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On the nature of learning communities: a study of four organisations	[ "Higher education", "Learning", "Communities", "Australia" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent but the ones most responsive to change (Charles Darwin).\nIntroductory comments: This introduction to a study of organisational learning, expresses the view, illustrated by a number of examples, that in the UK a university was traditionally seen as inherently a creator and developer of fresh academic knowledge, with implications for the development of new departments or schools. Thus, at Oxford, \"Greats\", which was based on the classics and classical philosophy, was extended in the 1920s by the creation of \"Modern Greats\" (Philosophy, Politics, Economics), meeting later subjects and social changes. At the beginning of the twentieth century, interest in the development of business led, in the University of Birmingham, to the development of a BCom degree, and a faculty of commerce and social science. In recent times, great expansion in student numbers and in fresh subject links have led to a replacement of faculty structure by a system of \"colleges\" bringing together related subjects.Development of scientific and technological studies, recognition of the possibilities of post-experience work, impact of financial pressures, required universities to learn new ways of dealing with issues of structure and administration. Similar considerations came from the rise of business schools. The relation between university and colleges in Oxford and Cambridge and the integration of new ideas such as \"life-long learning\" in universities like Birmingham, illustrate this point. Less dramatic, perhaps, but certainly significant, was the example of the creation of the Institute of Local Government Studies in Birmingham, through which the university provided courses for local authority executives and research, funded by external fees. At the undergraduate level, another innovation was the introduction of an integrative first year course in the social sciences.The rapid expansion in number of universities in the UK, partly by new creations, partly by transforming other institutions, e.g. polytechnics, and increase in size of universities, as well as the impact of changes in public funding, have raised questions about what is meant by \"university\". Perhaps the most pertinent to the question of organisational learning is the problem of adapting to the possible erosion of collegiate behaviour through which much of that learning had taken place. Such a view had rested on an academic concept of \"university\" with a major input by academic staff in the learning process. There was, as in all organisations, a hierarchical element or power structure, but there was also a sense of collegiate involvement. It is not argued here, that this has disappeared, but that there has been a change in the balance between universities seen in \"management\" terms as against \"repositories of learning\".The argument as a whole may be put in the following way. The process of organisational learning, by which is meant the ways in which both academic content and administrative structure are changed, depends on:* stimulus from individuals within the system, generated by scholarly interest and personal drive;* formal processes within departments and governing bodies such as faculty boards;* the tradition of the senior common room as a forum for exchange of ideas; and* the will and engagement of higher authority within and outside the system.To put it another way: organisational learning in a university can derive from internal, negotiated understandings which develop within the system, e.g. as a result of mutual academic interests: but, also, from response to powerful external influences to which the organisation is obliged to adapt. Thus, a university like Birmingham, as well as other universities, learned to adjust in a positive sense, to changing climate of public opinion and social expectations as well as to changing academic developments. Hence, the creation (partly from the stimulus imparted by an innovative member of academic staff), of the Institute of Local Government Studies referred to previously and in the same university, of a business school and of a school of public policy in which the common factor was the linking of subjects within the public sector, e.g. health management and urban and regional studies. Hence, also, in an environment of many more universities in the UK there are their efforts to \"market\" their teaching and research qualities in order to attract students and funding. An interesting, specific feature has been the development within a number of universities, in the recruitment of overseas students and of which it might be said that the organisation has had to learn how to function effectively in an international and competitive environment. Somewhat similar considerations apply to the establishment of staffing concerned with fund raising. It is of considerable interest in this and related matters to observe the extent to which a number of universities, in the context of \"marketing\" and fund raising, as well as genuine interest in former students, have \"professionalised\" communication skills in the form of well-produced publications.A further aspect of the UK experience, referred to earlier and which is of general relevance, is the variation among universities. In the days when there were only about 25 universities in the country, they were all held to be of essentially the same kind, given the particular position of a number of them. This perception was reinforced by the system of external examining (which still operates), but has been challenged by the changing socio-cultural environment and greatly increased number of universities and in the range of subjects.There remains the question in these introductory comments, of how organisational learning can best be effected, how in other words, approaches to changed structures and patterns of behaviour can be brought (if they are thought to be desirable). It has been pointed out in management literature, that the first stage in a decision process is the recognition that a decision is required to be made. This perception may be brought about by on-the-job training, e.g. on teaching methods and skills appropriate to changes in subject matter: some changes may be brought about by formal arrangements such as the redesign of organisational structure, some to ensure the retention of desired systems, e.g. the tutorial tradition alongside the demands of different subjects and numbers.\nAn Australian university; an Indonesian university; an army unit; an aviation safety organisation: The purpose of the study\nMethodology: The data collection were based primarily on qualitative case studies of four organisations. Two were institutes of higher education. One was in Australia and the other in Indonesia, so it was assumed that they would follow a similar theoretical/reflective approach to many of their problems. By contrast, the other two organisations, a specialised army unit and an aviation safety unit, adopted a different approach to the way they responded to problems. Both were required to respond at short notice to incidents about which they would have had little prior knowledge. Senior representatives of each organisation completed a 15-item questionnaire and an interview. At the Indonesian university a staff member liaised between the editors and his colleagues, most of who had limited proficiency in English.\nResearch limitations: Gaining access to CEOs to confirm or refute observations was a difficulty typical of corporate surveys. A second limitation was related to confidentiality. Some interviewees requested anonymity. They were either critical of their organisations or were engaged in activities involving national security.\nTheoretical background: A learning organisation\nConclusion: The purpose of this study was to see if four organisations had adapted to changing circumstances. In one case, an institute of higher education had adopted a whole of organisation approach, developed a sharper strategic focus, and communicated its revised message more effectively. Other considerations included:* determining the most effective strategy when dealing with organisational change;* estimating the influence of globalisation; and* quantifying issues associated with culture and integrity.A summary of the ideas from the contributors is set out in the following. Minkes has argued (see introductory comments) that a university was inherently a creator of fresh knowledge. He gave examples of programs, which had developed, based mainly on his experience and knowledge of the Oxbridge tradition and of Birmingham. \"Greats\" based on the classics and classical philosophy led to the introduction of \"Modern Greats\" (PPE); subjects in business studies led to the development of a faculty of commerce and social science, which in turn led to the development of a business school. The growth of scientific and technological studies and of post experience work led to innovative approaches to learning and new organisational structures, as did financial pressures. The Australian university emphasized that they were in the knowledge business. This was their raison d'etre. Senior management had determined the priorities in respect to research, teaching and publication, and had established three specialised areas to facilitate this approach. These support units were in addition to the normal checks and balances that were to be found in the various schools and departments within the university.The spokesperson for the Indonesian university reported that they were subject to a variety of political, cultural and religious tensions. For example, the former Dutch colonial administration, a Javanese culture, with evidence of a feudal system, and now a Christian transformation, has all impacted on the way this university is administered. Academic staff preferred to take a \"quiet, reasoned approach\" to problems while accepting the need for a lot of \"give and take\" Only a minority saw themselves as \"innovative\", but they were all aware of the need to develop competencies if they were to succeed in the \"new global environment\". The army unit had a distinctly different approach, and indeed to the way they carried out their duties. They lived by a strict code, and it was one to which they all adhered and followed. Values were based on the family, discipline, humility, humour, loyalty, respect for each and the pursuit of excellence. These were all part of the ethos of this unit. They took part in highly specialised training and in collaborating closely with their allies. After every engagement, those who had been involved would take part in a \"post activity analysis\". Specialised knowledge/learning, which was utilised by this unit had to be acquired, adapted, learnt and applied. In most cases this was undertaken with a sense of urgency. The aviation safety organisation saw itself as a learning/innovative community, although working within a bureaucratic framework. To accomplish this aim, the organisation held enquiries and commissioned projects on a regular basis. The organisation continually scanned the research in this area for new knowledge in respect to aviation safety, in areas requiring technological training and in promoting aircraft specific and general safety seminars.To conclude, four organisations have illustrated aspects of learning as highlighted in the literature. Further, they have chosen different routes to organisational learning which are responsive to their respective cultures and contexts. The universities draw on accepted notions of independent enquiry, which have public acceptance. The Indonesian university senses these ideals grafted on to traditional cultural mores of respect and hierarchy creating tension. The army unit is one of high autonomy, is \"advantaged\" by less visible public accountability, and has the freedom to be innovative and learn with immediacy. The aviation regulator is caught between pressures to \"innovate/learn\", but is constrained by regulations to embody innovation and learning via parliamentary processes.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this investigation is to look at four organisations to see whether they meet the criteria of learning communities. Two are involved with higher education, one is an army unit, and the fourth is an organisation responsible for aviation safety.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The research was based on qualitative analyses of what made the four organisations learning communities. This comprised interviews with key personnel and responding to a 15-item questionnaire.\nFindings: - In the Australian example, specialised areas of responsibility were established to facilitate change. In the Indonesian example, a colonial past, a political/cultural divide, a feudalistic approach to modern day problems and a rich tradition presented a challenge to innovation. In the army unit, highly specialised knowledge had to be acquired, adapted and applied. In the aviation safety organisation, technological issues specifying flight operations were the main focus. This organisation was akin to both a learning organisation and an innovative knowledge community, although working within a bureaucratic structure.\nResearch limitations/implications: - One limitation was access to personnel such as CEOs. Another was translating the questionnaire into Indonesian. A third was related to confidentiality, i.e. should participants reveal the identity of their parent organisation, and their own?\nPractical implications: - The study identified the need to re-define strategic objectives. Organisations must undertake this task when faced with changing circumstances.\nOriginality/value: - The paper has value because it looks at effective, learning communities and the formal and the informal learning process.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Leading teams to effective decisions: the vital role of framing	[ "Leadership", "Team working", "Decision making" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Janet is the top marketing executive in her firm and she has a problem. Her CEO has asked her to create a new, innovative strategy that can ensure the company's growth in the years to come. It seems like an ideal challenge for her and the five directors she supervises to take on. However, corralling these strong and successful directors to collaborate has been no easy task. Too many meetings usually end up feeling like a waste of time, marked with stretches of down spiraling, disconnected conversations, and displays of showmanship. At the end of most discussions, Janet is left to pull together a memo on behalf of the group that is not very different from her ideas going into the meeting. This is an urgent and high profile challenge from the CEO himself, so how can she make her team work better?\nFraming purpose: Is a team necessary and is the purpose clear? Most teams are doomed from the outset because the type of task is poorly suited for a team. A common mistake is to assign a writing task to a team when the task of writing is an individual activity. A group could be convened to offer feedback or share their reactions to the author, which is framing the purpose of the group differently. Being clear about the goal and why a team is necessary to solve the challenge motivates a group - they know early on why the problem needs their collective energy to solve it.Different framing can produce different approaches to the problem. Emerging findings from researchers at Harvard University and Carnegie Mellon University suggest that when purposes are framed reactively versus proactively it sets in motion quite different sorts of behaviors. Reactive framing, which is akin to playing defense, focuses on avoiding an outcome and can set in motion group processes that limit internal knowledge sharing. Think of a basketball team that frames their task of preventing the other team's best scorer. Framing the task this way can undermine the team's sense of agency and efficacy. In contrast, proactive framing, which is like playing offense, can set in motion a feeling of efficacy that leads to exploratory knowledge sharing. A team may have to deal with an opponent's top scorer, but they can also score and exploit their opponent's weaknesses. Early on a leader plays a key role in framing such purpose. How they communicate the reason why a team is necessary and whether an offensive or defensive approach is best suited for the challenge is one way they set up the team for success.\nFraming people: In the initial moments of a team, members often are looking around and wondering, \"Why am I here? Why is she/he here?\" Creating a frame so people know one another and how they each fit enables a collective identity to form and allows a team to more effectively pool their unique knowledge and perspective. Never assume that everyone knows each other's talents.Communicating early on what talents, skills, and roles members have that are relevant to the task has a positive impact on team decision-making. Establishing high degrees of role congruency - when an individual sees their role and unique contribution to the team as others see it - enables a group to more flexibly locate expertise in the team and make decisions. Framing the collective identity and awareness of talents around the table enables people to more quickly get down to the business at hand.Collective perspectives are more quickly formed when leaders use inclusive language early on when engaging the team. Subtle words such as \"our,\" \"we,\" and \"let's\" create a sense of shared identity and connect people. These words are highly correlated to effective decision making in teams. Studies of airplane cockpit crew interactions, for example, show that teams that display high levels of inclusive language when problem solving make fewer errors than those crews with more individualistic language.\nFraming process: A major finding from the field of group decision making is simple but rarely seen in action: teams that spend time early on deciding how they will approach the problem do better than those who do not. Framing the process, whether it is done by the leader or more democratically by the group, is a final key ingredient.But what if a leader has convened a seasoned team of experts? Can't she just assume they'll do just fine? No. The best decision-making teams are experts who devote some initial time to framing their approach. However, the worst decision-making teams, aren't teams of unskilled novices. Surprisingly, research conducted by Dr Richard Hackman at Harvard University suggests that the worst decision-making teams are experts who don't spend any upfront time discussing their strategy. Expertise can be a dangerous element when not coupled with a focus on process.When leaders frame process they do it with care. The most effective teams are those who are given the ends but are supported to develop their own means. Dictating a process might undermine a team's ability to take ownership of their process. So ideally, process framing invites members into a conversation about how they, as a team, can most effectively move forward to achieve their purpose. And this framing may also be revisited down the road: findings from social science research suggest that at the mid-point of a decision-making team's life cycle is an important occasion to assess and, if necessary, alter processes.\nLessons for leaders: With these three frames in mind - framing purpose, people, and process we can offer Janet some concrete advice to her problem. First, is the development of a future vision best suited for a team? If so, when Janet convenes her team she needs to clearly state the team's purpose and say why the challenge needs their collective efforts. Next, are her directors the right people for the task? Do they have the right match of talents, knowledge, and experience? If so, she needs to state early on how she sees each person contributing to the challenge and use inclusive language to emphasize the group's identity. And finally, Janet and her team need to devote time early on to frame their process - how will they go about creating new ideas of building the company's brand? What initial steps can they take? If Janet can establish early on the frames for a decision-making group's purpose, people, and process then she has put in place some of the key conditions that research shows can make her team effective.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to illuminate in practical terms research-based approaches that enable organizational leaders to support effective decision-making in teams.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A literature review of emerging group decision-making research was conducted and thematically summarized. The themes were discussed and revised with input from twenty global leaders and a dozen university researchers at a two-day conference held at Harvard University's Learning Innovation Laboratory.