable experiences that stand in stark contrast to everyday life (Brown and Sharpley, 2019). While contemporary festivals are often represented as flourishing grounds for extraordinary experiences (Cetin and Walls, 2016), they increasingly serve as a way to create a cultural identity, lifestyle, community, belonging and self-actualisation (Yolal et al., 2016). Furthermore, festivals are a manifestation of creating escapism (Laing and Mair, 2015) and a seasonal cultural economy to experience ritually and collectively. Different from traditional travel or pilgrimage (Pung et al., 2020), the uniqueness of festivals lies in their high intensity (e.g. three days). As festivals offer temporal and spatial liminality (Getz and Page, 2016), they are increasingly portrayed as a prime vehicle for positive human transformation (Robertson et al., 2015; Wu et al., 2020).\nConceptual background: From the experience economy to the transformation economy\nMethodology: To explore the psychological dimensions of transformative festival experiences, a constructivist qualitative approach was used (Rihova et al., 2018). Guided by the literature of positive psychology, PERMA and experience design (Seligman, 2012; Egger and Bulencea, 2015), in-depth semi-structured interviews were used to distil EDM festival participants' narratives, feelings and emotions (Little et al., 2018; Laing and Mair, 2015). The interview guide was designed based on the PERMA framework (Appendix 1).\nFindings: The thematic analysis led to the identification of a framework of six main dimensions, including five PERMA dimensions and liminality and within each, a myriad of sub-dimensions that create an environment to trigger transformative experiences. A detailed discussion of each factor follows, supported by a thick description through the participant quotes. Table 2 presents a summary of the coding results with definitions and quote examples.\nConclusions: We currently witness a pursuit of designed positive experiences that may unlock transformation (Pine and Gilmore, 2011). Human transformative experiences have been studied in several life contexts, e.g. pilgrimage, ecotourism, spiritual tourism, volunteering, cultural immersion and virtual reality (Gaggioli, 2016; Kirillova et al., 2017a, 2017b; Pung et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2020). The goal of this study was to elicit the dimensions of transformative festival experiences that elicit potential human transformation. This research identified novel psychological and contextual dimensions around PERMA and liminality at the core of the pre, during and post-phases of a transformative festival experience. Consistent with previous literature, the sense of escapism and liminality (Laing and Mair, 2015) was critical to lead to hyper-excitement and an elevated state of emotion, which leads to full immersion and potential expansion of the view of the self and others (Gaggioli, 2016). While experiences and particularly transformation, remain inherently subjective (Volo, 2009), a circumstantial environment can be designed as a \"time-space vehicle\" that could become a trigger of an inner psychological process for eventual transformation (with full integration) to occur.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: In the emerging transformation economy, there is a shift from staging memorable experiences for many to eliciting life-transformative events for one. This study aims to understand how transformative experiences can be guided and what prerequisites are needed to elicit human transformation when designing experiences. This study borrows positive psychology as a theoretical lens to explore festivals as a prime context for liminal transformative experiences in the hospitality context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A constructivist qualitative research design was used through 31 in-depth interviews. To ensure experience recollection, memory formation and integration of the experience into long-term transformative effects, all interviewees had attended an electronic dance music festival in the past 12 months.\nFindings: Guided by the positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishments (PERMA) model, the thematic analysis revealed a series of psychological and contextual dimensions around PERMA and liminality that need to occur for transformative experiences, personal growth and self-transcendence to happen.\nPractical implications: This study provides a guideline for event organisers and experiences designers to intentionally design and occasion positive human experiences in temporal and spatial liminal hospitality consumption contexts. Psychological and contextual dimensions are identified as critical factors in facilitating human transformation.\nOriginality/value: This paper bridges the emerging transformation economy, experience design and positive psychology. Grounded in PERMA, the study offers a novel theoretical model that serves as a framework for both transformative experience research and practical experience design.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Strategic discipline: inconspicuous lessons from Germanic Mittelstand firms	[ "Simplicity", "Pivot", "Mittelstand", "Implementability", "Strategic discipline" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The success of firms depends as much on the strategic choices they make as upon the strategic choices they decide not to make. Not surprisingly, most prior research has focused on the visible strategy choices companies have made a lot more than on the practically invisible history of strategic choices that firms have not made. Yet we know that the choices that firms refrain from are important. As Warren Buffett said: \"The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything[1]\". We focus on the Germanic Mittelstand and indicate how this group of firms[2], while growing in global markets, incorporates naysaying into their strategy. Based on the cases of three Mittelstand firms notable for the many opportunities they chose to say no to (ALDI, Stihl and Hipp), we derive the concept of strategic discipline and analyze how strategic discipline has enabled these firms to avoid falling into strategic pitfalls to which many other firms have succumbed. At the same time, we identify the kinds of decision criteria that enable these otherwise quite heterogeneous firms to say yes to certain opportunities. From these criteria, we distill three basic dimensions of strategic discipline:\nFrom strategic pivoting to strategic discipline: The concept of strategic discipline as a pattern in strategic choices is best illustrated via the contrast with the trendy concept of pivoting. As an offshoot of methods practiced originally by Lean Startups but also advocated for larger companies (Blank, 2013), pivoting encapsulates the way that firms experiment with ideas in the market and use vital feedback from customers before committing to a specific target market and business model. Pivoting involves learning without costly, irreversible strategic commitments (Pillai et al., 2018). Yet once a firm decides to \"pivot\" and to make precisely such costly irreversible, strategic commitments, the importance of strategic discipline becomes manifest: for once a firm has accumulated commitment-specific assets, any further pivot down the road jeopardizes the value of its firm-specific assets.\nPrinciple #1: Cultivating simplicity: The cultivation of simplicity appears to be one of the best-documented decision criteria behind the choices that successful Mittelstand firms make. Simplicity can be seen in the key pivot of the three firms examined here. The key pivot can be reduced to one very simple firm-specific market focus: the lowest possible retail price (ALDI), 100 per cent organic baby food (Hipp) and the one-man portable chainsaw (Stihl). Second, simplicity in market focus is a way of maintaining strategic clarity (Dobni et al., 2016), not only in the firm's leadership but also across the organization. Cultivating simplicity enables Mittelstand companies to ensure that all organizational members understand and contribute to the firm's overall direction.\nPrinciple #2: Resisting short-term temptations: Strategic discipline assists organizations in maintaining their long-term competitive advantage. Yet short-term temptations constantly appear that can distract or even derail the organization from the path of long-term competitiveness: these are the easy fixes to problems and easy short-term profit opportunities beset with future liabilities. Behavioral economics tells us that humans naturally overvalue short-term gains and undervalue long-term gains (Buell Hirsch, 2014). Although one conventionally distinguishes between strategy formulation and strategy implementation as separate steps, the concept of strategic discipline reminds us of their tenuous interrelationship: temptations in the course of daily strategy implementation can easily risk undermining the firm's formulated strategy.\nPrinciple #3: Focusing on implementability: The question still remains as to how firms can develop their business while exercising strategic discipline. What one observes in the Germanic Mittelstand is that firms usually expand into new national markets by exploiting systems that they already know how to implement. One way to put it is that Germanic Mittelstand firms try to replicate in new markets what works in their existing markets as much as they can, for all the adaptation that may be required abroad. Replication is now recognized as a key growth strategy (Winter and Szulanski, 2001) and arguably reflects the basic growth principal of strategic discipline, namely, to prioritize growth in markets where past success formulae can be duplicated and in any event to try to duplicate as much as market conditions allow. For example, it was unheard-of in US supermarkets that shoppers would place a coin or token in their shopping carts - until, that is, ALDI came to America and insisted that US shoppers do the same as their European shoppers.\nConclusion: advantages and limitations of strategic discipline: It may be worth summarizing the previous three dimensions of strategic discipline by explaining the strategic advantages they create in addition to the costs created by not abiding by a policy of strategic discipline. In the case of cultivating simplicity, the main advantage seems to lie in low complexity costs. McKinsey has made a major consulting business out of removing complexity costs in those firms having strayed from the principle of strategic discipline, suggesting that complexity costs are indeed one prevalent problem in business (Rommel, 1995). In the case of resisting short-term temptations, the main advantage seems to lie in maintaining an undiluted competitive advantage. One key to sustaining competitive advantage, in other words, is not to dilute it. In the case of focusing on implementability, the main advantage seems to lie in providing a clear line of sight for business development. In their search for growth, firms virtually always have a myriad of options. Focusing on implementability may not always produce the fastest way to grow the top line, but it may provide the soundest foundation for maintaining a healthy bottom line.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop the hitherto unexplored concept of strategic discipline.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Three fairly iconic firms of the Germanic Mittelstand (ALDI, Stihl and Hipp) are examined. The meaning and relevance of strategic discipline is derived.\nFindings: Intuitively, strategic discipline may seem like the antipode to the much-discussed concept of pivoting. In fact, strategic discipline is shown to be the natural corollary of strategic pivoting as a successive phase in a company's development.\nResearch limitations/implications: In fast-moving or fast-changing environments, strategic discipline may be inappropriate. Furthermore, the exercise of strategic discipline can restrain growth. Once firms have attained a certain size and saturation of the market, the desire for further growth may entail a willingness to loosen the hold of strategic discipline.\nPractical implications: Strategic discipline can enable firms to avoid falling into common strategic pitfalls. From this paper, the authors distill three basic dimensions of strategic discipline: cultivating simplicity, resisting short-term temptations and focusing on implementability.\nOriginality/value: The success of firms depends as much on the strategic choices they make as upon the strategic choices they decide not to make. Most prior research has focused on the visible strategy choices companies have made a lot more than on the practically invisible history of strategic choices that firms have not made. This contribution does the opposite, filling an evident gap.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
SPOKEdb: open-source information management system for oral history	[ "Oral history", "Omeka", "Blacklight", "Oral history metadata synchronizer (OHMS)", "SPOKEdb", "University of Kentucky Libraries" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: SPOKEdb is an open-source information management system designed and built at the University of Kentucky Libraries to better manage and provide access to the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History's collection. The Nunn Center's collection currently encompasses over 10,000 interviews (Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, 2017).\nThree user roles and three interface layers: The SPOKEdb oral history management system provides three interface layers: Manager, Reference and Public. Each layer is tailored to a specific purpose and type of user. The Manager and Reference layers are intended as tools for technical services staff and are thus kept secure behind both a firewall and user authentication. These layers are built upon the Omeka (Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, 2017a) open-source software. Content managers use the Manager layer to accession and describe new interviews. Reference staff use the Reference layer to query and respond to reference questions and requests. The Public layer is built using the Blacklight (Project Blacklight, 2017) open-source software. This layer is open to the world and allows users to search and navigate all published records.\nManager layer: The first layer of SPOKEdb is the Manager interface (Figure 2). This builds upon the Omeka content management software and is secured via user authentication and IP restriction. Content managers can use this layer to create and edit resource records and publish, restrict or suppress individual records or even entire collections. Administrators can also use the Manager interface to configure some aspects of the SPOKEdb system, such as importing metadata records via CSV, creating new metadata fields for records or enabling or disabling plugins.\nReference layer: The second layer of SPOKEdb is the Reference interface (Figure 6). This layer is secured via IP restriction but can also be configured to use user authentication. The Reference layer allows for reference staff in the Nunn Center to search and view all records in the system, even if they are restricted or suppressed (Figure 7).\nPublic layer: The third layer of SPOKEdb is the Public interface. This layer is made accessible without restriction via the Web. It is maintained with a Solr index and the Blacklight discovery platform. The Public layer features an embedded display of the OHMS Viewer and allows users to browse by theme, subject, people and projects. This layer also uses an open-source Aeon requestor. This software allows users to select up to ten interviews at a time to submit to the Aeon service (Figure 9). \"Aeon is automated request and workflow management software specifically designed for special collections libraries and archives\" (Atlas Systems, 2017).\nTechnological design overview: A major goal for SPOKEdb was to build a comprehensive tool efficiently and in a way that developed a sustainable resource. The efficiency involved both a quick path to deployment and one which kept development and maintenance costs low. To do this, the developers sought to use existing open-source tools wherever possible and minimize the degree of custom programming needed for a working information management system that is extensible and scalable. With a minimum degree of custom programming, SPOKEdb dovetails two popular open-source digital library management tools, Blacklight and Omeka, to offer a wide range of already developed features, scalability and performance for users.\nSummary: Building an information management system to meet the needs of oral history in the digital age is a challenge. Digital library architects at the University of Kentucky built SPOKEdb, an information management system for the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History's collection of over 10,000 interviews. The SPOKEdb system offers three separate interface layers to allow restricted access for content managers and reference staff, along with public access for curated content. By leveraging the power of Omeka and Blacklight, SPOKEdb demonstrates that information management systems that address the needs of libraries and archives can be built by combining open-source tools in complementary ways.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to examine how an open-source information management system was developed to manage a collection of more than 10,000 oral history interviews at the University of Kentucky Libraries' Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Digital library architects at the University of Kentucky Libraries built an open-source information management system for oral history using the open-source tools Omeka and Blacklight. Additional open-source code was developed to facilitate interaction between these tools.\nFindings: Information management systems that address needs of libraries and archives can be built by combining existing open-source tools in complementary ways.\nOriginality/value: This work at the University of Kentucky Libraries serves as a proof of concept for other institutions to examine as a potential model to follow or adapt for their own local needs. The SPOKEdb framework can be replicated elsewhere, as the major and minor components are open-source. SPOKEdb at its conceptual level is a unique information management system based on its tailored approach to serving the needs of oral history management at various user levels including both administrative and public.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Three configurations of corporate innovation programs and their interplay	[ "Innovation management", "Corporate innovation", "Innovation programs", "Corporate innovation system" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: There is a strong consensus in innovation management that a firm's long-term success depends on its ability to constantly renew itself by exploiting existing competencies and resources and simultaneously exploring new ones (Levinthal and March, 1993; March, 1991). However, both explorative and exploitative activities are characterized by fundamental design differences and therefore require different mindsets and organizational routines (Gupta et al., 2006). To ensure the effective use of explorative and exploitative activities, organizations must meet certain prerequisites and framework conditions for each activity (Benner and Tushman, 2003; Christensen, 1997; Tushman and O'Reilly, 1996). If an organization meets such conditions, it can avoid the so-called exploitation trap, that is, a situation where an inappropriate alignment of explorative and exploitative activities renders exploration useless as it is stifled by exploitation (Siren et al., 2012).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Multiple innovation programs to implement structural ambidexterity\n3. Case study design: corporate innovation programs: We employed an inductive theory-building case study approach to answer our research question (Eisenhardt, 1989) on how firms employ different innovation programs and how these programs differ and potentially affect each other. This research approach - advocated by Eisenhardt (1989) - is well established in the academic literature (Welch et al., 2011) and appropriated for work such as this when a research question is not satisfactorily answered in existing academic literature and therefore the generation of new theory is required (Ketokivi and Choi, 2014). A major challenge associated with this theory-building approach is to ensure an appropriate degree of generalizability (Langley, 1999; Welch et al., 2011). Ketokivi and Choi (2014) argue using the term duality criterion that it has to be guaranteed that generated theory is both close to the empirical observations and at the same time seeking a sense of generality, which involves attempting to abstract from the specific empirical context and thus to create a broader theoretical understanding (Gioia et al., 2013). In order to guarantee the duality criterion in our work, we adapted the strict interpretation of the grounded theory approach proposed by Glaser (1992), which prohibits considering existing knowledge during the analysis. Instead, we opted for a research design that accounts for prior knowledge and compared the observed empirical context in an iterative analysis with the general theory presented in our literature review (Strauss and Corbin, 1998). Accordingly, the results of our analysis are based on accepted general theory, but do not neglect our specific empirical findings (Ketokivi and Choi, 2014). To ensure transparency of analysis and theorizing, the results of the multi-step coding are documented in the form of a hierarchical data structure (Gioia et al., 2013; Welch et al., 2011).\n4. Case study analysis: understanding corporate innovation programs: 4.1 A meta model for corporate innovation programs\n5. Discussion: This study employed an inductive theory-building case study approach (Eisenhardt, 1989; Ketokivi and Choi, 2014) to explore what elements contribute to successful innovation programs, how those elements are configured, and how the different types of programs have the potential to enrich each other. Based on our analysis, through the observation of the empirical context and the iterative comparison with general theory (Strauss, 1987; Strauss and Corbin, 1998), new theoretical insights were generated and theoretical and practical implications and also avenues for further research identified. Limitations associated with this work are also presented in the following section.\n6. Conclusion: Innovation programs, and in particular the interaction of various innovation programs within a corporate innovation system, play an important role for established organizations. Despite this importance, prior research provided only limited insights into this field of research. So far, previous work has focused mainly on the consideration of individual innovation programs, but without placing them in a larger and overarching corporate context. The present work addresses this gap in academic literature. We have presented a meta model for a corporate innovation system, shown how this meta model is designed for different types of innovation programs and how different innovation programs interact. With this focus, this work is the first of its kind.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The success of corporate innovation is based less upon the success of a single innovation program than on a holistic and overarching corporate innovation system integrating various activities. Taking this perspective, the purpose of this paper is to extend existing research on the design of innovation programs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Utilizing an inductive theory-building case study approach, this study provides a detailed analysis of how one of the largest and most successful German technology companies structures its many innovation activities.\nFindings: The analysis identifies key elements of innovation programs and suggests three configurations that illustrate how these generic elements can be structured so as to offer the best fit with the underlying logic of the respective innovation program. Furthermore, this study highlights how the identified configurations come together to deliver overarching strategic innovation goals.\nOriginality/value: Existing research too often focuses solely on single innovation programs. The current research is among the first to take a holistic and overarching perspective, considering different innovation programs within a single company and analyzing their configuration and their interplay.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Assessment of TPM and TQM practices on business performance: a multi-sector analysis	[ "Performance measurement", "Total quality management", "Firm performance", "Total productive maintenance", "Multi-sector" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The customers of any business in the contemporary world market expect products and services meeting highest quality standards (Sivaram et al., 2014). The emergence of quality has become a top priority in many manufacturing entities and is primarily due to the globalization of world trade and the competitive pressure brought about by the escalating demands of consumers, who want better products and services (Singh and Ahuja, 2015; Thiagaragan et al., 2001). To emerge as a leading manufacturing base for the growing globalized trade market, a tough competition is being faced by the Indian manufacturing industry (Seth and Tripathi, 2005; Kotabe and Kothari, 2016). Globalization itself is a multi-dimensional concept and must be approached with business acumen and strategic vision (Khanna and Gupta, 2014). Such market transition to global competition forces many manufacturing firms to continuously look for strategies to improve operations and gain a competitive advantage (Al-Refaie and Hanayneh, 2014). This demands that senior managers should capitalize on the emerging trends and be receptive to new ideas, be armed with strategic goals and challenges and make informed choices about operations strategy formulation and implementation (Khanna and Gupta, 2014). On a positive note, despite the market environment today being characterized by rapid economic changes, it is also equipped with increased technological advancement in operations management practices (Konecny and Thun, 2011). Hence to compete, manufacturing companies need to pay attention to the reliability of their production processes as well as to their quality management systems (Konecny and Thun, 2011). Many manufacturing firms have instituted continual improvement management programs and methodologies such as total productive maintenance (TPM) and total quality management (TQM) to enhance quality, reduce cost and improve their internal operations (Al-Refaie and Hanayneh, 2014). Both TPM and TQM are recognized as major improvement program in the literature of production and operations management (Konecny and Thun, 2011). These two manufacturing-centric improvement drives have gained popularity among business captains to take on the challenges of competing in their own domestic market and also to make India an important manufacturing base for the world as a whole (Seth and Tripathi, 2006). It is a prerequisite nowadays for an organization to sustain and gain a competitive edge over others, to have adopted at least a reliable maintenance management program or a capable quality management system.\n2. Literature review: The researcher began his research by reviewing the literature about manufacturing performance frameworks related to TPM and TQM practices, as they are tools to assess industrial achievements in production management, and about the sector or countrywide or cross-country surveys on quality and maintenance management. The empirical studies that the researcher draws upon are studies in the last two decades that have sufficient grounding in the literature and assessment of performance measurement used in the empirical analysis. While the literature review hinted the absence of any work on the multi-sector comparison of analyzing the performance of integrated TPMxTQM approach against the standalone implementation of TPM and TQM, the researcher developed an interest to assess the status in practical arena. With this objective in mind, the researcher started reviewing literature focusing on the application of TPM and TQM practices on specific sector only. Later on, the researcher reviewed relevant literature studies focusing on multiple sectors, but the review clearly indicated the absence of any work undertaking a multi-sectoral comparison in a single study. The researcher then briefly summarized the identified industrial sectors, in which past studies specific to TPM, TQM and integrated TPMxTQM were done. A summary of this work is represented in Tables I-III. The key characteristic of both TPM and TQM practices are also discussed in the following paragraphs.\n3. Research framework: The performance parameters in relation to TPM and TQM have been identified from the literature review shown in Tables I-III. The parameters of performance measurement considered for this study are strategic business performance, quality, productivity, cost and flexibility and delivery. As both TPM and TQM are continuous improvement drives and evolutionary in nature, their effectiveness may change with time and experience (Seth and Tripathi, 2006). The level of implementation and advancement of these practices may differ significantly. Yeung et al. (2006) in their study distinguished two types of management practices in an organization: initial adoption and institutional entrenchment. The adoption of continuous improvement practices does not ensure its entrenchment as the adopted policy may never be integrated smoothly into the business (Yeung et al., 2006). Therefore, to assess both short-term and long-term effectiveness, two expertise levels demarcated by the duration of strategy adoption are selected for the present study, namely non-advanced level and advanced level. \"Non-advanced level\" goes for five years since the beginning of implementation, during which the manufacturing firm invests in strategy adoption and efforts are made to overcome the initial resistance by primarily focusing upon orienting the workforce as per the requirement of new implementation strategy with efforts to bring incremental changes in traditional work practices and organizational culture (Singh and Ahuja, 2014). As the newly adopted pilot project gets stabilized over time reaping marginal benefits, the skeptics in the firms are slowly getting convinced by improvement in the pilot project. This success of adoption of a pilot project in a particular functional unit now starts expanding to new areas of operations and other functional departments in the plant to facilitate organization-wide adoption. The organization experiences change in work culture, work practices, policies. etc. (Seth and Tripathi, 2006). This transition from traditional work practices to continuous improvement practices takes time to get entrenched. As a result, firms that have adopted or are adopting continuous improvement practices without entrenching it (i.e. less advanced adoption) are still unlikely to produce tangible operational benefits, such as time-based and cost-related efficiency (Yeung et al., 2006). Once the manufacturing plant makes it through the hurdle of \"non-advanced level,\" i.e. past five years of implementation, then the manufacturing plant is said to be in its \"advanced level\" of implementation. Over the years, the benefits accrued from the implementation of a continuous improvement strategy give a strategic and competitive advantage to the manufacturing plant, in comparison to their competitors. Therefore, the researcher considered in the present study to separately evaluate the performance of manufacturing firms at \"non-advanced level\" and \"advanced level.\"\n4. Sampling design and response profile: The database consists of manufacturing plants that have been randomly selected from a list of identified manufacturing companies that have implemented both TPM and TQM, and are classified as medium- and large-scale firms in the Indian context. Three major sectors of the manufacturing industry, i.e. food and beverages, textiles and electrical and electronics, have been considered in the domain of study from both public and private registered entities. Table IV provides the distribution of 231 plants used in this study according to the operating sector and manufacturing strategy focus. A point of contact was first identified in each of these manufacturing plants. The point of contact served as the coordinator or focal point of information concerning operational activities in the organization. In some cases, they themselves were respondents while in most cases they referred to the concerned personnel holding expertise in the subject matter. These identified people when contacted were initially asked whether their organization had embarked in the implementation of any of the production improvement methods and whether they considered it as the main operations improvement strategy employed by their company. If the answer was \"no\" to any of the two questions, then the organizations was not considered suitable for the study. If the answer was \"yes\" to both these questions, then the questionnaire was administered to the respondent. The questionnaire shared with these manufacturing organizations consisted of two main sections. Section 1 comprised a set of general questions related to the company's profile. This section also included few close-ended questions to identify the company's manufacturing focus, operational philosophy and years of experience in the implementation of manufacturing practices. Section 2 was more focused on investigating whether the participating organization, based on the perception of the respondent, experienced some degree of improvement in performance parameters after the implementation of operations improvement methods considered within this investigation. The prepared questionnaire was e-mailed to the identified operational and senior management personnel because they were widely believed to provide the best information regarding their firm's manufacturing perspective. These respondents were contacted by phone and provided with an explanation of the purpose of the study. The researcher also made a personal visit to some of the manufacturing plants in close vicinity to collect information via a face-to-face interview with senior management and operational management personnel. Therefore, the database comprises both quantitative and qualitative information.\n5. Statistical analysis and results: The data collected through the questionnaire have been critically analyzed to evaluate the performance of Indian manufacturing firms operating in three distinct sectors. The analysis is carried out separately for non-advanced and advanced firms. Results of the multi-sectoral comparison are reported in Tables V and VI for non-advanced and advanced firms, respectively. The results are discussed below.\n6. Discussions: The food and beverages industry is a very important and dynamic industrial sector in India that has flourished over years, but now it is highly competitive due to the emergence of many small players. Unlike other sectors, when it comes to the food and beverages industry, each and every item must be tightly sealed and stored at the correct temperature to maximize its shelf life and prevent spoiling. Packaging is to be equally good as the product itself to ensure the highest quality possible. Also from a sourcing perspective, quality of raw material requires to be thoroughly checked through quality control and quality assurance procedures. Therefore, the focus of all food and beverages manufacturing company is output oriented, i.e. maintaining highest quality standards guided by food safety regulatory compliances. This is also evident from the analysis results that illustrated that no significant difference exists between the three improvement approaches on the performance attribute of \"quality.\" This observation remains consistent for both non-advanced and advanced firms. This further strengthens our supposition that the food and beverages operating sector is predominantly guided by the principles of TQM philosophy, as their business strategy development places a high priority on product quality. Analyzing the results of non-advanced food and beverages firms, it is depicted that both TPM and TQM are equally effective in improving most business performance parameters, except they differ on the attribute of \"strategic business performance.\" Also for the non-advanced firm, TQM is equally effective as an integrated TPMxTQM in improving all business performance parameters. But from the analysis results of food and beverages manufacturing firms at an advanced level, it seems that the effectiveness of combined approach (TPMxTQM) increases with the duration of its adoption. This result of the combined approach (TPMxTQM adopters) has given more clarity why more than one approach should be used for food and beverages industry. Maintenance management is also necessary for making businesses more successful. Food and beverages companies are heavily dependent on their manufacturing processes and equipment, to achieve operational efficiencies and customer order fulfillment as well as to increase throughput and quality. During industrial processing, a machine stoppage and failure could lead to various uncertainties, leading to the disposal of food and raw materials. Also in complying with the food safety policies, the manufacturing firms in the sector may end up creating waste as any small errors mean the food will be rejected even if it is simply due to imperfection in appearance, taste or composition. Such incidences of wastage would directly affect the cost competitiveness of a manufacturing firm, resulting in increased cost of production. Relating to both of these events, it is quite critical and essential for any food and beverages manufacturing set up to execute quality management practices with a strong support from maintenance management department, to ensure that the production equipment does not fall below prescribed performance, quality and safety standards. Therefore, the integrated TPMxTQM approach becomes a viable competitive strategy and even more productive than TQM or TPM that leads to a better market, financial and business performance. There are relevant shreds of evidence in this study that generates interesting managerial implications for practitioners and managers from food and beverages manufacturing sector. First, for early adopting firms, it would be vitally beneficial to start with TQM management philosophy, and then gradually integrate TPM strategically over a period of time to achieve synergy for realizing better business performance improvements. In such a scenario, TQM provides a more pro-active approach to maintenance to support TPM efforts. Second, for advanced firms having a TPM focus or a TQM focus, the study presented a motivation to go in for a combined approach.\n7. Conclusion: Each sector has unique characteristics and a different operating structure that attracts a specific type of manufacturing practices. In contrast to the current literature, results of the study suggest that the integrated application of TPM and TQM does not necessarily guarantee enhanced profitability and improved organizational performance, as observed in the case of textile sector. However, the effect of combined approach has been fruitful for food and beverages and electrical and electronics sector. Also, managers and practitioners should not judge the effectiveness of a combined approach merely looking at the short-term results. However, the success of synergistic implementation of TPM and TQM varies very much as per the nature of the operating sector and stages of implementation. The challenges and pressures facing manufacturing companies ultimately find their way to the factory floor, where managers have to deal with them with some sort of operational adoption and changes in organizational structure. This requires a managerial decision making in adopting right kind of advanced manufacturing technology, based upon specific functional requirement and cultural environment of the operating sector, which demands data-driven analysis and evidence-based approach to identify organizational attributes and competing priorities. Once such attributes and competitive priorities are identified, the task for a senior manager is to arrange its manufacturing structure and management so as to mesh with and reinforce this strategy. This research adopted a multi-sectoral approach to gather and explain evidences on links between manufacturing attributes (various improvement approaches) and organizational attributes (operating sector), translating insights for managers from food and beverages, textiles and electrical and electronics sectors, who can now precisely identify manufacturing strategy which can lead to maximum business impact. Also, senior management must make a long-term strategic commitment to reengineered strategy and nurturing of critical resources.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide sector-specific empirical evidence on the comparative evaluation of total productive maintenance (TPM) and total quality management (TQM) approaches, implemented exclusively and collectively on improving manufacturing business performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper develops a multi-sector analysis framework to comparatively assess the synergistic and standalone effect of TPM and TQM improvement approaches. A total of 231 manufacturing organizations from food and beverages, textiles and electrical and electronics sectors have been extensively surveyed. These firms were further clustered into TPM focus, TQM focus and integrated TPMxTQM on the basis of their primary manufacturing strategy. Comparative assessment of these three manufacturing approaches has been evaluated using t-test statistics.\nFindings: This paper highlights that adoption of integrated TPMxTQM approach is beneficial for food and beverages and electrical and electronics sectors. However, this supposition is rejected for firms operating in the textile sector.\nResearch limitations/implications: The findings of this research are still exploratory. Future research using countrywide and cross-country approach can be undertaken to statistically generalize the findings of the present research. In-depth case studies are needed to further validate the findings of the study empirically.\nPractical implications: The result of this study help managers and practitioners to make manufacturing strategic decision based on the nature of their operating business sector regarding adoption of TPM and TQM practices, which will further revive their firm's competitiveness.\nOriginality/value: Every operating sector embraces a diversity of manufacturing activities based upon their competing priorities. This paper makes an attempt to present a multi-sectoral evaluation of joint implementation and effect of manufacturing programs.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Accounting for the cost of sports-related violence: A case study of the socio-politics of "the" accounting entity	[ "Accounting entity", "Accounting and sport", "Macro-actors", "Markets", "State and community", "Police costs and football" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: How is your business viewed by the surrounding society? This issue with police costs showed this. [...] We need to understand the context the police cost issue came from. People were fed up with football violence. Swedish football needs to much better demonstrate what we do. We need to be proactive all the time.(Interview with CSR Manager, FBALL)\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Accounting and sport\n3. Research method: Our research is part of an ongoing project about the financial management of sporting organisations. We study a Stockholm-based football (soccer) club - referred to as FBALL. FBALL is a suitable research site to investigate how accounting is used to support and resist varying arguments for the allocation of police costs associated with overseeing public safety at high-risk games. First, the use of police resources at Swedish football matches is concentrated on the male premier league, with FBALL competing in this league. Second, the highest risk matches, requiring the presence of hundreds of police officers, police dogs, police horses and helicopters, are the Stockholm derbies. FBALL is one of three Stockholm teams and consumes significant police resources at these matches. Each of FBALL's two home derbies per season costs over SEK 1m in policing costs. Assuming responsibility for these costs placed great financial strain on FBALL, which had, until recently, struggled to operate profitably. Third, club managers consider \"hooliganism\" to be the matter of concern confronting FBALL and its ability to attract sponsorship revenue, as well as enjoy more stable ticket sales, particularly from families. Likewise, FBALL's players have expressed resentment concerning disruptions to their \"work\" because of violence. Similarly, many \"normal\" fans of FBALL (that is, those who are not \"ultras\" or members of the \"firm\") dislike both the threat to their safety that violence creates, as well as the inconvenience caused by delayed games. Fourth, and finally, FBALL was the acknowledged leader among the Stockholm clubs in terms of contesting the payment of police costs, employing a political scientist who (at that time) spent at least six months fulltime collating evidence and authoring responses on behalf of relevant actors (including club and league officials) advocating the injustice of such payments. FBALL's leadership has been confirmed via broader discussions with rival club and league officials. Hence, we see FBALL as a salutary and relevant case study in relation to understanding the allocation of policing costs in relation to Swedish elite football.\n4. Accounting for the costs of sport-related violence: 4.1 An introduction to sport in Sweden\n5. Concluding discussion: This case study has highlighted the shifting and rival distinctions, as well as the associated accounting calculations, informing contested constructions of \"the\" accounting entity invoked in the debate about the responsibility for policing costs in the context of Swedish Allsvenskan between 2009 and 2014. A summary of this debate may be found in Table V.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of \"the\" accounting entity, demonstrating how it is a contestable socio-political construction informed by a nexus of market, state and community actors.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A case study method is utilised to follow debate relating to Swedish football clubs' responsibility for the payment/non-payment of policing costs between 1999 and 2014. The case study uses documentary and interview data, focusing on one of the high-risk Stockholm clubs.\nFindings: The paper makes four main contributions: first, demonstrating how the accounting entity is a changeable and contestable construction; second, outlining how distinctions informing contests about the accounting arena are materialised through accounting calculations and other devices; third, showing the importance of community in a coordinated sense in mediating accounting practices; and fourth, contributing to the literature on accounting and sport, highlighting the importance of state actors in this arena.\nOriginality/value: This research draws on original empirical data providing unique insights into debates regarding the responsibility for the payment of police costs in the context of sports-related violence. The authors show the importance of characterising accounting for sporting organisations as a shifting and contestable nexus of market, state and community actors.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The smoking ban in hospitality: a cross-border perspective from Ireland	[ "Tobacco", "Hospitality management", "Workplace", "Licensing", "Alcoholic drinks" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The recent introduction in the ROI (ROI) of a smoking ban in public places has garnered much international media attention and has generated considerable debate. The Irish legislation is by no means unique and reflects practices in certain US states such as California, Florida and New York, and other European countries such as Norway. It is a practice that may be set to increase as the UK government is currently exploring the issue of a smoking ban in bars and restaurants (Bennett, 2004).For the consumer, the idea of an outright smoking ban is often emotive, as health concerns and a desire for a smoke free environment are juxtaposed with the individual's right to smoke. In the hospitality industry, it may be contended that the debate is much more complex. This assertion reflects the fact that a wide range of hospitality organisations serve both as a work place and a public place, moreover hotels, bars and restaurants are also public meeting places which place an emphasis on providing hospitality and meeting customer needs. The paradox of restricting consumers' freedom whilst endeavouring to provide hospitality and positive service encounters may explain why the notion of a smoking ban is particularly contentious to hospitality organisations. This paper reflects on the arguments for and against a smoking ban within the context of the hospitality industry and particularly the licensed trade sector. The paper is organised as follows. The literature review considers the arguments for and against a smoking ban, the research methodology outlines the rationale for sampling opinions in a range of licensed premises in both the ROI and Northern Ireland, the next section presents and discusses the results of this exploratory research and the paper concludes with a reflection on the research findings and suggestions for future research.\nLiterature review: Prior to exploring the possible benefits and drawbacks of a smoking ban, it is useful to attempt to define the concept of a smoking ban. However, when considering such a recent phenomenon, there is limited history available upon which to construct a definition. The US state of Florida's ban, which dates from July 2003, prohibits smoking in a wide range of public places including indoor workplaces, restaurants, hotel lobbies, bowling alleys, movie sets, theatrical performances and airports (www.fpma.org, accessed 26 February 2004). This paper relies on the description of the smoking ban as outlined in the Irish legislation:The regulations prohibit the smoking of tobacco products in a place or premises (other than a dwelling) as specified in the schedule to the regulations. The place or premises so specified are:1. A place of work2. An aircraft, train, ship or other vessel, a public service vehicle or other vehicle used for the carriage of members of the public for reward, in so far as it is a place of work3. A place or premises..in so far as it is a place of work4. A licensed premises, in so far as it is a place of work5. A registered club, in so far as it is a place of work. (www.doh.ie (a), accessed 5 February 2004)It may be argued that this definition does not fully explain the implications of a smoking ban or allow for anomalies such as herbal cigarettes. Nevertheless, the descriptor is considered a useful working definition in that it highlights the scale of the prohibition, and it is also considered relevant as the empirical research presented in this paper is based on a sample of opinions in the ROI and Northern Ireland. In particular, this descriptor emphasises the application of the ban to work places signalling the importance given to improving employee welfare. The emphasis the legislation places on the workplace environment may represent a strategic asset to hospitality organisations who are faced with the challenge of marketing the industry as a career choice.Arguments for a smoking ban\nMethodology: The aim of this study is to gain an insight into the attitudes of proprietors/managers into the effect of a smoking ban on the licensed trade sector. The research is exploratory in nature and the objective is to enhance the understanding of a topical issue. The population comprised of on licensed operations in both the ROI and Northern Ireland. It was decided to study attitudes to the ban in both the ROI and Northern Ireland, because, although the ban only applies to the former, its impact extends to the latter and therefore the inclusion of establishments in Northern Ireland represents a useful comparator. A convenience sample was used. The sample included three operations located in border areas of the ROI, and three licensed operations located in the border regions of Northern Ireland. All of the organisations were independently owned. In addition, the sample included a bar in Northern Ireland that has elected to market itself as a non-smoking bar. Table I briefly describes the subjects.Having identified a convenience sample, it was decided to rely on semi-structured interviews in order to survey management opinion on the ban. The research instrument was amended for establishment G, the one property in Northern Ireland with a voluntary ban. It was decided to extend the research in establishment G and sample employee and consumer opinion on the benefits of the voluntary smoking ban with a short questionnaire. The research instruments were amended slightly following a pilot study in two licenced premises which indicated the need to re-word several questions to ensure understanding by participants. The next section reports on and discusses the key findings of this exploratory research.\nDiscussion of findings: Firstly the seven organisations were asked if they supported the ban. It is noteworthy that only one of the organisations located in the ROI, establishment C supported the ban. The manager highlighted the benefits of an improved atmosphere, the bar smelt cleaner, easier to maintain fixtures such as upholstery and less cleaning was required by employees which supports the work of Cuthbert and Nickson (1999). Of the other organisations, establishments A and F highlighted the same benefits but in general they were opposed to the smoking ban as it challenges the social culture of Ireland as smoking has long been an element associated with the traditional Irish pub. Furthermore, establishment A highlighted the difficulties faced by older consumers in adapting to the changes. The impact on older consumers is also highlighted by Herlihy (2004) who reports that bars in the ROI who rely on older male clientele have experienced a drop in trade particularly during the day time. Establishment F, in Letterkenny, feared loss of business, which may be explained by its close proximity to the border. The establishments located in Northern Ireland, B, D and E were opposed to the ban on the basis of consumer choice.The survey then sought opinions on the difficulties of enforcing the ban. Two of the ROI establishments, C and F, had not experienced any difficulty, the manager of establishment F highlighted the fact that the smoking ban is still a novelty, by contrast establishment A reported some difficulties with people \"forgetting\" the new restrictions. This forgetfulness seems genuine with other surveys identifying a similar problem (Herlihy, 2004). Overall this empirical research and larger national surveys such as that conducted by the OTC indicate that proprietors are not experiencing difficulties with enforcing the ban, which conflicts with the difficulties with enforcement in the US.When queried on the benefits of a smoking ban to employees, four establishments, C,D,E and F suggested that improved health may reduce absenteeism and sickness, a view that is consistent with the general studies on the health effects of passive smoking. The two remaining organisations, A and B, suggested that there could be an indirect benefit of a reduced risk of legal claims.Respondents were then asked if one week into the smoking ban there had been an impact on business. The respondents in the ROI indicated some problems, for example in establishment A smoking customers were drinking less as they found the drink \"tastes differently\". The manager of establishment A went on to comment \"In the future, I reckon that pub sales will go down and off sales will go up\". The manager of establishment F had not observed any significant change in sales, he did however highlight the problem of smokers' drinks being cleared by waiting staff when the customer went outside to smoke. This problem has been addressed in one pub by the provision of small signs which customers can use to indicate they will be back after they have finished smoking. It is curious that the respondents in Northern Ireland reported no increase in business as some reports indicate that some smokers were \"commuting\" to the North, where the ban is not in force (Lister, 2004). Establishment C, observed some new custom possibly supporting the observations of Pratten (2003). Establishments B and D, both in the North, reported no change.These diverse opinions reflect in part the divisive findings on the economic impacts of smoking bans outlined in the literature review. It is noteworthy that a national survey on public attitudes and behaviour indicate that the number of non-smokers visiting bars has increased slightly and there was no change in the number of smokers (O'Brien, 2004). Similarly, national surveys indicate that two months into the ban, the legislation has made little aggregate difference to trade (Herlihy, 2004). It is also important to consider the wider macro environment within which hospitality organisations operate, for example the well-documented increase in home consumption of alcohol and the growth in off-licence trade are important variables to consider when analysing sales in pubs and bars.The above findings are not presented as conclusive, they are merely an attempt to record opinions, and to enhance their value, similar questions were put to the management of establishment G, the one establishment in Northern Ireland with a voluntary smoking ban. The manager of establishment G reported no problems with the voluntary smoking ban \"most customers, even smokers welcome the change\".In establishment G, customers were also surveyed for their opinions on the smoking ban. Customers, both smokers and non-smokers, indicated that the non-smoking ban did not attract them to this particular establishment, nor did the customers believe that a smoke free environment was important to the overall experience. These views highlight the many other variables of the marketing mix such as service quality and location which may influence the consumer's choice of bar or restaurant. However, the majority of respondents supported the ROI ban perhaps an acknowledgement of the risks associated with passive smoking. Lastly, a small sample of employee views were sought in Establishment G, the employees surveyed were divided on the benefits of a smoke free workplace, there were no strong opinions expressed although one employee believed the ban to be advantageous as it \"protects the staff against passive smoking\". Lastly, it is encouraging to note that employees in establishment G had experienced positive comments from customers \"It (the non smoking status) is of great interest to our new customers which in turn has given us repeat custom\".\nConclusion: This paper has presented a range of arguments for and against smoking bans in hospitality work places. Although the primary research relies on a small sample, which limits the findings' reliability, the feedback indicates that notwithstanding the difficulties associated with smoking bans, hospitality organisations are coping with the changes. Further longitudinal studies should strengthen our knowledge of the impact of statutory smoking bans in the workplace. It will perhaps be interesting to assess the actual experience of outlets in the ROI in one year's time. An interesting theme that deserves further exploration is the effectiveness of the coping mechanisms that licensed premises have adopted such as the designation of outdoor areas as terraces or beer gardens where smoking is permitted. Similarly, it will be interesting to see if the industry's image as an employer is indirectly strengthened by the legislation. Or, perhaps a smoking ban may create indirect challenges that this paper has failed to explore. Notwithstanding voluntary initiatives such as the industry led voluntary charter of the UK's Federation of Retail Licence Trade (Lee, 2004), it appears that statutory smoking bans are likely to increase. This assertion is supported by the current consultation exercises of the British government and the recent EU discussions on the issue (Hayes, 2004). This nascent trend and the international career mobility of hospitality managers suggest that the issue cannot be avoided. It is in this vein that it is hoped that the exploratory findings presented in this paper will prove valuable to hospitality professionals.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper reflects on the recent introduction of a statutory smoking ban in workplaces in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). The aim of the research is to identify the arguments for and against statutory smoking bans and to explore the impact of such legislation on hospitality organisations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In addition to the literature review, which examines evidence from other jurisdictions that have introduced smoking bans, the primary research is based on semi-structured interviews with the managers of licensed premises in both the ROI and Northern Ireland.\nFindings: - Qualitative data based on the recent introduction of a smoking ban in the ROI indicate that, although the industry's concerns are understandable, hospitality businesses and their customers are adapting to the statutory smoking ban. The findings indicate that, to date, the smoking ban in the ROI has not adversely affected the licensed premises surveyed. However, the findings do indicate changes in consumer behaviour, which is consistent with press reports in the ROI.\nOriginality/value: - This paper presents insights from both the ROI where a statutory smoking ban is in place and Northern Ireland where no such restrictions are in place. It is believed that this cross border perspective affords greater insight into the issues surrounding statutory smoking bans. Within the UK, the debate on the idea of a statutory smoking ban is ongoing; this paper seeks to provide a concise review of the issues within the context of the hospitality industry.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Innovating for the future? An external assessment of the future-oriented governance of the Dutch innovation system	[ "Innovation", "Forecasting", "Government", "Government policy", "The Netherlands" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: When the Lisbon objectives were defined by the EU15 in 2000, The Netherlands instated an institution named \"Innovatieplatform\" (Innovation Platform or IP) to help realize them. In the platform, government, business, and academic leaders took a role. Goal of this platform was to get The Netherlands in the Top 5 of most competitive countries according to the ratings of the World Economic forum. The latest measurements by the World Economic Forum (2008) put The Netherlands in tenth place; the position where they started when the Innovation Platform was set up. The score on the WEF rating is actually a bit lower in the last measurement. Figure 1 illustrates the WEF ratings and scores of The Netherlands over the past few years.When looking specifically to innovation, the scores of The Netherlands have not improved either. Actually, the WEF score on the innovation pillar is driving the Competitiveness down rather than up, with an average score of 4.8 over the last years. The only factor of the innovation pillar that is a sustainable competitive advantage of The Netherlands over time has been the quality of the research institutes. Only in 2009, the capacity for innovation seems to have risen slightly, as this is now considered a competitive advantage as well. Table I illustrates the rankings of the factors of the Dutch innovation pillar in 2009.To put The Netherlands in an international perspective, the Swedish government has taken comparable measures to make its economy more competitive by focusing on innovation. They have succeeded and are now a Top 5 ranked country. According to the WEF, they are actually the number 1 of the EU15 in implementing the Lisbon objectives (World Economic Forum, 2008). Along with Finland and Denmark, they have a strong position in areas such as their companies' aggressiveness in adopting new technologies, their level of spending on R&D, the high degree of collaboration between universities and the private sector in research, and their strong intellectual property protection, according to the World Economic Forum (2008). This illustrates that being focused on the future does affect the innovativeness of a country. Indeed, focusing on emerging technologies and collaborating in future-oriented research seem to lead to a good performance. Question then is, why are The Netherlands not performing well on these future related innovation factors? Despite the fact that the WEF factors are very concrete, they are merely the symptoms of a poorly functioning innovation system. So, we need to look for underlying factors or hindrances in Dutch society, which keep the Dutch innovation system from performing better. Although there may be a lot of factors explaining the lower innovativeness of the Dutch economy, in this paper we focus on the future-related factors (hindrances). The key research question is therefore: Which hindrances for future orientation exist in Dutch society that limit the innovativeness of the Dutch innovation system?To address that question, first innovation and future orientation need to be related. This is done through the systems approach to innovation from Berkhout et al. (2007) in section 2. In section 3 we discuss the methodology used for finding factors that inhibit improvement of the system, where we have chosen to interview not government innovation experts. Section 4 lists the results of the interviews in terms of relating to the parts of to the model of Berkhout and the major inhibiting factors found. In section 5 conclusions are drawn which relate the factors to the model, and how the imperfections in the system could help the Dutch innovate themselves out of their current position.\n2. Connecting innovation to the future: 2.1 Innovation and the future: some preliminary remarks\n3. Methodology: To investigate the quality if the Dutch innovation system with the focus on the linkage between innovation and the future, we interviewed 15 innovation experts in the Netherlands (see Table II). To ensure a sufficient level of diversity, we interviewed academics, (former) directors of major companies and entrepreneurs, and sector representatives which all know Dutch society and business well. We expected the academics to be able to adopt a theoretical perspective on the problems of the Dutch innovation system. We expected the business experts to take a more managerial stance on innovation within major companies (which spend a great deal on R&D) as well as within small companies. And we expected the sector representatives to take an innovation-fostering perspective on interactions between the public and private sector, and academia. To capture an objective view on governmental policy on innovation issues, we tried to ensure a sufficient external perspective and decided not to interview government representatives. We feared that they would be reluctant to give a straightforward opinion, rather than merely regurgitate official policy. We did, however, interview one member of the Dutch Innovation Platform (also president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), who committed to voice his personal opinion rather than the official position of either the Government or the Innovation Platform.All this does not mean that the interviewees were not allowed or were not able to consider the role of the Dutch government in improving the quality of the Dutch innovation system. On the contrary, most interviewees had the opinion that Dutch government can indeed play an important role in this matter.We conducted in-depth and semi-structured interviews, based on a standard questionnaire containing 11 open-ended questions[1]. These questions did not specifically address future orientation, nor did they include the Berkhout model (as this came forward in the last of the interviews). The interviews were digitally recorded and then transcribed. They were then analyzed individually by members of our research team, after which the results were compared and the conclusions combined. The relevant parts (in terms of referring to these statements in our research) were then sent to the interviewees for comment. None of the interviewees withdrew any of the statements they had made, which, given the bold nature of some of the statements they made, is an indication of the level of openness during the interviews.In analyzing the interviews, we first reviewed how often they related to the various parts of the Berkhout-framework. This we used as an indication for their specific emphasis on each of the factors of the model, concerning the failures in the model. This is done in analogy with Emden et al. when they researched successful co-development efforts (Emden et al., 2006). Second, we analyzed the interviews to find commonly indicated hindrances and solutions. Our assumption being that if multiple experts see a certain hindrance causing the system not to improve, it may very well be an issue that is really preventing the system to work. All hindrances and solutions identified are related to the Berkhout-framework and such to the focus on the future.\n4. Experts on the Dutch innovation system: 4.1 Linking interview results to Berkhout model\n5. Conclusions and suggestions for improvement: 5.1 Conclusions\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the future-orientation of the Dutch innovation system and formulate recommendations to improve it.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The approach takes the form of in-depth interviews with Dutch experts who are sufficiently independent to formulate relevant, interesting, and deviating opinions.\nFindings: - Dutch managers are quite reluctant to look at the future. They seem to favor the short term above the long term.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Consulting additional experts might yield more and more validated results.\nPractical implications: - Dutch companies should do more about turning a future vision into concrete decisions and actions.\nSocial implications: - It is necessary to appoint a specific Minister for Innovation and the Dutch government should support the entire innovation process and not just the beginning.\nOriginality/value: - This is the first analysis of the future-orientation of the Dutch innovation system.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The allure of luxury brands' social media activities: a uses and gratifications perspective	[ "Qualitative method", "Social media", "Consumer behaviour", "E-marketing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Social media has experienced a phenomenal growth in use, with more than a billion users worldwide (Facebook, 2017; Twitter, 2017). Individuals now spend the majority of their online time on social media platforms ((The) Economist, 2015). This has led to the emergence of a new communication era for both interpersonal and commercial interactions (Kozinets et al., 2010), presenting unparalleled opportunities for marketing activities (Zheng et al., 2013). Successful marketing campaigns on social media are commended for their use of storytelling, real-time engagement and interactive content (Agius, 2016; Kidd, 2011). This accessibility has resulted in various forms of brand engagement, from the fashion industry's use of user-generated content on Facebook and Instagram to create a buzz (Webby, 2016) to the financial sector's use of Twitter to respond to customer queries (Heine, 2016; Hobbs, 2016). However, critics of social media marketing assert that investment in viral content, buzz, memes, stickiness and form factor has had \"very little payoff\" (Holt, 2016). Arguably, there is ample research to demonstrate the power of social media for brands and their consumers (Colliander and Dahlen, 2011).\n2. Social media and uses and gratifications: UGT emphasizes that media users are active and goal oriented because they satisfy their needs by making deliberate choices when selecting specific media (Katz et al., 1974). The needs are considered to be the combined \"product of psychological dispositions, sociological factors, and environmental conditions\" (Katz, Gurevitch and Haas, 1973, p. 516) that motivates media usage or exposure, while the gratifications are the \"perceived fulfillment\" of the needs through media use (Palmgreen, 1984).\n3. Methodology: Qualitative methods of inquiry were adopted for this research. Quantitative methods allow for an investigation of participants' experiences and behaviors through the use of in-depth data. These methods are preferred when the main aim is to explain and understand, rather than measure, behavior or activities (Carson et al., 2001). Our methodological approach responds to calls for further qualitative UGT research (Dunne et al., 2010). Despite the conceptual usefulness of extant quantitative UGT work, this study aims to offer rich, deep insights into user behavior and the influence of luxury brand activities on social media. To pursue the research objectives, a two-stage data collection method was used: online observations and in-depth interviews.\n4. Results: This section presents the interpretation of the key data. It aims to further our understanding of how luxury brands use social media, what gratifications consumers seek when connecting with a luxury brand and whether those gratifications are obtained. To address the research objectives in full, the results from the two data collection methods (online observations and interviews) are presented together in the following sections.\n5. Implications: An emerging strand of UGT research examines the gratifications obtained in a social media context (e.g. Karnik et al., 2013; Ledbetter et al., 2016; Phua et al., 2017). A key contribution of this study is the exploration of gratifications sought and obtained. Much of the extant theorizing has neglected what is sought and obtained by individuals (Palmgreen and Rayburn, 1979), especially in the context of using social media (Bae, 2018). It can be argued that a match between gratifications expected and gratifications obtained will encourage individuals to continue to use the medium in question. By investigating the gratifications sought by millennial social media users, this study has found that millennials seek both accessibility and interactiveness from luxury brands. Unlike older generations (such as baby boomers, who are considered to be the traditional consumers of luxury goods), millennials are the first generation to use technology at every stage of the customer journey (Mintel, 2015). Appealing to these consumers is the driving motivation for luxury brands to adopt social media (Ko et al., 2016). Evidence points to the importance of accessibility and interaction between the brand and millennial users (D'Arpizio et al., 2017; Mintel, 2015). However, this study somewhat challenges assumptions regarding millennials' desire for interaction from luxury brands on social media. Despite the predominant lack of interaction with brands, the sense of accessibility achieved through the brands' presence on social media fulfills both the affective and the cognitive needs of millennial users. In other words, millennials are widely accepting of luxury brands' aloofness and the distance they maintain.\n6. Limitations and avenues for future research: This study reveals two interrelated needs - affective and cognitive - that are satisfied as millennials connect with luxury brands on social media. This could be explored further by conducting a quantitative investigation, such as a survey, into these two needs and their relationship to specific luxury sectors, such as cars, handbags or travel.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the social media marketing activities of luxury brands, guided by uses and gratifications theory (UGT). It examines the gratifications sought by millennials, a new core luxury consumer group, and the gratifications obtained when following and connecting with luxury brands.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Online data are gathered from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts of five top luxury brands. In addition, 30 in-depth interviews with millennials, the new generation of luxury consumers, were conducted. Thematic analysis strategy was followed to analyze the data and present the findings.\nFindings: Luxury brands remain distant and aloof, which helps them to maintain a sense of exclusivity. User activity, ranging from observations to commenting on and liking luxury brand content, leads to the gratification of two types of need: affective and cognitive. Two affective needs that are satisfied by luxury brands' social media marketing activities are aesthetic appreciation and entertainment. Cognitive needs are satisfied through the functional use of social media as an information source.\nOriginality/value: Several studies have investigated social media from the perspective of UGT, but this study is the first to investigate the implications of luxury brands' social media usage with the lenses of UGT.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Factors influencing the propensity of real estate investors in the UK to employ property derivatives	[ "Illiquid markets", "Index-based derivatives" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Real estate is the last major asset class without liquid derivatives markets. The reasons for that are not fully known or understood. However, five aggravating factors that come immediately to mind are the inherent illiquidity in real estate markets, their heterogeneous structure, the difficulties associated with the measurement of financial performance of the underlying assets, the auto-correlation of asset prices and the fact that the real estate index itself is not investable.\n2. Literature review: This section presents a review of the academic literature on property derivatives and the possible reasons for the reluctant use of these instruments by real estate investors leading to lack of liquidity in the property derivatives market.\n3. Data collection and method of analysis: The literature review in the preceding section has shown that the studies that show the potential of enhancing the understanding of the reasons for the reluctant use of property derivatives are few in number and lack explanatory power.\n4. Main factors influencing the propensity to employ property derivatives: This section presents the main factors identified by the current research that influence the propensity of direct and indirect real estate investors in the UK to employ property derivatives. Hereafter, the terms real estate investor or property investor comprise both direct and indirect investors, unless otherwise indicated.\n5. Summary and conclusions: This paper presented the findings of the research into the reasons for the reluctance of real estate investment managers to use property derivatives. The research results show 29 factors that influence the propensity of direct and indirect real estate investors in the UK to employ property derivatives. Out of the 29 factors, the current research identified 12 factors with high-explanatory power, 6 with a contributing role and 11 with low explanatory power. Moreover, factors previously discussed in the literature were tested and assessed as to their explanatory power. In this paper, only a selected group of factors was discussed.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Real estate is the last major asset class without liquid derivatives markets. The reasons for that are not fully known or understood. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to better understand the main factors that influence the propensity of commercial real estate investors in the UK to employ property derivatives.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research methodology that was chosen for this research is grounded theory which, in its original form, goes back to Glaser and Strauss (1967). A total of 43 interviews were conducted with 46 real estate professionals in the UK from property investment management firms (investing directly or indirectly in real estate), multi-asset management firms, real estate investment trusts, banks, and brokerage and advisory firms, among others.\nFindings: The research results show 29 factors that influence the propensity of direct and indirect real estate investors in the UK to employ property derivatives. Out of the 29 factors, the current research identified 12 factors with high-explanatory power, 6 with a contributing role and 11 with low explanatory power. Moreover, factors previously discussed in the literature are tested and assessed as to their explanatory power. The focus of this paper is on those factors with high-explanatory power. From the research data, three main reasons have been identified as the sources of investor reluctance to trade in property derivatives. The first and main reason is related to a mismatch between motivations of property investment managers and what can be achieved with the instruments. The second reason, which ties in with the first one, is a general misunderstanding as to the right pricing technique of property derivatives. Finally, the third reason is a general lack of hedging demand from the investor base owing to the long investment horizons through market cycles.\nResearch limitations/implications: The research contributes to the literature on property derivatives in various ways. First, it extends the literature on market hurdles in property derivatives markets by testing and extending the hurdles that were proposed previously. Second, the research shows that the existing pricing models need to be extended in order to account for the risk perception of practitioners and their concerns with regard to liquidity levels.\nPractical implications: For both theory and practice, the research has shown some limitations in using property derivatives for purposes such as creating index exposure or hedging. Another contribution, in this case to practice, is that this study provides a clearer picture as to the reasons that keep property investment managers away from using property derivatives.\nOriginality/value: The research results indicate that liquidity per se is not a universal remedy for the problems in the market. In addition to the need for improving the understanding of the pricing mechanism, practitioners should give more thought to the notion of real estate market risk and the commensurate returns that can reasonably be expected when they take or reduce it. This implies that property index futures currently do not price like those on any other investable asset class.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Absorptive capacity and relationship learning mechanisms as complementary drivers of green innovation performance	[ "Partial least squares", "Absorptive capacity", "Green innovation performance", "Relationship learning" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In the past two decades, enterprises and society in general have become increasingly concerned about environmental issues and the human beings' activities footprint on the earth. Consequently, many firms have made a significant effort to foster green practices, gradually changing their strategies and operations to comply with this global environmental concern (Chang, 2011). In this line, companies are introducing innovative products or services, production processes or business methods aiming to reduce environmental damage, pollution (water, air, soil and noise) and other negative impacts (Kemp and Pontoglio, 2007), being recognized as a principal mechanism to mitigate or avoid environmental damage supporting firms and society to undertake environmental sustainability (Aragon-Correa, 1998; Perez-Valls et al., 2015; Chen and Chang, 2013). Several contributions support that the introduction of green innovations (GIs) do not come necessarily with the advantage of economic benefits. Indeed, it might represent a prerequisite for the attainment of competitive advantages (Dale, 2007) - especially when it comes to product innovations (Chang, 2011) - and a reinforcement for their survival opportunities (Laforet, 2009), as it can increase the firm's productivity by reducing costs and/or enable to develop new market opportunities, support differentiation strategies and improve corporate image (Orsato, 2006).\n2. Theory and hypotheses: 2.1 Green innovation performance\n3. Method: 3.1 Sector overview\n4. Results: 4.1 Assessment of global model fit\n5. Discussion and conclusions: GI practices are more and more advocated as a way to sustain competitive advantages, meeting the requirements by external stakeholders, improving corporate image or reputation or differentiating from competitors. An increasing number of contributions investigating the drivers of the development of GI pointed to the fact that their peculiarities support the higher importance of building cooperation with external partners and rely on their complementary knowledge (De Marchi, 2012; Cainelli et al., 2015, Ghisetti et al., 2015). Against this background, this paper investigates the importance of the ability of a firm to effectively assimilate the knowledge developed by such external organizations to introduce environmental innovations. In particular, building upon the literature on general innovation, this paper develops a research model that links AC, RL and GIP.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore in depth how internal and external knowledge-based drivers actually affect the firms' green innovation performance. Subsequently, this study analyzes the relationships between absorptive capacity (internal knowledge-based driver), relationship learning (external knowledge-based driver) and green innovation performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study relies on a sample of 112 firms belonging to the Spanish automotive components manufacturing sector (ACMS) and uses partial least squares path modeling to test the hypotheses proposed.\nFindings: The empirical results show that both absorptive capacity and relationship learning exert a significant positive effect on the dependent variable and that relationship learning moderates the link between absorptive capacity and green innovation performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper presents some limitations with respect to the particular sector (i.e. the ACMS) and geographical context (Spain). For this reason, researchers must be thoughtful while generalizing these results to distinct scenarios.\nPractical implications: Managers should devote more time and resources to reinforce their absorptive capacity as an important strategic tool to generate new knowledge and hence foster green innovation performance in manufacturing industries.\nSocial implications: The paper shows the importance of encouraging decision-makers to cultivate and rely on relationship learning mechanisms with their main stakeholders and to acquire the necessary information and knowledge that might be valuable in the maturity of green innovations.\nOriginality/value: This study proposes that relationship learning plays a moderating role in the relationship between absorptive capacity and green innovation performance.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The UK Research Reserve (UKRR): machinations, mayhem and magic	[ "Document management", "Archives management", "University libraries", "United Kingdom" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The UK Research Reserve (UKRR) is now entering the second year of Phase 2, which began in February 2009. Since the last article about UKRR appeared in this journal (Wright and Crawford, 2008), there has been a large increase in both the scale of the programme, and the complexity of the processes required to run it. These processes and associated workflows are the focus of the current article, which is intended to inform the LIS community of the methods used to run UKRR. However before we launch into the detail, it is best to remind ourselves of the high-level principles behind the UK Research Reserve.UKRR is a vibrant example of a shared service initiative bringing together the Higher Education (HE) sector and the British Library (BL) in a mutually beneficial partnership funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The aims of UKRR are threefold:1. to protect research information;2. to free up valuable space in HE libraries to support changing institutional priorities such as teaching and learning, as well as improving the student experience; and3. to achieve substantial capital savings in UK HE.The question of duplicate holdings across the HE sector and the urgent need to resolve the problem of insufficient shelf space to store physical collections had been known for many years. However, prior to UKRR there was no infrastructure in place to allow the sector to address these issues in a systematic and coordinated fashion. The funding made available by HEFCE provided the framework for establishing a partnership between the HE sector and the BL, whose presence provided the security required for higher education institutions (HEIs) to feel confident in de-duplicating their own collections, safe in the knowledge that access to the material was none the less guaranteed.\nPilot phase: UKRR first emerged on the landscape in 2007 as a pilot project. The pilot eventually comprised eight university libraries[1] and was led by Imperial College London. Its major achievements were:* more than 8,000 titles added to the Research Reserve;* over 11,000 metres of shelf space released;* lendable BL holdings strengthened; and* demonstrated proof of concept, which provided the basis for the successful bid to HEFCE for the current Phase 2.The pilot phase finished in 2008, and provided the springboard for Phase 2.\nPhase 2 - the background: Phase 2 of UKRR was launched in February 2009 and builds on the successful partnership between the HE sector and the British Library, with Imperial College London remaining the lead institution. The five-year programme (2009-2014) is funded by HEFCE to PS9.83 million. The funding consists of four strands, which support the overarching aims of the Research Reserve:1. Access enhancement - Capital funding to the BL for the Integrated Request Management and Delivery System (IRMDS) programme (Appleyard, 2010). This capital programme is being used to modernise, improve and replace the technical infrastructure used for the BL's remote document supply services.2. Collaborative collection management - These monies fund UKRR members to select, process, transfer and securely dispose of duplicated low use print research journals. It also funds the BL to process the material and fill gaps in its Document Supply Centre (DSC) collection.3. Bridging fund - This is a contingency fund to cover any shortfall between the BL's subscription income target and their actual receipts.4. Other - This covers the programme management and operational costs.The programme is overseen by the UKRR Board and a number of support groups which handle particular aspects of the programme, for example a SCONUL-led Mediation Panel. There is a dedicated team based at the BL (both Boston Spa and London) working on UKRR, whilst the UKRR programme staff (two FTEs) are based at Imperial College London Library.The ambitious target for UKRR is to process 20,000 metres of material annually, across its five-year timeline.\nMembership: Membership to UKRR was open to all UK HEIs during 2009 and the UKRR community now comprises 29 members:* University of Aberdeen;* Aberystwyth University* University of Birmingham;* Cambridge University Library;* Cardiff University;* Durham University;* University of Edinburgh;* University of Glasgow;* Imperial College London;* Kings College London;* Kingston University;* University of Leeds;* University of Liverpool;* London School of Economics;* The University of Manchester;* Newcastle University;* Northumbria University;* University of Nottingham;* The Open University;* Oxford University Library Services;* Queen Mary, University of London;* University of Reading;* Royal Holloway, University of London;* University of St Andrews;* University of Sheffield;* University of Southampton;* University of Sussex;* University College London; and* University of London Research Library Services.Membership by annual subscription ranges between and PS5,000 and PS10,000 a year depending on the JISC banding[2] of the institution. This income goes directly to the BL as a contribution to the storage costs of the Research Reserve. UKRR members not only contribute to the distributed national collection but are also eligible for tangible benefits through their membership. These are:* Access to HEFCE funds for de-duplication, which are based on the amount of material which the member is offering UKRR.* Improved document supply service from the BL. This comprises 24-hour delivery on all document supply requests and branded secure electronic delivery[3].* At the institutional level, capital cost savings on any repurposed space.\nHow are UKRR's aims achieved?: UKRR aims simultaneously to build a collaborative collection - the Research Reserve, whilst providing the means for UKRR members to realise significant space savings in line with the ambitious space-saving targets of the overall programme. To achieve this it seeks to ensure that at least three copies of all holdings offered for disposal by UKRR member libraries are held in collections within the UKRR community. The first copy is held at the BL as the access copy, where it is used to fulfil document supply requests for researchers across all sectors. Two further copies are held by UKRR member libraries as preservation copies in the distributed national research reserve, in order to ensure that future access to these print journals is safeguarded.The space released represents not only capital cost savings but also an opportunity for the libraries to repurpose space which better meets their changing institutional priorities. For example the space released through de-duplication in Phase 1 allowed many of the members to create new study spaces and IT facilities for their users.\nProcesses and workflows: The guidelines for the overarching process are captured in the UKRR Handbook[4], a living document which details the different processes, roles, responsibilities, and parameters within which UKRR operates. As collaborative collections on this scale are still new territory for libraries, there is little precedent to be followed when developing processes. Consequently, procedures and workflows are constantly being refined and streamlined. The experiences of UKRR members and staff during the last year have led to suggestions to develop and alter processes, so that the handbook and support documentation become more useful tools for UKRR practitioners.High level processes\nFuture plans: The current thrust of the work is not only ongoing processing to meet targets, but also to address the challenges which we have grappled with in the early cycles of activity. As noted above, the UKRR workflow is inevitably iterative, with amendments and improvements introduced whenever possible to ease the processing for all parties. However, holdings are currently treated as distinct entities, with responses provided at this level. The next challenge is to take the retention status to the issue level, so that duplication within UKRR can be tackled further with corresponding space savings for members.\nUKRR factoids: 1. Pilot Phase 1 - 11 km of shelf space released, 8,000 titles offered to UKRR.2. Phase 2, Cycle 1:* 11.4 km of material offered across 9,600 individual holdings;* 8 km of shelf space released;* 1,400 unique titles have been offered; and* >70 per cent of offered holdings are STM titles.1. Most frequently offered titles, to date, include Annual Review of Microbiology, Annual Review of Physiology, Nature, and Trends in Pharmacological Science.\nConclusion: To be frank there are few conclusions at this stage - as like all new services our energy has focused on optimising the workflow and ensuring the processes can deliver the key aims of the programme.One trend that has emerged so far is the low overlap of titles offered by members in Phase 2, around 16 per cent of the total offered. This inevitably impacts on the workflow; titles offered have not been seen previously by UKRR and thus require more processing resource. The overlap of titles may also affect the final status accorded to the holdings offered. However, as the data is based on two cycles with differing levels of participation by members, it is debateable whether this is significant enough to indicate a real trend.No doubt all concerned will be interested to know if this level changes now that membership is closed, as duplication within offered holdings will inevitably impact on levels of retention and disposal. The successful proposal and business model was based on a five-year iterative programme with membership open in the first year, 2009. This would determine the pool of holdings within the membership, so that these holdings could be de-duplicated over the remaining four years. This level of overlap also impacts on the workflow as the number of new titles offered effects the level of bibliographic checking required.One of the biggest challenges, which will come as no surprise to anyone familiar with serials work is the level of granularity required by UKRR. Our \"lingua franca\" is issues, parts and supplements; however, the complexity arising from differing serials data formats within the 29 members is a challenge, with a means of universal translation proving elusive. However we do know that UKRR is making an impact on our members already:At Aberdeen we have chosen to work on those materials for which we have electronic access in perpetuity. We have been able to give assurance to our academics that whilst we are indeed disposing of low use print copies, should there be any need to gain access to these through the BL's ILL service, this will be possible (and in many cases can be via the scan and send service). Meanwhile, online access is assured (and doubly so for many titles through subscription to PORTICO through SHEDL). UKRR is one factor in our recent decision to postpone plans for a new offsite store in Aberdeen - we think that in a couple of years we may well be able to revise down the likely offsite storage requirements for our print collection (Chris Banks, University Librarian & Director, Library & Historic Collections, University of Aberdeen).In the coming months as the corpus of data grows we will begin to look at the collection in a more holistic fashion as we undertake further analyses.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - UKRR is an innovative programme that ensures that copies of print journals remain available to the research community indefinitely. At the same time the aim is to free up substantial and valuable space in academic libraries, resulting in significant cost savings. This paper aims to provide an update on this groundbreaking initiative - one year into Phase 2. It seeks to outline the processes and workflows which underpin UKRR and to report early findings.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A descriptive account of the UKRR process and methodology is provided, indicating how they support the programme's overarching principles.\nFindings: - It is still early days in Phase 2 of UKRR, but already interesting data are being gathered. These will inform further analyses.\nOriginality/value: - UKRR is a high profile national programme that is attracting a lot of interest both nationally and internationally. The paper documents a practical example of a shared services initiative in the UK.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The shadow economy as a higher order construct inside European governance	[ "Public policy", "Partial least squares", "Shadow economy", "Higher order construct", "Non-observed economy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The existence of the Shadow Economy (SE) has at least three serious implications: the economy as a whole, economic growth and macroeconomic policies. Defining the European growth strategy for the coming decade (Europe2020), the European Commission used the following definition \"the SE includes those economic activities and the income derived thereof that circumvent or avoid government regulation or taxation\". In contrast to this wide definition of the SE, in this paper, the authors refer to the more narrow definition of the SE which \"includes all market-based legal production of goods and services that are deliberately concealed from public authorities for the following reasons: (1) to avoid payment of income, value added or other taxes, (2) to avoid payment of social security contributions, (3) to avoid having to meet certain legal labour market standards, such as minimum wages, maximum working hours, safety standards, etc., and (4) to avoid complying with certain administrative procedures, such as completing statistical questionnaires or other administrative forms\" (Schneider, 2010). The SE significantly influences the National Accounts (NA) figures related to Non-Observed Economy (NOE). Overall, the NOE refers to the activities that have not been directly observed and measured (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), 2002; United Nation Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), 2008)[1]. Even though there is no unique standard NOE method applied internationally, recent literature refers to a growing concern about the problems connected to the dramatically rising unemployment rate and the financing features of public expenditure, as well as the expanding vexation and disappointment with economic and social policies.\n2. Recent features related to European governance: At this point in time, no international agency (or organisation) produces systematically quantitative estimates of the SE. Broad initiatives on behalf of the EU Commission and the EU Parliament as well as initiatives at the national level show that politicians feel the need to gather reliable statistics about SE activities. The magnitude of these statistics is a crucial factor for making effective and efficient decisions regarding the allocations of a country's resources. The Council of Europe through the recent Resolution n. 1847/2011 emphasised that the SE significantly erodes state authority and the capacity for good governance which are essential for fostering democracy, development and the rule of law. The underground sector also deprives state budgets of substantial amounts of tax revenue, distorts competition in regular markets, flouts citizens' socio-economic rights, slows down economic progress, abuses public welfare systems and propagates lawlessness.\n3. Model specification and data description: As stated in the introduction, in recent years researchers have proposed various approaches to measure the size of the SE. According to the considered approach, the SE is estimated by taking into consideration several dimensions used both as \"indicators\" and \"causes\". In terms of quantity and quality of indicators for the SE, finding reliable data sources is a difficult task. The present research refers to the conceptual background presented in the well-known sources (UNECE, 2008; Eurostat, 2005; OECD, 2002) and it is based on the SEM-PLS procedure. Each SEM procedure can be specified in terms of a set of matrix equations and it is composed of two sub models (Bollen, 1989): the measurement (outer) model, which concerns the way in which the manifest variables are linked to the corresponding latent variables and the structural (inner) model, which concerns the relationships among the latent variables. Overall, there are two approaches in estimating the parameters of the SEM. The SEM-PLS approach was proposed as a \"component-based\" estimation procedure different from the classical \"covariance-based\" LISREL type approach (Wold, 1975). See Reinnartz et al. (2009), who widely debated the comparison of the SEM-PLS and SEM-LISREL approaches. The path diagram shown in Figure 1 visually represents the relationship stated in the SEM-PLS procedure considered in this paper. See Esposito Vinzi et al. (2010) for a detailed description of the SEM-PLS techniques.\n4. Results: The policy options for dealing with the SE can be used in different countries both in combination and individually. The successful policy solutions are not always easy to implement even though they take the shape of detailed policy recommendations. It is important to validate the model proposed to deal with the SE phenomenon. In the SEM-PLS there is no global fitting function to assess the goodness of the model. Each part of the model needs to be validated as follows: the inner model, the outer model and the overall model. The following sections present the assessment of the model through the different fit indices provided both by the RIA and TSA procedures. As noted, the direction of the relationship between the higher and lower order variables can be based on different modalities. Using the RIA, all the manifest variables of the LOC have been treated in a \"reflective\" way and this is a prerequisite of the mentioned approach. When a reflective model is performed, as for the outer model, each manifest variable reflects - and is an effect of - the corresponding latent variable[7]. See Hair et al. (2013) for an extensive description of this issue.\n5. Model validation and SEM-PLS bootstrapping: The robustness of the SEM-PLS procedure is a topic of growing interest. As a least squares procedure, the SEM-PLS does not depend on distributional assumptions. Resampling procedures such as \"jack-knife\", \"bootstrap\" and \"blindfolding\" can be used to obtain confidence intervals for the parameters (Tenenhaus et al., 2005). In this paper, the authors refer to a bootstrap procedure, which is a non-parametric approach for estimating SEM-PLS parameters. It is a robust alternative to statistical inference based on parametric assumptions (such as normality) when the assumptions in question are in doubt. In general, the bootstrap procedure creates M samples in order to obtain M estimates for each parameter in the SEM-PLS procedure. Each sample is obtained by sampling a replacement from the original data set. The authors get a validation with M=200 resamples. The bootstrap procedure involves using a \"t-test\" (and corresponding \"p-values\") to assess the statistical significance of the coefficients. This procedure provides bootstrap confidence intervals for both absolute and the relative GoF which are shown in Table VI.\n6. Conclusion: In the present contribution, the authors propose a multidimensional model to approach the SE and analyse the relationship between public governance and the SE. The SE and its related features impose costs on real economic output and other distortions in the economy. In order to minimise these adverse economic consequences, policy makers need a clear understanding of the major channels through which the underground sector may affect the real economy. From a theoretical standpoint, the statistical significance of the connection between public policy and the SE can be validated by using two different SEM-PLS approaches. These two procedures have about the same impact on the SE and the results appear to validate the indicators proposed, even though the meaning of some determinants needs to be examined carefully.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Several dimensions of public governance occur while approaching the Shadow Economy (SE) phenomenon. The purpose of this paper is to study the SE by means of the European governance analysis by highlighting the main features of implications of the policy options. A statistical significance on the nexus between public governance and the SE appears with respect to the indicators taken into consideration except for the dimensions related to the tax system, which appear to be moderate in magnitude in terms of their effects.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In order to evaluate data from 32 European Union countries during 2011, a hierarchical component model (HCM) in the context of the structural equation model (SEM) partial least squares (PLS) is utilised. Two different procedures are considered: a two-stage approach (TSA) and the repeated indicators approach (RIA).\nFindings: The two procedures (RIA and TSA) proposed in the model have about the same impact on the SE. Evidence suggests that the manifest variables joined to the regulatory system, business regulation and wealth level significantly affect the SE. In contrast, different dimensions connected to the tax system need to be considered to avoid that there be no significant effects on the SE from taxes.\nResearch limitations/implications: A critical evaluation of the policy implications of the results are included, by focusing on the effects on the SE.\nPractical implications: This paper suggests where more emphasis should be placed when referring to the statistical results in dealing with the SE.\nOriginality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to explore the SE while using an HCM (also known as higher order model) performed in a SEM-PLS procedure. The model proposed discerns the relevance and the marginal impact of several dimensions of policy interventions.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Linking retailing experiences with life satisfaction: The concept of story-type congruity with shopper's identity	[ "Customer satisfaction", "Life satisfaction", "Lifestyle", "Self-image", "Store format", "Shopper satisfaction" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Shopping motivation is one of the key constructs of research on shopping behaviour. It is a key consideration in formulating retail-marketing strategies. Research on shopping motivation shows that life satisfaction is a major driver explaining why shoppers seek specific retailing experiences. In a qualitative study, Wagner (2007) finds that shoppers may seek particular store characteristics such as specific assortments, a certain store atmosphere, and shopping convenience because these characteristics are linked to terminal values such as quality of life and happiness. However, quantitative empirical support for the effect of shopping experiences on life satisfaction remains scarce.\n2. Conceptual background: Shopping experiences may impact shopper life satisfaction positively as well as negatively. One stream of retailing research, for example, recognizes that shopping environments may add stress to shoppers' lives. Frequently mentioned stressors in the context of UK grocery shopping are crowding and queuing, noise levels, overheating, checkout problems, high-traffic periods, overpricing, theft, parking and transportation problems (e.g. Ghosh et al., 2010). Shoppers respond to these stressors by switching retail channels (e.g. online shopping) that better meet shopper needs (e.g. working hours, lifestyle). More generally, dissatisfaction with traditional retail environments (e.g. product availability, pricing, and shopping environment) seems to cause not only shopping avoidance but also general unhappiness (Otieno et al., 2005).\n3. Research method: To test the research model (as shown in Figure 1), the research context of grocery retailing in Austria was selected. The Austrian retailing landscape was chosen for this study, because it is representative of a number of retailing trends that characterize mature European markets. Most of its retailing sectors are characterized by an on-going concentration process. This process is not only reflected by a consolidation from smaller to bigger store formats but also by a growing number of chain-operated retail outlets (Hoffmann and Schnedlitz, 2008). In general, the wholesale and retail trade sector is the most important business sector in Austria: in 2012, this sector again achieved the highest share of turnover (34.2 per cent), followed by industry (31.3 per cent) and services (28.5 per cent) (Statistics Austria, 2014a). With regard to the retailing industry itself, food retailing was the most important sector in terms of turnover in 2012 - followed by apparel retailing (Statistics Austria, 2014b).\n4. Results: The conceptual model shown in Figure 1 specifying the influence of shopper satisfaction on life satisfaction was cast in the following regression equation:\n5. Discussion: The goal of this study was to address the question: how do retail experiences impact shopper life satisfaction? It was hypothesized that satisfaction with a specific store type impacts shopper life satisfaction (H1) and that this effect is be amplified by store-type congruity with a shopper's identity (H2). That is, satisfaction with a store type (e.g. neighbourhood convenience stores, super markets, and grocery discounters) contributes more positively to shopper life satisfaction if the store type is congruent with the identity and lifestyle of the shopper than if it is not.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: A common assumption holds that retailers generally contribute to customer life satisfaction - retailers offer products and services that solve consumer problems - large and small. However, some retail experiences have been found to generate dissatisfaction, stress and unhappiness for some customers but not for others. Research is needed to not only demonstrate how retail experiences impact customer life satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to address the question: why does satisfaction with various store types impact customer life satisfaction differently?\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research context of this study is grocery retailers (neighbourhood convenience stores, super markets, and grocery discounters) in Austria. Using stratified random sampling across store types, a total of 379 personal interviews with grocery store customers were conducted. OLS regression analysis was conducted to test the research model.\nFindings: The study results suggest that satisfaction with a store type impacts customer life satisfaction depending on store-type congruity with shoppers' identity. That is, satisfaction with a store type (e.g. neighbourhood convenience stores, super markets, and grocery discounters) is found to influence life satisfaction if the store type is congruent with the shoppers' self-image and lifestyle.\nPractical implications: An emphasis on store-type congruity with shopper's identity allows retailers to shift their attention towards creating more meaningful shopping experiences. Such a shift in focus may not only benefit retailers due to increase in customer loyalty for that store format. It also benefits shoppers themselves - the shopping experience contributes to shoppers' life satisfaction.\nOriginality/value: This research introduces store-type congruity with shopper's identity as a key concept that connects shopping experiences to customer life satisfaction. This contributes towards building the hierarchical theory of shopping motivation. It demonstrates under what conditions shopping experiences impact consumer life satisfaction - a research topic that has received little attention in the retailing literature to date.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The effects of (different types of) immigrants on labor market outcomes of (different groups of) natives	[ "Employment", "Immigrants", "Compensation", "Labour market", "Temporary workers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The effects of immigration on the labor market outcomes of natives have been amply studied in the literature. Spatial correlations studies have found the effects to be small and insignificant (see a survey by Friedberg and Hunt, 1995). The small effects might be the result of migrants' endogenous location decisions, or due to internal migration of natives.\n2. Data and background: Earnings and employment data come from the income survey files prepared by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The working micro-level data set used in this study is obtained by pooling 14 years (56 quarters, 1991-2004) of cross-sectional income surveys. The samples include Jewish and non-Jewish respondents who are residents and citizens of Israel. Foreign workers and Palestinians are not included in the income surveys.\n3. Estimation strategy: We use an approach similar to Borjas et al. (2010), adjusted to the two types of immigrants and two sectors as in Asali (2008), to estimate the impact of foreign and Palestinian workers on the labor market outcomes of Israeli Arabs and Jews.\n4. Estimation results: Tables III and IV provide the main estimation results as to the effect of foreign and Palestinian workers on the wage and employment of Israeli Arabs and Jewish workers, respectively. Column (1) reports the results from the OLS regression of log wages on the share of Palestinians in the total employment, the share of foreign workers, and a range of control variables like schooling, potential experience, squared potential experience, dummy for male workers, marital status dummies (married, single, divorce, widowed, separated), industry fixed effects (14 industries), year fixed effects (14 year), quarter fixed effects, the count of conflict events, and conflict interacted with industries.\n5. Concluding remarks: Exploiting recurring labor supply shocks due to border closures, and political and economic instability in source countries of foreign workers, we studied the effect of immigration on the wage and employment of natives. Rather than pooling all natives or all immigrants into one group and assuming these to be homogeneous, we examined the effects of immigrants of different origins on different native groups.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of different types of immigrants on the labor market outcomes of different native groups.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses a quasi-experimental approach, utilizing the border closures policy as well as political instability and economic conditions in the major countries of origin as exogenous sources of variation in the number of immigrants, to measure the effect of an immigrant-induced labor supply shock of each immigrant type (Palestinians and foreign guest workers) on the wage and employment of native workers (Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews).\nFindings: The effects of immigrants on local labor market outcomes vary with their origin. The different native groups, moreover, are affected differently by each type of immigrants. Specifically, a foreign-worker-induced increase in the labor supply negatively affects only the least-skilled Jewish workers. In contrast, a 10 percent Palestinian-induced increase in the labor supply increases the wage of Israeli Arabs by 3.4 percent, suggesting a net complementarity effect. Short-term slight employment adjustments occur at the intensive rather than the extensive margin.\nOriginality/value: The paper studies heterogeneous effects of immigrants by their type; also it studies heterogeneous effects experienced by different native groups. This paper informs the policy discussion about immigration and its effects on native workers.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Economic growth and the concept of diminishing marginal governance effect	[ "Governance", "Growth", "Diminishing effect" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether improvements in governance across countries, utilising the Rule of Law component of the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGIs), are associated with economic growth, measured in terms of real GDP. It is to be noted that in this paper both variables are measured in terms of changes, comparing like with like. In other words, the basic assumption is that changes in governance, and not levels of governance, are associated with changes in real GDP. It is hypothesised that a country with a high level of economic development and a high level of good governance (typically an economically advanced country), tends to find it more difficult to improve these two variables, when compared to a country with lower levels GDP per capita (GPC) and good governance (typically an economically backward country).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Defining and measuring governance\n3. Methodology: 3.1 The basic argument\n4. Results: 4.1 Simple correlations\n5. Conclusion: 5.1 Good governance and prosperity\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether good governance across countries, utilising the Rule of Law indicator of the Worldwide Governance Indicators, is associated with economic growth, measured in terms of real GDP. It is to be noted that in this paper both variables are measured in terms of changes, comparing like with like. It is hypothesised that a country with a high level of economic development and a high level of good governance (typically an economically advanced country) tends to find it more difficult to improve these two variables, when compared to a country with lower levels GDP per capita and good governance (typically an economically backward country). This assumption is termed the \"diminishing marginal governance effect\".\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper tests the hypothesis that governance improvements are related to real GDP growth, using the panel data regression approach. In this way both variables are measured in terms of changes, comparing like with like. Relevant control variables are utilised to impose the ceteris paribus condition.\nFindings: The paper finds that improvements in good governance are statistically and significantly related to economic growth. This confirms the hypothesised \"diminishing marginal governance effect\" explained above.\nResearch limitations/implications: The main research limitation of this paper is that measuring changes in the \"Rule of Law\" indicator over time may be subject to errors given that the \"Rule of Law\" score of each year is an average value with related standard deviations, and the latter vary from one year to another and from one country to another.\nPractical implications: The major practical implication of this paper is that good governance matters for economic growth and that in order to produce evidence for this the governance score must be measured in terms of changes and not in terms of levels. Another implication is that equations that compare economic growth with levels of governance are misspecified as they would not be comparing like with like.\nSocial implications: There are various beneficial social implications associated with good governance which is considered as a major pillar for orderly social relationships. Economic growth also has important social implications as it means, if properly distributed, improvements in material well-being of the population.\nOriginality/value: The originality of this paper is that it measures governance in terms of changes and not of levels. Studies on the relationship between governance and economic growth that measure governance in terms of levels generally do not find a positive relationship between the two variables. In using changes in both governance and real GDP, this paper confirms the \"diminishing marginal effect of governance\", hypothesis.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