\nFindings: - What leaders do early on has lasting impact on a team's ability to make effective decisions. Research shows that leaders have the most impact on group decisions at the beginning when they frame the team's goal (purpose), member roles and skills they bring to the group (people), and initial strategies (process). The earlier teams establish these frames the more likely they have put in place the conditions for effective decision-making.\nPractical Implications: - The themes illustrate a model that leaders can use when making choices of when to use teams for decisions, how to design decision making teams, and how to launch them.\nOriginality/value: - This article aims to present a unique synthesis of research-based findings on group decision-making and offers a simple model for action.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The impact of monetary rewards for online reviews	[ "Online reviews", "Pricing", "Monetary rewards", "Review quality" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In the past few years, user-generated content (UGC), including product reviews, has been gaining momentum (Chen and Xie, 2008). A study conducted by Forrester Research shows that half of the consumers who visited the retailer sites with consumer postings reported that these reviews are important or extremely important in their buying process. Several studies have shown that online reviews have a substantial impact on sales and market performance (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2006; Dhar and Chang, 2009; Duan et al., 2008; Forman et al., 2008; Godes and Mayzlin, 2004; Liu, 2006).\n2. Literature review: Our work builds on the literature relating to the motivation of UGC. When there are no explicit economic incentives, the literature suggests that two kinds of utility motivate UGC contributions: intrinsic utility and image-related utility. Intrinsic utility assumes that users receive direct utility and inherent satisfactions from posting content (Ryan and Deci, 2000). Image-related utility, on the other hand, assumes that users receive indirect utility from the perceptions of others; it is related to status seeking or prestige motivation (Glazer and Konrad, 1996; Harbaugh, 1998a, b; Lampel and Bhalla, 2007).\n3. Model setup and research methodology: Throughout this paper, we consider an online seller selling a product that exits the market after two stages. Prior to Stage 1, the seller, anticipating buyer behavior, decides the product price P and whether to offer a reward R for reviews secretly. In practice, sellers on Taobao often offer a small monetary reward for a positive review. Because the value of the reward (2 Yuan or 5 Yuan) appears to be consistent among sellers, we assume that the amount of money offered R>0 is exogenous. To better mirror the reality, we focus on the situation in which R is small. In the baseline model, we consider a constant price strategy such that the monetary reward acts as the only tool to implement price discrimination. In Section 5, we consider a situation in which the online seller charges different prices in the two stages. We show that the main conclusions derived in the benchmark model hold qualitatively when the price is no longer constant.\n4. Impact of monetary rewards: In this section, we compare these two scenarios for online marketing: without monetary rewards and with monetary rewards. Specifically, we will compare the optimal prices, total demands, numbers of influential reviews and profits under these two scenarios, and we will offer some practical insights for online sellers.\n5. Model extensions: 5.1 Dynamic pricing\n6. Conclusion: 6.1 Discussion\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: To encourage buyers to contribute product reviews, some online sellers offer monetary rewards. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of monetary rewards on buyers' purchase decisions and review contributions, as well as the impact on the seller's price decisions and profit.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors consider an online seller in a two-stage setting. Prior to Stage 1, the profit-maximizing seller sets the price and decides whether to offer a monetary reward secretly to motivate online reviews. Then, a continuum of buyers arrives and makes purchase decisions at the beginning of each stage. First-stage buyers may contribute reviews if they are satisfied, which will affect demand in the second stage. Using this analytical framework, the authors analyze the impact of monetary rewards.\nFindings: If the monetary reward is small, it decreases the seller's profit and fails to generate more reviews. It also increases price, leading to a decline in total demand. Thus, when the reward is lower than a certain threshold, all buyers are worse off. Only when the reward exceeds the threshold are buyers who contribute reviews better off. Profit and total demand both increase in review quality, while the price may either increase or decrease in it.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to analyze theoretically the impact of monetary rewards on buyers' purchase decisions, review contributions and on online sellers' decisions.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Quality management systems in European social service organizations: A survey of EQUASS Assurance pioneer adopters	[ "Quality management systems", "Third sector", "Social services", "EQUASS Assurance" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The ISO 9000 Quality Management (QM) standard was published in 1987 and since then different modifications have been released. The diffusion of the standard among different countries and activity sectors vouched for its efficiency (Llach et al., 2011; Marimon et al., 2006, 2009). Although it is applicable to any kind of organization, regardless it is focused in the manufacturing of a product or in providing a service, each revision of the standard has added more focus on customer needs and, at the same time, it is more suitable to both the manufacturing and service organizations.\nLiterature review: Organizations in the third sector have been facing increasing pressures to deliver excellent service levels and to pursuit operational efficacy (Al-Tabbaa et al., 2013; Herman and Renz, 2008). Such context has contributed to accelerate the adoption of QM practices leading to the implementation of QM and Excellence programs in non-profits and SSO. This tendency is, to a great extent, a natural follow-up on the practices that have been observed in the private sector, and are backed up by research results, supporting, in a fairly consistent manner, the positive impacts of QM in operations performance and quality (Antunes et al., 2008).\nMethodology: This research aims to provide an assessment of EQUASS Assurance from an adopters' perspective. To achieve this, a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey methodology was employed. The population consists of all organizations with an EQUASS Assurance certification. The source of the sample frame was the online database of EQUASS Assurance certified organizations (EQUASS, 2016b) at the closing date of January 14, 2016. This database lists all SSO that have a valid EQUASS Assurance certificate, including information about the organization name, country, logo, postal and website addresses, certification and expiration dates, the contact person name, and e-mail. The contact person is a representative who can provide further information about the SSO to the EQUASS certifying body. This representative is typically a person with a managerial position (i.e. director/president/CEO, quality manager or middle manager) and, therefore, is knowledgeable with the QM system. Some organizations listed in the database are certified in multiple sites and have the same contact person listed across such sites. To avoid receiving multiple replies from the same person, these multiple copies of contact persons were eliminated, leaving 381 out of a total of 415 records.\nResults: Sample profile\nConclusions: Overall, the results paint a rather optimistic picture. Approximately 85 percent of respondents are very satisfied or satisfied with EQUASS Assurance, which suggests that the certification largely met their expectations of process, quality, and continuous improvement. However, this finding should be taken with some caution. QM standards can be seen as innovations (see Llach et al., 2011; Marimon et al., 2006), and given that EQUASS Assurance is relatively recent (it was created in 2008), then according to Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovations theory, the sample includes innovators, early adopters, and eventually some early majority adopters. Therefore, it generally excludes more skeptical adopters like late majority and laggard adopters. The figure of 82 percent renewal likelihood should also be interpreted with care, since 17.3 percent (n=196) are non-respondents and because the final renewal decision depends, as respondents pointed out, on the availability of funding, government requirements, and other factors. Between April 2015 and June 2016, the number of EQUASS Assurance certifications has reduced around 34 percent (from 630 down to 417 certifications). Indeed, to this has contributed the financial cuts from governmental authorities to social services across many European countries, as well as the lack of financial support to maintain the certification. This being so, however, it was clear from the rich descriptions provided that several SSO incorporated successfully EQUASS Assurance in their daily work, gained significant benefits, and, consequently, remain loyal users.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze from an adopters' perspective the European Quality in Social Services (EQUASS) Assurance standard, a certification program to implement a quality management (QM) system specifically tailored to European social service organizations (SSO). Specifically, it analyzes the motives, internalization, impacts, satisfaction, and renew intentions of this standard.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research uses a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey methodology with both closed and open-ended questions. Of the 381 organizations contacted, 196 responses from eight different European countries were considered valid (51.4 percent). Descriptive statistical techniques and content analysis were employed to analyze closed- and open-ended questions, respectively.\nFindings: The results show that SSO typically implement the certification for internal reasons, internalize EQUASS Assurance principles and practices in daily usage, obtain mainly operational and customer benefits, and consider main pitfalls such as increased workload and bureaucracy. Around 85 percent of the respondents are very satisfied or satisfied with the standard, which suggests that it meets their needs. The intention to renew the certification is also encouraging, but the final decision may be contingent on several aspects. Overall, the results reveal a rather optimistic picture, though there are some reasons for concern.\nOriginality/value: Recent years have seen many social services implementing QM systems, but there have been few studies investigating this phenomenon. Social service managers, consultants, auditors, and the EQUASS certification body can find in this work valuable information to make their practice more effective. This is the first study to report the results of an EQUASS survey in a scholarly journal.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Agency or stewardship? The impact of leadership structure on the debt financing of lodging firms (leadership structure on debt financing)	[ "Capital structure", "Agency", "Stewardship", "Leadership structure", "The lodging industry" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Aligning interests in principal-agent relationships have been regarded as a critical issue significantly affecting firms' financial performances as well as their financial leverage. To align these interests, diverse leadership structure attributes, such as insider incentives (e.g. stock options for the chief executive officer [CEO], officers and directors), CEO governance (i.e. CEO duality: CEO as well as the chair of the board of directors; tenure; and age), outside board of directors and the blockholders' presence, have been suggested (Chakraborty, 2010; Fosberg, 2004; Guillet et al., 2013; Oak and Iyengar, 2009; Wintoki et al., 2012). Many of the hospitality firms with CEO duality, for example, choose to provide common stock options to insiders, whereas others with non-duality do not. The combination of CEO duality and stock options, along with other leadership structure attributes, can be critical issues influencing the capital structure within the hospitality industry.\nLiterature review: Agency theory vs stewardship theory\nMethodology and analysis: Data and variables\nConclusion: The statistical analyses show the following results. First, the agency theory predicts that fiscal leadership structure attributes will have a significant influence on capital structure (i.e. insider incentive will have a negative influence and blockholders will have a positive influence), whereas the stewardship theory does not. Despite agency theory's implications, the empirical results show that the stock ownership of the CEO and officers does not have a significant influence on financial leverage within the lodging industry. For non-fiscal leadership structure attributes, the agency theory hypothesizes that board size and the number of outside directors have a significant negative influence on capital structure. The analysis finds that the number of outside board members has a significant positive influence on financial leverage. The stewardship theory implies a significant negative influence of CEO duality and tenure on financial leverage, whereas the agency theory does not. While tenure shows a significant negative influence (as the theory predicts), CEO duality shows a positive influence on financial leverage. Thus, when a CEO holds dual positions (i.e. the CEO and chair of the board of directors), the CEO tends to increase debt financing. On the other hand, when a CEO has had a longer tenure, he or she is inclined to decrease debt financing.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This study aims to empirically investigate agency and stewardship theories in the US lodging market by examining the influence of fiscal and non-fiscal leadership structures on the debt financing decisions of lodging firms.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Secondary financial data have been collected for USA-based lodging firms. Subsequently, bivariate correlation, pooled ordinary least square) and endogeneity analyses have been performed on the data.\nFindings: The findings support the significant influence of some corporate governance attributes on the capital structure of US lodging firms and show the limited applicability of agency and stewardship theories.\nPractical implications: Theoretical and managerial implications are suggested in terms of balancing leadership structure attributes from the agency and stewardship theories, the capital structure of lodging firms and the future research.\nOriginality/value: Despite its importance considering the intensive capital and relatively high liabilities needed for success in the lodging industry, the influence of leadership structure on capital structure has not been examined either empirically or theoretically. Leadership structure attributes, both fiscal and non-fiscal, are included in the study to gain a richer understanding of their influence. The outcomes of the analysis suggest managerial implications for leadership structure as well as theoretical generalizability for agency and stewardship theories within the lodging industry.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Creating knowledge that makes important contributions to society	[ "Knowledge creation", "Society", "Research methods", "Psychology", "Ideas generation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Individuals and organizations are facing numerous challenges in today's world. For instance, the recent financial crisis has resulted in large job losses, and increased poverty levels among people in many nations. Some estimates indicate that the economic downturn coupled with the increased cost of food and fuel have pushed more than 100 million people into extreme poverty (United Nations, 2009). Similarly, the worldwide recession has created a crisis of confidence in corporate leaders, and prompted concerns about corporate ethics and social responsibility. Apart from these problems, organizations and their members are confronted with a host of new challenges created by globalization, diversity, technology, the competition for talented employees, and dwindling natural resources.\nPurpose of the paper: Despite these challenges, much of the research in the Journal of Managerial Psychology (JMP) focuses on a limited set of topics. Thus, this paper is written to encourage researchers to consider new ideas that make important contributions to individuals, organizations, and society as a whole. In addition, there are a number of recurring problems associated with manuscripts submitted to the journal, and this article considers several approaches for overcoming them. Therefore, the primary goals of this paper are to consider:* strategies for generating new research ideas;* guidelines for improving manuscripts submitted to JMP; and* suggestions that can be used to enhance the validity of inferences made from our research.\nChallenges often create new ideas: Although the problems associated with the worldwide financial crisis seem formidable, some researchers (Dunnette, 1991; Campbell, 1991) have argued that challenges have often been accompanied by some of the most significant research contributions in Applied Psychology. For instance, in the 1920s World War I stimulated the increased use of psychological testing for selection and placement. Similarly, labor-management conflict in the 1930s triggered the growth of the human relations movement in our field. In the 1940s World War II created an increased interest in assessment, use of criterion analyses, and advanced statistical techniques. In the 1960s the civil rights movement served as the inspiration for research on unfair discrimination, and organizational justice. Similarly, in the 1980s and 1990s the increased use of downsizing in organizations prompted concerns about the breach of psychological contracts and organizational support. Finally, recent changes in globalization and the demographic composition of the workforce has sparked an interest in diversity and multicultural issues in organizations.It should be evident from the examples noted above that many of our research ideas flow from an interest in the challenges that affect our lives. Thus, I believe, as do others (Dunnette, 1991; Campbell, 1991), that organizational researchers should focus on issues that have a significant impact on the well being of individuals, organizations, and society as a whole. As a result, I would like to urge researchers to consider questions that deal with the obstacles that all of these stakeholders face in the twenty-first century. For example, given the dramatic job losses caused by the worldwide recession, researchers might focus on interventions that can be use to help individuals overcome job loss, increase their resilience, and find new means of achieving a satisfying work-life. Likewise, the growing concern about the ethics of our leaders might be used to develop new models of leadership that consider moral and ethical issues. In addition, many societies continue to underutilize the many talents and skills that women, ethnic minorities, older workers, and people with disabilities bring to the workplace. Thus, research is needed to examine strategies for increasing the inclusion of out-group members in organizations. Likewise, in view of the growing level of multiculturalism in organizations additional research is needed to assess the influence of cultural values on behavior in organizations. Another reason for this is that many of the models in our field were developed in Western cultures, and may not be applicable in non-Western contexts (e.g. Asia, Africa, Latin America). Furthermore, some researchers (Triandis, 1994) have argued that many of the models in Organizational Psychology are underdeveloped because they do not consider the critical role that culture plays in human behavior.Apart from these issues, I believe that the field of Managerial Psychology has a great deal of knowledge that can be used to enhance organizational effectiveness and ensure that organizations survive in these turbulent times. For example, we have considerable knowledge on strategies that can be used to attract, motivate, and retain talented employees. Similarly, we have expertise that may help increase the skill levels of the workforce, and grow our worldwide economies. Thus, the journal encourages authors to submit manuscripts that consider new theories and issues that may be extremely important in today's changing society. However, we also welcome manuscripts that utilize and expand our current knowledge in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Vocational Psychology, and Applied Social Psychology. However, our research can only make significant contributions if it produces results that reliable and valid. Thus, several suggestions are offered in the paragraphs below for improving the quality of manuscripts, and enhancing the internal and external validity of research results.Strategies for improving manuscripts\nConclusion: In summary, this article was written to encourage authors to consider new research issues that may alleviate some of the problems that organizations and their members face in the twenty-first century. For example, researchers might examine strategies for:* enhancing employee well being in stressful times;* overcoming individual job loss;* ensuring that our leaders are ethical;* increasing the inclusion of outgroup members; and* dealing with the new multiculturalism in worldwide organizations.I also urge researchers to consider research on organizational interventions rather than just relational studies because they can be used to improve the effectiveness of organization and the work lives of individuals. The focus on interventions should help researchers in Applied Psychology use their knowledge to make significant contributions to society as a whole.The article also offered guidelines and suggestions for improving the manuscripts submitted for review at JMP. First, it was noted that good Introduction sections provide:* clear purpose;* review of the relevant theoretical and empirical research;* hypotheses that are stated as relations between variables; and* compelling justification for the study.Second, good Methods sections include a detailed description of the study's:design;participants;manipulations;measures; andanalyses.Third, the Results section should provide a complete and concise summary of the data and statistical analyses. Finally, manuscripts should include an in-depth Discussion section that evaluates and interprets the study's results, and highlights the importance of the study's findings. At JMP we also want all Discussion sections to provide clear implications for future theory, research, practice and society as a whole.In conclusion, I know that our field has made and will continue to make many important contributions to the wellbeing of individuals and the effectiveness of organizations. However, I hope that this article will inspire authors to create and disseminate new knowledge that can be used to enhance society as a whole.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The primary purposes of this article are to: consider strategies for generating new research ideas that make important contributions to society; offer suggestions for improving manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Managerial Psychology (JMP); and discuss methods for enhancing the validity of inferences made from research.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The article reviews the challenges facing individuals, organizations, and society in the twenty-first century. It also provides a review of the limitations of manuscripts submitted to JMP.\nFindings: - Authors need to consider new research issues that may alleviate some of the problems that organizations and their members face in the twenty-first century. The article also discusses some of the limitations of submissions to JMP, and suggests strategies for overcoming them.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This article has implications for the creation and dissemination of new knowledge in managerial psychology.\nPractical implications: - The article provides practical suggestions for enhancing the quality of manuscripts submitted to JMP, and increasing the validity of inferences made from research in the field.\nSocial implications: - The article urges authors to conduct research that makes important contributions to society. Thus, it has important implications for enhancing the well being of individuals, organizations, and society as a whole.\nOriginality/value: - The article provides a unique contribution to the literature because it considers the extent to which many of the most important research contributions in applied psychology have been triggered by the challenges that affect peoples' lives. It also offers suggestions for generating new research ideas that can be used to ameliorate the problems facing individuals and organizations in today's world.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Studying financial inclusion in north-east India	[ "Finance", "Banking", "Empirical study", "India", "Banks", "Rural areas", "Social inclusion", "Marketing strategy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Financial inclusion is defined as the process of ensuring access to financial services (savings, insurance, remittance, payments, etc.) and timely and adequate credit where needed by vulnerable groups such as weaker sections and low-income groups at an affordable cost. Globally, about 74 percent of World's population is excluded from formal banking sector; importance of financial inclusion is simply not overstated (Barclays, 2010). Countries with large proportion of population excluded from the formal financial sector show higher poverty ratios and higher inequalities (World Bank, 2006, 2008). Leyshon and Thrift (1995) and Carbo et al. (2005) visualize financial exclusion as a manifestation of the broader problem of social exclusion. In this regard, achieving complete financial inclusion is not just limited to solving monetary and financial crisis of marginalized and disadvantaged people, rather its ultimate objective lies in abolishing the state of social exclusion in the economy (Rangarajan, 2008). Social implications from exclusion arise when denial to institutional credit makes certain segments of population susceptible to fall trap to loan-sharks/money lenders. Moreover, a non-inclusive financial system is a barrier to attain high economic growth rate with sustainability, causing serious economic implications (Mehrotra et al., 2009). With the growing realization of the importance of inclusive financial system, there has emerged a consensus on the nature of financial inclusion as a public good.Financial inclusion has remained very low in developing countries. Amongst India's rural poor, 70 percent of marginal/landless farmers do not have a bank account and 87 percent have no access to credit from a formal source (Basu and Srivastava, 2005). Further, the National Sample Survey Organization has reported a meager 18 percent of the poorest households availing institutional borrowings (NSSO, 2006). The Index of financial inclusion (IFI) for India is as low as 0.2 (range of values of IFI lie between 0 and 1, 0 indicating complete financial exclusion and 1 complete inclusion). IFI is a measure of inclusiveness of the financial system of an economy measured along three dimensions (Sharma, 2008):1. banking penetration;2. availability of banking services; and3. usage of banking system.North-east region is one of the most secluded terrains of India with low levels of financial inclusion and high poverty (Sangwan, 2008; UIDAI, 2010). As per Chattopadhyay (2011) the level of financial inclusion for Assam and Meghalaya is very poor with extremely low IFI values of 0.13 and 0.21 respectively. Thus, there is pressing need for banks to realize their social obligation and to provide banking services to all on equitable basis. Moreover, the notion of perceived unprofitability of lending to poor is refuted by Lunt (1992) as he discusses the case of seven banks that have profited from serving the marginalized and disadvantaged groups. Also, the success of Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) - trade union for the women working in unorganized sector - in institutionalizing the provision of credit for poor women is noteworthy.In Indian context, most of the studies (Sharma, 2008; Sangwan, 2008) have used publicly available data to study the extent and determinants of financial inclusion. While research using primary data is limited and scarce, this paper is first of its kind to use primary data from geographically remote area such as north-east India. The strength of the study lies in fitting a logistic regression model to primary data collected from 411 households from two north-eastern states (Assam and Meghalaya) in India. The paper is also novel in its attempt to capture \"interaction effects\", which are bound to exist in real-life scenarios. In social science research, interactive models are held in high regard as they precisely uncover hidden relationships in data sets and significantly contribute to improvement in statistical significance of results (Friedrich, 1982). This paper reveals thought provoking results of interaction between few of the explanatory variables. Last, the paper attempts to explore the field of financial inclusion from the perspective of social banking, and in the process help the banks enhance their social role image. In conclusion, this paper is directed at following four objectives:1. to deepen the understanding of the factors which are crucial in determining the extent of financial inclusion in geographically remote areas;2. to explore/unravel statistically significant interaction effects between explanatory variables;3. to study efforts to expedite financial inclusion from the lens of social banking; and4. to suggest measures for banks to tap unexplored markets.The rest of the paper is structured as follows: section 2 covers literature on financial inclusion and social banking. Description of data and research methodology follows in section 3. Section 4 presents the results, followed by the interpretations. In section 5 we discuss the main findings (and practical implications) of our study and finally we conclude in section 6 by offering suggestions for banks to further the agenda of financial inclusion.\n2. Review of literature: 2.1 Financial exclusion and social banking\n3. Data and research methodology: 3.1 Sample data and study variables\n4. Findings and interpretations: 4.1 Results of logistic regression\n5. Discussions, policy implications and future work: Building on the results presented in the previous section, this section will elaborate and discuss further some of the findings, which are crucial from the policy perspective. Since only 18.32 percent of individuals have bank/Post Office accounts so the poor state of financial inclusion in north-east India remains a cause of concern. As a predictor variable, distance from Post Office interestingly emerges to be far significant than distance from bank. With increasing distance from Post Office the chances of inclusion also decline. This implies that even though Post Offices may not be providing advanced facilities like ATM, Credit Cards, e-banking etc. but the basic banking services provided by Post Offices suffices the needs of rural households of north-east India. Moreover, India's postal network has remarkable outreach in rural areas with 89 percent of the 1.55 lakh Post Offices in rural regions. The Post Office Savings Bank has more than 238 million savings accounts with an outstanding balance of Rs. 6 trillion (DOP, 2011). Thus, given the increased importance of Post Office bank services, GOI should not reduce their focus on Post Office banks as they are seen to significantly contribute to promoting financial inclusion.It is encouraging to see a statistically significant association between \"SHG awareness\" and financial inclusion. However, spread of SHGs in north-east is very poor (Rangarajan, 2008). In this context, promoting and nurturing SHGBLP, is a significant step towards social banking. As the success of SHGBLP to a large extent depends on the NGO working with the group, so in this context we call upon more efforts on part of banks to invest in capacity building of NGOs. In spite of Government policy of including in priority sector the loans given to SHGs the scale of borrowings of SHG clients remains low. This calls for banks and policy making bodies to rethink the conventional banking assumptions and cater to the fact that poor need financial services which are - flexible, reliable, continuous and convenient, in order to manage their low, irregular and unpredictable incomes (Morduch and Rutherford, 2003). Moreover, the SHG movement is envisioned to achieve not just financial inclusion but also poverty alleviation and other development outcomes such as livelihood promotion, women empowerment, addressing gender inequality issues etc. (Dwivedi, 2007). The importance of financial information from various sources is also established by the model. Such information (either from Government/ mass media/agents/friends) plays a crucial role in imparting financial literacy. In particular, financial information received from mass media / agents is a strong motivating factor for people to open bank accounts. However, banks seem to be inactive in disseminating financial information as only one household reported receiving such information from banks. This tells about the lack of reach of banking sector in north-east and is a cause of concern. From a policy perspective, Government should lay more stress on spreading financial information through various channels as such efforts can significantly contribute to reducing the knowledge barriers in the minds of people and bring them closer to banks (Lunt, 1992).Last, the interaction term in this model was explicitly included to explore if Government benefits (crediting MNREGA wages to bank account of beneficiaries) helped to promote financial inclusion in hilly areas. The results suggested that the intended outcome was not met in hilly areas as out of 130 respondents who reported receiving MNREGA wages, hardly 46 were included. The majority (65 percent) remained excluded. This calls for adherence to Government guidelines on giving benefits through bank account. The interaction term revealed a positive effect on inclusion for residents of plain terrain receiving government benefits, which can also be explained by presence of other favorable circumstances (such as education facilities, diverse income opportunities, connectivity, easy access to banking facilities etc). However, the challenges facing remote and hilly areas are multifaceted and perhaps the problem of financial exclusion in hilly areas is actually manifestation of broader problem of social exclusion.Some limitations of the study are: Knowing that literature identifies financial inclusion as a multidimensional statistic (comprising of access, availability and usage of banking services), this study is limited in its scope by considering the household as financially included simply on the basis of having a bank/Post Office account. Second, model fit can be further improved by including more number of explanatory variables which have not been currently included due to time constraints. Last, the study can be strengthened by increasing the sample size, geographical area covered and capturing qualitative data (such as trustworthiness of bankers/NGOs, attitude of respondents etc).\n6. Conclusions: Based on our sample, access to banking services in north-east India is very low with just 18.32 percent of the individuals being financially included and just 5.94 percent households availing bank credit. The vast unbanked population in these remote regions provides banks an opportunity to tap new markets. Though the paper uses data from north-east India the results can also be used for other remote areas. The findings of this research are helpful in understanding the influence of variety of factors on the access to banking services of north-east households. The findings are as follows: A natural spin-off of high income and high education profile of respondents is their financially included status. The significant contribution of SHG awareness in linking the marginalized with the formal banking institutions is revealed. Respondents are more likely to be financially included at closer distances from Post Office (as against banks). Financial information from various sources (which serves the role of financial education/advice and imparts financial literacy) has helped to increase inclusion. Thus banks and policy makers should work in close co-ordination to spread financial information as those efforts are seen to directly impact their business. Efforts from banks to spread financial information have made no headway, as only one respondent reported to receive financial information from the bank. In this regard we have two suggestions to offer:1. banks should persuade policy makers and Government to spread financial information, as those efforts are seen to directly impact their business; and2. banks should also take more interest in spreading financial information.The stand-alone effect of variables such as area terrain, receipt of government benefits and vehicle ownership is non-significant. The receipt of Government benefits has also not helped to promote inclusion in hilly areas. In this light, the Government guidelines on giving benefits through bank account have not been adhered to completely. Banks are suggested to put efforts to tap low-income households in hilly areas, as they are not just potential markets for banks, but catering to them is part of their social responsibility as well.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors which are crucial in determining the extent of financial inclusion in geographically remote areas. The study also aims to provide suggestive measures for banks to tap unexplored markets.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Primary data were collected via structured questionnaire from 411 households from the states of Assam and Meghalaya in north-east India. Factors significantly contributing to inclusion were identified using a logistic regression model.\nFindings: - Level of financial inclusion in north-east India remains very low. Income, financial information from various channels and awareness of self help groups (SHGs), and education are influential factors leading to inclusion. Nearness to post office banks increases the likelihood of inclusion. Factors like area terrain and receipt of government benefit individually do not facilitate inclusion. However, recipients of government benefits in plain areas show increased level of inclusion.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The study was restricted to north-east India, which limits the generalizability of the findings.\nPractical implications: - Banks and policy makers should work in close co-ordination to spread financial information as those efforts are seen to directly impact inclusion, thereby providing new business opportunities to banks.\nOriginality/value: - Using primary data, this study explores the potential predictors of financial inclusion in geographically remote areas. The study is unique in capturing the conditional relationships among variables which are bound to exist in real life scenarios. The findings of the paper are valuable for banks and policy makers.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Stage of development of a country and CSR disclosure - the latent driving forces	[ "Corporate social responsibility", "Developing countries", "Developed countries", "Attributes of CSR", "Regression model" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a buzzword in today's corporate world. It is being actively promoted by large global organizations such as the World Bank, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations and International Labor Organization through issuance of guidelines, principles, compacts and other instruments that draw on norms for responsible corporate conduct. Globalization and expansion of cross-country transactions have sensitized corporations in developed as well as developing nations toward issues pertaining to protection of environment, sustainability and human rights (Jamali et al., 2008). In addition, growing awareness among global consumers and global investors in relation to responsible business practices has stimulated CSR disclosure (Fifka and Pobizhan, 2014). However, the nature and extent of CSR disclosure varies among countries depending upon the stage of development of a country. Regarding two groups of nations, developing and developed economies, researchers have argued that developed economies are more committed to provide CSR information in contrast to developing economies. Chambers et al. (2003) examined CSR reporting in seven Asian countries against UK - the benchmark for Western CSR. The websites of largest 50 firms each from India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea were accessed for CSR disclosure. The results revealed that CSR uptake was lower in Asian countries in comparison to those in the West. Welford (2005) examined the written policies of companies on CSR in 15 nations in 3 geographical regions: Europe, Asia and North America and stated that Asian countries use CSR policies less often as compared to Europe and North America. Similarly, Vilar and Simao (2015) conducted study to examine CSR practices on the websites of 110 banks from 11 geographic regions and found that banks in developed countries present more CSR information than those in the less-developed countries. According to KPMG's (2013) International Corporate Social Responsibility Survey, America leads in CSR reporting with 76% of companies disseminating information of their CSR activities, closely followed by Europe with 73% reporting rate. Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa lag behind with reporting percentage of 71% and 54%, respectively.\n2. Review of literature: Several researchers have conducted cross-national CSR disclosure studies. Many of these studies support and endorse institutional theory as their theoretical framework. The institutional theory states that business practices are contextualized by the country's institutional framework in which they function (Matten and Moon, 2008). The firm's involvement in CSR activities is shaped by the government regulatory laws, interest groups and various agencies at individual, organizational and national level (Scott and Meyer, 1994). These institutional constituents define the rules of the game that govern firms' behavior, and thus, firms act in accordance with their institutional context to help them achieve legitimacy (North, 1990; Suchman, 1995). As there are differences in the elements that constitute \"Institutional\" set up, there is greater probability of differences in the understanding and adoption of CSR practices across different countries (Aguilera and Jackson, 2003; Matten and Moon, 2008; Jackson and Apostolakou, 2010). As such institutional attributes affecting CSR reporting also differ across countries.\n3. Hypotheses development: CSR disclosure tends to be influenced by various factors at micro as well as macro level (Chapple and Moon, 2005; Baughn et al., 2007; Li et al., 2010). The current study thus makes an attempt to evaluate various factors operating at the country level, the industry level and the firm level that are instrumental in affecting CSR disclosure practices in both developed and developing economies. These days, influence of board of directors is quite vital; hence corporate governance (CG) variables influencing CSR disclosure practices too have been identified.\n4. Database and methodology: The companies listed on major indices of leading stock exchanges of developing markets (BRICS) and of developed markets (USA and UK), namely, IBrX 100, 100 companies (Brazil); Broad Market Index, 100 companies (Russia); BSE 100, 100 companies (India); SSE 180, 180 companies (China); The Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE)/Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) All share index, 160 companies (South Africa); New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) 100, 100 companies (USA); and London Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100, 100 companies (UK) are selected. The companies that do not present any sort of CSR information or that report CSR information in language other than English are eliminated. Also, companies for which complete data of all independent variables is not available or companies with outliers for some of the independent variables are left out. The final sample comprises 42 companies for Brazil, 48 companies for Russia, 50 companies for India, 27 companies for China, 49 companies for South Africa, 47 companies for USA and 47 companies for UK. The disclosure of CSR information has been examined for the financial year 2014-2015. This year is a vantage point when selected countries have witnessed new developments in the field of CSR disclosure. For instance, in India from April 1, 2014 spending of the profits of preceding three years on CSR activities was mandated by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. In China, in the same year, Ministry of Commerce of the People Republic of China issued a regulation that required Chinese companies operating overseas to adopt social responsibility. During this year, G3 of sustainability reporting guidelines were replaced by G4 guidelines, another benchmark toward social issues. Thus, it is perceived that capturing 2014-2015 would best highlight the efforts of countries toward CSR contributions.\n5. Results and analysis: 5.1 Descriptive statistics\n6. Conclusion: The study investigates the impact of various country level, industry level, firm level and CG variables on CSR disclosure practices of companies in developing and developed nations. In this endeavor, the study emphasizes on CSR disclosures in the CSR reports of 310 companies listed on stock exchanges of developing (BRICS) and of developed markets (USA and UK) using content analysis. The findings of the study exhibit that CSR disclosure is influenced by factors both at micro and macro level. However, institutional and company-specific factors tend to impact CSR disclosure in two groups of nations - developing and developed - differently. In developing nations, country's governance environment, globalization and income inequality are found to have significant influence on CSR reporting. On the other hand, in developed nations, country's governance environment exerts positive influence on CSR reporting, though the impact is statistically insignificant. Among firm-related factors, there is a positive and significant impact of firm's size on CSR disclosure in developing countries while insignificant impact is found for developed countries. International listing has positive and significant influence on the extent of CSR disclosure in the case of developed countries, and for developing countries, the results are statistically insignificant. With respect to CG variables, CSR disclosure has positive and significant association with board size for developing countries, and for developed countries, the results show insignificant association. Apart from certain distinct variables affecting CSR disclosure practices in developed and developing countries, there are certain common factors influencing CSR disclosure in these two groups of countries. The variable \"industry\" is found to be a significant determinant of CSR disclosure in both developing and developed countries. As regards board independence and CSR committee, positive and significant relation with CSR disclosure is found in both developing and developed countries.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of various determinants at the country level, the industry level, the firm level and the corporate governance (CG) level on the extent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in the group of developing and developed nations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data set comprises 310 companies listed on stock exchanges of developing and developed markets (Brazil - IBrX 100, 42 companies; Russia - Broad Market Index; 48 companies; India - Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) 100, 50 companies; China - Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) 180, 27 companies; South Africa - The Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE)/Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) All Share index, 49 companies; the USA - New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) 100, 47 companies; and the UK - London Stock Exchange (LSE) 100, 47 companies). CSR disclosure is measured through CSR disclosure index. Five separate regression models are run to investigate the impact of the factors that affect the extent of CSR disclosure.\nFindings: The findings reveal that CSR disclosure is influenced by factors both at micro and macro levels. Governance environment, globalization and income inequality are found to be significant determinants of CSR disclosure for developing countries. International listing significantly influences CSR disclosure in the developed countries. The results also exhibit that board with large proportion of independent directors, high presence of CSR committee and environmental sensitive industries are more likely to engage in CSR disclosure practices in developing as well as in developed nations.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study implicates that varied factors - at country level, industry level, firm level and CG level - need assessment to know their impact differently in countries at different stages of economic development. However, longitudinal study covering longer period would lead to better generalization of results.\nPractical implications: The findings of this present study implicate that managers must evaluate country's political, social and economic forces and not just rely on company-level indicators affecting disclosure. Policymakers in emerging nations must emphasize on improving country governance features to enhance CSR disclosure of companies. Developing countries must respect and conform to rules and regulations while going global. More endeavors should be made to raise awareness about the benefits of CSR disclosure on reducing income inequality among companies listed on stock exchanges of developing countries. Emerging nations should follow developed nations in assuming responsibility toward stakeholders in foreign markets. This study also recommends regulatory bodies in both developing and developed countries to frame stringent policies regarding CG for improving CSR disclosure by companies.\nOriginality/value: This study overcomes the limitations of prior literature by considering both country- and company-specific determinants in prominent group of developing (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and developed (the USA and the UK) countries.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Information resources used by children at an English secondary school: Perceived and actual levels of usefulness	[ "Children (age groups)", "Secondary schools", "Information research", "Information retrieval", "Information literacy", "England" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The school\nMethodology: Group discussions about information resources\nResults: Three measures of usefulness\nDiscussion and conclusions: The NGfL funding referred to earlier has allowed almost all English schools to provide online access for students. This, together with widespread media coverage, has resulted in the Internet having an extremely high profile. These factors have clearly been reflected in the focus of most of the recent research on children's information seeking. Given such an emphasis amongst policy makers, researchers, educationalists and the media, it was only to be expected that the Internet was perceived by the students in this study to be such an important information resource. It is therefore something of a surprise that there were so few uses of the Internet reported by students.Nevertheless, the profile of the students' information space that emerges from this study is in accordance with that found elsewhere. Case (2002), for example, in a review of research on the information seeking behaviours of children, found that, like the students at The City School, the children in these studies tended to make greater use of people-based information sources than of artefact-based information sources. This accords with Shenton's observation that young people tend \"to use the most accessible information sources first, before looking further afield\" (Shenton, 2004).Perhaps one of the most interesting findings of this study was the way in which the information spaces of the participating children changed as they progressed through their schooling; so people-based information sources declined in importance, relative to artefact-based resources. The reason given above is that their studies become more specialised, and the students more expert. Older students therefore, are able to make an informed assessment of the information sources they use. This conclusion is supported to some extent by the work of Shenton and Dixon (2003c). They found that it was unusual for children to question the accuracy of information provided by adults due to the children \"having little knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of using different people as information sources.\" This, they observed, \"is especially prevalent among young children\". Even amongst very young students however, such an age-related shift in behaviour associated with information-seeking has been noted (Cooper, 2004)\nRecommendations for further research: The usage of information resources by participating students varied according to the subject being researched, and according to the age of the student. This suggests three key areas for future research:1. Further knowledge of the way in which use of information resources depends on the subject of study would clearly be useful to educationalists, and could prove of value in the preparation of courses on information literacy.2. Students began by consulting the most readily available sources of information (usually relatives); but increasingly, as they grew older, they consulted other sources of information. Clearly the change from the relatively simple studies of Key Stage 3 to the more complicated topics covered at Key Stage 4 is a factor. This could be for two reasons:* students are motivated to change their information-seeking behaviour because the most convenient resources could no longer answer their questions; and* students have acquired greater competence in accessing the information resources being employed. If the latter is the case, it would be useful to know what contribution is made by lessons designed to teach appropriate information literacy skills.3. It seems reasonable to suppose that there is a link between the cognitive developments associated with growing up, and changes in information seeking behaviour. Such an association has been little explored in the information studies literature, but research in this area could yield some interesting results.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this research is to study the information-seeking habits of children at an English secondary school. Data from two different research exercises were collated in order to provide an insight into how students perceived and used a range of information resources.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In the first research exercise, groups of children from each academic year were asked to discuss a set of information resources and to rank them according to perceived usefulness. In the second, students were asked to report, throughout the school year, on the resources they used to complete homework assignments.\nFindings: - The findings from these two exercises are best interpreted by using them to provide the answers to three questions: Which information resources did students consider to be the most useful? Which information resources did students use the most? When an information resource was referred to, how likely was it that students found it to be useful? The rankings differed considerably, depending on which question was being asked.\nOriginality/value: - The results gave an insight into how different information resources were used for different subjects. They also provide evidence of the fact that students' reliance on other people as an information source begins to decline as they get older, and there is a corresponding increase in their use of books and electronic information sources.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
US innovation is secure	[ "Innovation", "Developing countries", "Communication technologies", "Multinational companies" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: There have been concerns in the US Congress that rising education in countries like India and China may take away US competitiveness. There are thoughts that a national response may be needed, similar to the NASA moon mission, to boost US research to meet such threats. Now it is thought knowledge can migrate outside country boundaries faster than in previous times via the internet, hiring people, and buying companies. Less developed countries (LDCs) now have their own multi-national corporations (MNCs). These issues were discussed by Abeles (2008) in this journal.\nConditions of economic growth: The operation of the trends through out the Business Trends Library assumes economic growth. For most of man's history this growth has been very slow - and does not cause society to change significantly during a human life.There have been occasions when large economic contractions have occurred (when the trends tend to operate backwards). For most of history economic growth has not altered significantly the lot of the bulk of the people.Thus conditions of sizeable economic growth are relatively rare in the historical time scale. This makes it a little easier to deal with what is otherwise a very complex issue. Each sector of the Business Trends Library is subjected to historical analysis from the lowest economic level (Whaley, 1984). Taking the conditions of economic growth as a sector, the results of this historical analysis are set out in Figure 1.There appear to be four factors common to societies that have significant economic growth (shown on the left of the diagram):1. Surplus wealth available to some members of society.2. Robbery has been an important feature (from the agricultural revolution onwards); it is not conceptually possible to distinguish it from tribute (where a stronger group takes the production from weaker groups), nor later forms of this, taxation. We lump them all together, and call them robbery, tribute and taxes (RTT) - and measure the proportion of wealth retained by producers after RTT.3. Degrees of freedom, especially freedom of movement and freedom to trade. Low freedoms tend to produce restricted freedoms of thought, and therefore of the growth of knowledge and invention.4. Safety within society, ordered conditions, etc. One will not send a pack-horse train if it is unlikely to reach its destination.Great accuracy in scaling these factors cannot be expected - one can do little better than scale a society high, medium or low. But areas of the diagram associated with different growth rates from history are indicated.It is generally necessary to divide up society into number of different groups. Figure 2 shows this done for the UK at present. The arrows show the forecast movement in the future.It should be noted that a person may be a member of several groups. An average person spends his own money, but also may hold office, e.g. among the rulers (politician, bureaucrat, etc.).The reader may be inclined to give higher scores than those given (which result from more detailed analysis). This does not matter, since it is the direction of movement in the future that is important (i.e. the general drift to the left of the diagram suggests lower economic growth in the future) - and there is likely to be more agreement on this.It can be seen there is a general drift to the dangerous low area. If it were not for the underground economy and MNCs moving generally in the other direction, we would have doubts about western economic growth being sustained.A very small number of countries, which includes the US and UK, are moving out of the mass production phase of economic development, into the new highest level, which we call the post-industrial. These considerations of the conditions of economic growth should sustain post-industrial growth at the moderate rate, perhaps around that witnessed by the UK since 1750s (but this may not be reflected in economic statistics because of the underground economy). The US is likely to score somewhat higher, with lower taxation and higher wealth levels than the UK. These issues and other related ones were formed into a Delphi for major areas of the world (Whaley, 1979). These show that North America scored higher than UK, and were far higher than the newly industrialising countries being discussed today. Whether a country or region continues to grow economically is not affected by other regions growing - indeed greater wealth levels elsewhere form business opportunities to exploit.