HSBC banks on more women at the top: Program seeks to support the progression of female staff	[ "Gender", "Women", "Employee development", "Banks", "Equal opportunities" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: An international bank is supporting women's progression, rather than simply focusing on developing females into senior roles, in an attempt to increase the proportion of women at the top of the company.\nProgram's key objectives: The program's key objectives are to:\nVarious gender-diversity initiatives: Among the bank's other gender-diversity initiatives are:\nNote: David Pollitt, Human Resource Management International Digest, Editor, wrote this article.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The paper aims to describe how HSBC is supporting women's progression, rather than simply focusing on developing females into senior roles, in an attempt to increase the proportion of women at the top of the company.\nDesign/methodology/approach: It examines the background to HSBC's inclusive-leadership program, the form it takes and the results it is achieving.\nFindings: It describes the program's key objectives as being to: start constructive conversations into how open to difference participants really are; raise awareness of an individual's unconscious bias and use that knowledge to drive inclusive behaviors; support the adoption of more inclusive working practices; increase understanding of how unconscious bias affects decision-making processes and leadership behavior; and start to sponsor projects related to diversity and inclusion.\nPractical implications: It reports that diversity and inclusiveness are now part of everyday language and communication in the organization. People recognize and talk openly about difference throughout the bank. Its leaders understand the importance of creating an inclusive environment which avoids type-casting based on individual bias and understands the importance of not linking physical presence with doing a good job. Many employees are making a genuine effort to make the subconscious conscious and compensate for bias.\nSocial implications: It explains how one major organization is combating the macho culture that sometimes seems to prevail at the higher levels of international banking.\nOriginality/value: It reveals how HSBC is changing attitudes and behaviors toward women at senior levels of the organization.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Performance measurement and management in practice : Advantages, disadvantages and reasons for use	[ "Performance management", "Performance management systems", "Performance measurement", "Organizations" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In the past decades performance management and measurement (PMM) techniques and tools have attracted much interest from both the academic and business communities (Thorpe and Beasley, 2004; Chau, 2008; Franco-Santos et al., 2012). PMM is defined as the process in which steering of the organization takes place through the systematic definition of mission, strategy and objectives of the organization, making these measurable through critical success factors (CSFs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) in order to be able to take corrective actions to keep the organization on track (Waal, 2007). The effectiveness of the ongoing process means the achievement of financial as well as nonfinancial targets, the development of skills and competencies and the improvement of customer care and process quality (Waal, 2007). There is evidence that PMM is now implemented in approximately 70 per cent of medium to large firms in the USA and Europe, as well as in many governmental departments (Silk, 1998; Marr and Neely, 2003; Rigby, 2001; Williams, 2001; Speckbacher et al., 2003; Neely et al., 2004; Marr et al., 2004).\nPMM advantages, disadvantages and reasons for use: The main source of our research to identify PMM advantages, disadvantages and reasons for use consisted of academic and management publications discussing \"real-world\" experiences of organizations with PMM. A general search in academic and management databases (such as EBSCO, Science Direct, Emerald) and in the physical libraries of our institutes on the topic of PMM advantages and disadvantages initially yielded 5.625 matches. The following search phrases were used: advantages of performance management/measurement, disadvantages of performance management/measurement, reasons for performance management/measurement use, benefits of performance management/measurement and drawbacks of performance management/measurement. Most of the literature sources turned out to be either purely conceptual/theoretical or anecdotic in nature (Martinez et al., 2004). After narrowing down the search criteria exclusively to literature containing empirical academic research, and stipulating that the advantages and disadvantages should be mentioned in at least two empirical literature sources, only 28 sources remained[1]. From these sources, a list of three quantitative and 22 qualitative advantages, eight qualitative disadvantages and 41 reasons for PMM use was compiled (Kourtit and Waal, 2009). Appendix 1 summarizes the reasons for PMM use, PMM advantages and PMM disadvantages (in decreasing order of number of literature sources found), and lists the publications in which these were found.\nDevelopment of hypotheses: Based on the literature review several hypotheses are be developed. The first thing to notice from the literature review is the abundance of advantages of PMM listed, while the disadvantages are in the minority. Therefore our first hypothesis is:\nResearch approach and results: To test the hypotheses, we interviewed employees and managers of 17 prominent Dutch organizations. As this study did not focus solely on the BSC but on all types of measurements tools, the more general term PMM was used during the research and the interviews. As the literature search did not yield a structured, validated survey to obtain information from organizations on the advantages, disadvantages and reasons for PMM use, a self-composed survey was used. The advantages, disadvantages and reasons for use identified in the literature were converted into statements and presented to the interviewees. For instance, the advantage \"improvement in communication in the organization on the strategy\" was translated into the following statement: \"Since the implementation of performance management, we have noticed in the organisation that communication on the strategy has improved\". The participating companies, predominantly from the profit sector, were selected on the basis of one criterion, namely whether they had implemented and used PMM. To determine the degree to which these organizations experienced advantages, disadvantages and reasons for use, the statements in the survey were formulated in such a manner that interviewees had to give a rating on a five-point Likert scale, varying from \"1=not at all\" (i.e. \"we did not at all experience the (dis)advantage\") to \"5=very strong\" (i.e. \"we experienced the (dis)advantage very strongly\"). The interviewees were also asked if they had experienced any quantitative disadvantages from the implementation and use of the PMM system in their organization, and what the reasons for their organization were to start using PMM. The survey was first tested at one company after which some small adjustments were made in the formulation of several questions. We used a Likert scale because we were asking the interviewees for the degree of (dis)advantage they experienced. Using a binary approach would have given them too much trouble in answering, as we found out during the test of the survey. In view of the nested nature of the data, we used a combination richness of quantitative and qualitative data collection. This mixed-methodology design included semi-structured in-depth interviews to seek deeper for new insights, and used to explore and explain themes which have emerged from the use of the questionnaire and to validate findings from the use of questionnaires (Wass and Wells, 1994; Healey and Rawlinson, 1994). This approach is often called a \"conversation with a purpose\" with the involvement of many closed questions i.e. yes-no answers and containing some open-ended questions (Robson, 1993).\nSummary, limitations and future research: The research described in this paper focused on answering the questions: What are the advantages, disadvantages and reasons for use of PMM in business practice? and What are the relations between the reasons behind the implementation of PMM, advantages and disadvantages? Based on a literature study and practical research at 17 prominent Dutch organizations, it became clear there are two main reasons for implementing PMM and four advantages and two disadvantages which are to be expected from using PMM. The practical implication of this research is that implementing and using PMM yields specific benefits for an organization, most of which are directly tied to the reasons that PMM was implemented and one benefit that is indirectly tied and a resultant of some of the other benefits. As a consequence, management now knows which and how many advantages are to be expected as a direct result of a specific reason for use, and thus management can check whether full benefit has been achieved from using PMM. If one or more of the PMM advantages have not been found in the organization, management has to investigate whether PMM is implemented and used in the right manner and for the right reason. Management can also use the research results to convince organizational members that PMM is indeed beneficial for the organization and only has minor drawback in the shape of a limited number of disadvantages which do not occur frequently (Marchand and Raymond, 2008). Overall, this research suggests, like Bryant et al. (2004), that management needs to make the advantages of PMM explicit before starting the PMM implementation and keep stressing these advantages during and after implementation. This will heighten commitment of organizational members to PMM and increase a successful use of PMM. The theoretical implication of this research is that it creates order in the myriad of advantages and disadvantages of PMM that have been reported in the literature. The research also, for the first time, ties advantages to certain reasons for use of PMM.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Despite the fact that in recent years performance management and measurement (PMM) techniques and tools have attracted much research interest and that many scholars claim that implementing PMM yields many advantages, there is only a limited number of rigorous, systematic, scientific analysis of empirical studies into the benefits actually experienced by organizations in practice after introducing PMM. In addition little is known about specific reasons for organizations to start using PMM, and about the various relationships, if any, between the advantages, disadvantages and reasons for PMM use. This paper seeks to address these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This article identifies the advantages, disadvantages and reasons for use of SPM which organizations have experienced in practice, based on an extensive literature research and interviews at 17 prominent Dutch organizations.\nFindings: The study found four main advantages, two main disadvantages and two main reasons for use.\nResearch limitations/implications: The main limitation is that the number of participating organizations and interviewees could be higher.\nPractical implications: The practical implication of this research is that implementing and using PMM yields specific benefits for an organization and that management now knows which advantages are to be expected.\nOriginality/value: This research shows that management needs to make the advantages of PMM explicit before the PMM implementation starts and keep stressing these advantages during and after implementation. This will heighten commitment of organizational members for PMM and increase a successful use of PMM.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Understanding the loss of trust in large banks	[ "Trust", "Customer satisfaction", "Financial services", "Market orientation", "Banks", "Business ethics" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Economies depend on the social, structural, institutional, and cognitive preconditions that enable market exchange, namely, trust. Without the willingness of parties to rely on one another to fulfill obligations, markets breakdown and exchange grinds to a halt. The effect of a loss of trust was felt globally during the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008 when money stopped moving and the economy ground to a halt. Joseph Stiglitz (2008), the Nobel-Prize-winning economist, summarized the problem well when he said, \"financial markets hinge on trust, and that trust has eroded.\"\nThe state of trust in banks: There is a theoretical basis to suggest that trust is especially critical in financial services. As Harrison (2003) suggested, financial services are highly intangible and therefore can be harder to understand, often involve pronounced information asymmetry where there is heavy reliance on credence qualities, and perceived risk is particularly high when exchange involves the buyers' savings. Beyond theory, there is empirical evidence that trust in banking is challenged and is now at an all-time low. Figures 1-5 present recent data on trust, confidence and loyalty with various types of banks. The results of this data can be summarized as follows:\nA theoretical foundation to understand trust in banks: We define trust as a judgment of confident reliance by a person (a trustor) on a person, group, organization, or system (a trustee) where there is uncertainty and risk (Hurley, 2006, 2012). This definition is consistent with other definitions of trust in marketing: confidence and a willingness to rely on an exchange partner (Moorman et al., 1992), perception of confidence in a partner (Morgan and Hunt, 1994), belief that a partner is able to perform effectively (Doney and Cannon, 1997), and willingness to rely on the brand to perform (Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001).\nA proposed research framework for trust in banks: What is needed is a model of stakeholder trust in organizations which considers the wider set of firm relations (stakeholder theory), locates the firm within the context of value creation and markets (market orientation), and articulates a chain of trust which must be built outside and within the organization to sustain reputation advantage (service quality, relationship marketing, and resource-based competitive advantage). Drawing on prior research concerning models of organization (Burke and Litwin, 1992; Nadler and Tushman, 1997; Gillespie and Dietz, 2009), Hurley et al. (2013) developed a stakeholder trust model of organizations that specifies the elements of organization that must be part of a congruent and integrated system that is trustworthy. Figure 6 is an elaboration on this work.\nThe decision to trust: Trust is a judgment made by a trustor about a trustee that fundamentally affects the trustor's behavior (degree of disclosure, willingness to exchange, nature, and degree of protective measures taken, etc.) in the relationship (Deutsch, 1973). Trustworthiness has to do with the cues and signals which research shows are used to make the trust judgment. While not always explicit, this distinction between trust and trustworthiness was made in the marketing literature when scholars used an antecedents or trustworthiness approach to measuring trust. For example, Morgan and Hunt (1994) operationalized trust as confidence in a partner's \"reliability\" and \"integrity\" and Doney and Cannon (1997) trust was a belief in \"credibility\" and \"benevolence\" (caring) of the partner. More recently, Johnson and Grayson (2005) noted five dimensions as the antecedents of trust (expertise, product performance, firm reputation, satisfaction with previous interactions, and similarity) in a financial services context. Reviews of the trust measurement literature (Dietz and Den Hartog, 2006; McEvily and Tortoriello, 2011) confirms that some scholars have used more global measures of trust (degree of confidence, willingness to be vulnerable, and degree of trust vs distrust) and others have measured trust by measuring perceptions concerning facets of trustworthiness (ability, benevolence, integrity) to aggregate to an overall measure of trust.\nAn application of the stakeholder trust model of organizations to banks: To summarize, trust has eroded and its restoration requires an understanding of why banks managed to produce more signals of distrust than of trust leading to a downward appraisal of trustworthiness. We have reviewed the essential building blocks of this repair effort, which are understanding how complex socio-technical systems work (stakeholder trust model of organizations) and defining the key elements of trustworthiness that must be embedded in the system (the six factors of the DTM). We can now use these frameworks to understand why trust in the large banks has declined and what can be done to restore it.\nSimilarities: Research in social identity theory shows that we tend to trust people, groups, and organizations that we believe are similar to us (Rousseau et al., 1998; Gaertner et al., 1996; Brewer, 1979). From a trust perspective there are two critical aspects of similarities: value congruence and identity bonds. Value congruence is trust-enabling because it provides comfort that the trustee will act according to our values. Identity bonds are trust-enabling because we feel that the trustee will not betray us because of loyalty to tribe and/or fear of ostracism by the group.\nAlignment of interest: Research in game theory (Camerer, 2003) and psychology (Deutsch, 1973) confirm that trust is enabled by an alignment of interests. All prudent trustors should be wary about trusting an agent whose interests conflict with their own because in rationally acting to promote their welfare, there may be win/lose trade-offs that can lead to betrayal. Clearly, trust has been eroded in large banks because of some very public examples of conflicts of interest. For example, paying larger bonuses to originate mortgages where default was more likely, shopping for triple-A ratings and misselling flawed instruments to pass on the risk (McDonald and Robinson, 2009). There was also a lack of alignment of interests in the manipulation of LIBOR rates as banks sought an unfair advantage at others' expense (Vaughan and Finch, 2013). Perhaps the most glaring conflict was the judgment against Goldman Sachs where the firm was found to have gained advantage by misleading its own clients in the sale of an instrument designed to fail (Story and Morgenson, 2010). We can contrast the large banks with many community banks that accepted slower growth to avoid venturing into lines of business where client conflicts were likely and where in many cases the banks retained an interest in mortgages to show alignment with community borrowers.\nCapability: Perceived capability or competence affects the trustee's ability to deliver on commitments and is therefore necessary to earn trust (Sitkin and Roth, 1993; Jones et al., 1975; Kee and Knox, 1970; Lieberman, 1981). There is evidence that some of the trust violations which occurred during the GFC were due to profit-driven innovation that outpaced the administrative and management innovation that was needed to reliably deal with the complexity and risk inherent in these new products (Hurley, 2010; McDonald and Robinson, 2009). For example, Barclays' strategy of rapid growth in new areas (investment banking) was inadequately supported by the development of the required competence in risk management and core operations to execute in a reliable and compliant fashion (Salz and Collins, 2013). Barclays was also faulted for not learning from mistakes, not responding adequately to complaints and treating failures with half-measures rather than robust and holistic solutions to the underlying problems (Salz and Collins, 2013). More generally, a number of people such as Sally Krawcheck, Sandy Weill, and Paul Volcker have suggested that the large banks are \"too big to manage\" and need to be shrunk and simplified in order to be more effectively managed (Volcker, 2010).\nPredictability and integrity: Research tells us it is unwise for any trustor to put their faith in a trustee whose behavior is unpredictable or who says one thing and then does another (Dasgupta, 1988; Johnson-George and Swap, 1982; Butler and Cantrell, 1984). Among nearly all of the large banks there were integrity violations and deception at different points during the GFC. Among nearly all these firms, there was an espoused strategy that emphasized service to clients and investors along with social responsibly but at many banks the real game afoot was to grow bonuses and the stock price in the near term no matter the long term risk to stakeholders and the larger society (Lewis, 2011).\nBenevolence: Trustors will be more disposed to offer trust to trustees who they feel care about their welfare (Hurley, 2012). Despite a great deal of philanthropy, Wall Street has developed a reputation as the epicenter of greed, not benevolence or altruism. It is on the benevolence dimension of trust that the sharpest contrast exists between community banks and the large banks. Community banks earn significant benevolence credits through a myriad of community engagement and community-building activities that are well-aligned with their business models. For example, Wainwright Bank's strategy included a strong concern for social justice in its dealings with the community (Arena, 2012). The large banks have philanthropic and foundations for charity work but they are typically disconnected from the firm's business model and often from the core culture as well.\nCommunication: Trust is a word that can be used to characterize a relationship and, as such, the quality of communication of the parties must factor into the nature of the relationship (Hurley, 2012). Deliberate deception and a lack of transparencyerode trust, and this was in full relief during the GFC. For example, Goldman Sachs espoused a value of service to clients but allowed some of its dealmakers to be deceptive in the Abacus transaction that was important to those clients (Story and Morgenson, 2010). Lehman Brothers made public statements assuring investors of its financial health when they knew they were teetering (Eisinger, 2013). Bank of America was fined by the SEC for false and misleading proxy statements relating to bonuses paid to Merrill Lynch executives after the bailout and the forced merger with Bank of America (SEC, 2009). These large bank practices stand in stark contrast to the intense employee and customer centricity of many community banks. For example, Wainwright Bank in particular prides itself on listening and responding to customers as a core part of its culture.\nConclusion: Contrasting large banks and community banks using a stakeholder trust model of organizations helps explain why trust increased in one case and decreased in another. The goal is obviously not to make larger banks into community banks but to understand how trust is developed or damaged and to engage in more practices to nurture it. This analysis shows, based on trust theory, that there are some clear reasons why large banks were untrustworthy for many stakeholders.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore a stakeholder trust model of organizations and applies the model to diagnose the loss of trust in large banks (Universal and Investment Banks) after the global financial crisis (GFC). Prescriptions for the repair of trust are offered along with the diagnosis.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The theoretical underpinnings of the stakeholder trust model of organizations are supported using the literature in marketing and management. Case study data on large and community banks are used to explore differences in these type of banks as they relate to trustworthiness as articulated in the stakeholder trust model of organizations.\nFindings: The stakeholder trust model of organizations and six dimensions of trustworthiness help to explain why trust eroded in large banks during the GFC but increased or remained stable among some community banks. This diagnosis of the loss of trust also points to interventions that will be necessary to restore trust going forward among large banks.\nResearch limitations/implications: Scholars in marketing need to develop a more macro view of the firm that examines trust beyond customers to reflect a wider stakeholder focus and issues of corporate social responsibility, trust reputation and license to operate.\nPractical implications: This paper points out strategic changes, some of which are radical, that will be required to restore and sustain stakeholder trust in large banks.\nSocial implications: Building trustworthy banks is essential to social and economic progress.\nOriginality/value: This paper addresses a void in marketing research by moving beyond the product and transactional level focus and framing a more macro oriented approach to understand trust in banks.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Unit cost behaviour in public sector outsourcing	[ "Outsourcing", "Public sector organizations", "Activity based costs", "Defence sector", "Finland" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Public sector services in many areas confront new challenges as cost pressures increase not only in the private sector but also in the public sector. Many governments and public decision makers are identifying new ways of producing public services at a lower cost. New ways of organising public services are also being explored. One of the trends is to make more extensive use of external resources, which in practice means that services are purchased from private companies (Broadbent and Laughlin, 2003). In the UK, the term used is \"public private partnership\" (PPP).There have been several attempts to find cost efficient solutions for public service production. Outsourcing in the public sector is often motivated by claims that private sector organisations are more cost-efficient than public sector organisations in the production of certain services (Parker and Hartley, 2003). On the other hand, IT systems outsourcing has produced totally new costs to the principal[1] (Aubert et al., 2004; Barthelemy, 2001). Before outsourcing, not all principals necessarily know what the current cost of in-house operations is. This may lead to an inability to determine whether this in-house cost is high or low, which in turn makes it almost impossible to analyse the future effects of outsourcing on unit cost. This has been shown especially to be the situation in defence organisations (Parker and Hartley, 2003; Humphries and Wilding, 2001). This paper is an attempt to explore the cost effects of outsourcing in the public sector.An empirical analysis is conducted in order to support theory building on how the unit costs of outsourced activities behave as a function of time in the public sector. This article is built on transaction cost theory, earlier descriptions of PPP experiences, and manageability analysis. The empirical data was gathered in a case study on a large Finnish public sector organisation. The point of view in this study is that of public sector principals, governments, municipal authorities, etc. In the discussion, a new theoretical framework for analysing unit cost development in outsourcing situations is introduced. The theory building is confined to the management accounting perspective. We know that there are many other aspects than management accounting in public sector decision making - political, geographical, sociological, equality of citizens, for example - but our aim is to consider the outsourcing phenomenon from the unit cost modelling perspective. We also concede that the management accounting perspective cannot overrule the others in real life, even though in theory building our argumentation follows the data-analysis-conclusion chain that is typical of the management accounting literature.\nTheoretical background: Transaction cost theory\nResearch design: Outline of the study\nEmpirical observations: Comparison of in-house and outsourced production\nDiscussion: The outcome and unit cost effects of outsourcing development can be modelled by utilising the unit cost concepts introduced in this paper. Furthermore, it may be more important to think about the potential shape of the reality curve than to calculate the results exactly. This thinking and the analysis of the manageability of the curves may lead to the identification of pitfalls in outsourcing, which may, as such, lead to avoiding them and cost savings. The practical driver for this kind of research is to make real the potential benefits of outsourcing by concentrating on how to outsource. Selecting the most appropriate activities for outsourcing in the public sector might result in the greatest cost savings. On the other hand, some activities could remain public if an analysis in the proposed framework proved them to be inappropriate. The critical use of the unit cost behaviour framework presented here could lead decision making to favour public or private service production depending on the case-by-case experiences or expected outcomes instead of only (and in some cases very often changing) political interests.This study provides some important insights into the applicability of transaction cost thinking (see Aubert et al., 1996; Williamson, 1985, 1975). First of all, the transaction cost theory is context-free, so that both private and public organisations seem to have relevant use of it. It must be stressed that the management accounting perspective on outsourcing does not depend on the ownership structure of the outsourcer. The ideas of transaction uncertainties can easily be adapted to support the outsourcing cost and risk analysis. In the case of supplier opportunism the cost curve will turn upwards in the future as the suppliers perceive an opportunity to price their product or service as the principal has no other option to buy or produce the product. There is a possibility of losing the practical contact to production and so to become a victim of information impactedness and bounded rationality. Especially in the case of countries like Finland, it is also a real concern of small numbers, in other words, the number of true potential suppliers is small. This weakens the competition and is a potential source of increasing prices over time. In the case of outsourcing the risks and their cost effects should be evaluated in order to identify which risks are the most significant threats to the cost efficiency of outsourcing.Second, while transaction cost theory provides understanding for a single outsourcing situation, the public sector should, with the continuity perspective of public service production in mind, be able to understand the cost effects of outsourcing, also in the longer term. This means that the possibility of more than one consecutive outsourcing/in-house decision should be taken into account. In this case, transaction cost theory without evolutionary thinking may fail. As shown in this study and many learning curve discussions before, it is very hard to divide all the costs between static principal's and partner's costs as in traditional transaction cost analysis. By contrast, the development of unit costs over time differs between outsourcing projects, which may lead to totally different outcomes over a ten-year period, even though the basic static transaction cost analysis gave a similar result. For example, if the FDF had been able to sell all the unused real estate after maintenance outsourcing, the unit cost would have decreased faster. Hence, decision makers should concentrate on understanding the outsourcing environments case by case in order also to guarantee the preferred unit cost development in the longer term. The use of transaction cost theory as the only management tool could accept changing between in-house service production and outsourcing every second year, which in certain cross-sector business and negotiation power environments might lead to higher total costs than sticking with one production mode all the time.Third, going back to Armstrong (2002), if outsourcing is selected as the operational way to produce services, ABC calculations should be built to cover the total supply chain as illustrated by Kulmala (2003) in order to avoid the selection of the lowest price supplier instead of the lowest cost supplier. The outsourcing decision, in practice, should attract many companies in the tendering phase so that the public sector principal can model the in-house administrative activity structure for each of the potential suppliers.Fourth, as management accounting is not the only decision-making parameter in public sector service production, there may be more need for evolutionary thinking on unit cost development than in the private sector. While private sector organisations can accept more short-term oriented decisions and structural changes, the public sector should be less stop-go. Understanding the logic behind the unit cost effects of certain outsourcing cases, as illustrated in the FDF case, could improve the chances of public sector decision makers to anticipate smooth and balanced service production.As this empirical study revealed a phenomenon in the public sector organisation and private company interface, it is reasonable to suppose that the proposed framework is generalisable to any outsourcing situation. As a contribution, this study also identified explanatory factors behind the unit cost development in public sector outsourcing cases. Further studies should be conducted to identify the most typical unit cost development curves both in private and public sector outsourcing cases. While the explanatory factors for the potential shapes of the unit cost curves were exploratively and illustratively studied in the empirical part of this study, more detailed statistical analysis on the weight of these factors in the overall unit cost effects is needed in the spirit of the positivistic research approach.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The aim of this paper is to create a framework in which the behaviour of unit costs in public sector outsourcing situations can be analysed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Explorative case study concentrating on theory building.\nFindings: - Public sector organisations have not concentrated on analysing or modelling the unit cost behaviour in outsourcing situations. The lack of systematic cost management tools seems to lead to poorly managed and non-profitable outsourcing projects or ignorance of the possibilities of outsourcing.\nPractical implications: - By utilising the results of the study, decision making regarding outsourcing in public sector could be based both on forecast cost development and on political judgement instead of relying only on political judgement without understanding cost behaviour.\nOriginality/value: - The paper introduces a new framework to be used as a tool in practice and to be validated in further studies.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Fuzzy time series forecasting for supply chain disruptions	[ "Simulation", "Forecasting", "Supply chain risk management", "Fuzzy time series forecasting" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Supply chains are becoming more and more complex and prone to disruptions because of the globalization. Business Continuity Institute (2011) performed a survey of 559 companies represented by 62 countries and 14 industry sectors and found out that \"85 percent of companies reported at least one supply chain disruption in the last 12 months.\" Such disruptions are unexpected and large deviations from the normal operations of the supply chain, resulting from a plethora of external and internal factors. Supply chain managers are aware that the company's reputation, consistency in earning and ability to increase shareholder returns are increasingly dependent on their capabilities for managing supply chain disruptions (Hendricks and Singhal, 2005). Adopting proactive approaches in dealing with changing supply chain risks and vulnerabilities can secure supply chain systems (Asbjornslett, 2009). But to be effective in being proactive needs a better forecast of the future. Uncertainty about future can lead to risky event outcomes (Wieczorek, 2012). In such uncertain times the goal of firm's management efforts should not necessarily be to eliminate risks, but to become more risk informed. Keeping the performance at an acceptable level during disruptions is one of the top most concerns for the managers in a supply chain today. Also, because a supply chain is only as secure as its weakest link, all the tiers in the chain should be given their due importance and should be proactively guarded against any disruptions. This pro activeness is only possible with the help of timely and accurate forecasts.\n2. Literature review: As global supply chains expand to more and more countries, their supply lines become longer, the issues affecting the supply chain gets bigger and its management gets trickier. This leads to the increased importance of SCRM and this increase happens almost at the same rate as the globalization happens. This also led to the increased activity in this research field and led to a sudden eruption of large number of quality articles in this area. Therefore, disruption risks, lying in different processes of the supply chain as well as in the external environment, began to receive increased attention. Juttner et al. (2003) outlined a research agenda for SCRM research, for which they presented a literature review and also an empirical study. Kleindorfer and Saad (2005) showed how traditional operational risks are joined with disruption risks arising from natural hazard, terrorism and political instability. Tang (2006) developed a unified framework for classifying SCRM articles and, by highlighting the gap between theory and practice, identified directions for future research. Craighead et al. (2007) relate the design characteristics of the supply chain, including the complexity, to supply chain disruptions. By conducting an empirical research, the authors prove the hypothesis that supply chain disruption is a result of complexity. Wagner and Bode (2008) explored practices and tools for risk identification, assessment and mitigation. Sodhi and Tang (2009) and Samvedi et al. (2013) developed quantitative models to manage the risks of modern supply chains. Marsden and Docherty (2013), present an analysis on how disruptive events can be seen as an opportunity to construct and accelerate policy changes which are commonly slow and incremental over long periods of times. Sodhi et al. (2012) argue most global companies lack a formal process to estimate the probability of catastrophic events and also the capability to accurately forecast them. In fact not being able to forecast accurately the future business scenarios is the first reason why it is difficult to deal with the disruptions in a supply chain.\n3. FTS: In this section, we briefly review the concept of FTS. The content of this section is common knowledge among researchers in this field and is part of almost every other published research study. The authors have consulted Song and Chissom (1993a, b), Huarng (2001) and Wang et al. (2012). The main difference of FTS and traditional time series is that the values of FTS are represented by fuzzy sets rather than real values. All the fuzzy sets considered in this study have triangular membership functions.\n4. Experimental setup: Experiments are useful for investigating behavior in supply chains for a number of reasons. Experiments allow us to gauge the extent to which behavioral factors cause empirical regularities. In an experiment, we can control the environment each firm faces. The beer distribution game provides such an environment (Croson and Donohue, 2002). This game is a role-playing simulation of an industrial production and distribution system. In use for nearly six decades, the game has been played all over the world by thousands of people ranging from high school students to chief executive officers and government officials (Croson and Donohue, 2002, 2006). The four-stage problem of the beer game is a single-product supply chain that includes a retailer, a wholesaler, a distributor and a manufacturer. The system is depicted in the Figure 1. The customer places his demand at the retailer who in turn places its demand at the wholesaler and thus it proceeds to the end of the chain. Similarly the supply line comes from upstream to downstream and ends at the retailer which handles the customer. Demand disruptions are realized at the retailer end because this is the point where customer demands come. These disruptions can be of two types namely increase or decrease in customer orders. If the orders decrease then the chain has an oversupply and thus has more stock than desired at every point of the chain. On the other hand the increase in customer orders causes shortage in the chain and the shortages usually carry more cost than the oversupply, as also is the case in the cost structure of the beer game. The other type of disruptions come from the supply side, but is not the subject of this study.\n5. Results and analysis: This section details out the results achieved, of performance of competing forecasting systems, for different operating scenarios. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) is used as the forecasting performance criterion. The FTS system is compared with two other systems namely GPM and ARIMA. These methods have been chosen because of their widespread use by practitioners and researchers alike. Many studies claim them to be the best of the lot and hence they provide a solid benchmark values to compare with. In this study GPM uses the same setup that of Samvedi and Jain (2013). ARIMA method on the other hand has different orders at different levels and hence been referred only as ARIMA, rather than with their orders. The results clearly show that the FTS forecasting system is far superior to all other systems compared. This is true for all the tiers in the supply chain as well as for any environment, i.e. normal scenario, sudden disruption scenario and also smoothened disruption scenario. This shows how the system adapts successfully to the situation in hand and is able to give better forecasts. This is important because most of the systems work best in one scenario or the other. Having a system which is best for all the scenarios simplifies things.\n6. Conclusion: Risk management has become an integral part of a holistic SCM ideology. Terrorism, local politics, uncertain weather conditions, natural disasters and various other issues effect the supply chain from outside. On the other hand there are many other issues such as trade union strikes, quality problems, maintenance issues and supplier problems, which affect the chain internally. In today's growing supply chains, this has become a fact of life. The mad rush to make the supply chains better, faster and cheaper is making the chain increasingly complex, interdependent and risky. Companies are also responding to these challenges by undergoing major changes and are implementing new operations strategies and technologies. The larger a supply chain, the more difficult it is to cope with uncertainty, both upstream and downstream, and protect every link. There is overall an understanding among the researchers that it is better to be prepared to some extent than to wait for the disruptions to happen and then react. Although it is agreed by all that it is almost impossible to predict the disruptions with certainty, the importance of better forecasts is universally recognized. This study is an effort in that direction and successfully tests the better performance of FTS system when compared to others. The results clearly prove the superiority of FTS forecasting system to the others.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test the effectiveness of fuzzy time series (FTS) forecasting system in a supply chain experiencing disruptions and also to examine the changes in performance as the authors move across different tiers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A discrete event simulation based on the popular beer game model is used for these tests. A popular ordering management system is used to emulate the behavior of the system when the game is played with human players.\nFindings: FTS is tested against some other well-known forecasting systems and it proves to be the best of the lot. It is also shown that it is better to go for higher order FTS for higher tiers, to match auto regressive integrated moving average.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study fills an important research gap by proving that FTS forecasting system is the best for a supply chain during disruption scenarios. This is important because the forecasting performance deteriorates significantly and the effect is more pronounced in the upstream tiers because of bullwhip effect.\nPractical implications: Having a system which works best in all scenarios and also across the tiers in a chain simplifies things for the practitioners. The costs related to acquiring and training comes down significantly.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes by suggesting a forecasting system which works best for all the tiers and also for every scenario tested and simultaneously significantly improves on the previous studies available in this area.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Employment after incarceration: managing a socially stigmatized identity	[ "Employment", "Identity management", "Stigma", "Re-entry", "Formerly incarcerated" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: I want to maintain my own apartment. I just got my keys on Thursday. It's little things that nobody else in the world thinks about unless you've been in prison. Thursday night I went in and started cleaning. First, I needed to clean the bathroom, and then I was cleaning the kitchen and everything else. It was getting close to the time to come back to the [halfway] house again 'cause I had to be back at midnight. So, I get in the shower with a big smile on my face. It was the first time in over 5 years I'd showered without any shoes on. So, something like that that no one even thinks of is a huge deal to me. So, I want to be able to keep doing that. Now I have that and I want to keep it, so in order to keep it I have to get a job.(Oliver, no age provided)\nFormerly incarcerated persons: employment experiences: Challenges to employment\nManaging a socially stigmatized identity: A concealable or invisible stigmatized identity refers to \"personal information that is socially devalued but is not readily apparent to others\" (Chaudoir and Fisher, 2010, p. 236). Although the experiences, effects, and social costs associated with invisible identities vary, each shares a concealable nature and the associated choice of whether to disclose or conceal it (Goffman, 1963). This choice is met with several challenges, ranging from anxious anticipation of the possibility of being found out to isolation from similarly stigmatized others to potential detachment from self. Collectively, these challenges highlight the distress experienced by those who possess an invisible stigmatized identity vs those possessing a visible stigmatized identity (Frable et al., 1998; Pachankis, 2007; Sedlovskaya et al., 2013). Individuals, by being aware of their stigma, are faced with managing their identity accordingly.\nMethod: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 self-identified men released from federal custody in Canadian institutions, thus having served a minimum sentence of two years. Purposeful sampling was used to select the sample from a re-entry establishment in a metropolitan area. Participants were asked to describe their experiences and perspectives of searching for, securing, and maintaining employment post-release; thus the interviews included rich descriptions of the individuals' employment experiences post-incarceration. The open-ended nature of the interview provided an opportunity for releasees to describe their interpretations of their experiences when searching for, securing, and maintaining employment after prison. Consent was confirmed prior to participation, and ethics approval was awarded. Participants were all on conditional release and actively searching for employment post-release, intended to or would consider searching for employment in the future or had searched for employment in the past post-incarceration.\nDiscussion: Reflecting on individual experiences with employment post-incarceration, the nuanced identity management strategies shaping the employment processes guide releasee behaviors across stages of the employment process and further change overtime with experience. Participants' identity management techniques reflect the constructs of conditional disclosure, deflection, identity substitution, defying expectations, withdrawal and avoidance strategies embedded in stigma and social identity theories (Harding, 2003; Herman, 1993; Lee and Craft, 2002; Park, 2002; Taub et al., 1999; Woods, 1994). Such practices are also shaped by situational factors and contextual dynamics, such as the desire for support from an employer or the details of one's criminal history. Across participants, an internal struggle or negotiation as part of the identity management processes was evidenced in how such processes are relational, transitioning with changes in relationships across time and space. As Ricciardelli and Mooney (2018) found, a temporal dimension also exists where the longer a releasee is in the community the more likely they seek to disassociate their current self from their criminal past. Indeed, many felt that their criminal and incarceration history was personal and private, thus, although in some cases relevant to employers they are rarely to be shared with co-workers. The preference was to be known for their work ethic and ability rather than criminal past. Yet, repeatedly, the theme of honesty emerged across participants as a central consideration to identity management, which may explain why counterfeiting, or deliberate fabrications of a false identity, were infrequently noted. Given identity detection is always looming, we found participants actively manage their identity by negotiating between disclosure and concealment throughout the employment process. Individual identity management choices are multilayered, driven by a motivation to avoid unintended discovery and the resulting stigmatization. In addition, disclosure of imprisonment may be independent of the disclosure of a criminal act, each navigated in their own ways as part of identity management strategies.\nConclusion: Imprisonment has many consequences beyond deprivations and the associated \"pains of imprisonment\" such as opportunity costs and in certain contexts, disenfranchisement (Ricciardelli, 2014; Dhami and Cruise, 2013). At least in part, the result is a disconnection between the expectations for formerly incarcerated persons to reintegrate successfully into society and the policies that impede their ability to do so. Imprisonment, particularly prolonged imprisonment, as evidenced among our sample of formerly incarcerated individuals, experiences of discrimination, social and structural biases, and perpetuating stereotypes when seeking employment. In response, diverse identity management strategies are enacted, from concealment to disclosure of a criminal past that may be accompanied or not by the disclosure of a history of imprisonment. Central to our findings is that a criminal record, when combined with a history of incarceration, further strengthens the stigma of criminality that individuals must learn to negotiate post-release. However, formerly incarcerated individuals may not disclose both, either or neither their conviction or their imprisonment and some formerly incarcerated individuals may disclose one in order to conceal the other.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the social stigmatization of the formerly incarcerated identity and how this affects employment post-release. The authors consider the characteristics of this identity and the identity management strategies that individuals draw from as they navigate employment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 men at various stages of release from federal institutions in Canada. Participants were actively searching for employment, intending to or would consider searching for employment, or had searched for employment in the past post-incarceration. Participant data were simultaneously collected, coded and analyzed using an inductive approach (Gioia et al., 2012).\nFindings: Formerly incarcerated individuals have a unique awareness of the social stigmatization associated with their criminal record and incarceration history. They are tasked with an intentional choice to disclose or conceal that identity throughout the employment process. Six identity management strategies emerged from their accounts: conditional disclosure, deflection, identity substitution, defying expectations, withdrawal and avoidance strategies. More specifically, distinct implications of criminal record and incarceration history on disclosure decisions were evident. Based on participants' accounts of their reintegration experiences, four aspects that may inform disclosure decisions include: opportune timing, interpersonal dynamics, criminal history and work ethic.\nOriginality/value: The authors explore the formerly incarcerated identity as a socially stigmatized identity and consider how individuals manage this identity within the employment context. The authors identify incarceration history and criminal record as having distinct impacts on experiences of stigma and identity management strategic choice, thus representing the experience of a \"double stigma\".\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Riding the tiger of world university rankings in East Asia: where are we heading?	[ "Higher education", "Asia", "Performance", "Leadership rankings", "Quality" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: It is May 27, 2011 and two media reports about Thai higher education tell very opposite stories. On one hand, a feel-good news item published in The Nation newspaper trumpets that 5 Thai universities were ranked among the top 100 in the QS Asian University Rankings 2011. Turn the pages of the Bangkok Post, however, and the editorial \"Get real about bad education\" laments the sorry state of quality at the country's colleges and universities.This tale of two headlines offers useful instruction about the pitfalls of our new obsession with university rankings. Though they capture considerable press attention, international university rankings are not measuring all that is great about universities and their true worth to society. Moreover, in the race to have their top national institutes climb the ladders of the world's competitive league tables, many countries are in fact racing to the bottom by not providing quality, relevant education systems for their citizens (Irandoust and Calvani, 2011).\nUnpacking the systemic problem: How long has it been since the phrase world university rankings found its way into the lexicon of higher education? How have different players in the global system of higher education entered and engaged in this race? This section of the paper provides a conceptual perspective on \"the problem\" that was identified as the focus of the paper.\nSeeking a systemic solution: Contextualising the problem in East Asia\nConclusion: This paper sought to analyze the impact of world university rankings on higher education in East Asia. Our goal was to stimulate more explicit discussion of the assumptions that underlie this race and to highlight the dilemma each set of actors faces in choosing whether to hold on or jump off the back of the tiger. Although this paper focused on the responses of universities in East Asia, we noted that the basic propositions attending this problem are likely to apply more broadly to universities in other parts of the world as well (Altbach, 2004b; Altbach et al., 2009; Deem et al., 2008; Dill, 2009; Hazelkorn, 2007, 2008; Kehm and Stansaker, 2009; Marginson, 2007; Siganos, 2008).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The region's universities are \"riding a tiger\" of university rankings in East Asian higher education, in a race to gain in the list of the world's top 100 universities. While this race impacts universities throughout the world, it takes on particular importance in East Asia due to the stage of university development and the needs of regional societies. The purposes of this paper are to: To examine the emergent global emphasis on world university ranking as a driver of change in higher education, To discuss how the world university rankings are impacting East Asian universities, To assess consequences for higher education in the region, To explore options for leading universities in a more meaningful direction in East Asia.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper examines research and commentary on the impact of world university rankings on universities in East Asia.\nFindings: This paper proposes that the world university rankings have, over a relatively short period of time, had unanticipated but potentially insidious effects on higher education in East Asia. This paper proposes that the \"tiger\" is carrying most East Asian universities towards goals that may not reflect the aspirations of their societies, or the people that work and study in them. Yet, climbing off the \"tiger\" often feels just as risky as hanging on to its back. Instead of seeking to lay blame at any one party, the paper suggests that the problem is systemic in nature. Multiple parts of the system need to change in order to achieve effects in the distal parts (e.g. faculty, students, and society). Only leadership can bring about this type of change. The scholarly community must gain some degree of input and monitoring over the rules of the rankings game. Only by joining hands can university leaders in the region change the \"Ranking Game\" to reflect the reality and needs of university development and social contribution in East Asia. Only by cooperation can the region's university leaders create reciprocal pressure on other parts of the system. In response to systemic problems, \"I\" may be powerless, but \"we\" are not.\nOriginality/value: The originality and value of this paper lie in its aim to elevate underlying dissatisfaction with the rankings into a broader and more explicit debate over the direction in which East Asian universities are riding on the back of the tiger.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
E-learning design and entrepreneurship in three European universities	[ "E-learning", "University", "E-learning/learning design", "European universities" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has spread across both public and private sectors (Al-Qahtani and Higgins, 2013). E-learning in particular could be an excellent aid and facilitator of learning in universities (Carril et al., 2013). E-learning is a teaching and learning system (Aspen Institute Italia, 2014; Gros and Garcia-Penalvo, 2016) provided on a digital device such as a computer or a mobile device (Brown and Voltz, 2005; Clark and Mayer, 2011; Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler, 2005; Simkova et al., 2012). It allows the transfer of specially designed didactic material (Carroll, 2013; Loh et al., 2016) and broadens the training and knowledge management environment (CNPA, 2007; Secundo et al., 2008). Within an integrated e-learning system, content can be delivered via a platform with asynchronous material or with the use of video conferences and virtual classrooms in synchronous mode. It may also be delivered collaboratively through the activities of the virtual learning community. Mixed learning, involving both classroom activities and e-learning, can also develop (Huang et al., 2012; Lin and Wang, 2012). Data may be stored within the network through cloud computing (Masud and Huang, 2012) using secure hardware resources (Ahmed, 2015) on request, paying by use (Riahi, 2015).There are three main reasons why e-learning systems are important for universities. First, it has been enabled by the introduction of digital technologies in universities (Alkhalaf et al., 2012), which make it possible to overcome barriers of time and place (Arkorful and Abaidoo, 2015). This allows students to easily access courses at any time, regardless of distance from the university (Gorbunovs et al., 2016). Secondly, a number of universities do not limit themselves to providing e-learning courses to enrolled students. Instead, they offer free online courses to all, without limits on frequency or geographical location. The only limit is the Internet connection (Jansen and Schuwer, 2015; Sinclair et al., 2015; Testoni, 2014). These are known as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Finally, the use of e-learning systems in universities allows entrepreneurs and managers to develop their skills by following specific online courses on entrepreneurship (Jafari-Moghadam et al., 2012; Jones et al., 2009; Radovic-Markovic et al., 2012a).Fee (2009) carried out a specific survey and identified three components of e-learning systems: technology, learning content and e-learning design. However, there are two important issues. First, e-learning design is considered a complex educational process (Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli, 2003). Secondly, the managerial literature on e-learning in universities is particularly strong on aspects related to technology (Al-Adwan et al., 2013; Alavi and Leidner, 2001; Arbaugh, 2000; Bhuasiri et al., 2012; Elkaseh et al., 2016; Hassanzadeh et al., 2012; Islam, 2013; Kurilovas et al., 2014; Leidner and Jarvenpaa, 1995; Martins and Kellermanns, 2004; Masud, 2016; Piccoli et al., 2001; Songkram, 2015; Venkatesh and Davis, 2000) and learning content (Adeola et al., 2013; Almpanis, 2015; Arbaugh, 2008; Azeiteiro et al., 2015; Carril et al., 2013; Franceschi et al., 2009; Hwang and Arbaugh, 2006; Koutsabasis et al., 2011; Oproiu, 2015; Parkes et al., 2013; Parkes et al., 2015). However, e-learning design has not been studied (Islam et al., 2015; Urh et al., 2015).This article aimed to use an empirical investigation to examine how universities approach e-learning design. The aim of the work was to understand whether the e-learning design of teaching courses within selected European universities, both in general and on entrepreneurship in particular, uses the process steps of learning outlined by Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli (2003). The study used the training process set out by Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli (2003) as a reference to compare to other models. This allowed us to verify aspects related to teaching and therefore analyze how to create and deliver courses through e-learning in universities. This study approach has not often been used in the managerial literature (Islam et al., 2015; Urh et al., 2015). Most learning environments neglect the pedagogical aspects of e-learning (Radovic-Markovic et al., 2012a). These pedagogical variables in the Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli (2003) model are important in the university context, because they facilitate three main objectives. The first is to design interesting and well-built e-learning courses (Chen et al., 2012), the second is to stimulate motivation and allow students to learn (Castillo-Merino and Serradell-Lopez, 2014; Horton, 2001) and the third is to avoid relying on the ideas and creativity of individual \"teachers\" (Anderson et al., 2001; Bennett et al., 2015), which in practice happens often.The article is organized as follows. The first section reviews the main literature on the design of e-learning in universities, and the second describes the study methodology. The third section describes the results and is followed by a discussion and conclusions.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 E-learning design\n3. Methods: This study used a mixed methods approach (Creswell, 2014). First, quantitative data were collected by examining the websites of European universities. The next step was to move to qualitative analysis by constructing a pilot case, identifying suitable cases for study (Yin, 2014) and conducting semistructured interviews (Qu, and Dumay, 2011). The investigation was carried out in two steps:The collection of quantitative data on European universities, to identify the number of universities that provide teaching activities through e-learning.The identification from within the sample of European universities, of some universities and the people responsible for e-learning services to interview. We have analyzed three case studies and a pilot case. 3.1 Sample for the identification of universities\n4. Findings: 4.1 Quantitative analysis\n5. Discussion: We found a number of issues emerging from the interviews with the managers of the e-learning services of the three selected universities (University of Dresden, Queen's University Belfast and University of Bologna).First, the e-learning design of the courses provided, both in general and on entrepreneurship, was not uniformly managed in line with the learning process set out by Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli (2003). There was little use of e-learning design in sequential mode, based on the four phases of the learning process (Fee, 2009; Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli, 2003; Islam et al., 2015; Trentin, 2001), as identified in Figure 1. In particular:On the first phase \"Identification of training objectives\" (Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli, 2003), in the strategy box in Table 4 and in response to Question 1 (how to adopt e-learning courses at universities), there were differences in the responses provided by respondents. The universities in Belfast and Bologna saw an opportunity to offer a service to students that was available at all times. However, the University of Dresden suggested that e-learning was developed as an innovative teaching method.On the second phase \"Detection of training needs\" (Figure 1), in the users section of Table 4 in response to Question 6 (number of students attending e-learning courses), the same answer was provided by all three universities (Dresden, Belfast and Bologna). The respondents were unable to identify data on students interested in e-learning courses in general and on entrepreneurship in particular.One important point in the design of e-learning courses in general and on entrepreneurship was about the professional figures involved in the design, particularly those in the project team (see answers from all three universities to Question 3 in the organization box in Table 4). The team was more closely associated with phase 3 of the e-learning project, on \"Creation of Design Team\" (Figure 1) than the entire e-learning project. The e-learning services manager at Queen's University Belfast felt that those involved in the team could fulfill different roles, including educational designer, graphic designer, marketing team, technical support and coordinator.Within the fourth phase, on \"Selection of learning content\" (Figure 1), answers to Question 7 (Table 4, on users) showed a preference for collaborative methods for course delivery at the universities in Belfast and Bologna. This included courses on entrepreneurship. The University of Dresden, however, favored asynchronous services.Secondly, one particular problem was highlighted in the interview responses. It was clear that the idea of course design for e-learning was mainly focused on the composition of the team. Each university defined the professional figures to be involved in the team. This means that the focus of all the interviewees was on activity linked to the construction of the course and to the professional figures involved and not to the overall construction of the e-learning path. Considerable attention was paid by the three universities to the dynamics related to the design of e-learning courses, including courses on entrepreneurship. However, this attention was focused on a single phase and not on the entire process of e-learning design as identified in Figure 1. Further research is needed to understand these dynamics in detail, including additional surveys and interviews.\n6. Conclusions: This article explored the topic of e-learning design within courses in general and courses on entrepreneurship in particular at three European universities: University of Dresden (Germany), Queen's University Belfast (Northern Ireland, United Kingdom) and University of Bologna (Italy).The study built on work by Fee (2009), who identified three components of the e-learning system: technology, content and learning/e-learning design. An analysis of the literature showed that there were few studies on e-learning design and particularly on the didactic aspect understood as a process within universities (Islam et al., 2015; Urh et al., 2015). There were a number of contributions on the relationship between e-learning design and entrepreneurship (Cirulli et al., 2016; Maritz et al., 2011; Simeone et al., 2017a,b; Stamatis et al., 2015). However, some of them were more focused on the characteristics of e-learning design of courses on entrepreneurship and how this could help to develop managerial and entrepreneurial skills (Jafari-Moghadam et al., 2012; Jones et al., 2009; Radovic-Markovic et al., 2012a).Our research aimed to use case studies of three European universities to examine the attention paid to e-learning design in the preparation of e-learning courses, both generally and on entrepreneurship. We wanted to consider phases of the process outlined by Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli (2003), including identification of training objectives, detection of training needs, creation of design team and selection of learning content. We used semistructured interviews with the managers of e-learning services at the three universities to explore the process of design of e-learning courses in general and on entrepreneurship in particular.There were a number of important findings. First, returning to the studies of Yin (2014) on the similarities and differences of the case studies, many similarities emerged between the three universities studied. Second, however, the similarity in the answers provided by the three universities was mostly around phase three of the learning process outlined by Ghiringhelli and Quacquarelli (2003), rather than the whole path. In essence, the interviewees responded identically because they had focused their attention on the different professional figures involved in the construction of the course, rather than looking at the overall e-learning design process across four phases.Our results therefore reduce the gap in the literature on e-learning design as a process and provide options for future insights on the issue. They could allow more reflection in practical terms. For example, when universities and higher education institutions work on designing e-learning courses, they could try to modify the construction of their e-learning courses to take into account the four phases of the process. This could enable them to ensure that learning content is more suitable to the actual needs of users and students.This research had some limitations. First, it is difficult to obtain a complete picture of e-learning design in general and for entrepreneurship courses in particular. This work was particularly limited by the small number of interviewees and universities involved. Future work will expand these activities by involving other actors (teaching staff, governance professionals) and further universities to acquire new data.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: According to Fee (2009), e-learning systems have three components: technology, learning content and e-learning design. Few studies have examined e-learning design as an educational process, although universities are increasingly using e-learning as they become more entrepreneurial. This article aimed to investigate how universities approach e-learning design.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study used a mixed methods approach. First, the authors carried out a quantitative analysis of the websites of the top 100 European universities in the Quacquarelli Symonds Ranking. The authors then moved to a qualitative approach, analyzing a pilot case and three case studies. Semistructured interviews were conducted with managers of e-learning services at the chosen European universities.\nFindings: The 100 best European universities in the Quacquarelli Symonds Rankings all use e-learning methods. The case study universities were selected from this list. The semistructured interviews with managers of e-learning services highlighted the importance of the design of e-learning courses. However, most focused on the professional figures involved, rather than the process for e-learning and the overall design of the course.\nOriginality/value: The article provides a detailed study of e-learning design in an educational context. The analysis of multiple case studies allowed the authors to identify how the selected universities carry out didactic design activity through the use of technology. It therefore contributes to knowledge of cases of digital academic entrepreneurship.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Balancing artistic and financial performance: is collaborative governance the answer?	[ "Framework", "Collaborative governance", "Economic sustainability", "Art sector", "Economic-financial performance", "Opera house" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Opera is one of the most fascinating forms of performing arts, and gives expression to human passions and emotions at the crossroads between music and theatre. The modern tradition of opera dates back to the nineteenth century, as do the related financial problems: the frequent gap between income required and income acquired (Baumol and Bowen, 1966) and the difficulties in measuring the intangible benefit to society (Throsby and Glenn, 1993). Opera and financial sustainability have always been considered awkward bedfellows. On the one hand, there is a requirement to keep ticket prices affordable to ensure access to this public heritage, as a \"merit good\"; on the other hand, opera entails extremely high fixed costs, which can rarely be lowered (Cwi, 1980; Towse, 2001). Financing is also a critical variable for performing art organizations as it can preclude the achievement of their mission of artistic performance. Sustainability is here understood as the ability of an organization to \"deliver social value via the pursuit of its social mission\" (Weerawardena et al., 2010, p. 347), thus serving the financial and artistic needs of current and future generations.\nThe evolution of the regulatory framework of Italian opera houses: Italian Opera is internationally recognized for its outstanding value in communicating inner human emotions, and is a point of reference for art lovers in the western world. The performing arts scenario in Italy is dominated by 14 opera house foundations located in major cities. In terms of the volume of activities and workforce, they are similar to medium-sized companies, and are usually funded through a combination of grants from local and/or national government.\nCollaborative governance framework: Previous studies on opera houses have explored the theme of sustainability, mainly addressing the theme from stakeholder theory perspective (Radbourne, 2003) including audience studies (Sicca and Zan, 2009), diversification of revenue through philanthropy (Donelli et al., 2018) or agency theory (Azmat and Rentschler, 2015; Rentschler, 2015). Although the fact that governance structures can prevent and absorb financial crises has been already studied (Turbide, 2011), research on governance in the performing arts has been dominated by studies on board composition that aim to explore how human and social capital, and competences impact on organizational performances (Dubini and Monti, 2018; Johnson et al., 2013).\nCollaborative governance and performance: CG initiatives have proliferated in contemporary society. In fact, around the world, CG has been applied and studied in several policy contexts, including Veterans Health Administration (Dudley and Raymer, 2001), environmental agencies (Smith-Doerr and Powell, 2009) and public health departments (Daley, 2008). It has also been applied to child and family service delivery (Berry et al., 2008), in regulating food safety (Chu and Wang, 2018), local economic policy (Agranoff and McGuire, 1998), crisis management (Kettl, 2006) and to conflict resolution (Susskind et al., 1999). However, CG in the arts sector is still relatively unexplored, although many authors identify the positive contribution that greater stakeholder involvement in the management of performing art organizations can bring to arts organizations (Markusen and Gadwa, 2010; Wellens and Jegers, 2014).\nMethod: The research question that frames this study focuses on the impact of CG in improving the financial and artistic performance of Italian opera houses. We use a contextualist approach to management (Pettigrew, 1987). We believe dynamics of an organization can only be interpreted if the economic and political context at micro- and macro-level is taken into account (Sicca and Zan, 2009).\nResults: Board composition\nDiscussion: Our findings confirm P1, showing a general improvement in performance for all opera houses in terms of both financial and artistic indicators.\nConclusion: This paper has evaluated how CG has impacted on the performance of opera houses in Italy, drawing on the model suggested by Ansell and Gash (2008). It takes into account the recent Bray Law laying down forms of governance which would actively involve all stakeholders in decision-making processes. Many opera houses had been in severe economic difficulties for years, and the reform aimed to include private parties as well as state institutions, at different levels of government, in running them.\nLimitations and future research: This study is preliminary exploration of CG in opera houses in Italy. Although Italian opera houses have been considered an interesting case in previous studies of the sector (Carter, 2015; Kimbell, 1994), there are clearly limits in terms of generalization of our findings. Second, the issue of measuring performance in terms of outcome is widely debated, especially in performing arts organizations (Radbourne, 2003). The indicators used in the study were selected mainly on the basis of the need for the sample to be traceable and homogeneous, and one of the weaknesses of the study lies in the selection of indicators, which would ideally need to reflect performance with a higher level of accuracy.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Opera houses have been traditionally publicly financed in many western countries. However, today many opera houses are facing serious financial troubles, due to the recent financial crisis. There is thus a widespread public debate on measures to ensure agency efficiency for performing arts organizations. Focusing on the reform implemented recently in Italy, which submitted opera houses that had severe financial difficulties to a recovery plan and encouraged forms of collaborative governance (CG), the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of CG on the performance of the arts sector.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Multiple case studies are used, on longitudinal data from multiple sources over a period of up to five years, in order to triangulate the narrative of financial and artistic performance and ensure trustworthiness. The study thus spans the period before the Bray Law came into force (2013) and covers the entire period in which recovery plans were implemented.\nFindings: The analysis explores how opera houses are building sustainability for themselves and the community in terms of financial and artistic performance through CG. Various forms of CG adopted yielded positive results. Furthermore, more robust forms of CG generated better performance, especially from a financial point of view.\nOriginality/value: This paper adds to the limited knowledge of CG in the non-profit sector by bridging the fields of agency performance and CG. It discusses how the introduction of forms of CG can build up long-term sustainability, solving the dilemma of how to achieve financial equilibrium without compromising artistic quality, focusing on the case of opera houses, which are notably affected by Baumol's cost disease.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Identifying domain relevant user generated content through noise reduction: a test in a Chinese stock discussion forum	[ "Social media", "User-generated content", "Feature selection", "Text classification", "Domain lexicon", "Noise reduction" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With the emergence of information technology and applications, the total amount of global data has showed unprecedented explosive growth. At the same time, the data become increasingly more complex. The low value density is one of the characteristics of big data (Feng et al., 2013), which means that there is much noise among the data we are really interested in. For example, in a video recording of uninterrupted monitoring having duration of 1 h, there may be only a few seconds containing potentially useful information. Getting rid of the noise information is an important step to go through the huge volume of data to extract useful information.\n2. Related work: 2.1 UGC and its impacts\n3. Research design: 3.1 System overview\n4. Experiment: In the previous section, we have described how the RMIS can be used for identifying topic relevant messages. The success of this approach will depend on the proportions of noise messages removed and relevant ones reserved. In this section, we will examine the performance of the RMIS as described above.\n5. Experimental results and discussion: 5.1 Classification results and analysis\n6. Conclusions, limitations and future works: In this paper, to answer the call for more research in dealing with low value density issue in big data, we propose to view the noise as the concerned topic non-relevant messages and build a systematic framework for identifying domain relevant data from UGC. We provide sufficient evidence that our system can identify most of the useful information from the UGC. The framework is the preprocessing for the new knowledge discovery from the big data both in research and business work.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Getting high-quality data by removing the noisy data from the user-generated content (UGC) is the first step toward data mining and effective decision-making based on ubiquitous and unstructured social media data. This paper aims to design a framework for revoking noisy data from UGC.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this paper, the authors consider a classification-based framework to remove the noise from the unstructured UGC in social media community. They treat the noise as the concerned topic non-relevant messages and apply a text classification-based approach to remove the noise. They introduce a domain lexicon to help identify the concerned topic from noise and compare the performance of several classification algorithms combined with different feature selection methods.\nFindings: Experimental results based on a Chinese stock forum show that 84.9 per cent of all the noise data from the UGC could be removed with little valuable information loss. The support vector machines classifier combined with information gain feature extraction model is the best choice for this system. With longer messages getting better classification performance, it has been found that the length of messages affects the system performance.\nOriginality/value: The proposed method could be used for preprocessing in text mining and new knowledge discovery from the big data.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Factors affecting ICT diffusion: A case study of three large Australian construction contractors	[ "Communication technologies", "Technology led strategy", "Innovation", "Diffusion" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The construction industry has to cope with a highly complex, fragmented and unique combination of business relationships and processes. This is because most construction projects involve many phases such as feasibility, design, construction and maintenance. Each phase requires effective communication of underlying knowledge and coordination between many project participants such as the owner, contractor, designer, consultant, subcontractors, and suppliers. This may lead to timing and technical content communication-transfer problems - each project is unique in its construction type, location and project participants. Traditional construction management approaches have been criticised as not improving construction productivity within this turbulent environment (Latham, 1994).Much effort has been directed toward improving construction productivity. Use of information technology (IT) is an area worth concentrating upon because it can decrease time for data processing and communicating information. Modern structural design software applications, such as 3D modelling, provide an example where designing complex structures can be achieved where previously this was almost impossible (Walker and Hampson, 2003). IT applications also aid operational improvement through communication of construction information for effective decision-making and coordination. For example, visualisation technologies can improve project information and effective communication between project participants (Liston et al., 2000). Also, reducing the processing and communicating information time for making decisions enhances the likelihood of improved construction productivity.Information and communication technology (ICT) has been recently identified as essential in improving communication in construction processes. One benefit of ICT is to reduce information re-entry by linking information between these processes (Bjork, 1999). Construction projects require a large flow of construction documentary information between project participants during both design and construction phases. Tam (1999) presents a prototype ICT system for use in construction organisations that improves communication and reduces communication costs. Other researchers have investigated the use of ICT in construction processes in design and construction (Veeramani et al., 1998), in construction cost control (Abudayyeh et al., 2001) and project management (Skibniewski and Abduh, 2000). These studies of the benefits of ICT use suggest an increasing trend of ICT use by the construction industry (Futcher and Rowlinson, 1999; O'Brien and Al-Biqami, 1999; Rivard, 2000). While potential benefits of ICT use have been clearly demonstrated, the realisation of these benefits in practice is limited. One reported problem was that ICT users resist adopted corporate ICT applications (Davis and Songer, 2002). For example, a company may invest in ICT systems but staff could still be communicating via the phone and/or on paper. As a result, potential communication benefits of ICT may not be fully realised. In particular, ICT success requires a critical mass of adopters in order to the gain full communication and information exchange benefits (Markus, 1987; O'Brien, 2000). Thus, effective diffusion of ICT through organisations needs to be effectively managed to better prepare for future ICT application adoption.In an earlier phase of this study using factor analysis on data from respondents from three Australian construction organisations, 11 ICT innovation factors were identified. The total number of respondents was 117: 35 respondents from a government construction organisation (group A); 39 respondents from a construction contractor (group B); and 43 respondents from an engineering consultant (group C). Peansupap et al. (2003) provide further details of the research methodology and results. The 11 factors are:1. F1: professional development and technical support.2. F2: clear benefits of use.3. F3: supporting individual characteristics.4. F4: supporting technology characteristics.5. F5: supporting supervisor and organisation.6. F6: supporting open discussion environment.7. F7: supporting rewards.8. F8: colleagues help.9. F9: positive feeling towards ICT use.10. F10: negative feeling towards ICT use.11. F11: frustration with ICT use.This paper will concentrate on the user experience of the above 11 factors in the context of innovation diffusion and change management.\n2. Integration of innovation diffusion theory with change management: After an organisation decides to adopt technological innovation, the next process is to encourage its adoption at an individual level throughout the organisation. Diffusion has been defined as the process in which technological innovation and managerial innovation have been introduced into work processes and adopted by a specific group or across the whole organisation (Rogers, 1995; Green and Hevner, 2000; Bresnen and Marshall, 2001). Therefore innovation diffusion theory can be applied to explain the nature of IT adoption (Mitropoulos and Tatum, 2000) and implementation (Fichman, 1992). The number of adopters increases as the technological innovation becomes more fully diffused. Understanding technological diffusion is required to ensure successful technological innovation (Green and Hevner, 2000) because the rate of effective adoption growth can be used as a proxy measure to reflect technology introduction success. The diffusion process is complex and should also be understood so that technological limitations and constraints on adopters in the organisation are well recognised (Senge et al., 1999). Figure 1 illustrates how change management and innovation diffusion affects organisational implementation of innovation initiatives. Static factors fundamentally affect initial IT diffusion whereas dynamic factors sustain IT diffusion changes. Without the dynamic factors, diffusion could not be maintained. We examined the relevant literature to better understand the two elements of dynamic and static influence.We use the term \"ICT diffusion\" to define information and communication technology that has been adopted and transferred by potential users within an organisation at the implementation stage. Effective ICT diffusion success could be perceived in terms of factors that influence technology adoption and the way in which successful adoption of technology by potential users within an organisation could be maintained. Rogers' (1995) innovation diffusion model describes its elements as comprising: technological characteristics; communication channels; social systems; and the diffusion rate. The innovation diffusion rate depends upon the first three factors. However, IT innovation diffusion within an organisation also requires a change management process that encourages people to adopt and use it as well as motivating people, providing appropriate training and technical support, supervisor support and open discussion to solve problems and resolve issues (Senge et al., 1999).As the national Internet infrastructure expands and ICT operating costs decrease (e.g. Internet service cost, hardware, and software costs), the numbers of ICT users in construction firms may increase over the coming years. Research outcomes reported upon in this paper could help development of a road map to be used by construction organisations to better diffuse ICT. For example, company directors from 20 Australian small-medium construction companies revealed several problematic ICT implementation issues. These include:* lack of an IT infrastructure;* lack of IT staff; investment cost;* lack of ICT business requirements;* unclear benefits of ICT use; and* behavioural barriers (Love et al., 2001).Therefore, these issues should be studied in more detail through identifying drivers and inhibitors of ICT innovation to fully understand how ICT technology is transferred into organisations. This is particularly relevant to the successful expansion and/or deployment of an inter-intranet infrastructure.Results from the Peansupap et al. (2003) ICT diffusion survey indicate that users had very supportive personal characteristics and a high level of understanding of using ICT applications. Users from that study's three groups felt that their organisations have high ICT diffusion influence through having:* an open-discussion environment;* support from colleagues; and* support from supervisors.However, professional development and technical support were recognised as only having a medium influence upon ICT diffusion. Respondents generally believed that any intrinsic rewards system has a low influence on their ICT application use. These 11 factors were used as the key factors to develop a semi-structured in-depth interview involving three construction contractors to validate the results of this survey.\n3. Research methodology: This study of ICT diffusion within large construction organisations consisted of two phases: gathering quantitative data and qualitative data. This paper relates to the second phase and aims to both verify the identification of the 11 factors earlier identified by Peansupap et al. (2003) as influencing ICT diffusion and to explore how these factors affect ICT diffusion. In order to understand ICT diffusion within construction organisations, a case study methodology was adopted. The reason for choosing this methodology was to provide qualitative data that can help us better understand how ICT is initiated within the construction organisations and to expose factors that supported ICT diffusion. In addition, case studies help us understand the details of the cases from the participant's viewpoint by using multiple sources of data (Yin, 1994). According to Neuman (1997), three research approaches can be used:1. Exploratory.2. Descriptive.3. Explanatory.As this research focused on understanding how diffusion occurs, a descriptive case study approach was adopted.3.1 Case study criteria\n4. Case study findings: The findings from the case studies confirmed the 11 factors influencing ICT diffusion within construction organisations derived from phase 1 (see Table I). However, three of these were found to have a weak influence on ICT diffusion. Before discussing these factors, the findings of each case study are described below. These include the company background, the ICT diffusion and perceived present factors influencing ICT diffusion.4.1 Case study A (CsA)\n5. Discussions and implications: 5.1 The ICT diffusion case study\n6. Conclusion: Phase 2 research results of the study relating to the diffusion of ICT within three main construction contractors supports the validity of 11 key factors developed in the survey undertaken in phase 1. These factors comprised people, management, individual and technology groupings. The three case studies shared very similar experiences with the driving forces and barriers to ICT diffusion and this study revealed a rich vein of comment and feedback on how identified drivers and inhibitors of ICT diffusion operate in practice.These issues are particular and specific to those interviewed from the companies, yet it can be reasonably assumed that these issues and concerns are generalisable. Many of those highlighted in this study relate to workplace culture and a supportive management that ensures that adequate technical resources are made available.The extensive discussion and implications section of this paper highlights the centrality of human relations. It is clear that people diffuse ICT innovation and they must feel motivated to do so. This introduces the importance of support mechanisms that include not only technical solutions such as superior hardware and software operational features, but also software support that is championed by supervisors who behave as role models. An important insight, uncovered by the research was the importance of an open discussion environment and organisational culture. This was important because it highlights the value of encouraging experimentation and learning from difficulties and mistakes, people feeling safe to ask for help and their colleagues being inclined to respond by helping. Fostering a supportive workplace environment is highlighted as an important lesson to be learned from results reported upon in this paper.\n7. Further research: This paper focuses on factors affecting the ICT diffusion within three large Australian construction contractors. From the case study, we found that the 11 influencing ICT diffusion factors are dynamically inter-related, however, we were unable to explore this aspect more fully. While this issue is both interesting and relevant, it was considered beyond the scope of this paper. It is, however, addressed in one of the author's (uncompleted) PhD work. While the study concentrated upon ICT diffusion among a representative group of major construction organisations in Australia, similar studies could be undertaken as a longitudinal study of the next tier of construction companies that are just beginning to grapple with ICT to see if these organisations follow similar experiences. Also, the whole issue ICT diffusion through the supply chain provides fertile ground for further research.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - To address the critical issue of how best to adopt and diffuse information and communication technology (ICT) into organisations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - During April and May 2002, a survey of ICT diffusion of ICT users from three construction organisations was conducted.\nFindings: - Results from an earlier phase of this study indicated that 11 factors influence ICT diffusion. The aim of this paper is to report on phase 2 study results within three construction organisations based on the 11 factors found to influence ICT diffusion. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with five to six ICT users and an implementer for each of the case study companies.\nOriginality/value: - Three factors were found to have a weak influence on ICT diffusion, while eight have a strong influence. These influencing factors may be grouped into four interrelated categories: management, individual, technology, and work environment. Their inter-relationship should be coherently and comprehensively addressed.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication patterns in an emerging market: An exploratory study	[ "Egypt", "Emerging markets", "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)", "CSR communication", "Communication channels", "CSR message content", "ESG-EGX" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Amidst corporate scandals and business unethical behavior cases such as child labor, and the Enron affair, among others, organizations are facing more pressure to behave responsibly. Indeed, nowadays, companies are required to be environmentally, socially and ethically responsible toward society, as well as become more transparent, in order to restore the trust of stakeholders (Amaladoss and Manohar, 2013; Arvidsson, 2010; Ingenhoff and Sommer, 2011; Bonson and Bednarova, 2015). Therefore, corrective actions taken by companies to improve consumer attitudes toward and perceptions of them include the implementation of codes of conduct, as well as the engagement in corporate social responsibility initiatives, hereafter referred to as CSR (Amaladoss and Manohar, 2013; Arvidsson, 2010). In fact, CSR is a phenomenon that has received significant attention in recent years and is repeatedly assumed to play an integral role in enhancing corporate image (Huijstee and Glasbergen, 2008; Golob and Podnar, 2014; Ingenhoff and Sommer, 2011).\nLiterature review: The literature review of the current paper will consist of three sections; the first will tackle the main topic of the paper; CSR communication and discuss the CSR communication process; message content and message channel. The second section will present three distinct CSR communication strategies, which are heavily addressed in the CSR literature, and those are stakeholder-information strategy, stakeholder-response strategy and stakeholder-involvement strategy. Finally, the third section will discuss different CSR communication tools such as annual reports, corporate websites and social media, among others.\nMethodology: This research is exploratory alongside descriptive in nature as it taps the CSR communication, which had not been earlier addressed. The population framework is identified as the Egyptian Stock Exchange index-Environmental, Social and Governance EGX-ESG top 30 ranked companies in the EGX, which are abiding to the ESG compliance that are issued by the Egyptian Corporate Responsibility Center (ECRC) in its latest report (ECRC, 2015). The sample was selected to be the top ten performing companies as per the ECRC for ease and convenience of analysis.\nFindings: This research had targeted identifying the operational CSR communication strategies adopted by the top ten companies as nominated by the ECRC (2015) in Egypt. Two of the companies' reviews were merged; Amer Group & Porto Group as they have the same ownership and management, where four companies had had their own foundations running their CSR operations. From earlier literature, the CSR communication strategies had been identified to match the empirical application with the sample selected. Moreover, the main channels used in the CSR communication process by the sample had been identified.\nConclusions: In conclusion, the present research aimed to synchronize the relevant literature on CSR communication as well as explore CSR communication reporting practices in terms of the CSR message content, CSR media channel, and the strategies that leading companies from a sustainability point of view adopt in practice. This serves as a cursor in setting the overall trends in the Egyptian context for that matter that had not been reviewed earlier.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication. This paper specifically aims at introspecting into CSR communication patterns in the Egyptian context, where the top ten companies in the Egyptian Stock Exchange-Environmental, Social and Governance Index (EGX-ESG) are sampled.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper presents an exploratory study where content analysis of the communications of the ten top-listed companies in the ESG Index in Egypt was analyzed.\nFindings: The results showed that most companies are using the \"stakeholder information\" strategy, with the \"stakeholder involvement\" strategy being the least used.\nResearch limitations/implications: The results are limited to the use of the content analysis method which is a qualitative methodology. Hence, the results should be generalized with caution.\nPractical implications: CSR communication is crucial to the success of companies, regardless of business size, industry or culture. Several aspects of CSR communication, to this day, remain vague for academics and practitioners alike. Therefore, additional insights about the topic should be generated. The present work aids in the understanding of CSR communication as a facet of organizational change and a new trend in emerging markets.\nSocial implications: The current exploratory study sheds light on the topic of CSR communication in an important emerging market in transition, namely Egypt. The results of the communication strategies utilized by the top-listed companies can be generalized to other similar contexts.\nOriginality/value: The majority of the studies conducted on this particular topic took place in the USA and Europe; hence, few insights are provided about the concept in emerging markets.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
An Improvement Engine for empowered change in healthcare	[ "Change management", "Empowerment", "Health care", "Action research", "Creativity", "Improvement" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: There is a strong focus on the need of change in healthcare from both a patient and a political viewpoint, especially since the landmark report Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century (Institute of Medicine, 2001). The book identifies six aims for improving healthcare: making healthcare safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable. However, the healthcare services have been a tricky business to change. The implementation and diffusion of new solutions, rather than their invention, seem to be the vulnerable phase of the change (Adler et al., 2003). In addition, the need for knowledge about the context and process of change in healthcare, in order to make change programs more effective and less time consuming, is urgent (Den Hertog et al., 2005). One problem practitioners in healthcare face is initiating and managing change in a setting in which there are many forces that work to keep the status quo (Adonolfi, 2003).Change management theory has traditionally started from the question how to manage planned change in an organization and overcome the ever-existing resistance in order to accomplish the desired outcome (Lewin, 1951; Kotter, 1996; Pardo-del-Val and Martinez-Fuentes, 2003). This theoretical viewpoint is in line with the top-down approach often used in practice. Another way of looking at change suggests that it cannot be managed. Instead change is an ongoing organic, evolutionary learning process (Alvesson and Svenningsson, 2008). This perspective has also contributed to the practice of seeing change as being everyone's responsibility (Doyle, 2002).This paper describes an action research project whose goal is to stimulate change in a university hospital environment. The project is part of an EU-funded project called KASK Innovation, which aims to exploit the potential for innovation of the public health sector in Scandinavia, primarily through user-driven and employee-driven innovation. The approach is action oriented and aims at producing both knowledge and change. A well-defined process, combining the principles of self-assessment and everyone's involvement, was developed and labelled the Improvement Engine, with the purpose of stimulating learning and incremental change. Questions raised in the self-assessment models, such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) model, were used as catalysis at workshops involving the participants and one of the authors (K.S.). The purpose of this article is to describe how an Improvement Engine, based on self-assessment and everyone's involvement, can be used in order to stimulate change and what experience and results it can generate. In particular, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) (Johnson et al., 1989) of the methodology are analysed and mapped with the use of Pettigrew's (1987) strategic change model. This model recognizes that the outcome of strategic change initiatives depend on content, but also on context and process. Armenakis and Bedeian (1999) identified the same three themes when investigating organizational change research, which indicates that they are equally relevant for non-strategic change initiatives. Most previous research has focused on the content or the process, with the context lacking its share of attention (Herold et al., 2007). In this study, the context is treated as an equal factor in determining the outcome of the change initiative.The following parts of the paper cover a short presentation of how the Improvement Engine was developed. The methodological aspects are described, and the results section consists of one part that gives the results at the healthcare unit that have used the Improvement Engine. The second part of the results presents the participants' experiences of using the Improvement Engine. Finally, some general discussion and conclusions are given with regard to content, context and process, in developing and evaluating a change initiative with the use of an Improvement Engine.\nThe development of the improvement engine: The Improvement Engine was developed primarily on the basis of the pre-understanding of one of the authors (K.S.) who had been a consultant for 12 years in the area of change management. One particular experience was that change is often initiated from the top and then implemented in or forced upon the organization (Elg et al., 2011). The starting point of the Improvement Engine was to turn this upside down and find a way to produce change from the bottom-up by utilizing the drive and motivation of the employees (Amabile et al., 2005). The methodology was taken forward in a continuous dialogue with healthcare professionals. Four different principles to support change were included when the Improvement Engine was developed. The principles were everyone's involvement, incremental change, self-assessment and learning. Extensive research has already been performed on the separate principles, but the combination, e.g. self-assessment combined with everyone's involvement, has not been as thoroughly investigated.Everyone's involvement\nMethodological aspects: Participatory action research was used in this study with the intention to stimulate a collaborative context with a partnership between the actors involved (Ronnerman et al., 2008). Characteristic for action research projects in general and the aims of this project in particular is the longitudinal spiral of steps with interrelated circles of planning, acting, observing, reflecting and re-planning (Kemmis and McTaggart, 2005). The Improvement Engine process was run at the Department of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden. The department was chosen because of accessibility aspects and that the head of the department had shown an interest in improving the department. The department consists of units at four different sites, and one workshop was held at each site. At each workshop up to eight volunteering employees participated and on each occasion both physiotherapists and occupational therapists were present and active in the discussion. Intentionally, no managers at any level participated in the workshops.The purpose of this paper is to describe how an Improvement Engine can be used to stimulate change and what experience and results it can generate. Hence, besides presenting the Improvement Engine and the results of using it, we also have the ambition to capture a deeper understanding of the participants' experiences of using the methodology.Data collection of experiences\nResults: Results of using the improvement engine\nDiscussion: Practical and research implications\nConclusion: It is our intention to shed light on what kind of issues managers must deal with when they try to stimulate change in a healthcare setting. Specifically, the purpose of this article is to describe how an Improvement Engine, based on self-assessment and everyone's involvement, can be used to stimulate change and what experience and results it can generate. One result of the project is the three action plans, concerning patient focus, benchmarking, and creativity and innovation, that were developed and implemented. The results of the evaluation will also contribute to a new and improved Improvement Engine methodology that can be used by practitioners in the future. This paper also highlights the need to address not only the content but also the process and context when initiating change. In contrast to many other change initiatives in healthcare, which are often initiated at the management level or at a political level and implemented in the organization, we have tried a bottom-up approach with empowered employees. The conclusion is that this empowerment approach is a promising avenue for change in healthcare. The analysis implies that an open dialogue with managers that unconditionally trust their employees is needed, since the subjective perceptions are getting preferential treatment over objective facts. The Improvement Engine is developed to find the truth which is true for the employees, and this focus on subjectivity might result in biased or inexact evaluations. Another conclusion is that the communication about the project is of great importance. The project and its objectives have to be described in a clear and interesting way in order to attract volunteering participants, and the results have to be communicated to affect the climate for change. If those conditions are met, this methodology results in inspired employees that can perform changes and, by doing that, also make the climate more tolerant to change. However, one important issue for managers in healthcare is to motivate employees to want to work with change. People who have been subject to too many unwanted and forced changes may have lost their passion to develop and improve. Our wish is that the Improvement Engine will be a useful methodology for making change enjoyable.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this article is to describe how an Improvement Engine methodology, based on self-assessment and everyone's involvement, can be used in order to stimulate change and what experience and results it can generate.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This article describes how an Improvement Engine was developed and used at Sahlgrenska University Hospital to stimulate change and what experience and results it generated. The principles behind the methodology were everyone's involvement, self-assessment, incremental change and learning. The data were collected in interviews and analysed using a content analysis approach. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were analysed and mapped to context, content, process and output.\nFindings: - The evaluation shows that the Improvement Engine methodology has advantages concerning involvement and dialogue but needs improvement in terms of information about the project.\nPractical implications: - Examples of how the Improvement Engine can be applied are discussed.\nOriginality/value: - The intention is to shed light on what kind of issues managers must deal with when they try to stimulate change in a healthcare setting. The Improvement Engine methodology developed and used shows that the empowerment approach is a promising avenue for change in healthcare.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Leader culpability, hopelessness, and learning during organizational crises	[ "Communication", "Leadership", "Learning", "Crisis", "Job satisfaction", "Attribution", "Hopelessness" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: During organizational crises stakeholders, such as the media, government agencies, community groups, the general public, employees, and other relevant individuals, often make judgments as to whether the focal organization and its leaders are culpable for creating or mishandling a crisis situation. Judgments of responsibility are important in these situations as they enable individuals to make sense of a negative situation (Weiner, 1985). However, these judgments could have significant negative consequences for organizations and their leaders who are found to be culpable. For instance, crises such as the Toyota product recalls and the BP oil spill resulted in external stakeholders initiating lawsuits, protests, boycotts, and negative press against the organizations in crisis.\nModel: Figure 1 depicts our hypothesized model. We discuss each of the specified relationships below.\nContext of the study: The context of our study, was a three-year-old, not-for-profit, scientific organization that provided educational entertainment to its visitors. To protect the identity of the organization we refer to it as EduEntertain in this paper. EduEntertain was staffed by 628 employees and volunteers. The volunteers participated in all facets of the organization's core work such as providing tours and taking care of the exhibits. The organization had initial high attendance from the public. However, over time the number of customers declined and was less than projected. Therefore, EduEntertain had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because it could not pay its debts to its bondholders and to the city from which it had received a loan. Prior to filing for bankruptcy there was concern about the future of the organization. This crisis was covered in the local media and there was negative media scrutiny throughout this process. There was some ambiguity as to who all were responsible for the crisis situation. For instance, the primary cause of the crisis was EduEntertain's inability to pay its debts. There was a perception that the leaders (founders and top managers) could have better handled the organization prior to the crisis, and during the negative publicity and the escalation of the crisis. Further, the media was perceived to be unfair in its reporting, and there was a belief that the city could have done more to support the organization. Almost a year after filing for bankruptcy, EduEntertain was bought by a private entity. They changed EduEntertain's name but continued to support the educational and entertainment mission of the organization. We next discuss the methodology used in our study.\nMethodology: We discuss our methodology in terms of our data collection methods, sample, and measures.\nAnalysis and findings: The means, standard deviations and correlations among the variables are reported in Table II. The correlations show that several variables are strongly correlated. As one might expect, several of the independent variables are related to one another. To examine whether this might affect the findings, for each independent variable we calculated the variance inflation factors in each regression. The values ranged from 1.2 to 1.5, which is considerably below the cut-off of 10.0, suggesting that multicollinearity is not a problem with our results.\nContributions, discussion, and implications: In this section we discuss our findings in terms of their contributions to research, and their implications for future research and practice.\nLimitations and implications for future research: A limitation of our study is that we were not able to study the effects of judgments of leader culpability over time. Therefore, future research could test our findings in a longitudinal study, and examine how long hopelessness persists and continues to affect crisis learning. Additional limitations of our study are that we do not have a baseline measure of followers' knowledge prior to the crisis, and individuals in our study rate their own crisis learning. Because of the difficulties of knowing which organization is going to experience a crisis it is difficult to develop such a baseline measure. An alternate method that could be used in future research is to also collect data from other sources such as managers or co-workers who could provide additional perspectives on the extent to which individuals are learning during a crisis.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate followers' judgments of leader culpability and learning during a crisis, and the extent to which judgments of culpability create hopelessness and reduce crisis learning. The authors also study factors that moderate these relationships.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using the survey method the authors collected data from 354 individuals from a nonprofit organization that filed for bankruptcy. Respondents' comments also provided qualitative data that was used to triangulate the findings.\nFindings: The authors find that followers made judgments of leader culpability and reported crisis learning. However, followers' judgments have no direct effect on their crisis learning, but have an indirect effect by increasing hopelessness. The authors also find that followers' job satisfaction and perceptions of sufficient crisis communications moderate this relationship. The qualitative data provides insights into the areas on which leaders were judged, and what was learned during the crisis.\nResearch limitations/implications: More research on internal stakeholders' judgments of their leaders during organizational crises is important as they affect followers' psychological states and behaviors. Future research can test the findings in a longitudinal study.\nPractical implications: Leaders need to pay attention to the judgments of their followers during a crisis as they could foster hopelessness and reduce learning. Providing sufficient crisis communications and enabling job satisfaction could lessen these negative effects.\nOriginality/value: Extant research tends to focus on the judgments of external stakeholders during crises. This study is one of the first to examine the effects of internal stakeholders' judgments of leader culpability on their sense of hopelessness and crisis learning, and the moderating factors that reduce their negative effects. The authors also contribute to understanding what aspects of leadership are judged by followers during a crisis, and what followers learn from a crisis. These are areas that have not been previously examined in crisis management research. The authors also provide evidence from individuals in an actual organization in crisis which tends not to be the norm in crisis attribution and crisis learning research.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Subjective knowledge, product attributes and consideration set: a wine application	[ "France", "Consumer behaviour", "Wines", "Product attributes", "Surveys", "Psychometric/qualitative", "Consideration set", "Subjective knowledge" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: The French vine-growing and winemaking sector has been in crisis for several years and it appears obvious today that this crisis is of a structural rather than a conjectural nature. The ways wine is consumed are changing in France where it is losing its characteristic as a drink consumed daily to accompany meals. Since 1980, the proportion of regular consumers (consuming every day or nearly) has steadily decreased, falling from 51 to 17 per cent in 2010. At the same time, the share of occasional consumers has increased by 15 percentage points and the proportion of non-consumers has doubled, reaching 38 per cent in 2010[1]. France is gradually moving towards a form of wine consumption which is more occasional as well as being more diversified. This drink is no longer restricted to meals and can be taken as an aperitif, during a moment of relaxation with friends or in the evening as a cocktail like, for example, the kalimotxo, an equal mix of wine and cola, more commonly consumed by young people.Contrary to a generally accepted idea, connoisseurs are not so numerous in France. The knowledge of wine varies between consumers and the moderate level of knowledge which characterizes a majority of consumers is not necessarily due to a falling consumption. Indeed, wine consumption and wine knowledge are not systematically linked. Many of the traditional heavy consumers of wine really did not know much more than novice consumers. Wine was just a beverage and they consumed local wines which were relatively inexpensive without being interested in learning about wine in general[2]. Recently, Latour and Latour (2010) describe a specific segment of regular American consumers of wine but whose knowledge remains basic: \"The aficionado consumer is one who consumes and enjoys a hedonic product regularly but has failed to obtain product expertise from his/her many experiences\" (Latour and Latour, 2010, p. 688).It is therefore necessary today to draw a distinction between the expert consumer - a consumer whose level of knowledge is upper to the average - and one who is a novice - whose level of knowledge is lower than the average. With wine being an extremely complex product which is characterized by a multitude of attributes, it has become vital, for professionals, to identify the choice attributes which are considered important by the expert consumers and by the novice ones so that what is offered is presented in the appropriate way. Furthermore, this deeper knowledge of the attributes favoured by both parties when choosing wine must be considered according to the consumption occasions.Previous research investigates either the effect of subjective knowledge (SK) on the consideration set (CS) (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987, 2000; Aurier et al., 2000; Johnson and Lehmann, 1997; Punj and Srinivasan, 1989; Wirtz and Mattila, 2003) or the effect of SK on choice attributes (Aurier and N'Gobo, 1999; Dodd et al., 2005; Edward and Mort, 1991; Lockshin and Rhodus, 1993; Perrouty et al., 2004; Solomon, 1998). Thus, we proposed to study the effect of SK and consumption occasions on the CS and choice attributes.To our knowledge, research dedicated to the CS did not examine its contents in detail. Studies focused mainly on the CS size (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987, 2000; Aurier et al., 2000; Johnson and Lehmann, 1997; Punj and Srinivasan, 1989; Wirtz and Mattila, 2003). For that reason, the effects of SK and consumption occasion on the CS will be also analysed at its contents level with a qualitative method. Except Heeler et al. (1979), previous studies on choice attributes failed either to compare the importance of a given attribute and its rank in a choice process.As such, the purpose of this article is to answer two questions:1. which attributes are considered as important and in which order are they used by consumers when they choose a product, according to both the consumption occasion and their level of SK; and2. what products does the consumer bring to mind for a given choice occasion, according to his/her SK and to the perceived risk?The presentation of the theoretical framework is followed by a conceptual framework and research hypotheses. The methodology is then explained and is followed by the presentation of the results which will be the subject of the discussion at the end of the article.\n2 Background: Subjective knowledge\n3 Conceptual framework and research hypotheses: Effect of SK on the importance of the attributes\n4 Methodology: The data were collected from a convenience general population sample comprising French consumers aged from 19 to 87 years (n=300; average age=40.7 years). The respondents (52 per cent men) had made at least one purchase during the last three months. The questionnaire was completed face to face. 287 correctly-completed questionnaires were analysed. This sample is comparable in terms of size and characteristics to those used in numerous recent wine marketing researches (Agnoli et al., 2011; Concha et al., 2010; Espejel and Fardos, 2009; Latour and Latour, 2010; Orth et al., 2010; St James and Christodoulidou, 2011; Veale and Quester, 2009).In the first part of the questionnaire, focusing on the choice of the wine, the respondents had to recall the circumstances of their last purchase: specify its purpose choosing from six propositions and indicate the importance given to 30 attributes describing the wine.The consumption occasions were determined from the literature (Aurier et al., 2000; Aurifeille et al., 1999; Quester and Smart, 1998; Rodriguez-Santos et al., 2006). Based upon this literature, six scenarii were developed (the percentages between brackets indicate the frequencies observed in our sample):S1. For a gift (13.6).S2. For a festive meal, a special event (Christmas, birthday, Valentine's day, etc.) (7.3).S3. For a meal at home with friends (35.9).S4. For a meal at friends' home (13.9).S5. For your usual consumption (24.4).S6. For a barbecue with friends (1.7).These situations cover 96.8 per cent of the circumstances of the last purchase. They are therefore realistic scenarii. The data collection period - end October/beginning November - was not very promising for barbecues which explains the low frequency.The importance given to each attribute is evaluated on a scale from 1 (no importance) to 4 (very important). The respondents were invited to answer according to the last wine purchase they made. A list of 30 attributes (Appendix 1) was drawn up based upon previous research (Aurier and N'Gobo, 1999; d'Hauteville and Sirieix, 2007; Orth and Krska, 2002; Quester and Smart, 1998; Verdu-Jover et al., 2004) and from a pilot study carried out with 35 consumers and professionals.The respondents then had to indicate in which order they used the three attributes considered as indispensable during the last purchase. This type of measurement has already been used by Aurier and N'Gobo (1999).The respondents had to evaluate the perceived risk associated with each consumption occasion. To measure this dimension of risk, ad hoc mono-item scales are generally used (Celhay, 2011; Celhay and Passebois, 2011) whereas multi-items scales were developed to measure the risk associated with the purchase of a product (Stone and Gronhaug, 1993). In line with this literature, the level of risk associated with consumption occasions is measured on a mono-item scale developed specifically for the study: \"what is the level of risk that you associate with this purchase?\" (from 1 - weak to 4 - strong).The second part of the questionnaire focused on the CS. In this study, the CS is characterized by two dimensions: the variety and the size. Regarding the variety (structure and content of the CS), the respondents had first to indicate which wine from three possible wine origins (Bordeaux wines/wines from another French region/foreign wines) they considered buying for each of the scenarii given. Multiple answers were allowed: for a given situation, respondents could consider to choose a Bordeaux wine but also a wine from another French region and a foreign wine. Next, the subjects had to indicate precisely, for each origin chosen, one or several wines they considered buying. The answer format for this question was free so that respondents could indicate exact regions, brand names, AOC, colours, countries... They were not limited in length (Appendix 2). For a given consumer, the size of the CS was measured by the number of wines (s)he proposed to buy. An average was calculated distinguishing expert consumers from novice consumers for each choice occasion.The third part of the questionnaire concerned the profile of the respondent in socio-demographic terms and in terms of SK. Respondents expressed their knowledge through four items reflecting a general feeling of knowledge, expertise in comparison to others and familiarity with wine. This four-item scale is inspired from Flynn and Goldsmith's (1999) scale, a five-item scale consisting of both positively and negatively worded items that was found to be a valid and reliable measure of SK across a range of product categories. The French adaptation of this scale (Korchia, 2004), had already been used to measure wine SK (Viot and Passebois-Ducros, 2010). A principal components analysis confirms the unidimensionality of SK (Appendix 3).An average score, calculated from these four items, enabled the level of SK to be determined and the expert and novice consumers to be identified. The average level of SK is 2.498 out of 4 with a standard deviation of 0.6. Three groups of consumers were established. The first group brings together the 93 expert consumers with a level of SK higher than 2.8 (average + 1/2 standard deviation). An expert population of approximately one-third of the sample could seem to be large but this large proportion can be explained by the use of a subjective measure of knowledge. Respondents could see themselves as more knowledgeable than they actually are. The second group comprises the 87 novice consumers whose knowledge level is below 2.2 (average - 1/2 standard deviation). Finally, the third group is composed of consumers with a moderate level of knowledge (n=112). This moderate group is often overlooked in studies as people in this segment do not show a lot of differences. For this reason, respondents whose level of SK was close to the average (2.498) and\\or to the median (2.5) were excluded from analyses.\n5 Results: Effects of SK on the attributes\n6 Discussion and conclusion: Discussion of results\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to show that consumers' expertise of a product influences the number of attributes considered as important, the importance given to the attributes as well as the size and the content of the consideration set (CS).\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A quantitative empirical study was carried out with 287 French wine consumers.\nFindings: - The results show that the attributes which were considered as important by the novices differ from those considered important by the experts and that the number of important attributes given by the novices (2) is lower than those given by the experts (7). Furthermore, the results show that the size of the CS itself is also influenced by subjective knowledge. On the other hand, this is not the case for the content of the CS.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The empirical study only focuses on one product category. The data were collected on the basis of statements rather than observations, which is liable to distort the results.\nPractical implications: - The paper shows that the visual attributes, such as the design and the packaging, are not sufficient to sell wine to French consumers, even if they are novices in this field.\nOriginality/value: - While most research devoted to the effects of the CS focus on a single dimension of it, this paper tests simultaneously the effects on the size and on the variety of the CS, which is analyzed according to both a qualitative and quantitative approach.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Conceptualising digital transformation in SMEs: an ecosystemic perspective	[ "SMEs", "Service-dominant (S-D) logic", "Relational capital", "Digital transformation", "Business ecosystem", "IT challenges", "IT adoption and use", "Turnkey IT applications" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Based on the need to embark on the digital transformation and improve business competitiveness on the world stage (OECD, 2017), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - less than 20 employees, representing more than 85 per cent of all businesses in Canada - are under pressure to adopt and use information technology (IT) more intensively (ISED, 2019). The ensuing discourse carries with it the notion that certain types of IT have become more accessible to SMEs, user-friendly and inexpensive. Although they represent a means to compensate for SMEs' limited internal resources (human, material and financial) (Pelletier and Raymond, 2017), turnkey IT applications adoption and use are also presented to suggest a reduction in the management process complexity, as well as more fruitful customer, supplier and business relationships. According to some observations, it is even possible the compensation for lack of resources is the sole motivation for the use of IT, including turnkey IT applications (Street et al., 2017). Indeed, SMEs have access to turnkey IT applications in support of business functions, such as marketing (e.g. platforms for e-commerce, including social media applications); finance and accounting (e.g. open source software or mobile secure payment solutions) or human resources (e.g. collaborative tools, such as videoconferencing, shared calendars and instant messaging). Although they may represent an undeniable advantage in this context, turnkey IT applications can either be completely free or pay per use as they are based on a service-oriented architecture (SOA) accessible over the internet (Bradley et al., 2011).\n2. Background: Digital transformation strategy has been defined as \"a central concept to integrate the entire coordination, prioritisation, and implementation of digital transformation within a firm\" (Matt et al., 2015, p. 339). Consequently, interaction, communication, collaboration, within the firm, are central points of interests (Oney et al., 2018). With regard to access and/or implementation of novel technologies in particular, external relationships and partnerships are also significant, especially for SMEs (Kilubi and O'Regan, 2016; Neirotti et al., 2018).\n3. Methods: Relevant for examining the collective or group aspects related to IT (Tan and Gallupe, 2006), the present study employs the GCM approach. GCM is mixed methods-based (qualitative/quantitative) and is employed with groups of participants (Rosas, 2017). It is used to highlight deliberate and unintentional learning systems, as well as complex interactions among underlying dimensions of business and service ecosystems, including those of very small enterprises (Sutherland and Katz, 2005). The GCM method emerged in the field of programme planning and evaluation (Kane and Rosas, 2018; Kane and Trochim, 2007), and has been applied to a host of other knowledge areas (Trochim, 2017; Cloutier, Cueille and Recasens, 2017; Berg et al., 2018).\n4. Results: This section includes two sets of results. The group concept map, that is the conceptualised representation by small business entrepreneurs, is described in Section 4.1; and the relative importance and feasibility ratings, that is the comparative perception analysis in between subgroup profile of entrepreneurs, IT professionals and socioeconomic support professionals are presented in Section 4.2.\n5. Discussion: This study aims to explore how three subgroup profiles of actors interacting in a service ecosystem perceive and assess challenges of digital transformation when adopting and using turnkey IT applications. Previous results have proposed two levels of answers. First, it consists in defining with precision challenges of digital transformation, as represented by entrepreneurs working in smaller SMEs. The dimensions to these challenges were conceptualised and mapped in Figure 2. Second, the extent to which these challenges are assessed regarding their relative importance as well as their relative feasibility by these actors interacting in the same ecosystem. Convergent and divergent elements about these observations were highlighted in Figures 3 and 4.\n6. Implications and conclusion: Concerning Entrepreneurs' Strategic Action Go-Zones (Figure 5), one of the first observations that emerges from the results is related to the fundamental quest of \"IT alignment\" to ensure the actual as well as the future coherence concerning technological choices carried out by smaller enterprises (Pelletier and Raymond, 2017). For example, results have revealed questionable motivations at times on the part of entrepreneurs and SMEs to adopt and use turnkey IT applications rather than custom developed ones. Thus, from the data obtained during the first GD with entrepreneurs, it became clear that the widespread adoption and use of turnkey IT applications were much more motivated by limited resources (human, material and financial) than a genuine strategic intent. Hence, the confirmation a continuous focus on turnkey IT applications is utmost relevant (e.g. social media, e-commerce platforms, mobile payment, online collaborative applications, etc.).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Supported by a service ecosystem that is increasingly immersed into digital transformation, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have access to turnkey information technology (IT) applications, which may come free of charge but not free of concerns. The purpose of this paper is to explore a group conceptualisation and associated perceptions of IT issues within an ecosystem that includes three subgroup profiles: entrepreneurs, IT professionals and socioeconomic support professionals.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using group concept mapping, a bottom-up and participatory mixed methods-based approach, a concept map was estimated, based on a list of items, to define seven clusters pertaining to issues and challenges of adoption and use of turnkey IT applications in SMEs of less than 20 employees. Perceptions measures of relative importance and feasibility were obtained by subgroup profiles.\nFindings: The relative importance and relative feasibility measures for the seven clusters indicate significant statistical differences in ratings among the subgroup profiles. A discussion on the importance of relational capital in addressing challenges of digital transformation in SMEs is developed.\nOriginality/value: Results highlight signifiant differences concerning key dimensions in the adoption and use of IT from the perspective of three subgroup profiles of actors within the ecosystem. First, the results stress the need to develop a shared understanding of IT challenges. Second, they suggest policymakers could use these conceptual representations to further develop and strengthen the IT-related support agenda for SMEs, especially the smaller ones (e.g. training programs, business support and coaching initiatives, etc.).\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Leadership boost retains the human touch: Caring and learning in a mental-health setting	[ "Leadership", "Self development", "Organizational change", "Adult education", "Mental health services", "Experiential learning" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nProgram designed to meet needs of individuals, teams and organization: It may be relatively easy to recognize that your organization needs leadership development as a priority within a strategic organizational development plan. Perhaps more difficult, given the multitude of leadership development programs available, is to decide what leadership behaviors and qualities are required. And for whom?While many courses are capable of developing the intellectual skills associated with \"management\" what about the transferable skills such as coaching, reflection and inspiring others?This was the challenge facing a British not-for-profit mental health organization, where it was recognized that there was an opportunity to combine emerging leadership theory, such as authentic leadership, with cultural and organizational development needs. It was also imperative that appropriate and relevant methods of adult education were chosen in order to optimize learning and performance development.The resulting program for a diverse group of clinicians and middle managers was co-designed by managers, clinicians and higher education contributors in order to specifically meet the needs of individuals, teams and the organization. It combined and blended what has been described as \"experiential liberalism,\" which is a course that is practical in approach, grounded in managerial experience rather than theory. The principal aim of this approach was to create the \"reflective practitioner (leader)\" equipped with appropriate practical skills and knowledge and the ability to adapt and learn from clinical situations.\nParticipants encouraged to consider three levels of learning: Throughout the program attention was paid to the culture of the organization. At critical times during the course (such as when a patient committed suicide and during intense periods of turbulent change and transition associated with radical structural reorganization), the hidden and basic assumptions and beliefs in the organization started to emerge, which necessitated skilled facilitation to be worked in an atmosphere which promised confidentiality, empathy and human kindness.Participants were encouraged to consider three levels of learning as described in 2000 by Tom Boydell and Malcolm Leary:1. implementation - doing things well;2. improving - doing things better; and3. innovating - doing new and better things.Project achievements and outcomes demonstrated individual, collective and organizational benefits as follows:* implementation of an infection control strategy for an older persons clinical unit;* implementation of improved and modern organization-wide information management;* redesigning clinical team meetings leading to improved patient experience and greater satisfaction;* improved staff training and induction processes using a competency framework;* improving attitudes and aptitude for staff within hospital facilities;* improving customer and commissioner perceptions for community based hospital services through marketing processes;* pushing the boundaries - innovation and successful board approval for introducing new ways of service delivery; and* creating an innovative assessment tool from written reflections and in situ research.The notion of \"leaders as teachers\" and the need for leaders to be adept at making decision-makers rather than making decisions was enshrined in the program which contributed towards improving organizational learning and performance by enhancing each participant's leadership (performance) effectiveness while also producing transformational change.The course was 12 months with eight monthly taught days based at a local university and facilitated by a university lecturer. The deliberate space between sessions enabled time in subsequent classes to discuss the impact of any personal or professional changes. The 12-month period allowed sufficient time for assimilation and internalization of the theory with its relevance to practice.Delivering the course away from the workplace enabled participants to separate themselves from their work issues in order to concentrate on the program. The course content was largely experiential in nature, with theoretical input on management and leadership. Self-awareness was a key component using a Transformational Leadership Qualities 360-degree appraisal feedback tool, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and analysis of personal learning and team styles.\nImportance of endorsement by an executive sponsor: Given that the leadership program was endorsed by an executive sponsor and by organizational systems that were able to support the reflective questioning and subsequent application and transfer of learning from the classroom into practice afforded a greater chance of success.The aims of the course were to provide participants with the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills as follows:* analyze the theory and practice of leadership and management, linking this to their own responsibilities;* apply the research associated with leadership theory and styles;* critically appraise the leadership qualities required for today's mental health care culture;* intellectual confidence and enhanced competence in making creative leadership responses to complex and challenging situations;* apply ethical and moral principles of leadership;* differentiate between effective and poor leadership behaviors;* apply the principles which enable a team to perform to its full potential;* strive to facilitate others' contributions and to share leadership, nurture capability and long-term development of others;* utilize essential tools for change to enhance performance and improve the service;* develop insights into the human responses to change by critical reflection; and* appreciate the importance of effective leadership within the context of providing high standards of mental healthcare.A work-based change orientated project was agreed between the participants and their line manager. This encouraged participants to seek out and use organizational resources. Inevitably this required people skills and political acuity. Risks and decision-making were also inherent to the project process. The leadership and management skills of the participants were exposed so that personal action development plans alongside coaching could assist with further learning.Authors Lorna Storr (Department of Health Sciences, University of York, UK) and Steve Trenchard (West London Mental Health Trust, St Bernard's Hospital, London) say: \"We believe this program contributed towards improving organizational learning and performance by enhancing each participant's leadership (performance) effectiveness whilst also producing transformational change.\"\nComment: This review is based on \"From swampy lowlands to giddy heights: a case study of leadership development in a mental health setting,\" by Lorna Storr and Steve Trenchard. They describe the design and delivery of a leadership program for a British mental health organization. Using a three-dimensional model developed by Boydell and Leary (2000) of implementation, improvement and innovation, performance outcomes were identified and placed within a taxonomy of learning. This enabled a more specific and sophisticated approach to eliciting the learning that has taken place.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints 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: - A work-based change orientated project was agreed between the participants and their line manager. This encouraged participants to seek out and use organizational resources. Inevitably this required people skills and political acuity. Risks and decision-making were also inherent to the project process. The leadership and management skills of the participants were exposed so that personal action development plans alongside coaching could assist with further learning. The authors believe that this program contributed towards improving organizational learning and performance by enhancing each participant's leadership (performance) effectiveness whilst also producing transformational change.\nPractical implications: - 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" } ]