\nWorld development: New world trading patterns\nThe post-industrial country: The capabilities of a country can be represented by a pyramid, as shown in Figure 5. On the face of the pyramid are all the activities concerned with making things. On the left side of the pyramid are the activities mainly or largely concerned with information flow. On a side not visible can be depicted activities of the service economy.For a country to advance technologically it generally needs a sound base of lower technologies. If its pyramid is \"moth eaten\", it soon finds it has not got the capabilities that it needs to move ahead (e.g. the Russian moon program).There are very few countries with the full range of capabilities. Depending on how one defines the high technologies, there are between two and four (including the US and the UK).Post-industrial changes\nConclusions: On the dimensions considered important: the conditions of economic growth, the new world trading patterns through MNCs, and the range of capabilities available to a country - the US and a very few other countries are far ahead of the MRCs and LDCs which are cited as threats. Policy makers, with their additional concern to see the rest of the world develop, may be wise to consider how these lower level countries are to earn their living. Just because they may take on roles currently being done by the post-industrials does not necessarily mean it is bad. In any event the MNCs will see to it that it does happen if it is profitable to them. These bodies increasingly have minds of their own, and are likely to grow in size and overtake some of the smaller future post-industrial countries - the US, however, should be spared this fate.The notion cited that knowledge once created is footloose, particularly because of the Internet, is suspect. One might be able to get information about almost anything by such means - but can you trust it, and is it of much value to you without very many highly trained and experienced people? You could find out the elements of a nuclear bomb, but you also need an army of highly experienced nuclear scientists and engineers. The tightly guarded bundles of capabilities that form the competitiveness of a business firm cannot be regarded as in danger of leaking through country boundaries - which anyway are becoming less relevant. There is nothing new about hiring people, while buying firms is notoriously difficult to reap synergy benefits.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide a short comment on the current US innovation concerns and a recent paper by Tom Abeles.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Extracts are given from the Business Trends Library showing the relationship of the advanced (post-industrial) countries with the rest of the world. Insights are given into the rising importance of the multi-national corporations.\nFindings: - The post-industrial countries have overwhelming advantage over the rest of the world, with very different world development roles played by both sides. The multi-national corporations act as the organs of transfer of technology to the less developed world.\nOriginality/value: - The importance of how innovation and business development arises in the post industrials and how it is defused is shown.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Market efficiency and the basis in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme : New evidence from non linear mean reverting unit root tests	[ "Emissions trading", "Basis", "ESTAR models" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) commenced operating in 2005 and has since succeeded in becoming the worlds leading market for trading greenhouse gas (GHG) emission allowances. As of December 2012 the EU-ETS has completed both Phase I (2005-2007) and Phase II (2008-2012) of its operations, and is now commencing Phase III (2012-2020). Despite continuing economic turmoil in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008-2009, weak industrial activity in the EU, and fears the European sovereign debt crisis might trigger a double-dip recession, the value of the market has continued to grow. In 2011 year on year growth was 11 per cent, rising to a total value of US$176 billion (126 billion). Transaction volumes reached a new high of 10.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). EU Allowance (EUA) trading volumes increased, reaching 7.9 billion tons of CO2e, valued at US$148 billion (106 billion)[1]. The increases in overall market value occurred despite a steep price decline in 2011[2], and was entirely driven by the increases in transaction volumes. Prices have not recovered since. The spot EUA price on 6 December 2012 was 6.00 exactly as it was on 30 December 2011.\n2. Theoretical relationship between spot and futures prices in the EU-ETS: Trading in EUA spot, futures, and options contracts takes place at a number of exchanges across Europe; these include (until recently) Bluenext in Paris, ICE/ECX in London, EEX in Leipzig, and Nordpool in Oslo. Because EUAs are only needed once a year for compliance purposes, and there is little reason to hold the spot instrument, 95 per cent of the EU-ETS market is in forwards and futures.\n3. Spot and futures pricing in the EU-ETS: The EU-ETS has only been in operation since the beginning of January 2005, so that the time series of data available for analysis are still somewhat limited. Nevertheless, a number of studies of this market are already available. However, none of these examine the spot-futures basis. They include the following;\n4. Specification and estimation of STAR models: Recall from Equation (3) the degree of misalignment between future and spot prices (the basis) is computed as:\n5. Data: The data used for our analysis were obtained from Commodity Research Bureau Inc. and Bluenext. Until its closure on 5 December 2012 Bluenext was the benchmark reference for EUA spot prices. That role is now likely to pass to the European Energy Exchange (EEX) in Leipzig which won the contract to auction new EUA's in a primary market away from Bluenext. Our data consisted of daily closing prices for Bluenext spot EUA allowances from 24 June 2005 to 5 December 2012, together with daily closing prices for ICE ECX[8] December EUA futures contracts for all trading dates and expiration years between 22 April 2005 and 5 December 2012, obtained from Commodity Research Bureau Inc. ICE ECX is the most liquid exchange for trading EUA futures contracts. On any given trading date there are several different expiration years available for the December EUA futures contract, so that prices are available for contracts with both long and short maturities. Thus, our data set covers Phase I and II of EU-ETS (2005-2012) in its entirety, and comprises the complete price history of both EUA spot and futures contracts as of 5 December 2012.\n6. Linear and non-linear unit root tests: 6.1 ADF tests\n7. Results: 7.1 Linear unit root tests\n8. Conclusions: In this paper, we investigate the spot-futures basis by examining the time series properties of futures relative to their spot prices for the EU-ETS, over the time period 2005-2010. Using linear unit root tests we discover that for both Phase I and II of the scheme futures deviations from their spot prices follow a non-stationary process. A possible explanation for these findings could be that we need to allow the speed of adjustment to vary with the distance of the futures price from the spot price in the EU-ETS. This process is captured with the use of the ESTAR unit root test. Once we apply the ESTAR unit root test to the data, we find that futures relative to their spot prices follow a stationary process, implying efficiency in the EU-ETS market in both Phase I and II. Given the relatively low power of standard unit root tests and the scant literature on the EU-ETS, this appears to be an important empirical result. Our findings provide insights into the functioning of the EU-ETS market, and suggest that it is informationally efficient and does not permit arbitrage opportunities between spots and futures. EU-ETS market efficiency is vital for environmental policy, as the cap & trade approach needs to be demonstrably effective if it is to be rolled out globally, and to date it is the only approach to GHG emission abatement that has received substantial international political support.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the validity of the cost of carry model by examining the time series properties of the deviation between future and spot prices in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) over the time period 2005-2012. The paper utilizes a non-linear mean reverting adjustment mechanism, and discovers that although deviations of future from spot prices can exhibit a region of non-stationary behaviour, overall they are stationary indicating market efficiency in the trading of carbon permits.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The methodology involves non-linear mean reverting unit root tests.\nFindings: The findings provide insights into the functioning of the EU-ETS market. They suggest that it is informationally efficient and does not permit arbitrage between spots and futures.\nOriginality/value: The authors are the first study to examine efficiency in the EU-ETS by investigating the validity of the cost of carry model. The authors are also the only study to look at efficiency in both Phase I and Phase II of the scheme.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Asynchronous learning sources in a high-tech organization	[ "Workplace training", "Self managed learning", "E‐learning", "Employees" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In his analysis of modern economical society, Drucker (1993) explains that since the employee is the organization's main resource - its knowledge agent - the organization must invest in enhancing its knowledge and skills. To enable this, firms and employees frequently employ asynchronous learning resources. Asynchronous sources are characterized by the fact that their accessibility with respect to time and place is solely dependent on the information seeker who does not need to maintain direct interaction with a guide or group. The asynchronous learning process involves actions such as forwarding a query to an expert via e-mail, discussion forums, presentations, recorded lectures, research and online information resources.The terms \"asynchronous learning\" and \"e-learning\" are frequently used interchangeably (Levy, 2007) as usually electronic devices and tools such as computers and internet are used in these types of learning. In our definition of asynchronous learning there is a distinction between these types of learning. For example, while learning via an online forum constitutes asynchronous e-learning, however, learning via chat or instant messaging is synchronous e-learning.In this study we measure and characterize the effects of asynchronous learning on the workplace and the R&D employees who utilize them.To characterize the effects of asynchronous learning we develop and measure four constructs pertaining asynchronous sources as learning sources. These constructs correspond to the four research questions of this paper. The first three constructs/research questions focus on the effects on the R&D employee whereas the fourth measures the effect on the workplace:1. Self-learning - the dispositions of R&D personnel towards self-learning.2. Usage - the degree to which asynchronous sources were used during the process of self-learning.3. Satisfaction - the extent of satisfaction gained by the use of asynchronous sources for learning.4. Effect on workplace - the positive effects of using asynchronous information sources on the working process of R&D personnel and the creation of an expert community of practice.In addition, we explore the advantages and disadvantages of the asynchronous sources as seen and experienced by the R&D personnel.The R&D sector was chosen for this study because R&D personnel are situated at the center of the organization's product knowledge and development. Moreover, R&D personnel engage in a continuous process of learning in order to remain abreast of technological advances in their particular research fields (see Sharpe and Guilbaud, 2005). Additionally, R&D personnel, especially within high-tech companies, have full access to asynchronous information sources and are highly computer-proficient. Our research then does not focus on a population that avoids using asynchronous sources due to technological ignorance; rather, it investigates the contribution of asynchronous information sources to a technologically-savvy worker.The central implications of this research are that organizations must complement the informal, asynchronous learning with other informal and formal learning. Managers should implement the following recommendations to accomplish this optimally:* Consult with employees as to what they need most to complement the asynchronous sources.* Put more emphasize on measuring satisfaction from asynchronous sources to predict the value of these sources to the organization.* Encourage and ensure the creation of an expert community of practice and support and maintain it thereafter.\nLiterature review: Asynchronous learning in the workplace lies at the intersection between the fields of informal learning, self-learning and organizational learning.Informal learning\nResearch questions: Macpherson et al. (2005, p. 45) review the corporate university concept and conclude that the \"evaluation of the adoption of e-learning needs to be more sophisticated and to attend to the learner's experience and behavioral outcomes\". The following research questions attempt to capture different aspects of the learner's experience and attitudes as well as the outcome of his learning with respect to the workplace.While studies such as Hiemstra (1994) claim that individuals prefer self-learning, other studies, such as Smith (2003), Billett (2004), Anuaradha (1995) and Jarvinen and Poikela(2001), point to the lack of direct contact as burdening the learning and process. The importance of the worker's attitude is also discussed in Park and Wentling (2007) who find that prior attitudes are a strong predictor to the success of the learning program. We therefore begin our inquiry by testing the attitudes of R&D personnel in our firm towards self-learning. Formally:RQ1. What are the dispositions of employees towards self-learning?This question comprises five items: whether employees find self-learning as burdening; the level of self-discipline required from them; whether they miss the direct contact with a teacher; whether they miss the direct contact with their colleagues and whether they generally prefer self learning to teacher directed learning.Next, we turn to examine the use of asynchronous sources by R&D employees of the organization. Van Hout-Wolters et al. (2002) explain that self-directed learning results from the need for problem solving. Similarly, Conlon (2004) and Owen (2001) observe, informal learning's importance is its context of defining and solving problems.RQ2. What are the extent and purposes of the use of asynchronous sources during the learning process?This question comprises the following items: how often the employee uses the asynchronous sources; whether he/she uses these sources for exploration of new subjects and whether these sources are used for problem solving.Levy (2007) finds that satisfaction from the asynchronous sources is a key indicator to what extent and how effectively these sources will be used. Sachs and Hale (2003), too, claim that satisfaction from asynchronous sources is an important factor to consider in asynchronous learning. We turn to examine whether employees are satisfied with the results provided by these sources.RQ3. To what degree are employees satisfied with the learning attained through the use of asynchronous sources for learning?This question comprises eight items. The first four pertain to the relevance; level of update; completeness and timeliness. The other four items are whether the employee refers his colleagues to these sources; whether the asynchronous sources are as good as alternative, traditional, learning sources; whether these sources resulted with a burden to the daily schedule and whether asynchronous learning is suitable to the field in which the company specializes.In addition to the research questions focusing on the sources-employees relationship we are also investigating possible effects of the sources on the workplace itself. Specifically, we are interested on whether the asynchronous sources affect the employees working process and whether these sources contributed to the formation of expert community of practice as reported by Hu et al. (2008), Owen (2001) and Wenger and Snyder (2000).RQ4. What is the effect of using asynchronous information sources on the working process of R&D personnel and the creation of an expert community of practice?This question comprises six items. The first four are whether the sources improved time management; whether the sources changed working patterns; whether the sources provided additional tools for coping with professional problems and whether the sources added new working modes. Two additional items are indicators of the formation of an expert community of practice. These are whether the employee discovered other people in the organization sharing the same problems and whether study groups were formed.\nMethodology: Both quantitative and qualitative research methodology were employed in this study. Data were primarily gathered through a questionnaire administered to participants in person. Interviews were also conducted to establish the background of the organization and the information sources available to its employees.The questionnaire is comprised of two parts. The first part is a quantitative, closed-ended questionnaire that includes statements referring to asynchronous sources. These statements are provided in Tables I-IV. A Likert scale is used to create a numeral ladder from 1 to 6 expressing the degree of participant agreement with the statements, where 1 denotes complete disagreement and 6 denotes complete agreement. These statements are grouped into four constructs:1. self-learning;2. satisfaction;3. usage; and4. effect on workplace.Cronbach's alpha index is used to test the internal reliability. Cronbach's alpha is 0.77 for the usage construct, 0.72 for the satisfaction construct, 0.73 for the effect on workplace construct, which indicates a strong reliability (Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994). Cornbach's alpha for the self-learning construct is 0.63, indicating a moderate reliability (Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994). The second part of the questionnaire is an open-ended question asking participants about the advantages and disadvantages of asynchronous learning sources.Population of study\nResults: We examine the implications of the use of asynchronous sources on the work process of R&D personnel by developing and measuring four constructs: self-learning, usage, satisfaction and effect on workplace. In addition, we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the asynchronous sources as seen and experienced by the R&D personnel.Self-learning construct\nDiscussion: The high usage and satisfaction emphasize the general importance of asynchronous sources to the employees and consequently, to the organization. These results support and complement previous research conducted by Conlon (2004). The high agreement to B3, C1 and D3 (Tables V, III and IV, respectively) suggests that these sources are regarded as adaptable and practical, in accordance with the findings of Hager (2004), and Billett (2004). The open-ended part of the questionnaire reinforces these findings as participants stress the flexibility and convenience of the asynchronous sources as an advantage. Furthermore, the strong agreement with B2 and B3 (Table V) indicates that these sources are also used to solve new and unexpected problems. These findings provide further support for Keeling et al.'s (1998) discovery that employees view the asynchronous sources as a tool for solving problems on hand in addition to general-purpose learning.Upon consideration of our results, we find some contradictions between the high degree of asynchronous source usage/satisfaction and certain attitudes towards these sources. There are a number of examples to this ambivalence:* Employees do not agree that these sources are superior to other types of sources (C6, Table III).* Participants fear that the sources sometimes provide partial information (C3, Table III).* As in McKavanagh (1996), we find that employees complain about the lack of direct contact with peers and advisors (A3 and A4, Table II).