The critical role of research in diversity training: how research contributes to an evidence-based approach to diversity training	[ "Training", "Diversity", "Human resource management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Each year organizations pour billions into formal training programs. According to the American Society for Training & Development, in 2012, companies spent an estimated $164.2 billion on employee training and development. It is estimated that $200-$300 million is spent on diversity training per year (Werner and DeSimone, 2009). The problem is that much of what organizations currently hold and practice about diversity training is flawed (Pendry et al., 2007). If organizations continue to spend hundreds of millions on diversity training, without using and applying evidence-based practices offered by psychological, human resources (HR) and management research, then they are not only wasting their money but also damaging their own organizational performance (Burke et al., 2004).\nDiversity training - what is lacking: Hite and McDonald (2006) conducted a study examining the development and implementation of diversity training in small- and mid-sized organizations in the USA. Here is what they found:\nDiversity training - suggestions from research: Social psychology research reveals that some commonly used approaches in diversity training (e.g. informative/enlightenment and dissonance/guilt-inducing) are actually not very effective and may, in fact, hurt more than help, while other approaches (e.g. social identity and use of cognitive tasks to create awareness of bias) are more effective (Pendry et al., 2007):\nConclusion: Researchers have discovered that despite many organizations offering diversity training, the majority of these training programs simply reinforce the prevailing values and practices of the dominant culture in an organization. Many organizations do not have diversity practices that value diversity or benefit from the use of diversity (Shen et al., 2009). In fact, \"ineffective diversity management [...] is most likely to result in conflict, demotivation, higher employee turnover and low organizational performance\" (Shen et al., 2009, p. 246). Therefore, the need to use research to inform diversity training is critical.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to outline a diversity training framework in which research literatures and findings in psychology and human resource management (HRM) are used to guide organizations in the delivery of diversity training. The author proposes improvements to the current state of diversity training practices and implementations within organizations through the use and integration of research literature.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper is both a conceptual and a general review paper. It involves the discussion of research on diversity training, as well as diversity and training separately (conceptual), and includes a general analysis of diversity training (review).\nFindings: The paper offers a general review about how psychological and HRM research findings can help organizations better implement diversity training. It suggests that successful diversity training involves a three-part approach: follow established psychological theory to guide selection of diversity training initiatives, use a framework for HR diversity management and adopt practical steps to better manage diversity initiatives (paying careful attention to a needs assessment, linking diversity strategy to business results and establishing metrics and evaluating effectiveness).\nPractical implications: Diversity training has not been and continues to not be research- or evidence-based. This paper outlines some suggestions for integrating psychological and HRM research findings into the delivery of diversity training. The practical implication is that organizations and stakeholders will use a more evidence-based approach to diversity training.\nOriginality/value: This paper meets the needs of organizations seeking a more research- and evidence-based approach to diversity training.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Understanding implicit models that guide the coaching process	[ "Coaching", "Individual development", "Social structure" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Executive coaching is commonly accepted as an activity that can support individual development and organizational effectiveness. To that end, more organizations are willing to invest in coaching for those leaders who are recognized as worth the effort. Given this growing investment and the strong impact that effective coaching can have on organizational performance, we owe our clients and their organizations an honest accounting of our backgrounds and our methods.\nUnderstanding the theory that guides our practice: As practitioners, it is imperative that we know who we are as coaches and to be able to describe explicitly what we do with, and for, our clients. This, in turn, means thinking through the primary theoretical model that guides our actions as coaches. The authors contend that although coaches tend to be eclectic in the methods that they employ, whether or not they are aware of it they tend to center their craft around one of four prevailing coaching models: the clinical model, the behavioral model, the systems model, and (as a more recent development) the social constructionist model.The goal of coaching is to improve an individual's effectiveness at work in ways that are linked to the organization's business strategy. While all four models support this overarching goal, the authors believe that over time each of us tends to adopt a particular model. We base our choice on both the underlying beliefs we hold about how individual leaders change within organizational settings, and our own professional experience and personal comfort level with the assessment and intervention methods that are an integral part of each approach.The problem occurs when we, as coaches, fail to step back and take a careful look at which one of these theory models primarily informs our practice. When we lack a clear understanding of the theory base that shapes our practice, we are less likely to adapt our practice to those shortcomings and constraints that accompany the particular model that we employ. In addition, we need to keep in mind that our clients enter into coaching armed with their own implicit models of how they expect the change process to work. If we fail to explain to our clients the theoretical assumptions that guide our work, we may find ourselves at odds with their expectations, resulting in the loss of trust, needless communication failures, and missed opportunities for making a positive impact.Please note that none of these four models can claim supremacy. All four models offer distinctive advantages, and each represents a unique perspective on personal and organizational change. We will briefly discuss the theoretical assumptions that guide each model and the constraints and caveats that are associated with their application. Tables I-IV summarize some of the key characteristics that differentiate these four coaching models.\nAn overview of the four models: 1. The clinical model\nApplying the four models to a hypothetical coaching situation: As a means of comparing these four models, let us consider how the same hypothetical coaching case might be reframed and reinterpreted through these four theoretical lenses. For our example, let us take Bill, a department sales director for a US-based pharmaceutical company who was recruited six months ago from a rival company to head up all sales operations on the East Coast. While Bill's sales strategy is excellent, since coming on board he has continually found himself enmeshed in conflicts with his direct reports. As a result, his manager has decided to attempt to try to head off additional problems by encouraging Bill to work with an external coach. Here are the types of assessment summaries that might be provided by four different coaches, as representative of these four coaching theories.Clinical coach\nLocating yourself on the map: In the short space of this article it is impossible for the authors to do justice to these four approaches to executive coaching. Certainly, arguments could be made for the fact that we have not taken the time to clearly delineate the many ways that each of these four approaches can be differentiated, nor have we fully articulated the conditions that need to be in place before a given approach can be implemented.Hopefully, however, we have created a starting place for discussing these four approaches under the general assumption that, as OD professionals and scholar-practitioners, it is critical for us to think through the theoretical assumptions that inform our practice. To that end, we believe that to the degree that we can effectively \"locate ourselves on the map\" and delineate those guiding beliefs that influence how we choose to engage with our clients, we increase our effectiveness as coaches and help insure that we meet our clients' expectations.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to provide readers with a better understanding of four theory models that inform coaching practice, and to reflect on how the theoretical approach that one adopts is likely to shape one's coaching practice.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This article is based on the authors' combined 30 years of experience as internal and external executive coaches. Organizational examples are provided to illustrate key concepts.\nFindings: - The authors conclude that, although coaches tend to be eclectic in the methods that they employ, they tend to center their craft on one of four prevailing coaching models: the clinical model, the behavioral model, the systems model, and the social constructionist model. These models inform the practice and shape the approaches that OD practitioners take in directing coaching assessments and interventions.\nPractical implications: - This article serves as a \"think piece\" to help OD practitioners understand the theoretical assumptions, constraints, and caveats that are associated with each model. The authors strongly believe that having this knowledge enables practitioners to introduce a higher level of discipline and effectiveness into the coaching process.\nOriginality/value: - This article represents a unique attempt to bridge theory and practice by encouraging readers to reflect on how each individual's practice is developed from, and informed by, a particular theory position. It represents one of the few papers that have tackled this particular management development topic.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Analytic hierarchy process approach for competitive property management attributes	[ "Analytic hierarchy process (AHP)", "Property management", "Property service agents (PSAs)", "Efficiency", "Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA)", "Hong Kong", "Residential property", "Tenancy", "Tenants", "Attributes" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) - the biggest public sector landlord in Hong Kong\nObjective of study: This study is to solicit the preference of public rental housing tenants on property management attributes provided by PSAs through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which prioritizes tenants' preferences under a ratio scale. The findings shall allow PSAs to reallocate their limited internal resources accordingly, thus fulfilling the tenants' needs and enhancing PSAs' competitiveness in the commercial market.The quantitative study in tenants' preferences for enhancing PSAs' competitiveness\nMethodology: Analytic hierarchy process\nFindings and analysis: The representatives were from MACs of Yau Lai Estate, Sau Mau Ping Estate and Po Tat Estate. A total of 21 representatives were interviewed, amongst whom five were from Yai Lai Estate, eight from Sau Mau Ping Estate and eight from Po Tat Estate. The numerical preferences of each estate and the overall numerical preferences result of the three estates are shown in Figure 2 and Table I. The year of intake and authorized population of the estates were obtained through HKHA's website (HKHA, 2010b).The overall result is obtained by aggregating the preference matrices of individual representatives from all estates. It is similar to the results of individual estates. The cleansing service and security are the most preferred attributes in the overall result.From Figure 2 and Table I, tenants in Sau Mau Ping Estate and Po Tat Estate preferred repair and maintenance than that of Yau Lai Estate, with the weightings of 0.198 and 0.175 respectively. The preference on this attribute is higher than that of Yau Lai Estate (i.e. 0.059) probably because Sau Mau Ping Estate and Po Tat Estate are older estates. It can be deduced that building age affects tenants' preference on PSAs' services. In particular, tenants of older housing estates have higher expectations on their repair and maintenance services.Furthermore, both Sau Mau Ping Estate and Po Tat Estate have larger populations than Yau Lai Estate. The preferences of tenants of the former two estates on environmental control are 0.152 and 0.139 respectively. Both values are higher than that of Yau Lai Estate, i.e. 0.056. This is because environmental control would affect the common space available to each tenant - a higher population might attract more hawkers who would infringe tenant enjoyment of common areas, and create environmental and hygienic problems in their housing estates. As a result, estates of larger population prefer PSAs with better environmental control services.Tenants' preference on staff quality and efficiency of response to enquiries and complaints are similar amongst all estates. Tenants of Yau Lai Estate put relatively less preference weighting on repair and maintenance and environmental control, but similar level of preference on staff quality and efficiency of response to enquiries and complaints. This is because the estate is relatively new and has a smaller population, and thus tenants would focus more on security and cleansing services instead.All in all, the survey illustrates that:* cleansing and security services have moderate dominance over other attributes amongst all public rental housing estates under survey, nevertheless their dominance is notably strong in newer housing estates;* tenants of aging housing estates regard repair and maintenance as an important attribute in property management; and* environmental control attribute has stronger dominance in large housing estates than in smaller ones.The results indicate which attributes that tenants from different public housing estates prefer most. In other words, HKHA can benchmark PSAs according to their performance on the highly-rated attributes. PSAs, on the other hand, can rightly allocate resources on those attributes considered highly important by their targeted types of housing estates, so as to increase future tendering opportunities.\nConclusions: The Hong Kong Housing Authority is the biggest public sector landlord in Hong Kong, which provides public rental housing to around 28 percent of the local population. This paper presents the results of a quantitative study of tenants' preferences on the outsourced public rental housing property management services. Since tenants participate in selecting property service agents' during future tendering exercises, they have a significant influence on the competitiveness of the PSAs. This study, as a quantitative study of current tenants, provides PSAs with a better understanding of the tenants' expectations on property management attributes more accurately, so that PSAs could reallocate their limited resources to best match the tenants' needs and enhance their competitiveness in future tendering opportunities. At the same time, tenants would be more satisfied with PSAs' services without additional management fees being levied.As Kwun Tong District Council has the largest number of tenants living in public rental housing provided by HKHA, representatives from Mutual Aid Committees of large housing estates in the district were interviewed. Their preferences on the property management attributes, namely repair and maintenance, environmental control, security, cleansing service, staff quality and efficiency of response to enquiries and complaints were recorded as priority matrices. Using AHP, the quantitative preferences were analyzed, such that the numerical preferences of individual estates and the overall numerical preferences were obtained.The results show that the older estates (those with an earlier year of intake) have a higher preference weighting on repair and maintenance because the buildings have deteriorated more. Also, the preference on environmental control would increase with the size of population of housing estates, where tenants expect better management of common areas to avoid environmental and hygiene problems created by hawkers. The overall results and preferences are generally similar across individual estates with the highest preference weighting on the cleansing service.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The property service agents (PSAs) are the outsourced agents of Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA), who manage the HKHA's rental properties in a competitive environment. To enhance the competitiveness edges of these PSAs under the inelastic management fee constraint, it is prudent for them to acknowledge those competitive property management attributes upon which PSAs reallocate their limited internal resources to best meet the expectations of the tenants.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was adopted for revealing the preference of tenants on those captioned attributes under a ratio scale. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with the representatives of tenants of housing estates including but not limited to chairmen of Mutual Aid Committees and District Councilors.\nFindings: - The findings indicated that, amongst all competitive property management attributes, tenants of older housing estates preferred a higher level of repairs and maintenance, while those tenants of younger and larger population housing estates focused more on environmental control issues.\nPractical implications: - Without an objective quantitative analysis of tenants' preferences, the PSAs might render misallocation of limited resources, which would not only jeopardize their survival in the competitive commercial world but also upset the expectation of the tenants.\nOriginality/value: - The use of quantitative study to solicit the preferences of public housing tenants on property management attributes is the first kind of study which provides comprehensive knowledge of tenants' preferences and could enable PSAs to enhance their competitiveness in the commercial world under the constraints of inelastic management fees structure.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Enriching and enhancing moving images with Linked Data: An exploration in the alignment of metadata models	[ "Semantics", "Linked Data", "Information modelling", "Alignment of metadata models", "Moving image archives", "Time-based media" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Time-based media, such as moving images, sound recordings, animation, and contemporary artworks that incorporate video, film, slide, audio, or computer technologies, offer a significant descriptive challenge for heritage stewards given the wide variety of genres, formats, and environments in which they are created, managed, and used. As a malleable form of communication, time-based media can be information sources, archival records, historical documents, artistic works, or commercial assets for entertainment companies and news organizations. Information systems designed for time-based media must not only provide access to descriptions of these objects to support resource discovery but also sustain a wide variety of activities and functional requirements. Additionally, these systems need to interact seamlessly with other systems to draw information from multiple sources and present it to users in a unified manner.\n2. The Semantic Web (SW) and LD: As early adopters of the World Wide Web quickly learned, the initial novelty and power of the web was its functionality to connect one resource to another, following information pathways via hyperlinks that connected one webpage to another webpage. The ease of navigation across this new landscape and the opportunity to view aggregated lists of references to information sources about an entity such as a person, place, event, or topic via search engines fueled the enthusiastic embrace of the World Wide Web. But as the web evolved, so did ideas about better ways to index, seek, and consume information. Over the last two decades, the increasingly sophisticated search capabilities of Google have led users of the information systems on the web to have ever-increasing expectations for resource discovery and use of all types of such systems.\n3. LD and moving images: As with most GLAM information stores, at this writing development of LD for moving image description is in its infancy. There are two primary domains in which moving image LD projects are being incubated, however: the digital humanities research community, and institutional members of the GLAM community who wish to build profiles based on the Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME), the data model that aims to replace the aging MARC21 bibliographic data exchange format.\n4. Models of content description for archival moving images: 4.1 BIBFRAME, archival description, and LD\n5. Previous alignment research: the Metadata Vocabulary Junction Project: In a previous research project, \"The Metadata Vocabulary Junction Project: Connecting Library Data to the Unfamiliar Data and Metadata Resources in the LOD Universe,\" Zeng and Gracy explored ways of aligning GLAM data, such as library bibliographic records, MARC records, schema.org markup, Dublin Core-based records, archival descriptions, and other locally defined records, to LOD data constructs, such as ontologies, metadata application profiles, and structured data in XML/RDF samples (Linked Open Data - Libraries, Archives and Museums Research Group (2011); Gracy et al., 2013). The purpose of the MV-Junction Project was to connect GLAM data to the unfamiliar data sets available in the LD community's Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network Datahub. In the phase of the research that examined archival descriptive records, the team found that there are often mismatches in granularity between GLAM vocabularies and related LOD element sets. GLAM records also often feature fields of \"hidden information\" and untapped potential access points.\n6. Aligning vocabularies for moving image descriptions: As the previous research suggests, potential usefully information abounds in moving image records that is not semantically defined and thus cannot be used as a link to other related information or archival entities. Additionally, the moving image archiving community uses a wide variety of vocabularies and metadata element sets, which further complicates efforts to create LD-enhanced records.\n7. Summary: This paper examined the current state of LD in archival moving image description, and proposed ways in which current metadata records could be enriched and enhanced by interlinking such metadata with relevant information found in other data sets. The author considered the applicability of work- and event-centered description, and followed the recommendation of van Malssen and others to underscore the importance of event description and full documentation of the object and thus take advantage of the possibilities of linkage to additional information found in other data sources.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of Linked Data (LD) in archival moving image description, and propose ways in which current metadata records can be enriched and enhanced by interlinking such metadata with relevant information found in other data sets.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Several possible metadata models for moving image production and archiving are considered, including models from records management, digital curation, and the recent BIBFRAME AV Modeling Study. This research also explores how mappings between archival moving image records and relevant external data sources might be drawn, and what gaps exist between current vocabularies and what is needed to record and make accessible the full lifecycle of archiving through production, use, and reuse.\nFindings: The author notes several major impediments to implementation of LD for archival moving images. The various pieces of information about creators, places, and events found in moving image records are not easily connected to relevant information in other sources because they are often not semantically defined within the record and can be hidden in unstructured fields. Libraries, archives, and museums must work on aligning the various vocabularies and schemas of potential value for archival moving image description to enable interlinking between vocabularies currently in use and those which are used by external data sets. Alignment of vocabularies is often complicated by mismatches in granularity between vocabularies.\nResearch limitations/implications: The focus is on how these models inform functional requirements for access and other archival activities, and how the field might benefit from having a common metadata model for critical archival descriptive activities.\nPractical implications: By having a shared model, archivists may more easily align current vocabularies and develop new vocabularies and schemas to address the needs of moving image data creators and scholars.\nOriginality/value: Moving image archives, like other cultural institutions with significant heritage holdings, can benefit tremendously from investing in the semantic definition of information found in their information databases. While commercial entities such as search engines and data providers have already embraced the opportunities that semantic search provides for resource discovery, most non-commercial entities are just beginning to do so. Thus, this research addresses the benefits and challenges of enriching and enhancing archival moving image records with semantically defined information via LD.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Compulsory purchase and compensation update - 2014	[ "Compulsory purchase", "Compensation provisions", "HS2", "Phase 1", "Homeowner Payment Scheme", "Urgent reforms" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Earlier this year, the government published the decisions it has made following consultation on improved compensation provisions for Phase 1 of the HS2 high-speed rail link which is proposed to run from London to the West Midlands. In this year's CPO update I propose to outline and comment on those compensation provisions. The outcomes of the consultation are at times quite visionary, though they mainly comprise versions of blight notice with relaxed rules, and the final proposal seems to have nothing to do with compensation. The main concern I have is they are underlain by some unchallenged assumptions, the main one being that claimants affected by HS2 are obviously deserving of better compensation than those affected by smaller compulsory purchase schemes. In this paper I will outline the compensation proposals consulted upon, and then summarise the outcome on each.\nThe consultation proposals: In 2013 the government went out to public consultation on the following proposed changes to compensation provisions for those affected by HS2:\nThe consultation criteria: In considering the outcome of the consultation exercise the government set out 3 prime criteria they would consider when deciding whether, and in what form, to implement the reforms:\nProperty Bond scheme: The Property Bond scheme is certainly the most visionary proposal. The consultation outcome was published earlier than the others in March 2014, with a promise of a decision on implementation to follow soon. However, when the main decision document on the other proposals was published in April it included a statement that \"The Government has decided to rule out the implementation of a property bond for Phase One of HS2 [...] we have concluded that the introduction of a Property Bond scheme could not guarantee sufficient benefits to outweigh the risks of the scheme and the significant commitment of resources that it would warrant.\"\nExpress Purchase: Express Purchase is simply an expedited form of blight notice. It was introduced on 9 April 2014 and, in respect of properties within the safeguarded area, removes from the procedure:\nNeed to Sell scheme: The Need to Sell scheme will come into force in late 2014 and is an improved version of the Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) which has already been in place for some time. Both schemes are, like Express Purchase, similar to blight notices but with relaxed criteria.\nSale and rent back: Following consultation on two options the government has decided to implement a hybrid provision known simply as rent back. It provides that Individuals whose properties are purchased in relation to HS2 under statutory measures or any discretionary scheme will be able to ask the government to allow them to temporarily rent back the property following its sale. It is intended to assist those who wish to sell because of blight, but have no pressing need to move elsewhere. They are able to sell at an unblighted value and continue to live in their home until they find a new one, until it is demolished or, if not actually needed for the scheme, until the scheme is completed.\nVPS or ACO: The VPS is another variation on a blight notice, with relaxed requirements. It is not yet certain to be implemented as a decision will be made later this year following consultation on an Alternative Cash Payment option which is described below.\nHPS: The Decision Document reports that the government is also to consult later this year on a HPS \"to provide cash payments to eligible owner-occupiers between 120 m and 300 m from the centre line, following Royal Assent of the Phase One hybrid Bill, enabling affected residents to share early in the future economic benefits of the railway\". Slightly more information is provided in the HS2 Guide to the New Property Proposals, also published in April, which announces an intention to consult on \"a home owner payment for properties in rural areas 120-300 m from the railway. The scheme would offer substantial lump-sum cash payments to owner-occupiers. The payments could be from PS7,500 to PS22,500, depending on how close the route is to the property\".\nConclusion: For the most part, and the HPS is a marked exception, the new HS2 compensation provisions set out a logical approach to reducing the impact of the scheme on the people most directly affected by its blighting affect. However, I have a number of concerns including:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to summarise and analyse the new compensation provisions brought in by the government for Phase 1 of the HS2 high-speed train line.\nDesign/methodology/approach: To summarise each of the proposals and provide a critical assessment of each of them.\nFindings: For the most part, and the Homeowner Payment Scheme (HPS) is a marked exception, the new HS2 compensation provisions set out a logical approach to reducing the impact of the scheme on the people most directly affected by its blighting affect. There are, however, a number of concerns as to whether there are more urgent reforms that have not been considered.\nResearch limitations/implications: The proposals were announced in April and in respect of some of them, particularly the HPS, very little information is available as yet.\nPractical implications: The paper should provide factual information on a very new set of compensation provisions and a critical appraisal of their value.\nOriginality/value: As the compensation provisions have been published only recently there will be few other similar commentaries available.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A structural equation model for knowledge sharing behavior in an emerging economy	[ "Knowledge sharing behaviour", "Structural equation modelling", "Emerging economies", "Reward system", "Top management commitment" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In recent years, dynamic changes in the business environment have attracted the attention of practitioners and scholars and led them to focus on knowledge as a main driver of competitive advantage (Grant, 1996; Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995; Kogut and Zander, 1992; Casimir et al., 2012; Jones and Mahon, 2012). In this context, Millar et al. (2015) outline the global nature of knowledge management and the associated cultural differences and leadership challenges. Most recently, the literature has outlined the role of contextual factors in shaping knowledge sharing (Haak-Saheem et al., 2016).\n2. Relevant literature: 2.1 Openness and trust\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Analysis: To test the research hypotheses, the analysis proceeded in three steps. First, we factor analyse the 28 statement of knowledge sharing behaviour and firm's competitiveness to reduce this list into a manageable number of factors (dimensions). Second, we examine the profile of respondents in terms of their age, education, the industry they belong to and job function. Third, we use the structural equation methodology to assess the measurement and structural models postulated in our conceptual model.\n5. Discussion: This study used the structural equation modelling methodology to test the impact of reward system, top management support and openness and trust on knowledge sharing behaviour. Subsequently, the study tests the influence of knowledge sharing behaviour on firms' competiveness. The findings of this study indicate that the three independent latent variables of reward system, top management support and openness and trust do in fact impact knowledge sharing behaviour moderately. As knowledge management in our regional setting is still in its infancy, one can surmise that the impact of the three independent variables will be even stronger as organizations in this part of the world start to embrace and value the sharing of knowledge.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Knowledge sharing behaviour is becoming one of the main priorities in organizations operating in emerging economies, as knowledge sharing behaviour may impact their competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of: openness and trust; top management support; and the reward system on knowledge sharing behaviour. In addition, the paper investigates how knowledge sharing behaviour impacts firm's competitiveness.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The analyses in this paper were based on data from more than 230 companies operating in five industries in an emerging economy in the Gulf area. Structural equation modelling (SEM) methodology was used to test the impact of the three independent latent variables of openness and trust, top management support and the reward system on the knowledge sharing behaviour as well as the impact of the later on firm's competitiveness.\nFindings: Exploratory factor as well as confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess the five dimensions of knowledge sharing behaviour and firm's competitiveness. SEM was used to test the four main hypotheses in this study and to assess the structural relationships among these five latent variables. There was a moderate relationship between the knowledge sharing behaviour and the three independent latent variables of openness and trust; top management support; and the reward system. There was a strong positive association between knowledge sharing behaviour and firm's competitiveness.\nPractical implications: For academics, the paper offers an opportunity to further study knowledge sharing behaviour in other emerging economies. Academics who are interested in examining this issue further may extend our study in many directions. For practitioners, our findings should motivate practitioners to place emphasis on top management support, openness and trust and the reward system to create a proper culture for knowledge creation and sharing.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first attempt in its purpose and design to study knowledge sharing behaviour in multiple industries in an emerging economy such as that of Saudi Arabia.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Inbound open innovation and radical innovation capability: The moderating role of organizational inertia	[ "Inbound open innovation", "Organizational inertia", "Patent analysis", "Radical innovation capability" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Radical innovation is the pursuit of completely new products and services that cater to novel and emerging customer needs (Slater et al., 2014). With the potential to reshape the competitive landscape and create new market opportunities, radical innovations consistently produce more positive performance outcomes than incremental innovations (Ritala and Hurmelinna-Laukkanen, 2013). Therefore, radical innovation capability (RIC) entices a considerable amount of research efforts. Previous literature focused on the drivers of RIC, among which organizational inertia has recently received prominence. Inertia exists in most firms (Huang et al., 2013). When firms try to change, various organizational structures and inertia behavior for strategies and systems emerge due to the experience that past models created (Matthyssens et al., 2006). Scholars have indicated that organizational inertia may affect firms' innovation activities (Blumentritt and Danis, 2006). Therefore, this study focuses on the influence of organizational inertia on radical innovation activities.\nTheory and hypotheses: Inbound open innovation\nMethodology: Sample\nResults: The study uses hierarchical regression analysis to evaluate the hypothesized relationship. The descriptive statistics in Table I illustrate the mean, standard deviation and correlation among the variables. Table II reports the regression results for RIC. Multicollinearity does not seem to be a problem in this paper because the variance inflation factor of each variable is lower than 10, and the condition index for each of the variables is lower than 30.\nDiscussion and conclusions: Theoretical implications\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of inbound open innovation and organizational inertia on radical innovation capability (RIC). It also seeks to explore whether the existence of organizational inertia has a moderating effect and influence on the relationship between inbound open innovation and RIC.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this empirical research, the authors collected sample of patents in smart phone industry over the 2000-2016 period. Then, the authors examined the direct roles of inbound open innovation and organizational inertia, and the moderating role of organizational inertia by using hierarchical regression analysis.\nFindings: Results found that cognitive inertia (CI) has a positive influence on firms' RIC, but network inertia (NI) has a negative influence on RIC. CI also has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between inbound open innovation and RIC, but NI only has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between open search breadth and RIC. Inbound open innovation directly affects RIC.\nResearch limitations/implications: The authors collected the patent data of this study within the single industry and excluded other types of industries. And it may limit the generalization of the findings.\nPractical implications: The paper includes implications for adopting an appropriate open search strategy and developing a better understanding of organizational inertia on firms' radical innovation behavior. The findings suggest future directions to technology intensive industries for improving their RIC.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to the relationship between organizational inertia and RIC within the framework of inbound open innovation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Personnel capability and customer satisfaction as predictors of customer retention in the banking sector: A mediated-moderation study	[ "Gender", "Customer satisfaction", "Customer retention", "Personnel capability" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Customer retention management is one of the most crucial management functions. Management scholars advocate the significance of this function for two broad reasons. First, the cost of acquiring new customers in volatile market environments is very high. Second, customers have become more profitable as they continue business relationship with companies (Dawkins and Reichheld, 1990; Stauss et al., 2001). According to Drucker (1973), the only purpose of business is to create a customer. As claimed by Dawkins and Reichheld (1990), a 5 percent increase in customer retention can increase customer net present value between 25 and 95 percent across wider business environments. It has further been argued by researchers that customer retention increases profitability by reducing costs incurred in acquiring new customers (Reichheld and Kenny, 1990; Reichheld, 1996). The popularity of customer retention has attracted both academicians as well as business professionals (Keh and Lee, 2006; Cortilas et al., 2008; Taylor and Neslin, 2005). Therefore, customer retention strategy not only retains customers but also has become a novel approach for building loyalty and promoting sales of additional products. Even though substantial benefits of customer relation are well established, however, there has been a limited empirical research on how retention is actually practised by financial organizations. The study aims to contribute to an understanding of how customer retention is accomplished by surveying customers' perception to retention in the banking sector.\nTheoretical background and hypotheses development: Customer retention\nResearch methodology: Sample and data collection procedures\nAnalysis and results: SEM has been conducted to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. Maximum likelihood approach with 2,000 subsample bootstrapping procedures was used to authenticate the results and test the hypotheses. The structural model (Figure 2) includes exogenous latent variable (independent variables), namely, personnel capability, customer satisfaction as intervening and customer retention as endogenous latent variables (dependent variables). Fit indices of the overall model are in acceptable range as shown in Figure 2. The hypotheses testing has been performed by examining the standard regression estimates, critical ratios and significance level (p-value). As depicted from Table IV, path from personnel capability - customer retention has regression estimate of 0.42, critical ratio of 9.13 significant at 0.01 supports H1.\nDiscussions: The study attempted to add to the existing knowledge on customer retention in business-to-consumer markets by exploring the relationship among personnel capability, customer satisfaction and customer retention. Effect of gender on perception of customers toward customer satisfaction and customer retention has also been scrutinized. Findings of the study have proved that personnel capability has a substantial effect on both satisfaction and retention of customers and satisfaction is the precursor of retention. These findings are in context of previous researchers like Cronin et al. (2000), Gustafsson et al. (2005) and Tsoukatos and Rand (2006). Such a predictive power of satisfaction for retaining the existing customer is because of the fact that customers of the bank are of opinion that bank has a very strong and effective complaint redressal mechanism. Thus, prompt complaint handling, periodic review of complaints and personalizing of customer relationship are the strongest predictors of satisfaction. The satisfaction improves when customer's complaining behavior is controlled resulting in more retention of customers (Stauss and Seidel, 2004). These findings can further be justified with the conclusions made by Fornell et al. (1995) that major economies now measure satisfaction through psychometric analysis at the industry level using sample survey to predict retention and future financial performance. The findings have confirmed the expected positive effect of satisfaction on retention. However, in the business-to-consumer relationships, the study has found satisfaction as a weaker predictor of retention than personnel capability. This contradicts some of the previous findings which have upheld that satisfaction is the strongest predictor of retention. Therefore, banks should go beyond satisfaction to build strong social and emotional bonds with the customers by enhancing personnel capability and achieving greater retention.\nConclusion: The study has empirically investigated the determinants of customer retention in the banking sector. The study attempted to build a more robust framework of customer retention and the factors influencing it. In addition to customer satisfaction, the study has incorporated the less studied variable - namely, personnel capability - in the framework. It has been found that both personnel capability and customer satisfaction have a significant positive impact on customer retention. Personnel capability has stronger impact on retention than satisfaction which contradicts some previous findings. However, in the presence of satisfaction, the effect of personnel capability becomes stronger on retention as satisfaction partially mediates the effect of personnel capability on customer retention. In order to achieve optimal results, banks need to improve the communication channels between staff and customers, give greater liberty and democracy to the staff in handling customers and provide efficient services, customer care and fair bank charges. Furthermore, the study has attempted to identify the significance of a control variable (gender) in the proposed model. After performing moderation analysis, it has been found that gender does not have any significant influence on the strength of relationship between personnel capability to customer retention and customer satisfaction to customer retention across male and female groups. However, gender moderates the strength of relationship between personnel capability and customer satisfaction across male and female groups. Banks need to address customer satisfaction from both male and female perspective, in order to guard their turnover. Banks should try to enhance customer expectations of future use in addition to building satisfaction and strengthening personnel capability. The study findings support that banking staff appears to be key players in retaining customers, therefore banks need to have professionally trained staff to handle customers properly.\nManagerial implications: Findings of the study can be employed by managers in the field of strategy development. Managers should continuously monitor the quality and effectiveness of staff and customer relationships to identify unhealthy service encounters and develop immediate measures to counteract them. Banks need to create customer satisfaction by delivering exceptional service quality that exceeds customer's expectations. Knowing their future expectations and enhancing their satisfaction level will build trust and commitment in the bank. The customer will expect more benefit in the future and more service interaction from the bank. This will enhance the likelihood that customer will be retained in the bank.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study undertaken to understand customer satisfaction and customer retention in business-to-consumer markets. The study investigates the effect of personnel capability and customer satisfaction on customer retention in the banking sector. The influence of the control variable (gender) on customer retention and mediating role of customer satisfaction has also been examined.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study has used structural equation modeling (SEM) for data analysis across a sample of 409 bank customers of a private bank operating in Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Questionnaires were distributed and respondents were selected through a cluster sampling technique.\nFindings: The empirical analysis through SEM has confirmed that personnel capability and customer satisfaction have a significant positive impact on customer retention. Customer satisfaction partially mediates the effect of personnel capability on customer retention. Moderation analysis was performed and established that gender moderates the effect of personnel capability on customer satisfaction. It was also found that gender has no effect on other relations. Furthermore, the study shows that personnel capability has a stronger impact on customer retention as compared to customer satisfaction. However, the relationship between personnel capability and customer satisfaction is significant.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study has been conducted on the customers of a private bank in India. Therefore, generalizations may be limited. As personnel capability is the predictor of satisfaction and retention, individuals with proper social and technical skills - in addition to other skills - should be hired for managing relationships with customers.\nOriginality/value: The study has added to the understanding of the relationship which exists among the following variables: gender, personnel capability, customer satisfaction and customer retention. These variables have not been studied together previously.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Consumer imagination in marketing: a theoretical framework	[ "Daydreams", "Experience-taking", "Imagination", "Mental simulation", "Narrative transportation", "Self-referencing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: An important difference between humans and other creatures is that we have the capacity to imagine - to allow our mental processes to fly far beyond reality to envision new ideas that do not currently exist. Consumers' capacity to imagine is important to marketers, who want us to imagine what life would be like if we bought a new car, joined a gym, adopted a rescue dog or voted for a proposed government policy. Marketers use a diverse set of tools to promote consumer imagination for persuasive purposes, such as advertising, retail displays, social media networks and even tribal spaces (Escalas and Luce, 2004; Goulding et al., 2013; Phillips and McQuarrie, 2010; Phillips et al., 2014).\nWhat is imagination?: Imagination is a complex form of mental activity with one essential feature: that consciousness departs from reality (Vygotsky, 1987). Imagination can be defined as \"an internal representation that produces the experience of perception in the absence of the appropriate sensory input\" (Waller et al., 2012, p. 293), or more simply as mental representations of things not present to the senses (Sools et al., 2015). That is, imagination uses the same psychological processes as perception, but these processes arise from internal sources, not external stimuli. However, imagination can be separated from non-conscious processes such as dreams and hallucinations because imagination is a conscious process under the control of the individual (Natsoulas, 1981). For example, one can stop imagining at will to attend to other cognitive tasks. Therefore, imagination is considered \"an active, dynamic probing of a mental environment\" (Waller et al., 2012, p. 299) that involves exploring possibilities which transcend the strictly factual (Sools et al., 2015).\nThe structure of imagination: On the first examination, marketing research on imagination does not seem to tell a coherent story about consumers' mental processing. Consequently, this paper develops a new theoretical framework, derived from Casey's (1976) ideas, to categorize the previous literature. Casey's book, written over 40 years ago, has been overlooked as a resource to understand imagination in marketing and applied psychology. This could be because Casey's argument is dense and difficult to navigate; he uses phenomenology to identify six traits of imagination, which he subdivides into three parts, further subdivided into two phases. Casey uses this structure to identify the continuities and discontinuities in Western philosophies of thought, such as in the writings of Kant and Freud. However, by extracting one trait (spontaneity versus controlledness) and one phase (the act phase) from Casey's structure, and combining them, a framework can be constructed that is uniquely able to categorize and make sense of existing marketing research on consumer imagination (Table I). Using this framework, it quickly becomes apparent that previous research on imagination does not fit together well because different scholars have been examining different facets of the construct.\nDiscussion: The consumer imagination framework (Table I) was developed through a systematic review of the marketing literature, undertaken to identify all papers related to consumer imagination and its role in marketing persuasion. A new conceptual framework was created based on both the characteristics (spontaneous/controlled) and the content (uninstructed/marketer-instructed/marketer-instructed process-focused) of imagination. The existing marketing literature was then organized into the framework (Table II) to summarize schools of thought. The framework suggests that seeming contradictions between different studies may be occurring because different scholars are studying different aspects of the complex mental process of imagination. The framework also helps identify areas of future research to help advance marketing theory.\nConclusion: This paper provides a review of the consumer imagination literature in marketing. A new theoretical framework is provided to help categorize existing research and explain potentially conflicting findings and conclusions. This framework also spotlights areas for future research and exploration. As Vygotsky (1998, p. 153) states:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Imagination is a complex mental process where consciousness departs from reality to create new content not currently found in existence. Imagination is key to marketing persuasion, but studies that examine consumer imagination in response to marketing messages illustrate confusing and sometimes contradictory perspectives about consumers' mental processing. This paper aims to provide a review of the existing literature on consumer imagination relevant to marketing scholarship, and builds a new theoretical framework to organize and explain these papers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A systematic review of the marketing literature was undertaken to identify all papers related to consumer imagination and its role in marketing persuasion. A focus was placed on empirical papers, review papers and meta-analyses.\nFindings: A new conceptual framework was created to classify the consumer imagination literature based on both the characteristics and the content of imagination. The existing marketing literature was then organized into the framework. The framework helps to explain seeming contradictions between different studies as well as helps to collect similar studies together to summarize schools of thought.\nOriginality/value: The imagination framework presents an entirely new way of conceptualizing imagination research in marketing. This new categorization structure not only clarifies consumers' use of imagination in response to marketing messages but also identifies questions for future research in this area of marketing theory.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Re-engineering of the meal logistics in a sheltered house for elderly people	[ "Housing", "Elderly people", "Elder care", "Operating costs" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In 2005, the EU Commission issued a communication concerning demographic issues, in which it was stated clearly that Europe is currently facing unprecedented demographic change. In 2003, the natural population growth rate in Europe was just 0.04 per cent p.a. The population structure is changing radically, particularly in regard to the growing proportions of older workers (aged 55-64), elderly people (aged 65-79) and the very elderly (aged 80+); at the same time the proportions of children, young employees and young adults are falling.The growth in the number of workers aged 60+ is continuing, and will stop only around 2030, when the post-war baby-boom generation becomes elderly. As the baby-boom generation moves through the age pyramid, older cohorts will become more numerous than the younger ones. The total EU-25 population has grown from 350 million in 1950 and 418 million in 1975 to 450 million in 2000. In 2025, the population is expected to be 470 million, but after this it is likely to decrease, reaching 449 million in 2050. In other words, it will take two more decades before ageing starts to have a negative effect on the absolute size of the population. On the other hand, the effect of ageing on the age composition will be evident at a much earlier stage and is therefore of much greater significance for the labour market and the health and long-term care sector (Communication from the Commission, 2005).For elderly people in Finland exist private and municipal nursing homes, sheltered houses and old people's homes, or they live at home. Housing type depends on person's financial situation and physical condition. People's need for assistance increases with age. It is estimated that 30-40 per cent of over-65s in Finland need some kind of assistance in coping, and about one fifth of the over-80s need a considerable amount of daily help (Vaarama, 1995). Combined with the rapid growth in the size of the elderly population, this means that substantial development investment will have to be allocated to different forms of residential care facility and care services for the elderly.Care sector employees are burdened by the traditional stresses of institutional care for the elderly, i.e. a heavy workload and excessive physical demands. These produce both physical and mental stress symptoms. These employees are especially exposed to the strains of poor ergonomic conditions, typified by difficult lifting movements and work postures.There is a lack of systematic information about the costs and benefits, and, more fundamentally, about the feasibility of adapting residential accommodation for use as sheltered housing (Lansley et al., 2004). The amount of research on the quality and costing of different designs for sheltered housing has been inadequate. Nevertheless, according to Torrington (2004), buildings can be adapted and changed and can \"learn\" to fit their purpose better. In productivity analyses of care work, more attention should be paid to the impact of different designs on the costs of the activities performed within the premises and also the effect on total costs.From the point of view of cost-effective care, it is important that overall costs are examined as the sum of the different factors involved. If the care work is analysed as a whole, i.e. as a product of the building design and the activities undertaken, the information obtained will prove valuable in improving and developing the spaces and activities in the future. In parallel with the overall financial considerations involved in a project, the effects of proposed measures on the quality of accommodation and on the various activities performed must also be examined, as much from the resident's viewpoint as that of the nurses. Likewise, Torrington (2007) stresses that new methods for procuring buildings have highlighted a need for systematic evidence-based methods for evaluating designs.The aim of this study was to calculate the cost-efficiency of alternative building renovation and alteration measures of meal logistics designed to improve the productivity of care work in a residential care facility for the elderly, using a particular sheltered housing complex as an example.\nMethodologies: The study involved drawing up alternative facility development proposals for an existing municipal sheltered housing complex, where the elderly can live in an independent residence and have round-the-clock care. The focus was on examining the overall cost impact of decentralising certain services. A decentralisation/centralisation model was first devised and construction plans then drafted with the aid of experimental design. Next, the manager, the ergo-therapist and five nurses of the housing complex were interviewed. The purpose of the interviews was to become acquainted with routines and troubles of daily duties in the nurses's work. Likewise, some small-scale practical tests, e.g. following up nurses and making field observation during their care duties, were performed on site in cooperation with the sheltered housing staff. A researcher walked for two days with nurses and observed their work. She also observed the use of time in care work and made graphs of walking routes on the floor plans. Time measurements were made in conjunction with the tests, for the purpose of analysing the decentralisation of service spaces. Finally, a financial assessment was made of each alternative development proposal in terms of its construction and maintenance costs and costs of care provision.Research subject\nResults: Decentralised vs centralised model\nDiscussion: In this study, four different facility development alternatives regarding the dining and kitchen options were created for the sheltered home being studied. In these alternatives the dining facilities were either centralised or decentralised, and the meals were either self-cooked or purchased from elsewhere (outsourced).The study demonstrates that decision-making about renovation options in sheltered homes for elderly people should also take into account the operating costs associated with each option, and not simply the construction and maintenance costs.In this case study, the construction and maintenance costs differed by EUR630/resident/year between the lowest and the highest cost alternatives, and the operating costs differed similarly by EUR2,600/resident/year. The form of dining facilities affected the operating costs more than the construction and maintenance costs.The biggest differences in operating costs were due to the meal costs and the costs of taking residents to the dining facilities.The calculations showed that the alternative with the lowest renovation cost nevertheless had the highest total costs. In this alternative the meal service packs are brought to the decentralised dining facilities. The total costs of this alternative were 50 percent higher than the total costs of the other decentralised alternative with an institutional kitchen.The centralised alternative with an outsourced meals service had a significantly lower renovation cost, but 15 percent higher total costs, than the lowest cost decentralised alternative with an institutional kitchen.It should be emphasised that the economic benefit of solutions, which have higher renovation cost but lower operating costs due to reduced workforce needs will not materialise if the staff levels are not reduced.In DC-O model the centralised kitchen/service centre becomes redundant and could be used for another function, e.g. for recreation activities or it could be hired for cafeterian use. In the service centre there is also other activities like sauna, thus the building cannot be demolished. Nevertheless, the focus in this study was the meal logistics of alternative building renovation options, hence the future of the kitchen/service centre is not discussed here further.Many studies have been published in recent years about personnel well-being, and there is considerable information about the costs of institutional care. However, the impact of operating costs on total costs has not been studied until now. This approach to examining all economic implications is likely to be a very productive research field in the next few years.These results provide useful information for the design solutions of sheltered homes for elderly people. The outcome of the calculations will vary according to the case in question, however, since the space arrangements may vary quite considerably.The results of this study demonstrate that decision-makers in real estate companies and in communities must take into account the impact of operating costs when considering the costs of building sheltered homes for the elderly.The comprehensive care of elderly people will be a major challenge for society in the future. From the point of view of nursing quality, it is essential to pay careful attention to the operating activities and time spent in these activities, so that nurses can perform their tasks properly and remain fit for work as long as possible.According to Torrington (2004), estate management should be seen as a creative process. The size and the location of spaces, and their relation to nursing activities, have to be carefully planned right from the start of the design process, both in renovation work and in new construction.Likewise, the rationalisation of material flows, especially concerning meals, incontinence pads, medicines and prescriptions, has to be taken into account during the design process if this is to help in minimising total costs.In this study neither the residents nor the nursing staff were asked about their preferences. Although, in overall cost terms, the best alternative was the decentralisation of dining facilities to the residential floors, the residents themselves may still prefer dining in a large dining hall for social, psychological and functional reasons.In the example chosen sheltered home for the elderly has been put into practice alternative DC-K, which proved to be the best alternative in this study. The thoughts of all parties, e.g. the nursing staff and residents involved will be interviewed after construction work.In addition, food and dining habits among the elderly is the study area in another project executed in Helsinki University of Technology in 2007-2008. The results of this study will be reported in near future.An interesting aspect for further research is to examine the impact on operating costs (and hence total costs) if the composition of residents is different, in terms of the demands associated with their mental alertness and physical condition.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The goal of this study is to perform an economic comparison of alternative service concepts designed to improve the productivity of nursing care in a refurbishment project of selected sheltered housing facility.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Four different service development options were identified for the dining and kitchen facilities: the dining facilities were either decentralised or centralised, and the meals were prepared on site or brought in from outside.\nFindings: - The form of dining model chosen affected the operating costs more than the spatial costs. The biggest differences in operating costs were attributable to the meal price and to the costs of transferring disabled residents to the dining area. The study showed that the option which had the lowest spatial costs surprisingly had the highest total costs. This was the option in which the meals were conveyed to the decentralised dining rooms located on the different floors by the food supplier. The total costs of this option were 50 per cent higher than the total costs of the decentralised option with on-site cooking facilities. The centralised dining option with externalised food service had considerably lower renovation costs but 15 per cent higher total costs than the lowest cost option (decentralised dining option with own kitchen).\nOriginality/value: - The paper provides a practical model for taking into account not only remodelling costs but also operating costs in total cost calculations of the remodelling process.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Retail service excellence: antecedents and consequences	[ "Retailing", "Customer delight", "Quality management", "Service quality", "Service excellence" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Retail stores differ from other service firms as they offer a mix of goods and services to their customers (Dabholkar et al., 1996). However, the retail firms are replete with comparable products and lack of differentiation (Panchapakesan, 2014). It is a well-known fact that product, price and technology components of service are easily imitable by competition (Peccei and Rosenthal, 1997). The resulting intense competition and rising consumerism have forced the retail firms to turn towards other business aspects, e.g. service excellence (SE), to gain competitive edge in the global marketplace (Gouthier et al., 2012). Hence, there is a need for coordination of various functions within the retail organisation towards the common goal of SE (Bagdare and Jain, 2013). Notwithstanding the tremendous growth in services, including the retail industry worldwide, and the resulting academic interest in services management, there are only a few empirical studies pertaining to SE (Asif, 2015), especially in the context of retailing. SE occurs when service delivered exceeds prior expectations of customers (Horwitz and Neville, 1996) and it is a consistent process rather than a one-time phenomenon (Berry et al., 1994). SE has been found to result in increased customer loyalty, high profitability (Asif and Gouthier, 2014), high profit per employee, high net margin and improved return on total assets (Bates et al., 2003).\nTheoretical background: SE\nDeveloped conceptual framework: The developed conceptual framework, which is based on the above set of propositions, is shown in Figure 1.\nSummary and conclusions: Theoretical contributions\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of antecedents and consequences of service excellence (SE) in the retail industry.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on an extensive literature review, this paper has come up with the definition of potential antecedents and their consequences for SE in the retail service.\nFindings: While the seven factors, service leadership, service culture, quality management and business excellence, service innovation, customer engagement, service brand image and service encounters have been proposed as antecedents of SE in retail service, employee loyalty, employee pride, customer delight, customer commitment and brand love, have been identified as consequences.\nResearch limitations/implications: A major limitation of the study is that the developed model is not empirically validated.\nPractical implications: The current research asserts that leadership in service firms has to build a professional service culture system in order to achieve business/competition advantages of SE.\nSocial implications: This paper has emphasised that businesses cannot only act with the perspective of gaining short-term profit on every customer transaction. Customers have to be valued and firms have to focus on building long-term relationships with their customers.\nOriginality/value: This study has extended the research on SE by developing a new model with possible antecedents and outcomes in the retail context.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A theoretical model of the antecedents and outcomes of employee engagement: Dubin's method	[ "Employee engagement", "Human resource development", "Work engagement", "Dubin's method", "Theoretical model" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Employee engagement is a relatively new but extremely popular concept in the field of Human Resource Development. Such strong interest is driven by claims that organizations looking to leverage employee engagement could ultimately observe significant positive impact on bottom-line results (Macey and Schneider, 2008). For instance, the notion of engagement has been claimed to predict both individual employee outcomes and organizational level success and financial performance (Macey and Schneider, 2008; Saks, 2006; Shuck and Reio, 2011).\nBackground and definitions: employee engagement: Employee engagement has become a topic of immense interest in the organizational and HRD literature in recent years. It is often recognized that engagement is predictive of employee outcomes, success, and financial performance of organizations (Macey et al., 2009; Saks, 2006). At the same time, however, survey research reveals low levels of engagement in many countries (Gallup, 2013; Robertson and Cooper, 2010). Findings from a recent Gallup survey suggested that at present, only 13 percent of employees around the globe are engaged on their job and that disengaged workers continue to outnumber their engaged counterparts at a rate of nearly 2 to 1 (Gallup, 2013). In the US, for instance, 52 percent of employees in the workforce are reportedly disengaged and 18 percent are actively disengaged in their jobs. Similarly, 68 percent of Chinese workers are reported to be disengaged in their work (Gallup, 2013).\nDubin's method: an overview: Dubin's (1978) theory-building method is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive theory-building methods in applied fields such as management, marketing, and human resource development (Ardichvili et al., 2003; Chermack, 2004; Lynham, 2002a). We selected Dubin's method over other approaches - such as Lynham's (2002b) General Method and Van de Ven's (2007) Diamond Model - for a number of reasons. First, we approached this theory-building effort from a purely quantitative, deductive perspective. Although there is no doubt that Lynham's and Van de Ven's methods do not preclude quantitative or deductive research, we believe that Dubin's approach offers the clearest roadmap in this regard. In such a deductive theory-building approach, the theory is first formulated as a hypothesis based on the use of logic as well as prior knowledge about the constructs (Holton and Lowe, 2007). The theory is proposed as a \"representation of the reality ... subjected to testing to determine if it accurately portrays reality\" (Holton and Lowe, 2007, p. 302). This procedure is closely aligned with our theory-building effort, in which we formulate hypotheses describing relationships between variables that have been derived from our review of existing research and propose an actual testing of the model. Second, we felt that Dubin's approach is the most structured, detailed, and comprehensive method available. As Storberg-Walker (2003) argued, because Dubin's method appears to be more of a \"traditional, linear, empirically based method,\" it offers a very clear blueprint for theorists (p. 218).\nStep 1: Units of a theoretical model of employee engagement: The units of a theory refer to the concepts, basic ideas, or building blocks that make up the theory (Dubin, 1978). The units are the \"things out of which the theory is built\" (Dubin, 1976, p. 26) or the raw conceptual framework on which the theory is based (Lynham, 2002a). According to Dubin (1978), in principle there are no restrictions on the selection of the units that make up a theory. Such flexibility in determining these units enables the researcher-theorist to have complete control of this stage of the theory-building process (Chermack, 2004).\nStep 2: Laws of interaction in the theoretical model of employee engagement: The laws of interaction in a theory refer to the relationships among the units (or concepts) of that theory (Dubin, 1978). The laws of interaction exemplify how changes in one or more units of the theory impact the other units. Dubin (1978) delineated three types of laws of interaction: categoric, sequential, and determinant.\nStep 3: The boundaries of a theoretical model of employee engagement: Dubin (1978) maintained that in order for a theoretical model to be able to represent an \"empirical system,\" it has to have boundaries that correspond to that system (p. 125). The boundaries of a model outline the domains within which the model is expected to apply (Dubin, 1978); in other words, they establish the \"real-world limits of the theory\" (Lynham, 2002a, p. 253).\nStep 4: System states of a theoretical model of employee engagement: A system state, referring to the \"state of the system as a whole,\" may be defined by three features: \"all units of the system have characteristic values, the characteristic values of all units are determinant, and the constellation of unit values persists through time\" (Dubin, 1978, p. 144). Dubin (1978) also identified three criteria of system states, namely, inclusiveness (all the units of the system are included in the system state), having determinant values (all units have measureable values and are distinctive or unique), and persistence (the state of the system persists through a period of time).\nStep 5: Propositions of a theoretical model of employee engagement: A proposition is a \"truth statement about a model when the model is fully specified in its units, laws of interaction, boundary, and system states\" (Dubin, 1978, p. 160). Dubin (1978) cautioned that truth here should be \"kept clear of its metaphysical connotations\" and may be thought of as equivalent to \"logical consequence\" (p. 160; emphasis in original). Propositions concern the ways in which the model are applied and are subject to empirical testing. We formulated eight sets of propositions from our theoretical model of the antecedents and outcomes of employee engagement:\nConclusions and implications: The importance of engagement has been widely discussed in both academic and practitioner literature. Given the claimed benefits associated with having a highly-engaged workforce, organizations are rigorously exploring ways and introducing initiatives whereby they could develop and enhance the levels of engagement of their employees.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model that links the major antecedents, outcomes, and moderators of employee engagement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper uses the first part of Dubin's two-part, eight-step theory-building methodology, and builds on existing research and empirical studies on engagement. In particular, the following five steps of the Dubin's methodology are addressed in this study: units (or concepts) of the theory, laws of interaction among the units, boundaries of the theory, system states of the theory, and propositions of the theory.\nFindings: The proposed theoretical model of employee engagement identifies job design and characteristics, supervisor and co-worker relationships, workplace environment, and HRD practices as the major antecedents to employee engagement. The paper also proposes that job demands and individual characteristics act as moderators to the relationships between job design and characteristics, supervisor and co-worker relationships, workplace environment, and employee engagement. Finally, it is proposed that employee engagement is related to three major organizational outcomes: job performance, turnover intention (inverse relationship), and organizational citizenship behavior.\nOriginality/value: This paper addresses the paucity of structured literature on the antecedents and outcomes of employee engagement and presents a comprehensive, holistic model that offers a logical ground on which empirical indicators and hypotheses could be further identified and tested to verify the theory.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Personal preferences of tween shoppers	[ "Shopping", "Clothing", "Consumers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Recently, marketers have paid special attention to \"tweens\", a sub-group of Generation Y, described as preadolescents, aged 9 to 15, who are be\"tween\" the children's and junior's markets. Apparel is the item on which tweens report most wanting to spend their money and the item on which tweens most often spend discretionary income (Lewis et al., 1995; Setlow, 2001). Calling this group \"financially explosive\", researchers are also interested in collecting tween body scan measurement data for future developments in apparel offerings (size USA users group meeting, 2005). Retailers whose sole purpose is to cater to the tween group have already caught on to the influence tweens have on the marketplace, including Tween Brands, Inc., Build-A-Bear, Paint Your Own Pottery, and American Girl products. The tween market lacks the research tradition found for previous generations, therefore modified versions of traditional market research tools will help better describe this new face of consumers.\nLiterature review: Reference groups\nMethods and procedures: Development and description of instrument\nResults and discussion: The data were condensed from multi-item scales (personal involvement, store patronage, reference groups and satisfaction with fit) into single variables by calculating mean scores for each variable for each tween. Items measuring fashion interest were tested for reliability using Cronbach's alpha test, which resulted in an alpha level of 0.88 indicating internal consistency (Table I). Cronbach's test was inappropriate for the other three variables due to the nature of their construction.Sample\nConclusions: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influencers of fashion attitudes of tween girls by examining the relationships between fashion interest, store patronage, satisfaction with fit and reference groups. Prior to this study, very little information had been acquired specifically about tween girls, a growing market of consumers in the apparel industry. Also, although the literature review indicated that certain relationships were likely, a framework related to the current study's variables was lacking. Therefore, a resulting framework is presented from regression tests.The results reveal that tweens exhibit a high level of fashion interest and that fashion interest is the only variable in the study to have significant relationships with each of the other variables. The level of fashion interest illustrated by this group indicates that they pay close attention to what they wear and are eager to learn more about clothing trends. Retailers should take advantage of this interest by providing information about new styles and established fashions.Because tweens are in a stage of development where they attach themselves to role models, retail buyers should select products that will provide a sense of identity to the wearer. Sales associates should be educated to assist tweens in selecting apparel that fits properly. Understanding that the majority of tweens were satisfied with the fit of jeans and the fit of t-shirts should give retailers cues as to merchandising and promotion. High fashion interest shows that tweens are willing to take time to make careful selections. Parents, the most influential reference group, will more than likely be involved in their tween's apparel purchase decisions from an early age, and will act to lay the groundwork for future consumption patterns (see Figure 1).Retailers can be considerate of parents shopping with their tweens by creating a comfortable environment, as to ensure the absence of objection to patronizing the retailer. Seating areas or larger fitting rooms in which a parent could sit as the tween tries on clothing is also a recommendation that will allow the parent to be involved with the tween's apparel selection. Additionally, retailers should train sales associates to interact effectively with parents as well as tweens.Future research should replicate or adapt the study to a larger sample in order to determine the strength of the relationships since the majority of the respondents were between the ages of 12 to 15 leaving younger tweens underrepresented. Special consideration may also be paid to plus-sized tweens, so that age appropriate apparel can be provided in larger sizes for the growing niche market.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to shed light on the behaviors of a group of consumers referred to as \"tween\", a sub-group of Generation Y, described as pre-adolescents, aged 9 to 15, who are be\"tween\" the children and juniors markets, by taking previously tested measures and applying them to \"tween\" girls. The work of Blackwell et al. indicates that individual tastes and preferences are expected to have an effect on to whom tweens look for purchasing cues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The first section of the survey included demographic items consisting of tweens' age, grade level and race. Section two of the survey consisted of nine items used to determine the influence of two reference groups: parents and friends. Items adapted from the personal involvement index were used to measure the personal involvement of tweens in apparel purchases. Store patronage was measured by assessing the frequency with which participants patronized each of eight given retail settings.\nFindings: - Future research should replicate or adapt the study to a larger sample in order to determine the strength of the relationships, since the majority of the respondents were between the ages of 12 to 15, leaving younger tweens under-represented.\nOriginality/value: - The results reveal that tweens exhibit a high level of fashion interest and that fashion interest is the only variable in the study to have significant relationships with each of the other variables.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Relationship between occupational commitment and ascribed importance of organisational characteristics	[ "Job satisfaction", "Organizational culture", "Professional education", "Recruitment", "Retention", "Social responsibility" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Much industrial research tends to be focused upon the current, full-time employees of large organisations (Loughlin and Barling, 2001). However, university students possess a range of technological and other skills that make them a desirable source of talent for many prospective employers, particularly those recruiting for managerial type positions (Rynes et al., 1997). However, despite the importance of young workers to prospective employers, there has been limited study of the factors influencing choice decisions among this group (Ng and Burke, 2006).\nApplicant attraction: One key approach through which applicant attraction to organisations has been studied is person-organisation (P-O) fit (Kristof, 1996). Within this approach, it is argued that compatibility between an individual person and an organisation will lead to increased attraction. In keeping with Schneider's (1987, p. 440) attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, it is argued that \"different kinds of organisations attract, select, and retain different kinds of people.\" The knowledge provided by these studies is useful to prospective employers because in order to be included as part of an applicant's \"consideration set of potential employers\" organisations need to establish a \"minimal level of organisational attraction\" (Cable and Turban, 2001, p. 145). Therefore, knowledge of which organisational features are associated with applicant attraction in specific applicant groups can be used for targeted promotion of the company's relevant characteristics to those applicant groups. In fact, Rynes and Barber (1990) used the term \"employment inducements\" to describe organisational or job characteristics that could be either manipulated or promoted to this end.As noted, various studies have demonstrated that congruence between certain individual level attributes and perceived organisational characteristics is positively associated with applicant attraction (Bretz and Judge, 1994; Cable and Judge, 1994, 1996; Dineen et al., 2002). However, the need for supplementary research into the attitudes of students relevant to contemporary organisational issues has also been noted (Ng and Burke, 2006).\nOrganisational characteristics: In exploring a conception of \"employer image,\" Cable and Turban (2001) identified three sets of organisational attributes through which job seekers might develop beliefs about what an organisation will be like. These include employer information characteristics (e.g. size and geographical dispersion of the organisation, concern for the environment); job information characteristics (e.g. pay levels, opportunities for advancement); and, people information characteristics (e.g. attributes of potential co-workers and supervisors).Cable and Turban's (2001) discussion of organisational attributes comprising these three sets was one element of a broader theoretical framework they developed on the dimensions, sources and value of job seekers' employer knowledge. They did not therefore provide a comprehensive group of items to reflect all three sets, nor a conceptual rationale as to which organisational characteristics items should reliably group together. So, in order to produce a broad pool of items reflecting a wide range of contemporary organisational attributes, the current study drew upon relevant items generated in other studies of organisational characteristics or employer image (Lievens et al., 2005; Ng and Burke, 2006). The pool derived from these studies reflected a much more diverse range of items relevant to the contemporary workplace including those tapping the perceived importance of challenging work; opportunities for training, skill development and advancement; organisational size; organisational commitment to social responsibility and diversity; offerings of good salary, benefits and job security, work-family balance; good people to work with and be supervised by; and opportunities for travel.\nOccupational commitment: Forms of commitment that individuals have to diverse aspects of worklife have long been of interest to management scholars (Morrow, 1983). For example, researchers have investigated dimensions of commitment relative to organisations (Allen and Meyer, 1990; Meyer and Allen, 1991), supervisors, teams, customers (Meyer et al., 2004, 2002) and occupations (Blau and Holladay, 2006; Irving et al., 1997; Meyer et al., 1993; Snape and Redman, 2003).In recent years, the occupational commitment construct has become an increasingly relevant area of study. For example, it is argued that when high levels of economic uncertainty and organisational instability occur, then individuals might shift the focus of their work allegiance away from the organisation itself to the relative sureness of their own occupation (Blau, 2003; Lee et al., 2000; Snape and Redman, 2003). Similarly, given the strong relationships that dimensions of occupational commitment have to various constructs such as job satisfaction and turnover or withdrawal intentions (Blau and Holladay, 2006; Irving et al., 1997; Meyer et al., 1993), occupational commitment may well be an important variable not simply in relation to issues of employee retention, but also in relation to recruitment and attraction.The dominant model of occupational commitment comprises three components, namely affective, continuance and normative (Meyer et al., 1993; Irving et al., 1997; Snape and Redman, 2003). Affective commitment refers to a psychological attachment or connection individuals have to remain in an occupation or profession because they \"want to.\" Continuance commitment refers to a sense of costliness individuals have about leaving an occupation, thereby leading them to remain in the occupation because they \"need to.\" Normative commitment refers to a sense of obligation individuals have to remain in an occupation because they \"ought to\" (Meyer et al., 1993).\nOccupational commitment dimensions and ascribed importance of organisational characteristics: As indicated, affective occupational commitment to business refers to the sense of emotional connection or attachment that students have to being a business professional, or to the sense of staying with this occupation out of \"want\" (Meyer et al., 1993). Given that affectively committed individuals are motivated to stay with business by their emotional connection to it, they would likely also ascribe high levels of importance to those organisational features that would facilitate continued development of cherished business skills. Also, as argued by Meyer et al. (1993), someone who is affectively committed to an occupation would have a higher likelihood of wanting to keep up with developments in that occupation than someone who is lacking affective commitment. Therefore, those with high levels of affective commitment would be expected to ascribe high levels of importance to working in an organisation that could fulfil their desire for continued professional development:H1. Level of affective occupational commitment will be positively associated with the importance ascribed to working in an organisation that provides good opportunities for professional development.As indicated, continuance commitment to business administration refers to the sense that it would be very costly to leave that career path. Therefore, individuals stay in the profession because they need to. Those with high levels of continuance commitment may perceive that their career alternatives are limited in some way such that they do not have the option of changing careers at this point (Meyer et al., 1993), or that changing occupations would result in loss of the time, money or other investments made to become a business professional (Becker, 1960). Hence:H2. Level of continuance occupational commitment will be positively associated with the importance ascribed to working in an organisation that offers features such as good salary and benefits, and job security.Normative occupational commitment to business refers to the sense of obligation that individuals have to remain in a profession, or the sense of staying with a profession because one ought to (Meyer et al., 1993). It represents internalised normative values that one should do something simply because it is the right thing to do (Weiner, 1982), and has been found to be positively related to general sense of obligation to others (Meyer et al., 1993). Given that normative occupational commitment is positively related to general sense of obligation to others (Meyer et al., 1993), then those high in normative occupational commitment should also ascribe high importance to working in an organisation that also exhibits a sense of responsibility to others. This would also be consistent with previous empirical findings in an alternate commitment domain suggesting that congruence between core societal values and core organisational values is positively related to normative organisational commitment (Vardi et al., 1989). Therefore:H3a. Level of normative occupational commitment will be positively associated with the level of importance ascribed to working in an organisation that demonstrates core societal values such as commitment to diversity and corporate social responsibility.On a related note, normative commitment is thought to develop through societal forms of socialisation, as well as professional training about the essential values, practices and responsibilities within a discipline (Blau and Holladay, 2006; Rhodes and Steers, 1990). Given the current societal and business emphasis on environmentally sustainable business practices as a form of social responsibility to current and future generations, then among prospective groups of young workers:H3b. Level of normative occupational commitment to business administration will be positively associated with level of another prevalent obligation to others emphasised during career training, that of supporting environmentally sustainable business practices.\nMethod: Sample\nResults: Principal component analysis of organisational characteristics items\nDiscussion: The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between components of occupational commitment and ascribed importance of organisational characteristics to business students' first full-time work experience post-graduation. Results demonstrated that affective occupational commitment was differentially, positively associated with ascribed importance of working in an organisation offering good opportunities for professional development, training and advancement. Results also demonstrated that normative commitment was differentially, positively related to ascribed importance of working in a highly reputable organisation with its own commitment to societal values such as social responsibility and diversity.This study therefore contributes to our knowledge by expanding the potential relevance of occupational commitment dimensions beyond the previously identified domains of job performance (Colarelli and Bishop, 1990) and employee retention (Blau and Holladay, 2006) into additional domains related to recruitment and applicant attraction to organisations. Moreover, given the relationships that emerged between commitment dimensions and ascribed importance of organisational characteristics, the findings are also potentially informative for how firms might position themselves to and negotiate with newly-graduated job seekers. As indicated by Breaugh and Stark (2000), the goal of recruitment should not simply be to increase the number of applicants (which is costly to the organisation and does not necessarily provide a good pay-off in terms of identifying appropriate new hires), but rather, to bring in the \"right\" type of job seekers whom the organisation will be able to support. Also, given high levels of uncertainty associated with current economic turmoil, consideration of occupational commitment might have particular relevance to organisations. For example, it is noteworthy that participants high on affective or normative dimensions of occupational commitment may ascribe less importance to having ongoing job security with good pay and benefits in their first job than they do to working in an organisation that affords opportunities for other types of benefits. New job seekers with high levels of affective commitment may, therefore, be quite interested in a position in their desired subfield that offers good opportunities for further professional training and development, even if the position is of limited duration or more modest pay.Although hypotheses related to both affective and normative forms of occupational commitment were supported, the hypothesised relationships between continuance occupational commitment and instrumental variables such as good salary, benefits and job security were not. This was true despite strong reliabilities of both predictor and criterion measures. How can this be understood?One strong possibility is that although continuance commitment may be thought of in terms of both the personal financial sacrifices and the limited occupational alternatives to having a good salary and benefits as a business professional, continuance commitment may also be understood in terms of other costs. For example, one loss might be the accumulated \"occupational investments\" such as advanced schooling (Blau, 2003; Carson et al., 1995) and what this represents to a person in terms of professional identity loss. Similarly, there may be emotional costs of leaving an occupation such as the loss of professional ties. Therefore, individuals with high levels of continuance commitment may not ascribe high importance to good salary and benefits. Rather, those with high levels of continuance commitment may ascribe high importance to organisational characteristics related to interdisciplinary work through which one can develop additional professional identities; or, to training programs that allow individuals to become credentialed in additional fields; or, to the presence of an \"alumni network\" of sorts through which employees who move into a new occupational area can stay in touch with former colleagues.Although this study offers several useful insights, some limitations also exist. For example, data from the current study were self-report and came from a common source. Thus, data could be influenced by biases such as social desirability responding or common source bias (Stangor, 2004). Therefore, additional studies using an alternate source for some ratings, relying on objectively verifiable behavioural observations, or using a different type of research design would be helpful.In future research, it would also be helpful to investigate an even broader range of organisational characteristics. For example, opportunities for specific types of compensation plans could be investigated. Alternately, opportunities for interdisciplinary work, opportunities to train for new professional credentials, or opportunities to maintain networks as one grows out of specific occupational designations would be useful to include in order to assess whether such factors have any relationship to continuance forms of occupational commitment.Finally, the questions likely to be of most significant interest in future research are those that more explicitly place issues of occupational commitment into the recruitment and attraction literatures. Given that the dimensionality and reliability of the occupational commitment construct received further confirmation in this study, and also given results suggesting relationships among these dimensions and the ascribed importance of organisational characteristics, follow-up studies should further explore these variables and their relationship to issues such as applicant attraction. These studies could investigate whether different dimensions of occupational commitment moderate relationships between applicant attraction and various organisational characteristics (e.g., Cable and Judge, 1994, 1996; Turban and Keon, 1993; Rau and Hyland, 2002).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between dimensions of commitment to the profession of business, and ascribed importance of various organisational characteristics to the first full-time job following graduation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Business administration students (n=446) completed surveys on dimensions of their commitment to the profession of business and the importance they ascribed to having certain organisational characteristics in their first full-time job (n=132). Confirmatory factor analysis of commitment scales, principal component analysis of organisational characteristics, and canonical correlations were used.\nFindings: - Affective occupational commitment was differentially, positively associated with the importance ascribed to working in an organisation that offers opportunities for professional development. Normative occupational commitment was differentially, positively associated with the importance ascribed to working in a reputable organisation that is devoted to diversity and social responsibility.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Additional evaluation using multi-source and behavioural data would be useful.\nPractical implications: - Knowledge of the relationship between types of occupational commitment and desired organisational characteristics among university students could inform organisational positioning relative to recruitment.\nOriginality/value: - Results reported in this paper demonstrate the potential relevance of occupational commitment components into the processes of recruitment and applicant attraction among university students.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The agreeable bureaucrat: personality and PSM	[ "Motivation", "Organizational behaviour", "Personality", "Professions", "Public administration", "Personnel management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nBackground: For over 20 years public administration scholars have been trying to figure out a way to best measure and understand what attracts individuals to public sector work. Public service motivation (PSM) or a public service ethic is generally agreed to mean \"an individual's predisposition to respond to motives grounded primarily or uniquely in public institutions and organizations\" (Perry and Wise, 1990, p. 368). Over time, somewhat more expanded definitions of PSM have been proposed. Rainey and Steinbauer (1999) conceptualize PSM as \"a general, altruistic motivation to serve the interest of a community of people, a state, a nation or humankind\" (p. 20). Vandenabeele (2007) defines PSM as \"the belief, the values and attitudes that go beyond self-interest and organizational interest, that concern the interest of a larger political entity and that motivate individuals to act accordingly whenever appropriate\" (p. 549). No matter the definition, attraction to public service or the enhanced need to serve one's community is inherent in any exploration of PSM.\nPersonality and PSM: Although public service motives are often assumed to be deeply rooted in personal characteristics, prior empirical studies of PSM have not generally considered human personality as a possible explanation for their emergence. Personality is considered by psychologists to refer to a regular pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving that remains fairly consistent over the course of a person's life (Schacter et al., 2010). Current research in psychology focusses primarily on a five factor model of personality, known as the big five: conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability (also known as neuroticism), openness to experience, and extraversion. These five factors have been observed in children, adults from different cultures, and even in some animal species (Mondak, 2010; Schacter et al., 2010). Moreover, there is growing evidence from twin studies that much of the variation in these five factors of personality may have a genetic rather than environmental basis, meaning people are essentially born with a personality profile that remains fairly constant throughout their lives (Bouchard and Loehlin, 2001). Although there are many issues involved in the measurement of personality (Crede et al., 2012; Mondak, 2010), the five factor model offers a potentially important set of explanatory variables to consider in the quest for an initial understanding of the deep-seated origins of PSM.\nData and method: To empirically examine the relationship between personality and PSM, we use original data from two online surveys conducted using the Public Service Research Panel, a university-affiliated online panel of public service professionals. Participants are a voluntary sample recruited in the USA and internationally using LinkedIn, GovLoop, and other social media as well as Listservs from professional associations in the field of public policy and administration. Surveying public service professionals, rather than the general population, allows us to explore the relationship between personality and PSM in a public and nonprofit sector work setting. The first survey (the spring 2012 survey) was conducted in April 2012 and included online responses from 220 panelists who were 57 percent male, 76 percent white and had a modal age of 40-49. The second survey (the fall 2012 survey) was conducted in October 2012 and included 204 respondents who were 53 percent male, 73 percent white, and again with a modal age of 40-49. According to the 2013 federal employment report issued by the Office of Personnel Management, in fiscal year 2013, the non-seasonal full-time permanent employees were 57 percent male, 65 percent white, and with an average age 47 (Office of Personnel Management, 2014). Thus, although not a probability sample, our two survey samples are fairly consistent with the general characteristics of non-seasonal full-time permanent federal government employees.\nResults: Our analytical approach is straightforward: we regress the standardized measures of PSM on the big five personality traits, controlling for gender, age and race. We do this in stages, entering the demographic variables first (gender, age and race), followed by the five personality factors, which allows us to examine and test the change in explained variance (R\nDiscussion and implications: In this exploratory study, we have examined the association of the big five personality traits with two standard measures of PSM. In general, we find that personality explains a fairly larger percentage of variation in PSM, ranging from 16 to nearly 20 percent of variation in overall PSM, above and beyond what is explained by the basic demographic factors of sex, age and race. For the various subdomains of PSM, personality traits also explain a similarly large share of variation in most cases, again above and beyond basic demographic factors. Thus, these results suggest that PSM may be rooted in part in fundamental personality differences. Moreover, if we accept the evidence from twin studies that much of the variation in the big five personality traits is itself heritable rather than environmental (Bouchard and Loehlin, 2001; Mondak, 2010), this implies the possibility of a corresponding biological element of PSM, at least to some extent. Admittedly, these conclusions are speculative and much more evidence is needed before claiming that people are born with a certain level of PSM. However, our study provides at least an initial indication that PSM can be explained be personality traits and thus spurs additional research about the deeper origins of PSM.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which public service motivation (PSM) can be explained by the big five personality factors.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Original data are gathered from two online surveys of public service professionals from across the USA. The two surveys employ the same measures of personality traits but different measures of PSM. This was done to test the generalizability of the findings across different operationalization of PSM.\nFindings: The big five personality factors explain a large share of the variance in PSM, above and beyond basic demographic factors (sex, age and race). Agreeableness has the most consistent association with PSM. Extroversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience also display positive associations with at least some measures and dimensions of PSM.\nResearch limitations/implications: The two surveys involved somewhat small, non-probability samples of public service professionals. Additional research is needed to confirm the generalizability of these findings.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to both the theoretical and empirical understanding of the origins of PSM.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
From the analysis of work-processes to designing competence-based occupational standards and vocational curricula	[ "Competence", "Competency", "Work process", "National system of qualifications", "Sectoral occupational standards", "Work process analysis" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The competence-based approach to the design of occupational standards and curricula for initial vocational education and training (VET) and higher education has become a global trend in human resource development. This approach has been adopted and supported by governments, social partners and training providers both on the national and international levels (CEDEFOP, 2012; Kautz et al., 2014). The implementation of competence-based curricula and qualifications are increasingly becoming strategic points in the agendas of the national reforms of VET, higher education and lifelong learning. These processes inevitably have become the subject of policy borrowing because policymakers and experts draw upon different methodological approaches and different pathways of expertise in the field. Originally, the approach of starting from a work-process analysis to design effective qualifications was developed by experts from Germany. It is based on the holistic analysis of the contents of work-processes in actual work-settings and leads to the development of work-process-based occupational standards and finally to comprehensive and contextualized occupational competence (Spottl, 2014; Becker, 2014; Spottl and Loose, 2014). This approach has been used for the design of the sector-related occupational standards in Lithuania from 2012 onward. This paper introduces the methodological background of the work-process analysis and its implications for the structure and contents of advanced occupational standards.\n2. The theoretical-methodological background of work-process analysis and its application in the design of qualifications: Today, we witness permanent change at work. This change originates from rapid advances in the global economy, prompting different ways of organizing companies and their workers. New ways of competence development based on advanced standards and curricula had, therefore, to be initiated (Levett, 2000). In this process, the standardization of curricula and of curriculum design in VET has become one of the dominant trends. Yet, this raises controversies and disputes among researchers and experts, as different methodological approaches are now competing in VET curriculum design.\n3. Application of the work-process-based approach for the design and development of occupational standards: methodological and institutional implications: Occupational standards are reference instruments helping to define the contents of curricula regarding the requirements of coping in the work-process. Hence, the approach of conducting work-process analyses permits to develop advanced (\"intelligent\") occupational standards (Spottl, 2014) that can incorporate the increasing complexity and the rapid technological advance at the place of work. The concept of advanced occupational standards starts from establishing a network of skilled-level occupations which are needed in a particular national economy. These occupations form clusters - such as the occupation of \"electrical installation\" is part of the cluster of \"electrical technology\". Starting from a draft occupational profile for each occupation (in our example, \"electrical installation\") the experts engage in work-process analyses in related places of work. The work-process analyses have the intention to identify 8-12 CWP for each occupation. The CWPs are then one by one detailed according to a set procedure into a narrative, a detailing of the narrative and a compilation of the core competences. The work-process-based design of occupational standards ensures that the definition and assessment of competence is not reduced only to cognitive competencies, but entails the capacity of performing in the work-process (Spottl, 2014).\n4. Toward implementing the advanced occupational standards in Lithuania: methodical and institutional preconditions: The standardization of the VET curricula was one of the key processes of the initial VET reform launched after 1990 in Lithuania. It was geared toward the development of a VET system responding to the requirements of a market economy in a democratic society. In implementing this reform, there was already an awareness of the need to reform the methodological approach of VET curriculum design by introducing competence-based standards (Dienys, 2002). The development of initial VET standards started in 1997 and involved the application of know-how and expertise supplied by experts from the European Training Foundation and other organizations that provided methodological aid in this field. The development of the initial VET standards was coordinated by the Centre of Methodology of Vocational Education and Training. In this process, an expert body was established by the Ministry of Education and Science. It encompassed expert groups of the various sectors of the economy. These groups involved representatives of employers, trade unions and providers of initial TEV. One of the most important effects of the introduction of competence-based VET standards was the delegation of the final responsibility for VET curriculum design to the VET schools. VET teachers were actively involved as experts in the expert groups and as developers of the VET curriculum (Lauzackas, 2005).\n5. Reforms after Lithuania joined the European Union in 2004: One of the most important methodological and institutional preconditions of the design and implementation of the sectoral occupational standards initiated in 2012 was the reform of the national system of qualifications which started after access of Lithuania to the European Union (EU) in 2004. It was largely influenced by the EU political agenda in the field of the development of learning, outcome-based education and lifelong learning (Copenhagen and Bologna processes). Post-access reforms in the fields of initial VET and lifelong learning were based on the assumption that the provision of education and qualifications lacked a systemic approach necessary for the implementation and development of lifelong learning and outcomes-based education. It can be explained by the title of the European Social Fund (ESF)-funded project \"Creation of the national system of qualifications in Lithuania\" which was implemented in 2006-2008 and provided a range of methodological instruments and measures for the development of the national system of qualifications, such as methodological guidelines, draft descriptors of the National Qualification Framework (NQF), methodological guidelines for the design of occupational standards and draft samples of such standards in the sectors of construction and hospitality. In this period, the idea emerged and was further developed that learning outcomes, competencies and qualifications should permit and enable open and continuing education and learning pathways reflecting the constantly changing requirements of the labor market and work-processes (cf. Andriusaitiene et al., 2008; Lauzackas et al., 2009; Tutlys and Spudyte, 2011). This idea implied the common understanding that standardization of qualifications should provide outcome-based descriptors for all qualifications referencing them to the levels of the National Qualifications Framework. The development of the national system of qualifications and especially the design of the National Qualifications Framework were strongly oriented at the improvement of a matching situation between the system of education and the needs of the labor market (Tutlys and Spudyte, 2011; Saniter and Tutlys 2012). This was one of the reasons for using competence requirements of activities as key criteria that define the levels of qualifications in the Lithuanian Qualifications Framework (LTQF). The application of such competence-based approach in the design of the descriptors of the LTQF and in the implementation of this framework resulted in far-reaching contradictions of this approach with the existing qualifications and institutional pathways. This led to gaps in the referencing of the existing qualifications to the levels of the newly designed framework. For example, there are no qualifications at the LTQF Levels 5, as well as Levels 1 and 2 (the problem of \"empty\" levels). There were no institutional mechanisms for the assessment of competence and the awarding of higher professional qualifications (not to be confused with the degrees of higher education) referenced to the Levels 6, 7 and 8. Although the concept of competence applied in the LTQF descriptors is holistic and comprises abilities to apply knowledge, skills and attitudes in the different situations of work and learning, the experts involved in referencing the LTQF to the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF) concluded that an accentuation of the competence requirements posed by occupations and professional activities led to excluding the learning outcomes of general education from the LTQF, thus decreasing the capacities of this framework to facilitate lifelong learning (Kaminskiene, 2011). As a result, the concept of the LTQF and the related qualifications have been expanded to include learning outcomes of general education and now the LTQF refers to the two types of qualifications: qualifications for work (qualifications provided in initial and continuing VET, higher vocational education and some qualifications provided by the universities) and qualifications for general learning, such as certificates of general learning and university degrees. The implementation of the LTQF has been coordinated by the Centre for Development of Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training, and it has been applied to the development of work-process-based occupational standards and national modular VET curricula.\n6. The main challenges for applying work-process analyses for designing and developing sectoral occupational standards: Most challenges and problems encountered by the experts in the development of occupational standards by analyzing work-processes occurred because of the lack of experience and know-how in applying this new approach. Therefore, it was difficult to avoid certain pitfalls faced in the process of curriculum design through the development of occupational standards as follows:\n7. Institutional possibilities and the potential of an implementation of the work-process approach in developing sectoral occupational standards: The design and development of occupational standards by applying a work-process analysis require to review the related institutional settings and arrangements. First, it requires a strong and systematic involvement of social partners in the design and approval of occupational standards. The experience of design of work-process-based occupational standards in the sectors of construction, hotels and restaurants, IT and the engineering industry shows, that the joint practice of designing occupational standards increases the interest and the awareness of employers and their organizations for the development of qualifications and their systems. Employers' organizations in the sectors of engineering industry and hotels and restaurants have been involved in the design of occupational standards as coordinating bodies or core providers of expertise. Such involvement of employers in the design of occupational standards is based on their interest in applying the occupational standards as strategic measures of human resource management in the particular sector - not only as reference in curriculum design for initial VET and higher education but also as an instrument for recruitment, human resource development, wage setting and career planning. In other sectors, the employers' organizations and stakeholders have been actively involved as providers of information regarding the requirements of work-processes and skills needed. Therefore, the participation of employers and their organizations in the process of designing occupational standards does no longer create concerns about the design of these standards in the future. Furthermore, there are meanwhile established sectoral and national professional committees - multipartite bodies (representing government institutions, employers' organizations and trade unions) responsible for the coordination of the development of qualifications, the quality assurance of this process and the approval of work-process based occupational standards. A strengthening of the capacities of these institutions in the process of the development of occupational standards as well as the extension of their responsibilities is expected to strengthen this process.\n8. Discussion and conclusions: A work-process-based approach for the design of sectoral occupational standards facilitates and enables a comprehensive and systemic design of qualifications in the sectors of the economy. It also makes this approach relevant for the development of a national system of qualifications and the implementation of a comprehensive and competence-based national qualifications framework. This approach also helps to enhance a holistic concept of competence by considering different dimensions of work-processes.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore methodological and institutional challenges on application of the work-process analysis approach in the design and development of competence-based occupational standards for Lithuania.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The theoretical analysis is based on the review of scientific literature and the analysis of documents and methodical instruments (curricula and occupational standards). Empirical research is based on the observation and analysis of the processes of designing work-process-based occupational standards for Lithuania, including the face-to-face interviews with involved work-process experts on the shop-floor and stakeholders.\nFindings: The application of a work-process-based approach in designing sectoral occupational standards enhances comprehensive and systemic design of qualifications. Work-process analysis approach helps to focus on the holistic concept of competence by considering different dimensions of work-processes. However, design and implementation of work-process-based occupational standards for the transitional and predominantly school-based vocational education and training (VET) systems encounter multiple methodological and institutional challenges.\nResearch limitations/implications: The findings of research are based on the analysis and evaluation of the design of sectoral-occupational standards in the beginning and middle stages of this process. These findings can help to draw the assumptions about potential implications of implementation of these standards to the development of competence-based VET but are not sufficient to provide comprehensive and detailed forecasts.\nOriginality/value: The paper explores and evaluates an application of the innovative work process approach in the design and development of qualifications for the concrete country.