* The open-ended comments raise many concerns of employees with respect to the asynchronous sources: Many times it is difficult to find the information, to filter the irrelevant information and then to verify its accuracy.These conflicting attitudes towards asynchronous sources extend recent research reporting the advantages and disadvantages of using asynchronous sources. In our opinion, these seemingly contradicting results should be used to advise managers about how to improve the utilization of these sources by employees and how to supplement them with other informal and formal sources. Specifically, we suggest that managers consult with employees as to what they need most to complement the asynchronous sources. For example, employees may want other types of sources, such as an expert authority, for verification of the information or to supplement partial information that was obtained via the asynchronous sources. By coupling asynchronous sources with other information sources the organization may avoid many of the disadvantages associated with the asynchronous sources, thus better utilizing them.Similar to Levy (2007) we find a positive correlation between the Satisfaction and Usage constructs. Satisfaction is also highly correlated with the effect on workplace. Therefore, in parallel to Sachs and Hale (2003), we may suggest that managers should put emphasize on measuring satisfaction from asynchronous sources to predict the value of these sources to the organization.We found that attitudes are positively correlated with the degree of use of the asynchronous sources. This result resonates with Park and Wentling (2007) who find that computer attitudes enhance the success of e-learning and its effectiveness.Our results further expand current research with respect to the creation of an expert community of practice. Despite theoretical predictions about the creation of an expert community (see Hager, 2004), we find a relatively low indication of this phenomenon in our research (D5 and D6, Table IV). We therefore conclude that the formation of an expert community does not necessarily take place. Therefore, to take advantage of this phenomenon, managers must actively encourage and monitor the creation of this process.A positive link was detected between the level of using asynchronous sources and the effects on the work process (see Table VI). Hence, the more these sources are used, the more positive the implications are on the work process. This provides an additional reason for managers to motivate employees to use asynchronous sources.Generalizability\nConcluding remarks: Asynchronous sources are overwhelmingly important to the success of the modern firm and capture the lion's share of employees' learning sources. As a consequence, it is important to understand these sources, how employees utilize them and how to empower employees to better exploit them. This research raises three possible recommendations to managers in the organization with respect to asynchronous sources. First, due to the conflicting attitudes with respect to the sources, managers should consult with employees as to what they need most to complement these sources. Second, the high correlation between satisfaction and the positive effect of the sources implies that managers must emphasize measuring satisfaction from asynchronous sources to predict the value of these sources to the organization. Finally, as the creation of an expert community of practice is not guaranteed, it is recommended that managers encourage and ensure the creation of an expert community and support and maintain it thereafter.There is need for further examination of the implications of the use of asynchronous sources on the work course of R&D personnel. The various aspects of the use of asynchronous sources may include the influence of the work environment (physical and organizational) on the employee's learning process during working hours. Also, we suggest examining the sources used most frequently by R&D personnel, in order to enable an educated development of asynchronous tools designed for the needs of such personnel, thus rendering the learning and working processes more efficient and assisting the employing organization in the development of its human capital. Finally, this study may be expanded to other organizations and geographic locations to examine culture- and venue-dependent differences.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this study is to characterize learning from asynchronous sources among research and development (R&D) personnel. It aims to examine four aspects of asynchronous source learning: employee preferences regarding self-learning; extent of source usage; employee satisfaction with these sources and the effect of the sources on the workplace.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A total of 120 R&D employees of a high-tech firm were administered questionnaires consisting of open-ended and close-ended questions regarding different features of asynchronous learning.\nFindings: - The study finds that a synchronous sources are highly utilized by employees and are used both for general-purpose learning and solving specific problems. Despite the high usage and satisfaction from these sources, we do not find evidence to support the creation of an expert community of practice.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The research is limited to a single, albeit large, firm. Possibly, in different organizational, cultural or geographical settings, expert communities of knowledge may be created in a more pronounced manner.\nPractical implications: - Managers should: consult with employees as to what they need most to complement the asynchronous sources; put more emphasize on measuring satisfaction from asynchronous sources to predict the value of these sources to the organization; and encourage and ensure the creation of an expert community of practice and support and maintain it thereafter.\nOriginality/value: - Empirical research about the implications of asynchronous sources on the workplace is scarce. This paper complements previous research and provides new insight into understanding these effects.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How to assess the corporate parenting strategy? A conceptual answer	[ "Corporate strategy", "Parenting advantage", "Multi‐business firm", "Parent companies", "Performance measures" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: There is a considerable stream of research claiming that multi-business companies are at a valuation disadvantage compared to their focused peers. Empirical studies show, however, that valuation discounts of diversified firms vary strongly by region, over time, and especially by company sample (Palich et al., 2000). For example, in a recent study The Boston Consulting Group and HHL - Leipzig Graduate School of Management analyzed more than 1,100 diversified and focused companies over the period from 2005 through 2009 and found that the average conglomerate discount in Western Europe and North America shrank to -6.0 percent and -7.2 percent, respectively. In the Asia-Pacific region, a very small average conglomerate discount was transformed into a conglomerate premium (Beckmann et al., 2012). Overall, the study found that more than 50 percent of the companies in the sample had a conglomerate premium by 2009. This supports the conclusion of many observers that it is not so much the degree of diversity that drives the value of a company but rather the way this diversity is managed by the corporate parent - its corporate parenting strategy.But how can the parenting strategy of a corporate parent be described and analyzed? This paper tries to answer this question by outlining a comprehensive theory-based framework of parenting activities that may add or destroy value to the businesses in the corporate portfolio. The framework can also be used by corporate practitioners to understand the current implicit parenting strategy of their company, assess its performance and adjust it for improving the net corporate value creation.The theoretical foundation of the framework is the concept of parenting advantage as presented by Goold et al. (1994). The concept claims that a company should strive to be the best possible owner for the businesses in its portfolio, or sell them at favorable terms to a better owner. In order to achieve parenting advantage, the characteristics of the corporate parent must be compatible with the critical success factors of the businesses and their specific needs. In this way, parenting advantage should determine in which operational activities a company invests its financial and managerial resources and how the corporate parent influences the business units under its control.After its introduction in the mid-1990s, the concept of parenting advantage was quickly adopted by many standard textbooks on strategic management and corporate strategy, and became a major component in MBA curriculums at most international business schools. Several academic studies demonstrated that the concept is relevant for strategy formulation, corporate governance, and portfolio management at corporate level (e.g. Sadtler, 1999; Junnonen, 1998; Moore and Birtwistle, 2005; Mishra and Akbar, 2007; Kruehler and Pidun, 2011). However, its broader application has not lived up to expectations. We assume that this is mainly due to the fact that the concept has not been sufficiently operationalized to the level of specific value-adding activities.This paper aims to close this gap. To this end, we will:* concretize the concept of parenting advantage by identifying specific corporate activities that add or destroy value; and* summarize and systemize all activities in a holistic framework for assessing the implicit parenting strategy of a given company.We thus lay the conceptual basis for defining the specific parenting advantage of a multi-business firm and for identifying and evaluating consistent and effective corporate parenting strategies in management practice.\nWhat is the parenting advantage concept?: In the 1990s, Goold, Campbell and Alexander introduced the parenting advantage concept as a guideline for strategic decisions at the corporate level. The concept is meant to serve as an aid in selecting and managing businesses. The main criteria are the competencies and capabilities offered by the corporate parent; the needs of the business units; and the value created for the business units by the activities of the corporate parent. The concept is rooted in the theories of competitive strategy (Porter, 1985) and the role of the center (Chandler, 1962).The concept of parenting advantage is clearly distinguished from the widely known concept of core competencies (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990). Goold et al. criticize the core competence theory's sole focus on technical or operative core competencies and the resulting failure to deliver practical guidelines for the formulation of an overall company strategy and inability to explain the existence of successful diversified multi-business companies. The concept of parenting advantage picks up the thread at this articulated deficit and demands that the corporate parent not only formulates a successful overall strategy, but also provides evidence that it is the best possible owner of each individual business in the corporate portfolio. Consequently, corporate parents should not only endow the business units with value; they must also guarantee that the value they contribute is greater than the costs they cause, and that this net value is the highest among all potential owners. Otherwise, the corporate strategy is suboptimal and destroys shareholder value. According to the original concept of parenting advantage, corporate parents have four direct ways to create value for business units:1. stand-alone influence;2. linkage influence;3. central functions and services; and4. corporate development activities.The key prerequisite for the corporate parent being able to create value for its businesses is the fit between its characteristics and the needs of the businesses. Since the individual sub-units within a corporate portfolio are generally distinguished by different success factors, development potential, and challenges, the corporate headquarters must parent them individually, focusing on their particular needs.There are a variety of studies within strategic management research discussing the impact of corporate headquarters activities (value adding as well as loss preventing) and the effect of different parenting approaches (e.g. Collis et al. 2007; Van Oijen and Douma, 2000; Hill, 1988; Doz and Prahalad, 1984; Bower, 1970). Most of them use exploratory research methods and refine through their empirical results our current understanding of different headquarter strategies. However, we could not find published research in the strategic management and corporate strategy literature that describes what an appropriate framework for specifying a corporation's parenting advantage could look like and how to conceptually determine consistent and effective parenting strategies.\nHolistic framework for assessing corporate parenting strategies: We define a corporate parenting strategy as the consistent and effective combination of value creating activities, resulting either from direct corporate parent activities or from the composition of the portfolio (interactions between businesses without direct intervention of the corporate parent). Consequently, a major prerequisite for an effective framework for assessing parenting strategies is to capture both origins of value-creating influences: the direct/vertical one between the corporate parent and the businesses as well as the compositional/horizontal one among the various business units. Only the explicit and balanced consideration of both sources allows a comprehensive picture of value added and value destroyed in a multi-business company to be drawn.R1. The framework should incorporate both the direct/vertical and the compositional/horizontal perspective on value creation.The original concept of parenting advantage considers not only the value creation by the corporate parent but also the value-destroying effects of its activities. A key premise is that corporate parents have to make sure that their value-adding activities do not lead to value destruction exceeding any value that has been created. The consideration of value destruction also applies to the interaction between individual strategic business units, which is not covered by the original concept. Here, too, potential synergies from joint activities and shared resources must be compared to the value-destroying effects of horizontal interactions, such as rising complexity from coordination between business units. The consideration of both perspectives determines the total effect for individual business units from being part of the portfolio.R2. The framework should incorporate value-adding activities as well as the occurring value-destroying effects on all organizational levels.The third prerequisite of an effective framework is to consider strategic as well as operational types of value-adding activities and value-destroying effects. A corporate parent, for example, can ensure a clear strategic focus or an effective planning process for the business units (strategic activities), but can also realize cost advantages through bundled and centralized purchasing or group-wide IT services (operational activities). The same applies to horizontal interactions that can be operational or strategic as well.R3. The framework should incorporate strategic and operational types of value-adding activities and value-destroying effects.The three requirements translate into a three-dimensional framework for assessing parenting strategies. The framework distinguishes the origin of the activities (direct/vertical vs compositional/horizontal), their impact (value-adding vs value-destroying), and the activity type (strategic vs operational), resulting in eight fundamental levers of the parenting strategy of a multi-business company (Figure 1). In the following, we will operationalize the framework by describing the specific corporate activities that lay behind the eight parenting levers. This operationalization is based on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature in the fields of corporate diversification, transaction cost economics, internal capital markets, resource-based view, economies of scope and corporate organization.\nOperationalization of the framework: Strategic guidance and support\nContributions: The major attempt of this paper is to give a conceptual answer to the question on how to describe and assess corporate parenting strategies. To this end, we developed a three-dimensional framework that accounts for:1. direct/vertical as well as compositional/horizontal effects;2. value added activities as well as their potential value destroying effects; and3. strategic as well as operational activities.In this way, we contribute to management theory by advancing and complementing the original parenting advantage concept.We operationalized the resulting framework of eight core levers of a corporate parenting strategy by assigning and describing a broad set of individual activities for each of the levers, based on a comprehensive review of the relevant finance, strategic management and organization literature. The developed concept can be used by corporate practitioners to better understand the current implicit parenting strategy of their company, assess its performance and adjust it for improving the net corporate value creationWhich fields of application are conceivable?\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The major purpose of this paper is the development of a theoretical framework that can be used by corporate practitioners to understand the implicit parenting strategy of their company, assess its performance, and adjust it for improving the net corporate value creation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In this paper, a three-dimensional framework is developed that accounts for corporate-to-business and business-to-business interactions, value-adding and value-destroying activities, and strategic and operational levers. The framework is operationalized by assigning a broad set of individual activities to these levers.\nFindings: - The paper delivers a robust, systematic, and operational framework to assess the net benefits to a given business of being part of a corporate portfolio, and to identify and evaluate implicit parenting strategies in corporate practice. While previous studies mainly focused on broad parenting approaches with low granularity this framework now allows earlier observations to be substantiated, finer distinctions between the applied strategies to be drawn, and the core of superior value added approaches to be investigated.\nPractical implications: - The introduced framework can be used to analyze the origin and underlying drivers of conglomerate discounts and premia and thus enhance understanding of capital market valuation of multi-business companies. The developed framework can also be the basis for the derivation of a typology of corporate parenting strategies. In this way, it can support practitioners in portfolio management - which was also the explicit motivation for the development of the original parenting advantage concept.\nOriginality/value: - The outlined framework will facilitate the investigation of structural, strategic, and organizational roots of superior parenting strategies in corporate practice. It may be used to analyze performance differences of multi-business companies that go beyond the degree of diversification and may finally contribute to solving the puzzle of the conglomerate discount.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Disaster preparedness and humanitarian response in flood and landslide-affected communities in Eastern Uganda	[ "Landslides", "Disaster preparedness", "Floods", "Humanitarian assistance", "Uganda" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is the reduction of disaster risk through an assessment and implementation process focussed on reducing hazard exposure, decreasing vulnerability, managing the environment, and preparing for events (Westgate, 2010). Developed as the international blueprint for DRR in 168 countries, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) is centered around five priority actions: ensuring DRR is a priority and supported by institutions at local and national levels; the assessment of ongoing and future risks alongside the development of warning systems; education that promotes safety and resilience; reduction in risk factors; and stronger preparedness for response (UNISDR, 2013). Preparedness and early warning are important factors in mitigating the effects of disasters and are priority actions in the HFA. Early warning systems, education of local residents, risk communication campaigns, and emergency plans are examples of preparedness activities that contribute to disaster readiness and are central to the HFA (Cruden, 1996; Paudel et al., 2003; Glade et al., 2005; Segerstrom, 2004; Poole and Hogan, 2007; Keim, 2008; UNISDR, 2013). While external systems are important, communities constitute the central element for disaster planning and are key responders following disasters (Few, 2003; Pearce, 2003; van Aalst et al., 2008).