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Familiness, social capital and market orientation in the family firm	[ "Market orientation", "Social capital", "Familiness", "Family firms", "Organizational identification", "Interpersonal trust", "Trust" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Family firms (FFs) are unique in terms of their organizational characteristics and culture, and these particular features are considered to affect their competitive behaviour (Chua et al., 1999; Zellweger et al., 2010). Specifically, the literature includes references to FFs as being market oriented as the basis of their competitive advantage (Cooper et al., 2005; Orth and Green, 2009). Market orientation (MO) can be defined as the organizational culture that creates the necessary behaviours for developing superior value for buyers and thus continuous superior performance (Narver and Slater, 1990). In this sense, Poza et al. (2004) state that a unique resource to some FFs is the capacity to create value for customers through an organizational culture that values close interpersonal relationships and fosters strategies based on high quality and high customer service. On similar lines, recent literature reviews on FF branding and the related issue of reputation state that FFs are usually described as trustworthy and customer oriented (Sageder et al., 2018), and that several authors have identified FFs above average on customer and quality orientation (Binz Astrachan et al., 2018).\nTheoretical background and hypotheses development: Research on the issue of the MO in the FF is scarce. Some of this works focus on MO consequences in terms of performance of FFs and their results are mixed (Frank et al., 2012; Subramanian and Gopalakrishna, 2009; Zachary et al., 2011). Another line of research focuses on certain antecedents of MO in the FF such as generation (Beck et al., 2011). However, previous research says little about the effect that the unique features of FFs derived from the interaction between family and firms (familiness) have on MO. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the study by Tokarczyk et al. (2007) is the only one addressing the link between the issue of familiness and MO. Through a case study approach, these authors conclude that it is reasonable to expect that the close relations and frequent interactions among family members provide the cultural background conducive to MO. However, in Tokarczyk et al.'s study, familiness is defined in broad terms as a construct involving multiple and intangible resources derived from the family nature of the firm. In the present study, the issue of familiness is addressed in a more concrete way by proposing that family identification with the FF and trust between the members of the TMT are direct antecedents of the FF's MO (H1 and H2). In turn, these two variables have been identified in previous research as consequences of a positive climate of family relationships. Therefore, H3 suggests a full mediation model of relationships between these three variables and MO. That is, a positive climate of family relationships fosters the FF's MO through its influence on the identification of the family members with the FF and the trust between the members of the TMT. In the following subsections, the arguments sustaining these three hypotheses are developed.\nMethods: Research context and population\nAnalysis and results: Validity and reliability analyses of the measurement scales\nContributions, limitations and implications: The main research contributions and managerial implications of the study are presented below, as well as its limitations and future research that could derive from this work.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to analyse if the family influence on the firm and the relational dynamics inside the family and the firm could create specific familiness resources, which lead to a stronger market orientation (MO) of the family firms (FFs).\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study is based on a cross-industry sample of 374 managers in 174 Spanish FFs. Structural equation modelling is used to test the research hypotheses.\nFindings: The climate of family relationships is going to affect the firm's MO through the influence that this climate has on two relational social capital variables, one in the family area (the identification of the family managers with the FF) and the other in the business area (the level of trust between the members [family and non-family] of the top management teams [TMTs]).\nResearch limitations/implications: This study contributes to the literature on the under-researched topic of MO in the FFs by going beyond earlier studies focusing on FFs' explicit attributes, such as their names, as potential explanatory variables of their marketing behaviour. This study also proposes and analyses new internal antecedents of MO based on the social capital of the firm.\nPractical implications: Business families should promote the adequate governance mechanisms to enhance the quality of family social capital to promote the firms' social capital and ultimately their MO. With the same aim, family managers should try to orientate their leadership behaviour to transmit their own organizational identification to the rest of the firm's employees. Also, open communication and shared values should be promoted within TMTs to reinforce firms' social capital that leads to MO.\nOriginality/value: This paper integrates social capital literature with MO literature. It also contributes to the literature on FFs, and specifically to the issue of familiness, by analyzing the effect of specific FF characteristics on MO.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Preparing future-ready graduates through experiential entrepreneurship	[ "Entrepreneurial mindset", "Effectuation", "Work-integrated learning", "Experiential entrepreneurship", "Professional community" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a method for universities to prepare employable graduates (Smith et al., 2014) by ensuring they have a contextual understanding of the workforce they aim to enter (Jackson, 2015). Globalisation and technological advances have increased labour market uncertainty and the way organisations function (McKinsey Global Institute, 2017; Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC), 2017). These changes mean industry requires resilient graduates who are competent to innovatively contribute to organisations (Helyer and Lee, 2014; Hynes et al., 2010). Employers find it \"impossible to predict the skills\" needed in future, emphasising graduates must be adaptable as new jobs and sectors develop at an exponential rate (Helyer and Lee, 2014). These changes emphasise that universities need to develop graduates with an entrepreneurial mindset (Jackson, 2016; Rae and Woodier-Harris, 2012; Smith, 2010).\nLiterature review: WIL refers to the variety of curriculum, teaching practices and programs that link university students with their chosen occupation and is commonly used in Australasia (Jackson, 2015). Elsewhere, like Europe and the USA, the term work-based learning is used. WIL provides opportunities to not only develop higher order knowledge, but also develop vocational, professional and technical competences, which graduates can apply in the workplace. The literature documents a range of WIL experiences such as work placements, internships, graduate programs, work experience, field work, job shadowing, service learning and cooperative education (Kinash et al., 2015). While classroom learning activities are useful to introduce skills, it is only through practice in the workplace that students gain mastery over these skills (Jackson, 2015).\nEE WIL model: Experiential entrepreneurship education is valuable to prepare students for self-employment, working on short-term projects, or to innovate within established organisations (Duval-Couetil, 2013; Lindberg et al., 2017). The EE WIL model, developed and trialled at the USC, Australia, provides a framework for developing an entrepreneurial mindset through a scaffolded set of entrepreneurial experiences. Foundational to the model is the effectual experiential entrepreneurship pedagogy, reflected in the structure, curriculum and assessment design. Figure 1 outlines how students move from university to the world of work, becoming a valued member of a professional community.\nDiscussion: The proposed EE WIL model provides a way to enhance career outcomes for graduates in a turbulent labour market. Universities must adapt curricula to address the disruptions taking place across disciplines. By drawing on effectual experiential entrepreneurship to enhance WIL, students can develop an entrepreneurial mindset enabling them to address lifetime career challenges, and contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship in their communities.\nConclusion: The EE WIL model emphasises that an entrepreneurial mindset enables graduates to manage their careers in an uncertain labour market. It extends the concept of industry partners as existing employers, to a professional community, that students become active role players in, developing bridging and bonding capital through their active contributions to the community, both during and after their studies. Universities and professional communities share the responsibility of preparing the future graduate workforce, by creating intensive, authentic learning experiences.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose an experiential entrepreneurship work-integrated learning (EE WIL) model recognising that the development of an entrepreneurial mindset enables graduates to manage their careers in uncertain labour markets. The model shows how students develop relationships with their professional community, and not only a few employers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The pedagogical underpinning of the conceptual model, attributes associated with the entrepreneurial mindset and relationships between the student, professional community and university are explained, and illustrated through a case study at the University of the Sunshine Coast.\nFindings: The EE WIL model enables students to develop agency through structured engagement with a professional community, facilitating the development of bridging social capital. Bonding social capital can be developed through intense, sustained interaction between students and their professional community.\nPractical implications: WIL curricula should be scaffolded and directed towards developing sustained interaction and information sharing, underpinned by professional community norms. This approach enables students to develop an aligned professional identity and emotional attachment to the professional community. The experiential development of an entrepreneurial mindset enables students to solve career challenges, by viewing these as opportunities. Professional communities and universities both share the responsibilities of preparing the future graduate workforce.\nOriginality/value: The conceptual model draws on effectual entrepreneurship pedagogy and contributes to the WIL literature, showing that an entrepreneurial mindset can be cultivated experientially through an intensive, emotional and authentic learning experience.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The contingent nature of service recovery system structures	[ "United States of America", "Senior managers", "Service operations", "Service failures", "Contingency planning", "Service recovery", "Contingency theory", "Empirical research" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Satisfaction has been shown to be a key variable in establishing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships as it ultimately underlies most measures of service firm performance (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990; Heskett et al., 1994). Unfortunately, organizations regularly face instances where they do not satisfy customers, failing to meet their expectations. As a consequence of these inevitable situations, firms suffer negative impacts that appear in the form of customer defections (Hart et al., 1990; Reichheld, 1996), negative word-of-mouth campaigns (Maxham, 2001; Wirtz and Mattila, 2004), and reduced market share (Hays and Hill, 1999). In response, organizations actively try to minimize the effects of failure through service recovery practices (Gronroos, 1990) that are enacted to appease dissatisfied customers, minimize the potential fallout, and even strengthen loyalty.Given the unpredictable and inevitable nature of failure, it is argued that service recovery is a critical and essential component of a firm's operational system and associated procedures and processes. Moreover, recovery systems afford companies opportunities to benefit in the long run by experiencing, analyzing, and actively resolving these incidents. Specifically, firms are able to capitalize on failures through organizational learning enabling them to enact quality improvements aimed at enhancing the existing delivery systems (Tax and Brown, 1998; Hays and Hill, 2005).The majority of research on service recovery explores the topic from the customer perspective, with the underlying objective being to gain insights into the relative effectiveness of recovery practices (Kelley et al., 1993; Davidow, 2003; Homburg and Furst, 2005). In this vein, studies assess customer reactions as a consequence of recovery efforts (Blodgett et al., 1997; Tax et al., 1998; Smith et al., 1999). Taken collectively, this stream of literature indicates that recovery performance may vary as a function of the context in which the failure occurred. For instance, Bitner et al.'s (1990) failure incident schema and results suggest variability in how failure incidents can best be resolved across different service settings (i.e. airlines, hotels, and restaurants), even when consistent outcomes are achieved. Additionally, Smith et al. (1999) found differences across two of these same contexts (hotels and restaurants), with customers expecting different responses given the situational differences. These particular findings point to a need for further inquiry into the relationship between the characteristics of the operating environment and the specific recovery processes utilized by a firm.Despite numerous recent calls for research from an organizational perspective (Hays and Hill, 1999; Miller et al., 2000), headway in this arena has been slow (Johnston, 2001; Homburg and Furst, 2005). Recent studies provide some insight in this area (Smith et al., 2009, 2010; Smith and Karwan, 2010). In these studies, the general premise is that integrated recovery systems encompassing multiple dimensions are generally warranted. However, these studies were conducted across multiple service types. Given the findings across the customer-oriented recovery literature, the belief is that there are also contextual differences in the application of specific recovery systems which is in need of additional research. Thus, the goal of this study is to determine if service recovery system structures are contingent upon environmental circumstances.In this paper we provide a series of tests to evaluate differences in system structures across divergent operating environments, while simultaneously assessing performance variance by context. Data are collected from a large sample of service organizations detailing aspects of their recovery systems. Responding firms are classified according to the environmental conditions under which they operate (i.e. according to their positions in Schmenner's (1986) service process matrix) with system structural dimensions and performance differences analyzed across the four matrix quadrants. Finally, we provide a contingency theory perspective to explain our findings.The remainder of our paper is organized as follows: first, we provide a brief overview of the service recovery literature. Next, we outline the theoretical underpinnings of our central thesis and provide the specific propositions to be tested. We follow this with an outline of the research methods employed, including a description of the research measures. The results of the analysis are offered, followed by a discussion of implications. The study concludes with a discussion of the inherent limitations to our study, a summary of the contributions, and a brief assessment of areas for future research.\n2 Related literature and background: Service recovery has been defined as any manner of responses and actions taken by the service provider to resolve problems that arise between customers and organizations (Gronroos, 1990). Alternately, it has been described as \"the actions of a service provider to mitigate and/or repair the damage to a customer that results from the provider's failure to deliver a service as designed\" (Johnston and Hewa, 1997, p. 467). In essence, recovery is comprised of both the methods and mechanisms by which organizations attempt to retain dissatisfied customers. Whereas service recovery may not always completely rectify the situation, it can reduce the negative consequences associated with failures if properly executed.Although the service recovery literature represents a relatively recent field of inquiry, it is rapidly maturing as authors consider an array of questions centered on minimizing the negative effects of service mistakes. Initiated by the seminal works of Bell and Zemke (1987), Zemke and Bell (1990) and Hart et al. (1990), research efforts have evolved from purely descriptive studies to more prescriptive ones. Specifically, earlier studies sought to identify the consequences of ineffective recoveries, while more recent works attempt to more fully understand the determinants of a successful recovery (Bell and Zemke, 1987; Kelley et al., 1993; Choi and Mattila, 2008). Our contention is that, taken collectively, our understanding of the service recovery system needs further expansion in order to more fully understand under what conditions a specific system structure emerges and what, if any, performance differences exist.2.1 Recovery system structure\n3 Theoretical development: In developing a more advanced understanding of the contingent nature of service recovery system structures, there is a need to more fully understand how design-oriented decisions vary across divergent contexts. To properly analyze the differences, we employ a contingency theory perspective (Pfeffer, 1982) whereby it is believed that the conditions under which firms operate dictate the specific design of a recovery system. In the following sections, contingency theory is detailed, along with the manner in which operations management studies have addressed different contingencies. Additionally, we draw upon Schmenner's service process matrix, a commonly accepted contingency framework, to guide the development of this study's research propositions.3.1 Contingency theory\n4 Research method: A total of 158 practicing managers in USA were surveyed regarding the inherent characteristics of their organizations' recovery systems. Details about the survey administration, the measures employed, and the classification procedure follow.4.1 Survey administration\n5 Data analysis and results: As the goal of this study is to investigate differences in system structures, multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) is employed to verify whether differences do indeed exist. Subsequent analysis of variance (ANOVA) models are then estimated to check for individual system dimension differences. The following presents the results of these tests and are also denoted in Tables IV and V.5.1 Multivariate model analysis\n6 Discussion: Our primary intent is to determine if differing aspects of a firm's service recovery system receive varying emphases across operating conditions. Our investigation of 158 firms suggests that this is indeed the case. While past research found differences in service recovery effectiveness across divergent settings (Bitner et al., 1990; Mattila, 2001; Homburg and Furst, 2005), our study provides one perspective for these earlier results, noting how context might logically affect the design of an effective recovery system. Specifically, we found that different system structures are employed by organizations based on where they reside in the four quadrants of the service process matrix.With regard to specific recovery system characteristics, a higher degree of formality, intensity (human and system), and accessibility (no difference between the service factory and mass services), as well as a higher degree of decentralization, are found to be associated with situations in which the service delivery process features less interaction between individuals (employees or customers). Non-significant system differences can potentially be explained in that our sample firms may not fit as cleanly into the four matrix categories as expected, that the firms reside at the boundaries between categories, or that there is a potential interaction with the chosen firm strategy. This issue of precision of the service process matrix has been noted as a general shortcoming (Kellogg and Nie, 1995; Collier and Meyer, 1998, 2000) and is discussed in detail by Verma (2000). In addition, the interplay between strategy and structure has a lengthy history of debate (Boschken, 1990) and could potentially attenuate the environmental affect. Regardless, it is evident that the conditions under which firms operate (i.e. the position in the matrix) has a significant effect on system structure.Despite this, Schmenner's (1986) study is inarguably a seminal work in setting the stage for systematic and strategic evaluation of service organizations. In both his original study and subsequent textbooks, Schmenner provides detailed mechanisms to evaluate services accorded to the principal characteristics that determine their natures. For example, he points out how service factories, shops, mass services, and professional services are generally organized quite differently in terms of capital and technological decisions, organizational structure, management and labor make-up, and operations focus. Our study contributes further to this thinking in demonstrating that service recovery offers another dimension on which these service types may exhibit differing structural characteristics.Interestingly, when Schmenner (2001, 2004) rethought the service process matrix in more recent papers, he concludes that \"swift even flow\" may well be the single most important dimension that drives thinking in virtually all service organizations. Our results are intriguing in that they provide further support for his continued assertion that there is something \"special\" about the service factory, stated in broader terms as the \"lure of the diagonal\", meaning that service firms strive towards standardizing their operations and thus reaping the benefits of enhanced productivity. In terms of the structural dimensions of service recovery, our primary statistically significant results indicate that there are clear differences in thinking among service factories and all other service structures. Though not testable with our current experimental design, it may well be that the formality, decentralization, accessibility, and intensity characteristics of the best service factories represent \"ideal\" or superior ways of achieving the best results for a large number of services.On the other hand, since performance measure differences are detectable only in terms of what we call internal capability improvement, service recovery may represent an area in which equifinality is a meaningful concept. Embedded in contingency theory, equifinality suggests that there are multiple ways to design an equally effective system (Doty et al., 1993). In other words, recovery systems need to be developed and implemented by all service firms, but optimal recovery performance can be achieved when the system components are matched to the contingent environment in which the firm operates. The conditions under which service organizations operate may well give rise to differing effective patterns of strategy and structure within recovery practices. In different quadrants of the service process matrix, alternative combinations of recovery approaches may well prove to be equally effective based on the \"fit\" with the chosen strategic orientation. More specific conclusions will have to await further study and more detailed experimental designs.\n7 Concluding remarks: This research is aimed at bridging the gap between theory and practice in service recovery. Indeed, the results are consistent in their support for important earlier work in the service operations arena, while simultaneously extending what is known and opening new avenues for important future research. It is believed that future studies can explore the contingent nature of service recovery systems in more depth in order to extend the current understanding beyond what is offered by this study.Admittedly, there are limitations to this study. We acknowledge that the service process matrix is not a perfect mechanism for the classification of firms (see the discussion in Verma (2000)). As not all organizations fit cleanly into each cell or may reside at a border between cells, there is potential for confounds to exist. On the other hand, we made a concerted effort to verify the relative positions of firms within the matrix in order to alleviate potential problems. This limitation does offer a potential extension in that future studies can measure the specific characteristics of the operating environment in order to garner a richer understanding of the contextual effects. Another limitation of this study resides in the chosen analytical method. Namely, we opt to conduct comparison tests as the analysis is consistent with our stated research questions. We firmly acknowledge that some sort of causal analysis (e.g. partial least squares or structural equation models) would increase the impact of the results. However, such an analysis cannot be conducted for the current study as the sample size is too small to achieve sufficient statistical power. Again, this is an area ripe for future investigation.Another potential limitation results from using a single respondent to answer questions pertaining to both the system structural dimensions and outcomes of that system. This issue results in two potential biases; common method and social desirability. As noted above, we attempt to address the potential for bias from both the procedural and analytical perspectives. It is our belief that any bias in the results is negligible or, at a minimum, equally distributed so as to potentially affect the entire data set in the same direction. We do, however, note that we cannot guarantee that no bias exists so our results should be viewed as exploratory in nature. Future studies can potentially replicate the current study while utilizing objective measures to assess recovery performance.The principal results are indeed striking and relevant. Although the anecdotal literature seems to suggest that organizations should logically exhibit differing service recovery system structures depending upon their operating environments, this contention has not been adequately demonstrated. To our knowledge, this study is the first to do so empirically. Similarly, the belief that organizations can arrive at equally successful results using different service recovery approaches has not been validated in earlier studies. Our result that certain types of organizations might benefit most in terms of internal measures of performance is somewhat unexpected, and a potential area for further investigation.In fact, it is our intent that this research might be a stepping stone for future studies, while simultaneously providing valuable insights for practicing managers. In general, our results should spur further interest in the development of service recovery systems and the fit of these systems to the conditions under which firms operate (both in terms of the environmental conditions and the chosen organizational strategy). On the other hand, practitioners can currently benefit by simply using the various constructs within the study (both recovery dimensions and performance measures) to benchmark existing systems and provide a way to think about enhancements in their recovery initiatives.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent the factors of the operating environment influence the structural dimensions and subsequent performance of a firm's recovery system.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Using contingency theory and a sample of 158 service firms, this research tests for structural differences in service recovery systems based on Schmenner's widely-cited taxonomy, the service process matrix. To conduct the analysis, both multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) models were tested to assess overall system differences and to detect individual dimensional differences.\nFindings: - The results indicate that differences in the structure of service recovery systems do exist across divergent operating environments. Additionally, differences in performance measures were found only in capability improvements, while customer-oriented performance did not vary across operating environments.\nOriginality/value: - The paper is believed to be the first to empirically investigate how differences in operating environments increase the likelihood that firms will employ divergent recovery system configurations. This work yields valuable insights into how organizations can design their systems to more appropriately respond to the demands of the environments in which they operate. The results also lend credence to the concept of equifinality, which suggests similar ends are attainable through multiple means.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Enterprise resource planning and business model innovation: process, evolution and outcome	[ "Business model innovation", "Enterprise resource planning", "Organizational performance" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Business model innovation (BMI) has received a great deal of attention lately across a broad spectrum of literature ranging from entrepreneurship to strategic management (Foss and Saebi, 2017). Since the initial contribution of Bellman et al. (1957), researchers have been struggling to find a suitable definition of BMI (Clauss, 2017), and to determine the different dimensions that define the logic of BMI (Spieth and Schneider, 2016) in order to obtain an appropriate measure (Massa et al., 2017). Nowadays, most companies that perform successfully in the market indicate BMI as the key element in achieving its goals. Sorescu et al. (2011, p. 4) define a business model in the following manner: \"[...]a well-specified system of interdependent structures, activities, and processes that serves as a firm's organizing logic for value creation (for its customers) and value appropriation (for itself and its partners).\"\n2. Theoretical background: 2.1 Enterprise resource planning (ERP)\n3. Hypotheses and research model: This study examines the relationships between constructs of the ERP implementation process and BMI evolution. The research model is shown in Figure 2, and the hypothesized relationships are outlined next.\n4. Methodology: 4.1 Data collection and sample\n5. Results: To test our hypotheses, we ran a structural model that included all the hypothesized paths in our theoretical model, as shown in Figure 3. The overall fit was more than adequate and within the cut-off points recommended in the literature for each of the indexes considered. The overall adjustment fit of the structural model showed adequate levels on all the indicators from the structural model (kh2 (84)=111.35, CFI=0.96, NNFI=0.95, RMSEA=0.05). In addition, all hypotheses were significant and with the expected relationship. Thus, we can confirm all the hypotheses of our study.\n6. Discussion of results: The outcome of BMI is affected in several ways. Technology is just one way that affects the evolution of BMI. An important characteristic of ERP is not whether it is a better or worse tool, but its capacity to structure information offering indicators that can be used to manage and create a competitive advantage in the marketplace.\n7. Research implications: Companies are frequently looking for new business models that adapt to novel technologies and offer new business opportunities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has explored the connections of ERP and BMI and in turn the final outcome in organizational performance.\n8. Managerial implications: A deeper organizational adaptation of ERP will increase organizational resistance to ERP. It is therefore crucial for the organization to conduct a thorough search for the most suitable ERP software in the market in terms of fitting well with the organization and involving its human resources in the selection process.\n9. Conclusions, limitations and future research: We acknowledge that this study entails some limitations. It is limited to those companies that implement an ERP in their organizations. This makes data collection more complicated and in turn reduced the sample. Thus, it would be interesting to explore a larger sample size and replicate findings with population sub-groups such as micro firms, small firms and medium-sized firms.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the implementation process of enterprise resource planning (ERP), the evolution of business model innovation (BMI) and the organizational outcome. This research analyses how ERP and BMI are related and, in turn, what is the final the impact on organizational performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The sample consisted on 104 organizations from different industries, all of which used an ERP software. A structural equation model was used to test the six hypotheses.\nFindings: The results indicate that the BMI constructs considered (i.e. value-generation and organizational complexity) mediate the impact of the ERP constructs (organizational adaptation and organizational resistance), in organizational performance. Successful ERP implementation is not an end itself for this companies, but merely a path and a process for improving the business model with the aim improving performance in the marketplace.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study offers a new outlook on how a company should leverage the ERP adaptation, and any resistance in the organization to innovating in the business model. This study is rooted in the evolutionary perspective of BMI, but it also integrates into an overall model other points of view such as the rational positioning view and cognitive view.\nPractical implications: Organizations must understand the ERP flows in depth, each ERP flow is the work result of a multitude of companies over several years. All departments, and in particular the research and development department must participate actively in the ERP implementation. Organised complexity means opportunities for success in the market. Organizations must train their departments in ERP and not just teach them how the ERP works. ERP implementation needs consider improvements to the business model and ultimately the performance, but not separately.\nOriginality/value: BMI has received contributions from several domains such as entrepreneurship, management organization and strategic management among others. Nonetheless, the role of ERP in BMI is far from being understood and the few contributions focus only on technology per se. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study that has explored the connections of ERP and BMI and in turn the final outcome in organizational performance.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Creative disciplines education: a model for assessing ideas in entrepreneurship education?	[ "Experiential learning", "Assessment", "Entrepreneurialism", "Higher education", "United Kingdom" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In 2007, a workshop was held in London for creative educators who were embarking on teaching enterprise. During this workshop, most of the discussion centred on entrepreneurship education delivery in general and the role of educators in particular. Additionally, there were also some exchanges that focused on student learning needs and the way that educators assessed their business ideas. Interestingly, the topic relating to the assessment of students' business ideas were met by silence and a marked sense of anxiety. This paper builds on previous research carried out by the authors (see Carey and Matlay, 2007, 2008), in which it was highlighted that creative disciplines education is characterized by experiential, project-based learning environments and regular peer reviews. Furthermore, it is frequently led, by educators, who are also practitioners, in their respective fields. In contrast, teaching entrepreneurship in business schools has been criticised for its traditional \"lecture and textbook\" delivery. The authors have identified two key enterprise education themes within creative disciplines: \"explicit\" and \"implicit\" education. In addition, issues related to the assessment of ideas within an academic framework were noted as important aspects of the creative enterprise education field, but were not explored in depth. Interestingly, similar issues emerged during discussions at the LCC workshop on Enterprise Education. In this article, the authors explore the ways in which creative disciplines education is taught, delivered, and assessed, and how assessment might inform the development of enterprise education in the UK. The authors expand on previous research by deconstructing current provision in order to establish if the creative disciplines model of ideas assessment is transferable to entrepreneurship education in general and business school provision in particular.\nLiterature review: In order to conceptualise the ongoing debate, this literature review incorporates three main aspects of the specialist body of knowledge, which relates to creative disciplines education. First, an overview of the creative industries and characteristics of business models within the sector is provided. This offers a context for the emergent body of research in creative industries. Second, the authors provide an overview of current research in the field of enterprise and entrepreneurship education, including emergent aspects relating to contextualised and subject specific enterprise education. Third, the authors evaluate the embryonic research that focuses on assessment within enterprise education. This literature review draws on a range of published sources, including research studies from within UK as well as international journals and other publications in the field of creative or cultural industries and enterprise education. It encompasses a number of research strands that the authors aim to categorise into themes relevant to this study.Creative industries sector\nMethodology: The authors draw on multiple strands of research in order to build a rigorous case for discussion. An important aspect of this research study is the use of triangulation. There are five main types of triangulation methodology: data (multiple sources), investigator (multiple researchers), methodological (utilizing more than one methodological approach), theoretical (makes use of multiple theories), and multiple triangulation, which is a combination of some or all the previous methods. The authors employ a multiple triangulation methodology (involving two of the triangulation techniques, as described in the following). The main benefit of triangulation is that it offers increased confidence in the emergent research data (see Menard, 2002; Ruspini, 2002). Farmer et al. (2006) note that triangulation also offers the possibility of revealing unique aspects and findings that other methods might have failed to identify.\nData triangulation: For the purpose of this research study, the authors make use of three main data sources, as outlined in Figure 1.The research study on which this paper is based builds on previous research undertaken by the authors and forms an additional aspect of the overall narrative. The wider research developed an understanding of implicit and explicit enterprise education within the creative industries, and made use of two main sources of data:Study 1: Interviews with creative entrepreneurs to offer a current context with retrospective view of enterprise provision\nFindings and discussion: In this article, the authors build on previous research which highlighted \"implicit\" and \"explicit\" types of enterprise education evident within creative discipline education. Based on the data collected, a number of important issues emerge from this research study. A manual thematic approach was undertaken to analyse data collected and this was based on an evaluation of emergent language patterns as well as common ideas and views. This technique facilitated the identification of common threads, trends and issues. These were classified under the following sub-headings:* How do creative educators assess ideas?* Generic criteria for assessing whether an idea is 'good'.* Subjectivity and objectivity when assessing ideas.* Practitioner (entrepreneur) as educators - does this affect or inform?* Are assessment techniques transferable to a business idea?How do creative educators assess ideas?\nConclusions: There are important results emerging from this research study. The authors highlight a number of interesting aspects related to assessment of ideas within the creative disciplines. First, assessment is often characterised by formative, peer enabled and discussion based techniques. Second, students are frequently required to publicly (in the presence of peers and staff) present and/or exhibit their work and ideas. Third, the assessment process is firmly positioned within the context of a critique (i.e. the \"crit\"). Fourth, assessment techniques, specifically the assessment of ideas, could be transferred to teaching enterprise and entrepreneurship. It becomes clear that staff in creative disciplines have been engaged in assessing ideas for a long time and have managed to assess work that is not examination based, within the context of a modern HE environment. As there is a precedent for this type of non-examination based, non-written assessment, this approach could be adopted in other disciplines, including business faculties. Another key aspect related to creative disciplines education is the educator's relationship to industry, as identified in this and previous studies (Carey and Matlay, 2007) and this appears to have some influence and/or bearing on staff's ability to assess the feasibility of ideas. Specifically, the link with industry offers a \"real world\" perspective on how ideas are contextualised and how potential clients, audiences and others parties could respond (or not) to students' work and ideas.This research study also raises questions and issues that would benefit from further exploration. For example, at a recent Creative Enterprise Conference (Birmingham City University, 2008), where enterprise curricula within the creative industries was discussed, a key area of debate focused around issues of \"risk\" and \"risk takers\". In terms of assessing business ideas, it is unclear whether the educators take on some of the responsibility and/or risk, when they assess an idea as being/not being \"feasible\", \"innovative\" or \"creative\". In this context, would taking on a more creative discipline type of approach help or hinder the assessor? Other emergent questions relate to the requirement for written work and assessment in enterprise education. Arguably \"would-be-entrepreneurs\" need to have communication skills and an ability to write and articulate their ideas in a written format (e.g. business plans). I could therefore be argued that the approaches described here might not be entirely appropriate. It could also be argued that the traditional approach of assessing and evaluating business ideas (i.e. the bank manager's perspective) could be detrimental to creativity and the generation of innovative and creative ideas. A final issue that could also benefit from further research involves the type of individual who becomes an entrepreneur and is likely to engage with an enterprise module or course provided by HEIs. Potentially, such individuals could be creative (ideas-led) entrepreneurs who, arguably, would respond better to creative disciplines type of pedagogies and assessment techniques.The authors acknowledge some limitations attributable to this research study. The emergent results originate from a small sample. Further research is needed to better understand differences within various sub-sectors of creative industries. The research tool employed by the authors proved a rich source of empirical data and the combination of qualitative and quantitative data provided an in-depth insight into the creative disciplines model of ideas assessment. Within this paper, there has not been space to discuss some of the other issues that emerged. For example extensive data were generated relating to issues and tensions with students around assessing ideas and how one might apply weighting to the process. Overall, the results suggests that there is scope for enterprise educators to consider adopting some of these pedagogical and assessment approaches when developing their courses, in particular when addressing issues related to assessment of ideas.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The aim of this paper is to explore how creative disciplines education is taught, delivered, and assessed, and how this might inform the development of enterprise education UK.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper makes use of empirical data from three main sources across creative disciplines: interviews with entrepreneurs; job adverts for lecturing staff; and a survey of educators. This approach offers multiple perspectives on hypothesis development as well as the validation of emergent result.\nFindings: - The analysis of the three strands of data highlights the benefits of contextualized enterprise education. It confirms that ideas assessment techniques within creative disciplines are well embedded in practice and applied consistently within the context of an academic framework.\nPractical implications: - An exploration of delivery styles and ideas assessment in the creative sector has highlighted a potential model which could be adopted by generic enterprise education in business schools and other faculties. Potentially, it offers educators a template for assessment of entrepreneurial ideas.\nOriginality/value: - This paper highlights characteristics of creative discipline education and ideas assessment, which might potentially be a model for teaching enterprise within an academic framework, which could be adopted by enterprise educators.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Ranking of barriers for effective maintenance by using TOPSIS approach	[ "Productivity", "Maintenance", "OEE", "Breakdown", "Quality", "Benchmarking" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Due to the rapidly changing scenario of globalized market, many organizations around the globe are facing problems due to increased number of competitors and volatility in consumer requirements for quality product at the lowest cost (Chandra and Shastry, 1998). In such scenario, many firms are losing their market share to multinational firms (Khanna and Sharma, 2011). Phusavat and Kanchana (2008) and Singh and Sharma (2015) have observed that some factors to achieve competitiveness are: quality, reliability, flexibility, ability to meet demand and delivery requirements. Most of the organizations are working towards improvement of manufacturing flexibility (Singh and Sharma, 2014). Therefore it became crucial for the firms to put focus on effective maintenance systems. Alsyouf (2007) and Ahmed et al. (2005) have observed that a common strategy to cut cost is by increasing the level of automation in operations. Automation will have fewer number of employees but due to the complex machinery, the work of maintenance department becomes very important (Ahuja and Khamba, 2008; Garg and Deshmukh, 2006; Hansson and Backlund, 2003). Thus an active maintenance management department will be very essential to excel in service and consequently increase the market share. As the technical developments are growing, the influence of productivity and quality, are also moving increasingly from man to machine. The importance of maintenance becomes further important aspect in the industry with the fact that high productivity and quality can be achieved by means of well developed and organized maintenance system. Therefore difficulties faced by the organization should be actively identified, evaluated and managed by the maintenance managers (Mohamed, 2005).\n2. Identification of barriers in maintenance management: Now a days all the maintenance operations are within the reach of achieving the world-class level of maintenance delivery, and its credit is awarded to the automation in the industry (Ahmed et al., 2005; O'Sullivan et al., 2011). However, human inputs are still an important factor. Skills beyond the competence of the average maintenance supervisor or worker is required for the automated and technologically advanced equipment, and importantly an appropriate and effective maintenance organization is required to use it effectively (Mohamed, 2005). According to Poduval et al. (2015), time, money, manpower, resources and commitment from all the stake holders are required for implementing maintenance work in industries. 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 maintenance models. There are many barriers in implementing effective maintenance in organizations. Major barriers identified from the literature are discussed in following sections and summarized in a framework (Figure 1).\n3. Research methodology: For ranking of different barriers, multi criteria decision making (MCDM) tool, i.e. TOPSIS is applied in this research. MCDM is very important tool to deal with unstructured problems containing multiple and conflicting objectives (Lee and Eom, 1990). Many \"MCDM\" techniques have been developed, but the TOPSIS approach is the most widely used technique. TOPSIS method was proposed by Hwang and Yoon (1981). It is considered to give very reliable solution because in TOPSIS poor performance in one criteria can be negated by good performance in other criteria. Therefore many authors have been analyzing their data with the TOPSIS methodology. Jothimani and Sarmah (2014) have used TOPSIS for measuring the supply chain performance in the light of a real life case study. Ramezani and Lu (2014) have used TOPSIS for identifying an optimal maintenance policy that can minimize the failures. Kumar and Singh (2012) have used this approach for evaluating 3PL for global supply chains. Khanna and Sharma (2011) have used TOPSIS for ranking of CSFs for total quality management implementation. Strength of TOPSIS methodology over other MCDM techniques is that the both negative and positive criteria can be simultaneously used in decision making. In addition to this, it is simpler and faster than other methods such as AHP, FDAHP and SAW. In this method two artificial alternatives are hypothesized:\n4. Results and discussion: A successful maintenance management system plays a crucial role in improving machines productivity and overall performance. It gives an edge to the company over its competitors. To successfully implement the maintenance management, the managers should be aware about the barriers of maintenance management, and should try to overcome them. For obtaining input data, a team of three experts/DMs was made in this study. These three DMs (DM1, DM2 and DM3) are maintenance department heads from top ranked companies in NCR Delhi India, each having experience of more than ten years. These top ranking firms are mainly from manufacturing sectors. On basis of their experience DM1 is given a weightage of \"0.5\", DM2 a weightage of \"0.2\" and DM3 a weightage of \"0.3\". Barriers are given score in scale of 1-10 (1-very low, 10-very high). By using steps 2 and 3, weighted normalized decision matrix is made as given in Table II. By using step 4, positive and negative ideal solutions are determined as given in Table III. By using step 5, separation of each CSF from the positive and negative ideal solution is determined and shown in Tables IV and V. Now, by using step 6, the relative closeness of each barrier to the ideal solution (closeness ratio) is found as given in Table VI and based on closeness ratio, i.e. step 7, relative ranking of these barriers is shown in Table VII.\n5. Concluding remarks: As the competition is rising in the world market and local markets around the globe, firms are increasingly realizing the importance of effective maintenance management. It can help to increase the market share by the means of improving product quality, decreasing rejection, reducing cost and by providing superior service to the customers. Many models such as TPM, RCM and CBM are employed in the industry to solve maintenance-related problems. Successful implementation of these models involves many difficulties. This study has identified 11 main barriers in the implementation of effective maintenance management system. These barriers are lack of benchmarking, lack of communication, lack of empowerment, lack of teamwork, lack of commitment of employees towards maintenance, lack of training, lack of proper strategic planning, lack of top management support, lack of awareness about safety and health, lack of effective performance measurement, lack of proper OEE. Managers should address these barriers effectively to have a positive impact of the maintenance system on the performance.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: In present context of globalization, maintenance of production systems is very important. Many of the organizations are facing a lot of problems in maintenance management. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to identify the main barriers in maintenance management and to rank them for effective maintenance strategies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: To rank the main barriers in maintenance management, technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution is used. For giving score to different factors a team of three experts was made. All experts were having more than ten years of experience in area of maintenance management.\nFindings: Lack of top management support, lack of measurement of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and lack of strategic planning and implementation have emerged as top three barriers in implementation of maintenance systems in industries.\nResearch limitations/implications: Findings imply that for successful maintenance, top management should be very supportive for taking different initiatives, training programmes, etc. Organizations should try to improve overall performance of machines known as OEE rather than only machines productivity.\nOriginality/value: These findings will be highly useful for professionals from manufacturing sector in implementing effective maintenance management system.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Buyer versus salesperson expectations for an initial B2B sales meeting	[ "Buyer-seller relationship", "Value added", "B2B sales", "Buyer satisfaction", "Expectancy disconfirmation theory", "Sales interaction" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The landscape of selling is changing, perhaps because of an increased focus on services as well as the large amount of information available for customers to use during their purchasing process. Additionally, customers are willing to cooperate with fewer partners and save on costs by developing business with these more strategic partner companies (Andersen and Kumar, 2006; Boyd and Spekman, 2004). Therefore, acquiring new business customers is more difficult than before, and the traditional product-oriented sales strategies may currently lack effectiveness. With these changes, buyer expectations have potentially evolved and academics need to explore these changes. Anecdotally, we know that salespeople do not always meet the buyer expectations and that expectations may be higher where more complex value is created and the salesperson becomes a point of differentiation. Yet, to date, no one has documented the types of expectations salespeople may fail to meet. There is a need to identify the most significant types of expectation failures (or gaps) to improve sales effectiveness and provide a theoretical approach to understanding where gaps may arise. The situation is further exacerbated by the changing nature of these expectations which evolve over time. In this paper, we use expectancy disconfirmation theory and a qualitative research design to explore ways in which buyer and seller expectations fail to align. Given the current value-creation nature of selling, understanding these gaps will allow salespeople to more effectively deliver value.\nSatisfying customer expectations for initial sales meetings: Creating value in sales interactions\nMethodology: Our methodology follows a typical inductive qualitative research structure (Eisenhardt, 1989; Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007). The data were constantly revisited based on emerging topics and themes, thus developing a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon. The benefit of the iterative process is to enable the building of a deeper understanding of the empirical material while conducting the research and simultaneously developing theory (Dubois and Gadde, 2002; Strauss and Corbin, 1998).\nResults: During our iterative analysis, we began to see reoccurring patterns related to the expectations that align between salespeople and buyers and those that do not. According to the analysis, there were nine main themes developed by the analysis process. We considered those themes against the expectancy disconfirmation theory. Table III presents a summary of the findings. Then, we discuss the matching themes between the buyers and sellers (no disconfirmation). Finally, we provide a discussion of the themes with a negative disconfirmation where buyers' expected more from the sellers and were not satisfied.\nZero disconfirmation: Both sellers' and buyers' expectations align: Creating dialogue\nNegative disconfirmation: buyers expect more: Customer insight\nDiscussion: Our findings suggest that current salespeople fail to accurately gauge customers' important expectations. Buyers seem to set increasingly high expectations, especially in the areas of business acumen, innovativeness, future orientation, long-term relationships and responsiveness to customers' specific situations. Salespeople seem to have a different emphasis and tone compared to the narratives of buyers. Salespeople expect to create value for customers primarily from the solutions they sell, as well as from their personal skills and behaviors. They often emphasize their own role and capabilities in making a sale. On the contrary, customers' value expectations are based on a deep understanding of his or her specific business/industry and salespeople's ideas and insights on new ways of doing things in their business. They also related to the service provider's capability to serve and support the change going on in the customer's business. Customers expect these aspects to become clear through a dialogue with salespeople even as early as the initial sales meeting.\nConclusion: In conclusion, we set out to understand how buyer expectations in current complex value creating selling situations are or are not met by salespeople today. Doing so is important, as the salesperson has evolved into a value creator and differentiator in many complex selling situations. This paper provides a first glimpse at understanding how the meeting or failure to meet buyer expectations may manifest. We uncover specific areas corresponding to value creation where buyers express dissatisfaction, and that do not match what sellers say will be necessary to be effective at selling. We also show the applicability of expectancy disconfirmation theory for understanding the buyer-seller initial meeting, which likely sets the stage for later success. We believe that this paper will both illuminate future research in the area, provide a theoretical foundation on which to build further studies and also inform sales management practice.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper to explore the value creation expectations of salespeople and buyers for initial sales meetings and to investigate how such expectations align.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors applied expectancy disconfirmation theory and conducted a qualitative study among 12 B2B service salespeople and 12 buyers. The data includes 46 in-depth interviews collected during 2 separate interview rounds.\nFindings: The authors discovered that buyers' and sellers' expectations differ and that buyers' expectations are not reasonably satisfied. Buyers expect more business acumen, innovativeness, future orientation, long-term relationships and responsiveness to their specific situation from sellers. As salespeople's salespeople's expectations to create value for customers primarily stem from the solutions they sell as well as from their personal skills and behavior, there is need for sellers to focus on the gaps indicated in this study.\nResearch limitations/implications: The paper introduces expectancy disconfirmation theory to the B2B buyer-seller literature.\nPractical implications: Identifying where expectations are being met and where they are being negatively disconfirmed can assist in hiring and training salespeople who are better able to meet, or exceed, buyer expectations.\nOriginality/value: The authors believe that these findings can benefit sales organizations in how they create value with new customers and how salespeople can align their actions with customers more effectively.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Foresight for regional policy: technological and regional fit	[ "Case study", "Strategic management", "Uncertainty management", "Methodology", "Industries", "Foresight", "Regional foresight", "Lombardy region" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Foresight has become widely used to support policy and decision-making at international, national and regional levels since the early 1990s (Da Costa et al., 2008). It is in fact an important element of every strategic policy: policymakers need future information to identify future scenarios and comprehend likely paths of development of industry and society. Foresight has three main roles in supporting policymaking:\n2. Regional foresight: 2.1 Relevance of foresight for regional policy\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Aim of the research\n4. The proposal of the methodology for regional future: The research project (Table III) followed an iterative process of literature study and empirical analysis. It provided an understanding of the factors influencing the PEEST context and of the needs by identifying emerging trends, recognizing the problems for the identification of relevant technological families and analysing industry sectors and their development for understanding the positioning of Lombardy.\n5. The application in the Lombardy region: 5.1 Investigation - scenario study\n6. Discussion/Lessons learned: This paper contributes to the debate on regional foresight. The clear identification of future societal needs and their translation in a research agenda for technological and regional innovation is essential for R&D regional policy. Therefore, many scholars and advisors for policymaking have emphasized the role of foresight for performing these tasks. The foresight exercise is based, as a starting point, on the recognition of possible innovative future developments and the technology-based innovative solutions that could fit in the possible identified futures. Then, the context of reference (the Lombardy regional system) was taken into account to identify specific capabilities and competencies of the Lombard system and connect them with the technologies previously identified.\n7. Conclusions: The uncertainty about the external environment requires organizations to scan their environment to prepare for an uncertain future, searching for ways and methods to anticipate it. It is therefore important that policymakers acquire information on key trends that could potentially affect their region/area of expertise. The present study of foresight has been developed with the aim of providing information on the possibilities that emerge from the business context of Lombardy. The results of the analysis provide decision-makers with information useful to identify problems and perspectives for scientific and industrial research; develop a shared vision on emerging technologies that will change the processes and competitive structures in the near future of Lombardy industry; study the position of regional industry sectors compared to technologies and future competition challenges; formulate proposals for the support of regional industry sectors from the competent institutions; and identify the need for training of human resources for the management of technological innovations.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose and discuss a new regional foresight methodology.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The first part describes the methodology and the organizational process adopted for implementing foresight at the regional level and highlights the criticalities. The research methodology is based on a case study. The case is the analysis of the industrial and regional sectors and the technological families in the Lombardy region.\nFindings: This methodology analyses trends, technologies and industries, returning a set of qualitative and quantitative indicators. Then, it aggregates them, building two matrixes (trends/technologies and technologies/industries). Finally, it evaluates the future importance of a technology (the attractiveness of a technology for the long-term competitiveness of the regional main industrial sectors) and the capabilities of the regional industrial, technical and scientific system to develop specific technologies (feasibility for the regional system to develop the chosen technology).\nOriginality/value: The originality lies in an integrated analysis of the possible futures and their relation with the industrial world. Its value is as a tool to suggest policies and R&D investments. It is possible to provide a sound basis for science and technology policymaking.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The influential internal consultant	[ "Consulting", "Internal consulting", "Influence", "Influence skills", "Consultants", "Strategic planning", "Change management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: I tend to advocate. I am an active player, and I provide leadership for interventions. I am not just a process consultant. Typically, I will suggest how the organization can improve by using tools or models to work through the presenting issues [...] I have to influence, lead, direct, and demonstrate relevance to help achieve the clients' goals. If they had that expertise, they wouldn't need me (Organization Development Manager, Retail Industry).\nQuestions about goals: What would success look like? What's your vision?What results do you want to see? What outcomes are you looking for? What do you hope to achieve?If the client cannot tell you clearly what he or she hopes to achieve, even after you draw him or her out, it is possible that:this person is not the true client for the intervention;the client is in a \"don't just stand there, do something!\" mode and has not thought about this very much;there is a major \"hidden agenda\" for this intervention; orthere are internal disagreements that need to be resolved before you proceed.\nQuestions about background: What has led up to this (event, meeting, change, etc.)? What have you done in the past to deal with this issue/problem/need?What has been your role in the past regarding this issue? What are your current responsibilities regarding this issue?Who has decision authority regarding this intervention?Who are the stakeholders in the outcomes of this intervention?Who else needs to be involved in the planning? Who should I be talking to?If the client cannot give you good information on the background, authority, and stakeholders regarding this issue, it is possible that:key information is being withheld for political reasons;there is a major \"hidden agenda\" for this intervention; orthe person you are talking to is not the client, and you will need to talk with someone who has greater authority and more knowledge.\nQuestions about the organization: Help me to understand the mission of your organization.What are the current strengths of this organization? What are the needs?What are your strategic goals and objectives?What are the \"hot issues\" right now?If the client cannot provide you with this information:it is probable that he or she is a \"go-between\" and not the real client;the \"hot issues\" are so politically charged they are not to be talked about to anyone outside of the organization (you will probably need to gain the client's trust about this before you can go much farther);the organization may not be clear about its mission, goals and objectives; orthe organization or the client has had an external focus and has not done much analysis of itself; you may want this to be a part of your intervention.\nQuestions about the participants or stakeholders: What is the background of the participants (in the meeting, event, intervention)?What is the nature of their relationship with one another? (Ask both about the practical nature and the quality of the relationships). Have they worked together before, and if so, for how long and how well?How much background do they have in ...? What is their skill/experience level? Have they done anything like this before?What expressed needs of theirs will this meet? How much do they know about this event/intervention? What are their expectations about this event/intervention? What concerns have they expressed about this event/intervention?Who has a stake in the outcome of the intervention? Who else should I be talking to?If your client cannot answer these questions it is possible that:the participants have not been selected yet and doing so will become part of the intervention (this can be an advantage);the participants have been selected but there is a perceived political problem related to participating in this intervention - either it is \"privileged\" and others will be upset that they were not selected, or it is seen as \"remedial\" and something others should not know about;the participants/stakeholders have not been told about this intervention and the client doesn't want to let them know until the last minute because of anticipated resistance; orthe relationships among the participants and/or stakeholders are difficult and the client hopes that a miracle will be performed by having you work with them without being aware of this.The Receptive behaviors are also valuable in establishing a trusting relationship and as a means for engaging your client in the consulting process. Internal consultants almost always want clients to \"own\" the results of an intervention rather than feeling that a solution is being imposed upon them. This only happens when clients are continually engaged throughout the process. Some ways to do this include:holding regular check-in meetings where you ask the client to give you feedback on how things are progressing from his/her point of view; andmaking sure you ask follow-up questions and drill down for deeper answers when problem-solving.The Expressive influence tactics and behaviors are especially helpful when you are negotiating agreements, providing feedback, and making recommendations. Those tactics include Telling, Selling, Negotiating and Enlisting:Telling - letting the other know what you want, need, intend, or recommend.Selling - showing your client or others why it is wise or beneficial to take certain actions.Negotiating - offering a fair exchange to others for taking actions that are difficult or costly in some way.Enlisting - generating enthusiasm for participating in creating a positive future result.The following are some sentence-starters or examples that can help you apply the Expressive behaviors effectively to these tasks:\nNegotiating agreements: I need your support for ... .If you are willing to lead the change task force meetings, I will do the planning.I'm willing to gather that information if you will provide me with the introductions I'll need.I can't do that, but I would be willing to do something else that would go some way toward meeting your need for ... .If your client is reluctant to make an agreement that you are comfortable with, it is possible that:he or she is unwilling to take the appropriate amount of responsibility and hopes you will just fix the problem;he or she is fearful of being associated with an unpopular issue or initiative; orhe or she does not have confidence in his or her ability to carry out the responsibilities that you have asked for.\nProviding feedback: Here is what I have learned about the issue ... .I'd like to give you a summary of the feedback I received ... .Some of your strengths are seen as ... and some things that need to improve are ... .I received some interesting information from your team members and I'd like to go over it with you now.If your client becomes defensive or shuts down when hearing the feedback, it is possible that:he or she is not psychologically ready to hear negative feedback - the timing is wrong;the feedback is not balanced enough (some things that are working well, others that are not);you are providing too much information or detail and the client is overwhelmed; oryou have not consulted the client as to when, how, and in what format he or she wishes to receive the feedback.\nMaking recommendations: I suggest (recommend, propose, etc.) ... .This is what I believe we should do ... .A good way forward would be ... .If the client resists your recommendations, it is possible that:he or she is not psychologically ready to make a change;the client believes that something you recommended goes against his or her vested interests or those of the team or organization;your suggestion seems too risky compared to the benefits it offers; oryou have not understood the situation thoroughly enough and the client's intuition suggests that you are on the wrong track.The effective use of Expressive behaviors also communicates confidence. Your client needs to feel comfortable that he or she is working with someone whose domain knowledge and skills are trustworthy. Of course, both Receptive and Expressive influence behaviors must be supported by congruent nonverbal behavior in order to be believable.If these approaches don't work, you will need to use the Receptive behaviors to learn more about what is going on and/or disengage temporarily or permanently from the work you are discussing with the client.Disengaging should also be part of your influence repertoire. Some ways to do it effectively include:Taking a break - if it is a matter of timing or conflicting priorities or a need for time to think, this is the easiest action. It can be a coffee break or a rescheduled meeting some time later.Rethinking the goals of the engagement - sometimes a client may realize that he or she has taken on something that is too difficult or requires too much in the way of his or her time or other resources. Scaling back may be an option.Referring the client to someone else - it may be that you are not the right person for this engagement. Another internal or an external consultant may be a better choice due to comfort or trust level or type and level of expertise.*Ending the engagement - sometimes you reach a point with a client where you both agree that it is better not to move forward with the project or initiative. There may also be times when, for ethical or other reasons, based on information gathered so far, you believe that the engagement is unwise and a different action or no action is required.As we suggested in the opening comments, consulting mastery is not based solely on increasing your technical expertise, building your consulting competency or deepening your understanding of the business. Although those intellectual tools are important, the foundation of consulting mastery is a trusting relationship with your clients that allows them to feel a sense of safety with you and a willingness to be influenced by you. This is achieved through your competency and knowledge but also through more vital, yet elusive factors: your personal qualities and characteristics, your self-knowledge and your wisdom. Such personal mastery and ability to influence your clients requires continuous self-development and learning; the discipline of self-management; using your power authentically, staying grounded and centered; and recognizing that the quality of your character can be a catalyst for change.There is great satisfaction to be found in the work of consulting on the inside. You have little direct authority, yet you have the potential for enormous influence on the organization and its people and the opportunity to make a lasting contribution.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - In many organizations, professionals who were once in supportive roles or considered subject matter experts are now expected to take a consulting role in order to facilitate change in their area of expertise. Most, whilst skilled and knowledgeable in their field, have no training in the skills required to be a successful consultant and agent of change. They need to understand and manage the process of consulting and develop new skills; one of the key skill-sets is interpersonal influence. This article aims to focus on the issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors develop in detail the applications of influence skills to the process of internal consulting.\nFindings: - Good influence skills are essential for success as an internal consultant, since by definition people in that role cannot mandate change. Both expressive and receptive influence behaviors are useful at various phases of the consulting process. Developing the skills and knowing when and how to use the different behaviors described can be invaluable to professionals in an internal consulting role.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This is not a research paper, but the authors are open to suggestions as to research possibilities.\nPractical implications: - Anyone in an internal consulting role can gain value from thinking of him or herself as an influencer and being thoughtful in how he or she uses influence skills to achieve the results required or expected from a specific consulting engagement or project.\nSocial implications: - An open discussion about mutual influence skills and strategies can enhance working relationships and make it easier to achieve results in complex organizations and situations.\nOriginality/value: - Very little has been studied or written about the skills required to be an internal consultant, though much has been written about the process of external consulting. The authors' observations and experience have led them to conclude that the roles are quite different and that internal consultants must depend on their interpersonal influence skills to a greater degree in order to achieve successful results.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Managing human resources in a multinational context	[ "Human resource management", "Multinational companies", "Management effectiveness" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIndroduction: From a systemic point of view, human resource management is situated at the interface between the personal systems of the employees and the social system of a company. The specific difficulty in handling human resources lies in the paradoxical fact that a company - even though it pays for it - has no direct access to the psychical performance of employees.The core function of human resource management is therefore:* to manage the paradox that work is the only factor of production which is, after the sale, not at the full disposal of the buyer (e.g. companies are unable to pin their employees down to certain motivational/performance levels); and* to manage the uncertainty which is entailed with the availability of work.Human resource management has to ensure staff ability and the willingness to perform. The central challenge is the dependence on human resources and the autonomy of those involved:* The company's dependence on its staff increases because of the increased productivity requirements and the increasing importance of \"knowledge\" as a success factor. But the company cannot be sure of having the performance potential it purchased by merely binding staff contractually.* The constant adjustment of staff and company interests and the balancing of expectations on both sides connected with it becomes a creative task that is relevant for competitive purposes with two central adjusting levers.* The safeguard for willingness to perform emerges by designing an environment that supports the involvement of the staff in the interests of the company. This also includes promoting staff ability to perform with the corresponding instruments of staff selection and development.* From the general manager's perspective, this concerns creating an environment that increases staff willingness and ability to perform on the basis of workable self-initiative.In our considerations about human resource management in a multinational context we are - according to our systemic approach - guided by two central hypotheses:H1. How human resource management is pursued in a company depends on the condition or state of the company.\nDimensions which influence the condition or state of a company: The demand for human resource services in a multinational company- and therefore the starting point for the cooperation between company management and the human resource department - will be substantially influenced by the following dimensions:Market situation and infrastructure\nFour varieties of human resource management: Analysing our consulting projects we found - based on the \"type of decision making\" and the \"place of decision making\" in companies - four varieties of human resource management (Figure 1).Personnel-bounded human resource management\nDesigning the teamwork between company management and human resource department: For designing the \"teamwork\" between company management and human resource departments one of the important things is to make a useful offer for cooperation to the company management. To develop such an offer, the following model of a business system of a human resource department can be useful (Figure 2):Customer model of an international human resource department\nSome important aspects of cooperation processes in a multinational company: Cooperation processes of human resource management between human resource department and company management are in itself something what has to be handled with care. In e global corporation these processes occur in a multinational context and will be substantially influenced by the following bundle of factors:The structural dynamics between organisational units\nConcluding remarks: In our contacts to multinational companies we can see, how many human resource activities, e.g. in the field of training and development, come to nothing. So is human resource management itself challenging enough. In an multinational context, additional complexity arises. Dealing with this complexity cannot be reduced to a stringent model or simple advice. Necessary, is a complex mindset to develop more sensitivity for what happens in companies. This little concept of four varieties of human resource management tries to bring differences up. To discuss and negotiate this difference is a prerequisite for designing constructive cooperation processes between human resource departments and company management in the different parts of a multinational company. And this again is a prerequisite to increase the effectiveness of human resource activities.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - To develop more sensitivity for different patterns of human resource management in multinational companies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Systemic approach; the concepts and models are based on the evaluation of consulting projects in the field of human resource management.\nFindings: - A concept of four typical varieties of human resource management, a model and important aspects for designing the cooperation processes between human resource departments and company management in multinational companies.\nOriginality/value: - This paper provides a complex mindset about human resource management in a multinational context, which is a prerequisite for designing constructive cooperation processes between human resource departments and company management and for increasing the effectiveness of human resource activities.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Interacting standards: a basic element in logistics networks	[ "Standards", "Distribution management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction and purpose: Microsoft's s strategy in the logistics field centers on connectivity (Tirschwell, 2004).Why is connectivity important in logistics? Logistics networks are concerned with achieving a more cost-effective adaptation to end-customer requirements through buyers-suppliers' process integration. Supply chain management in these networks look for \"seamless\" processes that call for synchronization of activities, close interaction between components of the supply chain and coordination between the various supply chain members. The question of logistics integration refers to the classic coordination dilemma between hierarchy and market (Ellram, 1991). Since supply chains are inter-organizational, there is a need for coordination of actors and connectivity of systems. But since firms do not participate in a single supply chain, they do not want total integration in just the one. Rather they partly integrate with multiple chains, which results in what could be called quasi-integration. The multiple relationships they develop and the evolution of these relationships depend on the projects in which they participate and lead to the development of logistics networks structures in which standards play a key role (Fabbe-Costes, 2004). Brunsson and Jacobsson (2000) suggest that standards are a third mechanism for achieving coordination in addition to the two common ones - market and hierarchy[1]. Indeed, standards create similarity and homogeneity among people and organizations. They are also instruments of control and a form of regulation and thus \"generate a strong element of global order in a modern world ... \" (Brunsson and Jacobsson, 2000, p. 1), providing means for coordination and connectivity.Globally, there are more than half a million published standards (Bredillet, 2003). Examples in logistics include load carriers (e.g. the EURO-pallet, ISO containers), information and communication technologies such as EDI, labelling, product identification, evaluation tools (e.g. standard performance measures) and quality systems such as ISO-9000. Within information and communication technology (ICT) it is considered essential to have some kind of standardization in order for different systems to communicate with each other. Further, customers use ISO-9000 certificates, for example, to compare potential suppliers with regards to quality systems.Logisticians have always viewed standards as solutions for improving operational compatibility and interoperability and making coordination easier. Thus, since 1970s, in many industries, standards were developed in relation to physical or information flows. The purpose of our paper is to contribute to a greater understanding of how standards, upon which logistics systems are designed, developed and coordinated, interact with each other and with other resources in a logistics network for the purpose of improving efficiency and effectiveness.We have identified a few fragmented studies on standards in logistics such as Koehurst et al. (1999), Lee et al. (2000) and Manrodt and Vitasek (2004)[2]. The concept has attracted more attention within technology development, e.g. the concepts of \"increasing returns\" and \"lock-in effects\" (Arthur, 1989), \"dominant design\" (Suarez and Utterback, 1995) and \"basic technology\" (Hakansson and Waluszewski, 2002). In this literature, standards are discussed as a basis for technological development, for example, in the design of new products or technologies.Whereas the literature focuses on the use of one standard, we are concerned with its development in addition to its use as well as with how it interacts with other standards. This is related to the purpose of our paper, which is concerned with the efficiency and effectiveness that always depends on how one standard interacts with another standard or other resources. Furthermore, as the development of standards is often the result of how they are used and vice versa, the production and the use of a standard cannot be separated, which is why we need to discuss both. One way to illustrate is to show how the introduction of a new standard, or the need to change an existing standard, affects other elements of the system by impacting on efficiency and effectiveness. Our theoretical starting points include the two streams of research (logistics and technology development), which we relate to Brunsson and Jacobsson's seminal work on standards as a coordination mechanism. We then present a case on development, change and use of standards in the car industry. By discussing how standards interact, and how this relates to their use in logistics networks, the case and the theory are brought together. The discussion allows us to make propositions that might enrich the theory, provide basis for managerial implications and forms a foundation on which further research can be based. In particular, they give potential directions for the development of a framework.\nTheoretical starting points: In general, the concept of a standard[3] evokes the idea of similarity and uniformity. According to Arthur (1989), the word standard has two meanings: that of conventions or code of practice and that of the technology or method or code that comes to dominate.Standards as a coordination mechanism - concepts and classifications\nCase: standards in the automotive industry: The automotive sector provides a good setting for studies of the development and use of logistics standards. Starting in the 1980s, it was one of the first to work with logistics standards. Since then the automotive industry has changed considerably with the implementation of just-in-time models and/or lean management, networking, company mergers and acquisitions, internationalization and globalization, etc. During this 20-year history, the needs of actors related to standards have changed. New standards have been developed and existing standards have changed or disappeared. The empirical analysis presented in this paper is a small part of a PhD work (Rouquet, 2005), which is based on the study of logistics standards within the automotive industry with the purpose of developing an integrative framework to manage inter-organizational coordination through standardization. We are interested in how standards interact with each other and other physical resources. We are also interested in the (inter) actors themselves. We choose, in this paper, to focus on a specific interaction (between standard packages and labels) that has interesting connections with other resources, concerns different levels of logistics systems and illustrate international aspects of the problem. The methodology used is the \"systematic combining\" approach for case study (Dubois and Gadde, 2002). Indeed, this strategy is particularly suitable for studying processes, which deal with several units of analysis (Yin, 1994). As our purpose is not statistical generalization but theory development, we decided to use a single \"meta-case\" (Strauss and Corbin, 1998), which is composed of nine case studies conducted within three car manufacturers, five of their suppliers and the standardization organization in the French automotive industry, GALIA. Data has been triangulated as we used observations during a period of two years, documents, drafts of standards and 90 interviews conducted with managers involved in the working groups and companies.Odette organization and standards development\nDiscussion: The case study deals with the interaction of two ranges of standards: packages and labels. These standards interact with many resources in the automotive logistics network, for example, transportation facilities, plants equipments, information and communication systems, human resources, etc. All these interfaces are of interest when trying to understand what happens in the case and the potential implications for further development concerning theory of use and development of standards.Theoretical implications\nConclusions and future research: To sum up, the story about the label, the package and the distribution network for automotive parts provide a good illustration of the merits, but also the difficulties of developing and using standards. It seems that the strength of standards is also their weakness. As they become firmly embedded in their resource structures, it is hard to replace or change them. The case provides good examples of interacting standards and how two standards are developed to fit with each other. Making changes, therefore, becomes even more difficult because the number of elements on which a potential change impacts, increases. What was an ideal standard working well in its existing structure, turned out to be very difficult to change as an activity changed. We also see that standards substitute and collide with each other when changes occur. We can conclude that standards are a basic element in logistics networks. In many ways, they are the glue that makes sure that the different elements are connected so that resources can be used in efficient ways. Further, they ensure that there are some \"fixed\" points, i.e. \"basic technology\", to which other elements can adapt supporting the development and thus securing also effectiveness.Discussion of the case permits us to make propositions that enrich the theory and provide basis for some managerial implications. They also give potential directions for the development of an integrative framework to manage inter-organizational co-ordination through standardization. Even if the case has not been developed in this way, it calls for further research related to two specific points with which we would like to end our paper.The first one relates to the level of coupling (loose or tight) between standards and resources and the consequence concerning adaptation/adaptability of both standards and logistics systems (in line with Jahre and Fabbe-Costes, 2005). Looking at the Toyota standards, it seems that they are tightly coupled with Toyota's resources but loosely coupled with the suppliers' resources. When changes occur, tight intra-organizational couplings combined with loose inter-organizational couplings seem to make it easier for Toyota. The other car manufacturers, with their inter-organizational agreements on standards combined with strong logistics integration between the standard and their internal systems get more problems in such situations. We propose that more in-depth studies should be carried out based on these kinds of issues:* the tighter a standard is coupled with other standards or resources, the more difficult it seems to be to change; and* tight inter-organizational couplings seem less adaptable than tight intra-organizational couplings.The second one, which we believe is related to the first, concerns the nature of interfaces when logistics systems are coupled. Tassey (2000) claims that it is the standardized interface that is important and creates efficiencies, while Hakansson and Waluszewski (2002) claim that it is the specific interfaces developed by combining basic technologies (e.g. standards) with other resource elements that give them innovation potential, i.e. effectiveness. According to Tassey, an effective standardized interface \"does not affect the design of the components themselves\". However, the standardized interface is not as standardized as one would think. Changing it affects the components to which it has interfaces and changing the components affects in its turn the standardized interface. Accordingly, we would not agree with Tassey when he claims that standards interfaces provide \"open\" systems and thereby allow proprietary components to coexist (without any cost). They do not necessarily enable innovation at the component level by \"being competitively neutral with respect to design ... \" (p. 590). Hence, should interfaces be viewed as standardized to obtain efficiency? Or can standards create effectiveness because they ease the combinations between resources and create opportunities through specific interfaces, meaning that a standard can be used in different ways and for different purposes depending on what other resources it is combined with? These are questions calling for more in-depth research.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Logisticians have always viewed standards as solutions for improving operational compatibility and coordination. This paper aims to contribute to a greater understanding of how standards, upon which logistics systems are designed, developed and coordinated, interact with each other and with other resources in a logistics network for the purpose of improving efficiency and effectiveness.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The literature review permits: defining standards as a coordination mechanism focusing on development, use and evolution of interconnected standards; pointing out the importance of standards for logistics efficiency and effectiveness; and analysis of interrelatedness referring to increasing returns, basic technology and dominant design. The empirical evidence is based on a meta-case from the automobile industry with information collected from nine case studies based on observations, documents, drafts of standards and interviews.\nFindings: - The case study illustrates major points in prior literature and provides new propositions that enrich the theory and have important managerial implications. Main findings include a better understanding of how standards interact over time, and how they help, as well as hinder technological development in logistics networks. Being exploratory in nature, the paper concludes with theoretical propositions for further research.\nOriginality/value: - The paper contributes to the understanding of an issue is been important, but still not much addressed in prior logistics literature: the use of standards. The combining of literature from three streams of research: logistics, industrial networks and technology development provides interesting insight on which the case analysis is based and from which further research can be developed.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Development of an online quality information system for e-manufacturing	[ "Quality control", "Virtual work", "Information systems", "Manufacturing systems" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: The globalization of business processes has given rise to outsourcing activities. With geographically dispersed suppliers and manufacturers, the real time decision making at various entities has become challenging. Enabled by web based information technologies, e-manufacturing has emerged as a new paradigm across industries. In an e-manufacturing environment, efficient quality control cannot be realized due to such issues as geographical distance, disparate quality standards and cultural heterogeneity.The current practice of multi-point quality inspections and random sampling across the entire supply chain increases the product costs, which, however, does not guarantee the achievement of high quality. As quality diagnosis and optimization measures depend largely on individual expert's knowledge and experience, such consequences as dissonance and incoherence in reporting, tracking and resolution processes may bring about new quality issues. Furthermore, such information may not be available and accessible to all parties involved in the manufacturing processes.In an e-manufacturing environment, real time quality and product information becomes crucial. Real time quality data can facilitate instant corrective actions for an identified non-conformance. This requires an e-quality control mechanism, in which transparency and visibility of real time quality information across the supply chain are necessary. This paper outlines the development of an online quality information system (OQIS) within an integrated enterprise. A case study is presented to illustrate the concept and applicability of OQIS in a company practicing e-manufacturing.\n2 Current research and development: Adoption of e-manufacturing is emerging due to the availability of advanced information systems (ISs). ISs speed up activities, facilitate intelligent and autonomous decision-making and enable distributed operations with collaboration (Huang and Nof, 1999). They create visibility into shop floor operations and assist in managing the supply chain. Sharing of information and knowledge about capabilities, limits and variation of manufacturing assets for various suppliers helps promote a good e-manufacturing process (Koc et al., 2003). Recent advances in manufacturing and information technologies indicate promising new strategic alternatives for designing advanced manufacturing ISs (Coates, 2000).Over the past decade, increased variety of products has become a driving force for manufacturers to develop new manufacturing paradigm for cost effective product differentiation (Browne, 1992). This requires an integration of manufacturing functions and product strategies to enhance business capabilities (King and Teo, 1997). Dilts and Wu (1991) proposed a knowledge-based system (KBS) that connects each individual database through a common intelligent interface for each manufacturing application program. Harhalakis et al. (1995) proposed a framework of KBS, where rules represent the company policies. The system consists of a central KBS and a distributed database management system managing the information flow between component databases.Other researchers approached manufacturing information integration by developing quality systems for total quality control from various perspectives, such as user involvement (Tait and Vessey, 1988), user friendliness (Adams et al., 1992), ease of use (Davis, 1989), and system performance (Saunders and Jones, 1992). The fuzzy set theory, expert systems and neural networks are also employed to analyze product quality and production performance (Schnelle and Mah, 1992). Nevertheless, these approaches and practices do not achieve the full integration of all enterprise quality control functions. Therefore, it is imperative for manufacturers to develop a total and online quality control tool.\n3 System analysis and design: Developing an OQIS requires collaborative activities, which can be asynchronous or synchronous, through certain network links. Such activities necessitate high capacity networks such as ATM, VSAT and ISDN lines and a high level of inter-operability, for example, between software applications. As co-engineering requires a lot of synchronous collaborative activities, special links have to be developed between partners. Moreover, to function as the main information transmission model, an OQIS should employ certain broadcast topology, such as the bus or ring topology, as shown in Figure 1.An OQIS database must have centralized quality data storage, enable online certification, and encompass roles and responsibilities of each process, testing results, and other quality data, as well as historical information for knowledge reuse. It should provide data integrity, real-time data accessibility, inspection and test status availability, specification and standards, accurate information generation, and collaboration with other manufacturing databases. Figure 2 shows the database functions and the flows of quality information in a manufacturing system. The readily accessible and retrievable inspection and information on quality status facilitates a rapid feedback for quality control of every individual production lot.3.1 OQIS information model\n4 System reference architecture: Figure 10 shows the reference architecture for the OQIS based on the requirements and features outlined above. The architecture consists of the following components.4.1 QIS GUI module\n5 Application: The basic idea of an OQIS is to set up a unique quality information warehouse that integrates internet and LAN network-based daily production/product data, which come from the process database and QC tools. We have implemented the proposed OQIS in Company MEM (disguised name), a part of a Japanese conglomerate located in Singapore. MEM is the single largest company in the conglomerate and its average annual revenue is over $400 million.The Central Quality Assurance Department of MEM has to monitor and control QC functions in 12 factories located in different countries and satisfy the requirements of more than 30 customers all over the world. This department reports to headquarter with performance data for possible action for alignment and guidance. MEM has responded to higher quality requirements of the customer over the past decades by incremental improvements in its processes. The improvement occurred not only in product quality, but also in quality leadership and quality project management. However, further demands on quality and mounting competitions from other companies have forced the company to look at better ways to manage the quality across all the factories.MEM has four categories of products - cordless motors (used in mobile phones, PHS phone pagers, personal digital assistants, digital watch, and Gameboy), power motors (used in high torque, low coding, high accuracy, and high reliability, such as toy driving, medical tooling, and certain multi media drivers), brushless motors (used in CD/MD/DVD player, VTR DVC DCS DVD-RAM/ROM, CD-ROM CDR/RW, car audio system, car navigation system and HDD), and other miscellaneous type of motors (used for drive function, optical function, paper supply function, and cooling, such as laser printer, plain paper copier, facsimile, and printers). Each of these products has unique quality characteristics. The OQIS thus requires a complex web of data, knowledge and procedures for quality control. For illustrative simplicity, we have taken cordless phone motors as an example. Figure 12 shows the process flow diagram for a cordless phone motor. In order to get the root causes of a quality problem, all the relevant inspection stations are set up in the production line. Final assembly structure is decomposed into parts and backwards reasoning is used against the production flow.5.1 OQIS implementation\n6 Concluding remarks: Broadened competition and technical advances in manufacturing are succinctly reflected in two metrics: time, the profound pressure to respond to the rapid ebb and flow of the market; and complexity, the expanded scope and functionality of products and the new body of knowledge that influence products and processes. Real time quality tracking provides information on each production unit's QC results throughout the production processes. Thus, there is a need for a real time quality assurance system with real time quality information.The proposed OQIS is a strategic tool of competitiveness. For the company in the case study, OQIS has presented a unique challenge due particularly to the complexity and magnitude of requirements. It has served three primary purposes. First, it has performed as a tool for managing organization-wide quality information flows and providing vital assistance in quality information management. This requires total integration of information which further promotes e-manufacturing. Second, it has helped managers and QC-related employees at every level to understand and monitor operations as a set of processes and activities. This requires all QC members to be familiar with the available process measurements and the ways of presenting the quality information gathered in a systematic way. Such information must be presented in a format that is understood by the workers involved in the process. The responsible units have a smaller time window to ensure the receipt of correct and real time information online so as to make the right decisions and develop competitive strategies effectively. Third, the implementation of the OQIS as a strategic initiative necessitates a thorough understanding of the manufacturing process, especially the particular quality requirements of the process not only at the shop floor level but also at the board level. Further enhancement in quality can be expected through such a seamless access of all relevant quality information.Through the OQIS, a clear image and consistent quality information can be provided to enterprises in the network to facilitate e-manufacturing. However, the current version of OQIS has some limitations. For example, if the information to be shared is too complex, the involved members may pop up more questions correlated more or less to the number of participants. As a result, more time and energy are required for extended explanations. Another limitation may lie in the deployment of OQIS in small manufacturing enterprises. The attractiveness of any such mechanism will be strongly influenced by its cost. Its long-term cost savings are not that attractive to the small- or medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. Nevertheless, the emphasis here is the development of the architecture and its application on a real e-manufacturing situation with focus on an online quality control. Continuous evolution of this system will strengthen its features and usability and promote e-manufacturing further.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - In an e-manufacturing environment, the acquisition of real time quality data and information is paramount for distributed collaborative manufacturers to make quick and correct actions towards quality problems in a manufacturing process. This paper attempts to assist manufacturers in obtaining such data and information and further to make decisions regarding quality control.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In this paper, an online quality information system (OQIS) for quality control in an e-manufacturing environment is presented. The common object request broker architecture standards and client-server technologies are applied to obtain real time data and information whenever required at different locations. In addition, several modules, responsible for product design, process planning, quality control and data input, are developed within a coherent OQIS information model.\nFindings: - Preliminary results show advantages of the OQIS for companies to obtain real time quality data and information. It can also suggest possible improvements pertaining to quality control towards e-manufacturing.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The proposed OQIS can be further developed to solve such issues as explanation of complex quality information and deployment costs in the enterprise. Further research should be directed to the evolution of OQIS.\nOriginality/value: - The OQIS can provide consistent quality data and information, based on which manufacturers can make timely and correct decisions in solving quality problems in an e-manufacturing environment.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Employee engagement and job performance in Lebanon: the mediating role of creativity	[ "Performance", "Middle East", "Creativity", "Lebanon", "Engagement" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The concept of employee engagement was developed by Kahn (1990) through ethnographic data collected in an architectural firm and in a summer camp. He defined employee engagement as: \"the harnessing of organization members' selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances\" (Kahn, 1990, p. 694). Macey and Schneider (2008) presented a comprehensive analysis of all the relevant elements that define engagement: trait engagement (e.g. individual personality traits); work involvement (e.g. satisfaction, involvement, empowerment); and organizational citizenship (e.g. extra-role behavior, proactivity, role expansion). Hence, they have presented all the critical concepts that have been associated with the employee engagement concept.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Employee engagement and job performance relationship\n3. Methods: 3.1 Study design and sample\n4. Results: Data collected from a single source (i.e. employees) can introduce the risk of CMB. Due to social desirability bias (Ganster et al., 1983), for example, respondents may develop a tendency to present themselves in a positive light, irrespective of their true feelings, leading to measurement error (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Therefore, it was deemed necessary to check if the threat of CMB was present in our study. One of the most widely used statistical techniques for exploring CMB is Harman's one-factor test (Podsakoff et al., 2003). We applied EFA based on Harman's single-factor test. If the variability amount explained by the first factor exceeded 50 percent, there would be a serious problem of CMB in our study. We ran an EFA for all our study variables using unrotated principle component factor analysis to determine the number of factors that are important to account for the variance in our variables. The results indicated a total of five factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.0. The first factor only accounted for 22 percent. Therefore, no general factor was evident (Harvey and Martinko, 2009), suggesting that a common-bias method was not a serious threat in this study.\n5. Discussion: This paper has investigated the relationships between employee engagement, job performance and creativity as well as exploring the mediating role of creativity between employee engagement and job performance.\n6. Theoretical implications: Overall, this study adds to the limited body of works examining the indirect paths of the relationship between engagement and performance, and thus helps in improving theory. Studies that identify potential mediators that may have an impact on the relationship between the engagement and performance can help in developing theory in this area (Kim et al., 2013). As per our study results, encompassing new essential components into our model, such as creativity, aids in improving theory through developing our understanding further of the mechanisms and relationships between engagement and performance. Moreover, our study demonstrates that the linkage between engagement and performance is not a simple one, but is influenced by various factors that need to be examined and used to develop current theory. Schaufeli (2012) argues that current theory about engagement and performance is under developed and calls for more work to increase our understanding of the relationship between engagement and performance. The current study highlights the role of creativity in this relationship and lends support to Amabile's (1996) componential theory of creativity pertaining to the importance of creativity in this relationship. Future researchers are encouraged to make use of our results and investigate creativity and its subcomponents further in the relationship between engagement and performance, which can eventually help to improve our theoretical understanding of this area and guide empirical research more accurately. Finally, as one of the first studies that examined the relationship between employee engagement and performance in an Arab country, this study provides important insights to scholars in the Middle East region in general, and Lebanon in particular. The current study supports the results of earlier studies in the West, and essentially shows that the impact of engagement on performance is equally transferable to Arab Middle Eastern contexts and cultures. The findings are expected to encourage future researchers in Lebanon and the Middle East to conduct further research in this field.\n7. Managerial implications: From a practical perspective, organizations are advised to foster employee engagement at work as most of the studies including this study in the country of Lebanon demonstrate its effect on job performance. For example, a number of antecedents to drive employee engagement at work have been noted in the literature, ranging from providing performance feedback to the level of freedom at work. Moreover, from the perspective of this study, it is crucial for high performance organizations to develop a work environment which fosters creativity in order to reap the benefits of engagement in terms of increased job performance. Indeed, on the relevance of the work environment, a Salanova et al. (2005) study demonstrated that work climate plays a mediating role between engagement and job performance. Based on this study, corporate managers are advised to encourage and promote creativity at work which could serve to reinforce the effect of engagement on job performance. Lastly, the study has special implications for the Lebanese industry. Many Lebanese and Middle Eastern employers have generally adopted traditional and bureaucratic management systems that are known to discourage creativity at work (Ismail, 2013), and consequently hamper the impact of engagement on performance as this study indicates. The current study shows the value of employee engagement to managers and its impact on job performance at the workplace. Employers are encouraged to engage their employees at work by focusing more of their efforts on the elements of career development and job design, both of which represent weak areas in Lebanese organizations (Ismail, 2013; Ismail and El Nakkache, 2014). Performance appraisals in Lebanese organizations may have to change from a traditional focus on business needs only to one that focuses on both business and employee career needs. This is optimally achieved through an appraisal system that connects the needs of the business with the career needs of employees wishing to grow within the organization. In fact, a recent study by Ismail and Rishani (2018) in Lebanon shows the importance of including career planning in performance appraisals for raising creativity at work. In addition, Lebanese employers should provide their employees with more interesting jobs that can help engage people at work. This practically includes jobs that provide ongoing developmental feedback, greater variety and higher autonomy. At the same time, all organizational initiatives that aim to improve employee engagement at work must happen within a culture that promotes employee creativity as the link between engagement and performance is dependent on creativity as indicated in this study.\n8. Limitations and future research: As with all studies, this study has a number of limitations. First, this study has relied on a convenience sample given the difficulties in accessing a random sample in the country of Lebanon (Ismail, 2016). Although convenience sampling is a common approach followed by many researchers in the management field, it can often lead to sample bias via the overrepresentation or underrepresentation of certain groups. However, this study has controlled for a comprehensive set of demographic and organizational variables to improve the reliability of the results. Nevertheless, the authors recommend repeating this study using a random sampling approach when feasible. Moreover, although the study assured a reasonable sample size (n=186) for regression analysis, future studies are advised to increase the sample size to increase the reliability of the results attained. Third, the study relied on self-reported measures of job performance. While self-reported measures are considered valid in research and are widely used (Wall et al., 2004), the authors recommend attaining more objective measures of job performance (e.g. number of units sold) in the future to increase confidence in the results. Moreover, as this is a first study exploring the mediating role of creativity in the relationship between engagement and performance, the authors recommend repeating this study in different countries or cultures. Fourth, as with most studies in the literature, we followed a cross-sectional study design which may not always provide definite information about the direction of the relationship between the study variables despite the evidence presented here. Future researchers are advised to follow a longitudinal study design to strengthen the current results. Finally, our sample was relatively heterogeneous in terms of the industrial sectors, mode of employment (i.e. full-time and part-time workers) and job categories. Despite some arguments that homogeneous samples are more accurate in making precise predictions due to less variability in the sample (Calder et al., 1981), the authors of this study took measures to control for a wide range of demographic and organizational variables in their regression analyses. In addition, heterogeneous samples have their own advantages. Proponents of heterogeneous research samples argue that heterogeneous samples are more realistic for modeling the real world (Allen and Seaman, 2017; Melamed, 1996), and can lead to new questions and conclusions that create better models and discoveries (Allen and Seaman, 2017).\n9. Conclusion: Over the past decades, employee engagement has been of heightened interest to researchers and practitioners alike, mainly due to its proposed effect on job performance, which remains one of the most sought outcomes for organizations. This study has revalidated this relationship in the context of Lebanon, and our findings are in support of previous studies conducted in other regions. Nevertheless, the authors proposed that this relationship may be subject to intervening variables that must be explored. Accordingly, the current study has identified a potentially important mediating variable, that is creativity, in the relationship between engagement and job performance. In the context of this study, it appears that for engagement to have an impact on job performance it must enable employee creativity first. This finding may help further in unlocking the \"black box\" between engagement and performance as we continue to build more developed theoretical models and explanations for the relationship between engagement and job performance. At the same time, we argued that studies should not be viewed in isolation from their main context and cultural components, and therefore we recommend replicating this study in other countries and contexts. Finally, the study has important implications for managers to encourage creativity at work. Managerial systems and practices which encourage employee creativity at work are important organizational tools to enhance the impact of engagement on job performance.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between employee engagement and job performance in the country of Lebanon, and to test whether creativity mediates the relationship between engagement and performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research sample consisted of 186 respondents working in Lebanese firms. The questionnaire included established measures relating to employee engagement, job performance and creativity - in addition to various demographic questions. Stepwise multiple regression and bootstrapping methods were employed in the analysis of the data.\nFindings: The findings showed a significant positive effect of employee engagement on job performance. However, mediation analysis using bootstrapping methods has shown that creativity has fully mediated the relationship between engagement and performance.\nOriginality/value: The study extends previous research and increases the external validity of the findings by investigating the relationship between engagement and performance in new non-western contexts. Moreover, this is one of the first research studies that explores the role of creativity in the relationship between the two variables; this helps in improving our understanding of the model and aids in enhancing the effect of engagement on performance.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Professional standards for teachers and school leaders: Interrogating the entanglement of affect and biopower in standardizing processes	[ "Educational leadership", "Affect", "Professional standards", "Teachers", "Subjectivity", "Biopower" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: International evaluation and assessment programs for school systems and school performance such as PISA, TIMSS, TALIS and PIACC have facilitated new epistemological and infrastructural modes of governance in education (Sellar and Lingard, 2014)[1]. The political influence of these international evaluations has prompted policymakers and stakeholders \"to call for improvement through 'strong', 'efficient', 'professional', and 'successful' school management and leadership\" (Staunaes, 2011, p. 228). In response to such calls for improvement, an emerging trend of governance has been the formation of new professional standards for teaching and leadership (Brogger and Staunaes, 2016). Standards are generally conceptualized as ideals and normative tools that aim at reproducing particular practices and ways of being (Busch, 2011). Standards in the field of education have become part of a neoliberal mode of governance, aiming at accountability and productivity (Ball, 2003, 2007). Thus, there is a growing concern that standardizing processes promote performance (self-) management that eventually devalues the professional knowledge of teachers and school leaders, targeting in particular the management of affect, motivation, and emotion (Staunaes, 2016).\nAffectivity and governance in education policy and leadership: The affective turn in the social sciences and humanities (Clough, 2007), which has made emotions and affects the object of scholarly inquiry in new ways, may be seen as a critique of the linguistic and poststructural turn by arguing that language is not sufficient in considering subjectivity and relationality. Although there are clearly different approaches in the affective turn that range from psychoanalysis, post-Deleuzian perspectives, theories of the body and embodiment to affective politics, there is a substantial turn to the intersections of the social, cultural, discursive and political with the psychic, the body and the unconscious (Athanasiou et al., 2008).\nAffective spaces, atmospheres and biopower: a theoretical framework: Foucault (1978, 2003) introduced the notion of biopower referring to the specific techniques and technologies of power that attempt to control life. Affective bodies and populations, as explained by Anderson (2012), are one among a number of \"object-targets\" for two forms of biopower that have been suggested by Foucault: discipline and biopolitics. Discipline aims at normalizing and regulating the human body, seeking to integrate it into institutions. The primary target of discipline is the body and its efficient control so that it does what it must do; this consists of manipulating relations, forces and conditions within particular spaces so that the body takes a certain direction or is blocked from taking another (Foucault, 1978).\nProfessional standards as affective modes of biopower: During the last two decades, there have been vigorous critiques of standardizing processes in education (e.g. see Ball, 2003; Gillborn and Youdell, 2000; Grek, 2009; Lingard, 2011; Sellar and Lingard, 2014; Stronach, 2010), particularly after an increasing number of professional standards appeared in different countries around the world such as Australia (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2012), the USA (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2016) and England (Department for Education, 2011). It is beyond the scope of this paper to engage in a comprehensive review of the enormous literature on this topic. It is sufficient to point out though that a major tension emerging in debates is that between viewing standards as developmental tools for quality control about teacher training and practice or the means to exert greater compliance and uniformity (Sachs, 2003)[5].\nMethodological, ethical and political implications: The current intensification of affective policy and leadership through the introduction of professional standards for teachers and school leaders in many countries requires well-tuned methodological and theoretical frameworks that recognize the affective, ethical and political consequences. As Staunaes (2016) correctly pointed out:Whether one notices mess and unintended effects may depend on which analytical perspectives one employs, how the empirical material is strategically searched [so] research must experiment with methodologies that can capture various affective reconfigurations of education (p. 65).\nConclusion: I began this paper by discussing how affect theory contributes to exploring modes of governance in education policy and leadership, and then I suggested a theoretical framework grounded in notions of affect and biopower for analyzing standardizing processes in schools. Although my analysis displaces emotions from their dominant positionality in discourses about professional standards, it reinvigorates theoretical explorations of the affective spaces and atmospheres that co-constitute subjectivities, organizations, governance and social practices in standardizing processes which in turn impact on emotional responses. The spatiotemporal and organizational arrangements of schools while undergoing standardizing processes constitute crucial constellations for ethical and political reproduction of affective relations. Thus, the destabilizing and inventive potentials of affects, spaces and atmospheres - to name a few conceptual resources - are extremely important in exposing the normalizing as well as resisting aspects of standardizing processes. If one seeks the transformation of these processes, the consideration of affects, spaces and atmospheres offers interesting theoretical possibilities that cannot be ignored.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to recent work that interrogates the affective conditions in standardizing processes taking place in schools by asking: what are the relations between affect and biopower, when standardizing processes take place in schools, and how can we better understand the constitution of affective spaces and atmospheres that enable some transformative potentials while preventing others?\nDesign/methodology/approach: The main argument is that professional standards for teachers and school leaders create ambivalent (i.e. both positive and negative) affective spaces and atmospheres in schools that require one to look for the ways in which biopower works affectively through specific technologies. This ambivalence produces not only governable and self-managed teachers and school leaders who simply implement professional standards, but also affective spaces and atmospheres that might subvert the normalizing effects (and affects) of standards.\nFindings: While attention has been directed to the involvement of affectivity in standardizing processes, what has been theorized less in the field of professional capital is the entanglement of affect and biopower in the spread of professional standards. Engaging with recent work surrounding the affective turn in the social sciences and humanities, the encounter between affect and biopower opens methodological, ethical and political possibilities to examine the affective impact of standards on the professional capital of teachers and school leaders. The analysis displaces emotions from their dominant positionality in discourses about professional standards, reinvigorating theoretical explorations of the affective spaces and atmospheres that co-constitute subjectivities, organizations, governance and social practices in standardizing processes.\nOriginality/value: The spatiotemporal and organizational arrangements of schools while undergoing standardizing processes constitute crucial constellations for ethical and political reproduction of affective relations. Thus, the destabilizing and inventive potentials of affects, spaces and atmospheres - to name a few conceptual resources - are extremely important in exposing the normalizing as well as resisting aspects of standardizing processes.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]

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