\nMethods: Study setting\nResults: Population demographics and disaster impacts\nDiscussion: The close proximity of the 2010 Uganda floods and landslides offered the possibility for comparing experiences across two relatively similar populations that were affected by distinct disasters and their ensuing humanitarian responses. The impact of the flooding in Butaleja was considerably more widespread, affecting a population of just over 30,000, with virtually all respondents reporting at least some structural damage to their home as a result of the flooding. In contrast, the landslides occurred in a relatively circumscribed area and affected fewer people but with high levels of mortality and long-term displacement.\nConclusions: The March 2010 floods and landslides in Eastern Uganda resulted in widespread human, livelihood and infrastructure impacts. The current worldwide trend of increasing impacts of disasters as well as the annual recurrence of landslides in Bududa District and changes in land use and drainage systems in Butaleja District suggest that these areas of Eastern Uganda will continue to be at risk for floods and landslides in the future. Few respondents reported that disaster preparedness activities were ongoing in their communities prior to the disasters and a majority indicated that both the government and community were unprepared to respond to disasters.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to characterize and investigate relationships between disaster preparedness, impacts, and humanitarian response among Eastern Uganda populations affected by the 2010 landslides and floods.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A stratified cluster survey of the disaster-affected populations was conducted five months after the onset of the disasters. Probability proportional to size sampling was used to sample 800 households, including 400 affected by floods in Butaleja District and 400 affected by landslides in Bududa District.\nFindings: Mortality was significantly higher in the landslide-affected populations as compared to flood-affected populations (deaths reported: 4.5 vs 1.6 percent, p<0.01) whereas injuries were more common in the flood-affected areas (injuries reported: 3.1 vs 1.1 percent, p<0.01). Livelihoods impacts were widespread and reported in more than 95 percent of households. Respondents indicated that the community and government were unprepared to respond in both flood (90.5 and 77.8 percent, respectively) and landslide (95.3 and 74.9 percent) affected areas.\nPractical implications: The majority of households felt that both their communities and the government were unprepared to respond to disasters. Given the likelihood for recurrence of natural disasters in these communities, expansion of both community-based disaster preparedness (CBDP) programs and their evidence base should be prioritized.\nOriginality/value: There is a paucity of evidence on community perceptions of disaster preparedness and on CBDP programs. The paper highlights these issues in the context of two disasters in Uganda and calls for expansion of the evidence based to inform risk reduction strategies in low-income settings.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The Citipreneur: How a local entrepreneur creates public value through smart technologies and strategies	[ "Citizen participation", "Sustainable energy", "Smart technologies", "Public value creation", "Local entrepreneur", "Smart city governance" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Local governments are facing sustainability challenges (e.g. climate change, socio-economic inequality, multicultural tensions, ecological degradation) and increasing public demands for improved services while state resources are shrinking (Sampson, 2017; Das, 2017; Johansson, 2018; Peyroux et al., 2013). Addressing these urban issues fits municipalities' permanent quest for public value creation targeting societal results collectively desired by the public. Public value creation implies socio-economic welfare on both the individual and societal level based on the principles of fairness, equity and justice (Bryson et al., 2014; Moore, 1995; Benington and Moore, 2011; Cordella and Bonina, 2012; Marres and Lezaun, 2011). For this pursuit of public value creation local governments need societal support, and operational capacities and they are also required to constantly adapt to their changing environment and innovate if conventional approaches do not work anymore. Therefore, they seek linkages to societal actors to deliberate on what public value is and to co-design and co-implement corresponding policies (Meynhardt, 2009; Coats and Passmore, 2008; Smith, 2004; Talbot, 2011; Stoker, 2006; O'Flynn, 2007; Crosby et al., 2017; Page et al., 2015).\nSmart bottom-up initiatives: In smart bottom-up initiatives citizens, third sector organizations, firms, and knowledge institutes experiment with novel technologies and practices to address societal challenges and to enhance the collective good. These socio-technical assemblages (Kitchin, 2014) mostly evolve on the outskirts - niches - of mainstream systems and are subject to constant stabilizing and disrupting influences (van Winden and van den Buuse, 2017; De Vries et al., 2016; Frantzeskaki et al., 2016). Before a novel socio-technical constellation becomes ingrained within the wider context and oust dominant (unsustainable) structures it evolves through multiple phases: the generation of an idea targeting the transformation of current practices; idea testing aiming at practical feasibility and overcoming organizational, technological and institutional barriers; scaling up; and diffusion to implement the novelty on a larger scale and within other contexts (Meijer, 2014; Kemp et al., 1998; Rauschmayer et al., 2013).\nMethodology: To give the idea of the local entrepreneurial type of smart bottom-up initiative more flesh and blood this research analyzed the case of a prominent local entrepreneur in his search for innovative solutions for sustainable energy. This enables to evolve the idea into a full concept explaining the role of local entrepreneurs in public value generation by smart approaches, which aids to respond the research question.\nFindings: This paper started with the idea that there is a third - local entrepreneurial - type of smart bottom-up initiative positioned between civil grassroots and market-based technological niches. This idea was further evolved by empirically exploring an illustrative case of a neighborhood-based clean energy project launched by a local entrepreneur.\nDiscussion and conclusions: This study has sought new insights into smart bottom-up initiatives by focusing on the question \"What role can local entrepreneurs, positioned between civil society and the market, play in creating public value through smart technologies and strategies?\" For this purpose, a new concept was constructed based on the idea that the in-between position and the pioneering skills enable local entrepreneurs to forge technology-enabled, co-creative strategies to address societal issues and thus generate public value. This conceptualization was evolved by empirically studying the case of the SSC - a community-based energy project launched by a local entrepreneur.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of local entrepreneurs, embedded in both the civil and the business arena, in creating public value by establishing strategic collaboration around smart technologies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper suggests a novel - the local entrepreneurial - type of smart bottom-up initiative between civil grassroots and market-based initiatives. This idea is further evolved in the paper to define the patterns of this alternative type of smart bottom-up initiative. For this purpose, the paper conducts a case study of a community-based sustainable energy and mobility system launched by a local entrepreneur in Utrecht, the Netherlands.\nFindings: The local entrepreneur has played a catalyzing role in public value creation by initiating and upscaling cooperative practices around smart technologies. This success has mainly been achieved due to the entrepreneurial attitudes of pioneering and risk-taking as well as the capability to bridge between the state, the market and society to accelerate urban sustainability transition.\nPractical implications: This paper offers a practical illustration of the potential of local entrepreneurs to evolve cooperative practices with smart technologies for societal change. It also shows the vital role of local governments in the achievement of bottom-up initiatives contributing to urban smartness. However, in the case of commercializing initiatives, governments also need to take a balancing role to safeguard the needs of all citizens based on fairness and equity, which is at the core of public value creation.\nOriginality/value: The study adds to the citizen participation literature by revealing a novel type of active citizen grasping technological opportunities to mobilize networks to cooperate for the collective good. The research also contributes to a better understanding of the bottom-up smart city as a form of governance, and its advantages as well as drawbacks concerning public value creation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Advertising music: an alternative atmospheric stimulus to retail music	[ "Atmospheric stimuli", "Music in advertising (advertising music)", "Music in retail (retail music)", "Retail settings (multi-brand retail outlet)" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Music is used for effective marketing practices very often in the retail environment and advertising context. Retailers play a variety of musical genres including international, national and regional music to persuade consumers. However, advertisers use pre-existing, altered or original music in advertising (ad) to influence consumers' buying behaviour.\nThe influence of music as an atmospheric stimulus: A framework integrating retail music, nonverbal responses and shopping behaviours has been presented in Figure 1.\nThe influence of ad music: A framework integrating the impact of ad music on consumers' attitudes, purchase intention and brand purchase has been presented in Figure 2.\nAd music differentials: Ad music vs retail music\nAd music as an atmospheric stimulus: The idea of using ad music as an alternative to retail music emerges from the current practices of music in the retail environment. As per our knowledge, we found a dearth of scholarly work on the usage of ad music as the atmospheric stimulus. We have had informal discussions with some retail managers, floor managers, marketing supervisors and higher authorities of retail outlets (e.g. the USA, India, Japan, Kuwait and Dubai). Though advertising has been played in some of the outlets (e.g. jewellery showrooms or car showrooms), the use is very limited, and there is a lack of research attention. It is evident from recent meta-analytic works (Garlin and Owen, 2006; Roschk et al., 2017) and other important works (Allan, 2008; Jain and Bagdare, 2011; Turley and Milliman, 2000; Yalch and Spangenberg, 2000) that there is a dearth of research in this critical marketing variable.\nConsequences of the study: Music in the ad is a costlier affair then music in retail set up. Advertisers often hire popular musicians to compose music for their ad; thus, cost depends upon the popularity and demand of the musicians. Consumers often listen to ad music in various context, they may feel irritated or boring listening to the same ad music in the retail environment. Hence, advertisers have to select, compose and deal with ad music in a more creative way to increase their acceptability among consumers. Further, advertisers have to be cautious about the selection and treatment of music in ads. A wrong music selection may result to negative consumer attitude (e.g. the perception of lower image and service quality) which may affect their time and money spent inside the retail (Jain and Bagdare, 2011). Hence, we encourage advertisers to become more creative and innovative in terms of ad music as an atmospheric is concerned. Ad music can successfully work in multi-brand retails. In the case of exclusive retails/showrooms, retailers may play different product ads to facilitate their product line sales.\nImplications: Advertising professionals may use the same ad that they broadcast in different media setups. The same ad music may help them for ad recall, brand recall and ad message recall. In seasonal, festival and special occasion advertisers may compose special music for the ad. Special music would make a brand distinct and memorable. Festival (Christmas) music played in stores attracts and retains the consumers and makes them feel the Christmas spirit and season (Spangenberg et al., 2005). Powerful advertising campaign can successfully position the brand in the mind of the consumers. Different consumers have different musical preferences. Therefore, advertisers may utilise the different kinds of music in advertising keeping its congruency with message and target consumers. Consumers spend more time in the restaurant when they listen to slow music (Milliman, 1986). Hence, advertisers can properly use the structural elements of ad music to influence consumers buying behaviour in the retail context. During seasonal sales drive, advertising can be a powerful tool for influencing the consumers. Sales promotional announcements can be designed in the form of the ad where music can play a catalytic role in persuading consumers.\nLegal and ethical considerations: The legal use of either advertising or retail music will have licensing issues if the music is not created specifically for the advertising or retail platform. Advertisers obtain a synchronisation license from music publishers on behalf of a song's copyright owner or their agent to use music in commercials (see Passman, 2015). A retail establishment (depending on size) that uses a \"popular\" song(s) is required to obtain a license from the songwriter, composers and/or music publishers like the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and SESAC (see Passman, 2015). There are also some ethical considerations when playing \"re-contextualised\" music from advertising or in a retail environment that could potentially affect potential consumer behaviour (see Allan, 2005).\nFuture research: This study encourages further empirical work by taking ad music as a key atmospheric stimulus and its relationship assessment with related constructs. Experimental investigations could be performed to assess the impact of ad music on consumers' nonverbal response and its related outcomes. Future research may conduct a series of comparative studies to confirm whether ad music is a potential alternative to retail music. Further, a future study may explore possible varied use of music for branding purpose in online and offline retail spaces.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Studying the role of advertising music (ad music) in a retail context can be an emergence of new marketing practices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the potential usage and utility of ad music as an atmospheric stimulus in contrast to music (retail music) as an atmospheric stimulus. This paper also aims to provide a model, which depicts how ad music could be an alternative to retail music in retail settings with regard to consumers' attitudinal influence and its optimistic correlation with related marketing outcomes.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper reviewed the literature related to the role of retail music as an atmospheric stimulus and studies related to the role of music in the ad.\nFindings: Advertising music as an atmospheric stimulus is more likely to influence consumers' attitude towards advertising music, towards advertising and towards the advertised brand. Contrary to retail music, advertising music as an atmospheric stimulus may help a consumer for ad recall, ad message/brand information recall, brand recall, brand identification and brand recognition. Consequently, advertising music may always have an advantage over retail music with regard to purchase intent, brand choice and financial return.\nPractical implications: This work may encourage the advertisers for the proper usage of ad music as an atmospheric stimulus that may holistically magnify the saliency of advertising theoretically and practically.\nOriginality/value: This study is a novel attempt to conceptualise the potential scope of utilisation of ad music in the retail context.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Creating value through communities: Contacts, content and critical mass	[ "Communities", "Communications", "Value added" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: In an increasingly web-enabled society, businesses looking to develop a new wave of community spirit among their stakeholders use various media. The main challenge facing organizations is how to do this well, and in a manner that benefits both the community and the business.\nContacts and content: In a large community of many members - perhaps millions - you can reach out to, and make contact with, very talented people. The chances are that someone in the community is perfectly suited to helping with a current issue, but finding them is hard. Wouldn't it be better if they were already seeking you out?Those seeking to create and build a community need to design the environment in which it operates in a way that encourages and helps members easily to apply the right approach to the community. Common fellowship appears only when it is easy to build strong relationships.When you meet people, you have only one opportunity to sell your goods or services. When they like you, when they want to help you, they will talk about you to others and your opportunities are magnified. When you are the expert, the referral becomes automatic. People stop thinking about the other people they know who could help, because they know the expert.When the relationship is strong, you really are not talking only to an individual but also to all the people they know. Communities that build relationships leverage success through those relationships, in the network; they create \"network value\".\nCreating network value: People tend to buy products and services from others they trust. They trust what their friends tell them, so to build network value you need to find a way to get people that you do not know talking about your products and services to people who trust them. Your network \"reach\" is critical.I define the real value of your network as the extent to which people who do not know you are talking about you to other people you do not know.\nContent value: This is why publishing is really important. There are \"lurkers\" who really do not actively participate by writing. Probably, 90 percent of your readership will never actively engage, making it hard for you to gauge the value you are giving, yet many will be advocates and supporters.That creates a driver for people to write and add to the community's content value, while reading the material attracts new people to connect with the author and increases the overall network value, too.Of course, a community carries risk. Bad news spreads as fast as, or faster than, good news. Mistakes can easily be seen in the transparency of a closely connected community.If you are creating a community, the value people get from the knowledge in the community has to be greater than the costs of giving, and the risks of providing content must be less than the risk of not doing so.\nCritical mass: To make it self-sustaining, you need a critical mass of members. Activity must be frequent and successful. Typically, online, the contribution rate in terms of adding content is recognized as around ten to one, and at well-designed offline meetings you can expect attendance at up to 50 percent of the membership.To get business, you need to give business. For that to work in a dynamic way, contributors need to see success as well as referring opportunities. The visibility of that to all is crucial.Induction and ongoing training and support are key to initiate the behaviors that develop community spirit, too, as this helps new members to overcome a natural reluctance to participate in the early weeks of membership.To get the mix right, critical mass is between 100 and 200 active and committed people.It is not enough to get the members through; you also need to retain them and develop the community over time through continual engagement. After all, the community has to adapt as each new member joins. His or her skills and networks need to add to the community value.\nEmbracing change: You should therefore expect change; indeed I think it is critical to embrace it and use it. From a community-owner point of view, there is increasing pressure to develop and enhance the functionality of the environment in which the community operates.That is best done in a strategic, transparent framework known to the community - even developed with the community. Without a guiding vision, there is no direction, and rudderless communities wither and die.Communities change as the vision develops. For a community owner, the key thing is to remember to whom you appeal. It is not enough to know what fellow members want today; it is important also to know where they are likely to want to go.A community cannot be all things to all people though, and once you empower your community to comment on the community it will not be long before you realize that the community comprises experts who will not hesitate to tell you what to do. That requires diplomacy and patience to manage well. Some have described that as a task akin to herding cats.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to examine how to create value through communities.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper focuses on the importance of contacts, content and critical mass in a community and the key role of embracing change.\nFindings: - The paper highlights the importance of network \"reach\" and of a strategic, transparent framework known to the community. It contends that, without a guiding vision, there is no direction, and rudderless communities wither and die.\nPractical implications: - The paper argues that those seeking to create and build a community need to design the environment in which it operates in a way that encourages and helps members easily to apply the most beneficial approach for all.\nOriginality/value: - The paper defines the real value of a network as the extent to which people who do not know you are talking about you to other people you do not know.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How union participation influences union commitment and job involvement	[ "Organizational justice", "Job involvement", "Union participation", "Employee participation climate", "Union commitment" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Private enterprises, both Chinese and foreign, in mainland China have developed rapidly since the reform and opening policy of 1978, especially after top leader Mr Deng Xiaoping's inspection tour of Southern China in 1992. The number of employees in private enterprises has also seen a dramatic increase, from 0 in 1978 to 335m in 2016, which accounts for about 43 percent of the total employment (National Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Although private enterprises provide more than 40 percent of jobs, they also raise more labor disputes. From 1998 to 2010, labor dispute arbitrations handled by non-state-owned enterprises accounted for 67.7 percent of all arbitration cases (Department of Population and Employment Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics, 1998-2003/2010) due to the fact that the unions in private enterprises are too weak to protect the rights and benefits of employees. A strike at the Honda Auto Parts Manufacturing Company and the suicides of 13 workers at Foxconn (China Enterprise News, 2010), both in May 2010, were warnings of the severity of the situation. Therefore, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) called for reforms on grass-roots unions and started the \"two universals\" work guidelines to encourage more unions and more collective wage consultations in private enterprises[1]. According to statistics from the ACFTU, the total number of union members and local unions reached 280 (including 109m migrant workers) and 2.753m, respectively, while 81.1 percent of employees joined unions, by the end of June 2013 (Guang Ming Daily, 2013, p. 1). In 2015, more than 15m migrant workers were new union members (ACFTU, 2016). After years of \"index management\" technical governance, although the union penetration rate of non-public enterprises has increased, the effectiveness of unions in China has been questioned by scholars who believe that most new union members join based on pressure from enterprise unions (Wu, 2012). In the conflict regarding labor relations, the \"workers' legal labor rights protection\" of unions has not been recognized by workers, which has given rise to a crisis of trust in unions (Huang, 2016). Realizing this crisis, the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Trade Unions (GDPFTU) posted an official document titled \"Opinions on Further Strengthening the Construction of Trade Union Organizations in Private Enterprises\" in 2015. This official document aims to \"transform the effectiveness of the work carried out by the grass-roots trade unions into the personnel feelings of the workers and staff\" (GDPFTU, 2015, p. 1). It is expected that this will stimulate workers to join unions voluntarily. The context regarding unions in China is unique: On the one hand, the grass-roots trade union reform in the mainland was implemented under the \"pressure system\" and management based on index objectives which given by upper-level unions. For example, the GDPFTU proposed in 2015 that in the course of roughly five years more than 90 percent of non-public enterprises in Guangdong should establish trade unions and more than 90 percent of employees and migrant workers in non-public enterprises should be trade union members. This shows that employees may have been \"induced\" (referred to here as \"induced-type\" union participation) or required by some \"coercive\" methods (\"compulsory-type\" union participation) to become union members, and participated in related activities under the same inducement or pressure. On the other hand, the goal of the activities of trade unions in mainland China is to \"mobilize and organize employees to actively participate in economic construction, and strive to complete production tasks and work tasks conscientiously\" and to \"represent the interests of employees and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of employees\" (Chinese Legal Publishing House, 2017, p.1). In this way, ACFTU hopes that employees will actively participate in production and management, and is assisting management to meet business objectives while allowing employees to truly feel the power of the trade unions, thereby increasing their positive affective attitudes toward these unions.\nLiterature review and hypotheses: Union participation and union commitment\nMethods: Sample and procedure\nAnalysis: Common method variance control and testing\nDiscussion: This study confirms the positive influence of union participation on job involvement and union commitment as well as the mechanism and conditions for the emergence of such positive effects. Considering that organizational commitment is taken as a key factor influencing union commitment (Bamberger et al., 1999), and in order to focus on the research objectives of this study, organizational commitment is treated as a control variable. The analysis results show that union participation is positively related to union commitment and job involvement; organizational justice acts as a mediator in the process by which union participation leads to union commitment and job involvement; and EPC moderates the relationship between union participation and organizational justice. Furthermore, EPC moderates the mediating effect of organizational justice in the process by which union participation leads to union commitment and job involvement.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to draw on triadic reciprocal determinism and social exchange theory to examine how \"induced-type\" and \"compulsory-type\" union participation influence union commitment and job involvement, and how union participation in the west differs from that in China. It also examines whether the role of both organizational justice and employee participation climate (EPC) functions in the Chinese context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Cross-sectional data are collected from 694 employees in 46 non-publicly owned enterprises, both Chinese and foreign, in the Pearl River Delta region of China. A multi-level moderated mediation test is used to examine the model of this research.\nFindings: Union participation is positively related to organizational justice, union commitment and job involvement. In addition, organizational justice acts as the mediator among union participation, union commitment and job involvement. Specifically, the mediating role of organizational justice between union participation and union commitment, and between union participation and job involvement, is stronger in high-EPC contexts than low-EPC contexts.\nOriginality/value: Instead of examining the impacts of attitudes on union participation, as per most studies in the western context, this research examines the impacts of union participation in the Chinese context on attitudes, including union commitment and job involvement. It also reveals the role of both organizational justice and EPC in the process through which union participation influences union commitment and job involvement.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How to generate and maintain employee engagement: The crucial role of internal communications, training and recruitment	[ "Employee attitudes", "Employee involvement", "Brand loyalty", "Corporate branding", "Human resource management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Much has been written about the importance of employee engagement and its positive links with performance. But what should organizations and managers do to generate and, more importantly, maintain engagement in their employees?\nInternal branding - the employee perspective: In order to find out more about the employee's perspective, Punjaisri et al. carried out some research in the hotel industry. They chose Thailand as the setting as it was thought to provide international service to international customers. Six hotels were then selected which had a star rating of four or five (it was felt that the high end hotels would be more concerned about corporate branding and reputation than a one or two star establishment).The authors carried out semi-structured interviews (20 senior managers and 30 front line staff) and distributed questionnaires (699 of 747 people responded). Participants were asked about the process of internal branding, what methods were employed at their hotel and about their attitudes towards internal branding.Punjaisri et al. discovered that employees were very much aware that their behaviour is strongly aligned with the brand consistency of service delivery. Employees also identified training and internal communications as the major methods of internal branding (whilst management referred to IC as internal communications, many employees spoke newsletters, daily meetings, discussion forums and other tools used in IC). However, training was the only aspect of HR strategy that was raised by respondents. Other factors such as recruitment and pay and reward were only discussed after the interviewer had mentioned them. In addition, only management talked about rewards as a way to engender commitment to the brand whereas employees did not speak of this at all.\nImportance of employee attitude: It was also discovered that although training and IC can help employees to fulfil brand promise, the strength of their relationship with the brand is predominantly down to employee attitude. When the authors looked at the mediator effects of brand attitudes they discovered that brand identification, brand commitment and brand loyalty were all partial mediators between IC and employee brand performance. In other words, brand attitudes of employees improves the relationship between IC and employee performance as well as the training performance relationship so tools used to improve brand performance will also improve brand attitude.When it came to measuring the efficacy of the two major methods, the authors found that IC has a stronger effect on performance than training. And whilst front line staff agreed with management about their importance regarding brand promise and service delivery, they also felt that managers played an important role in communicating brand values. The authors believe that in order to fulfil brand promise managers needed to think about how they translate these values into daily activities that the staff can relate to. It was also interesting to note that all respondents understood that back-room staff played an equally important role when it came to service quality.Notable by its absence was the role that recruitment has to play in internal branding. Although it is often difficult to recruit someone whose values are exactly aligned with the organization's, it is possible to factor internal branding into the recruitment and selection process. Companies should also consider more the reward systems in place to recognise brand promise fulfilment and therefore strengthen employee engagement.\nEffective communication: So, having established that internal communications is one of the most effective methods of internal branding, what issues should management take into account? According to David Lawton, the most important thing one can do is to \"communicate well and early\". He believes that at the earliest possible opportunity, new employees should be informed of:* organizational strategy and business goals;* products and services;* company interaction;* values and ethos;* performance expectations.This stops them from feeling isolated and helps them see how their specific responsibilities fit into the bigger picture. As Lawton points out, sometimes managers are so busy teaching their recruit the core tasks that they forget to put their role into context. The checklist above provides the framework for a positive induction and other suggestions include the appointment of a mentor, treating your employees as a customer group in their own right and making sure no department is made out to be more important than another. Lawton's top five tips are:1. Think like a marketing professional.2. Make sure the information you are conveying is credible.3. Ensure employees are working cross-functionally and create opportunities for areas such as finance, office services to network across the business (both formal and informal).4. Develop a forward-planning mentality where managers communicate regularly.5. Make the most of technologies such as intranets and e-mail.By co-ordinating HR and marketing activities it is possible to see how internal branding can be effectively implemented and sustained within a business. By recruiting the right people and providing a solid induction, HR can ensure employees are engaged from the outset. And by providing timely and relevant communications managers and marketing can continue to develop positive attitudes amongst employees.\nFrom brand ambassadors to brand soul: Ultimately, these employees can become brand ambassadors which will serve to enhance both the performance and the perception of your organization. This could assist in developing what Laurence Knight describes as \"brand soul\".Knight believes that companies with brand soul are more integrated with the community because their brand is built on values or ethics (e.g. raising self-esteem, equality or integrity) and so customers will feel motivated by them and have a genuine affection for the brand, contrasting with the transactional relationship one has with a business that uses positioning and pay-offs to establish its brand. Knight cites the following as companies who have brand soul:* Pepsi - through the self-expression of music.* Avon - equality for women.* L'Oreal - raising self-esteem (\"because you're worth it\").* Aveda - using natural resources.* Google - helping people find what they want.Conversely, he feels that Nike does not have brand soul. Knight also asserts that \"the biggest threat to brand soul is radical change in personnel or the parent company\". This reliance on employees heightens the need to engage and develop staff to become brand ambassadors.\nManagement implications: Through the work of Punjaisri et al., Lawton and Knight it is clear to see the connections between employee engagement and success. And whilst some may dismiss the term internal branding as a faddy name, it is harder to dismiss the key components of this concept such as:* regular internal communications;* ongoing brand training;* introducing the brand concept throughout the HR process;* considering value alignment during recruitment and selection;* rewarding behaviour that fulfils brand promise;* encouraging cross-functional communication.\nComment: This review is based upon \"The role of internal branding in the delivery of employee brand promise\" by Khanyapuss Punjaisri and Alan Wilson, \"Working in harmony\" by David Lawton and \"The beauty of 'brand soul'\" by Roderick White.Punjaisri and Wilson's article is an interesting piece of research about employee attitudes towards internal branding activities. The authors look at the attitudes towards brand promise fulfilment that affect performance and find that training and internal communications are considered to be the two major components when it comes to internal branding. A discussion about other HR activities that contribute to this concept is also included, making the paper balanced and highly informative.Lawton's short article provides some practical tips for ensuring your internal communications strategy is effective. As well as some basic points such as thinking like a marketing professional and encouraging cross-functional communication, Lawton also offers more in-depth advice and provides a handy checklist of questions one should answer as part of an induction program for new recruits.Finally, White's interview with Laurence Knight is an interesting take on branding and unique selling points. The link with employee engagement becomes apparent when Knight cites major personnel changes as the main threat to \"brand soul\".\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: - Much has been written about the importance of employee engagement and its positive links with performance. But what should organizations and managers do to generate and, more importantly, maintain engagement in their employees?\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" } ]
Contents and structure of abstracts: Comparison of Czech, English and Slovenian scientific journals in the area of information and materials sciences	[ "Abstracts", "Scientific journals", "Information science", "Materials science", "Czech Republic", "United Kingdom", "Slovenia" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This paper summarises the results of qualitative analysis of abstracts in Czech, English, and Slovenian materials science and information and library science journals. The analysis is part of an international project in which Czech and Slovenian students and instructors investigate the presentation and evaluation of scientific research outcomes. The aim of this paper, and one of the aims of the project, is to find an optimal abstract in each of the two disciplines.The international standard ISO 214:1976, confirmed in May 2010, defines the abstract as \"an accurate representation of the contents of a document, without added interpretation or criticism and without distinction as to who wrote the abstract\". The same standard also stresses that an abstract is different from related document representations such as annotation, extract, or summary. According to ISO 214:1976, an abstract should include purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions. Collateral information may be added if space permits. The length of the abstract depends on the length of the document described. It may range from one sentence to 500 words. On average, it usually contains about 250 words. There are three types of abstracts:1. informative;2. indicative; and3. informative-indicative.Each brings a different type of information. Informative abstracts report results, while indicative abstracts only indicate the kind of results the reader can expect from the paper, and informative-indicative abstracts combine the previous two.Many scientists only read abstracts, and rely on them when selecting relevant papers and acquiring necessary information for their research (Nicholas et al., 2007). It is a common experience that search engines point searchers toward abstracts first and then to full texts. When the full text is not available, abstracts are their only accessible representation in either bibliographic or full-text databases. At the 2011 conference of Slovenian librarians in Maribor, David Nicholas mentioned that research indicates that people prefer reading short texts, and that this may push publishers to charge for reading abstracts (Nicholas, 2011).So far publishers have seen abstracts as promotional elements. In the search for higher consistency and reliability of abstracts, several publishers have devised specific abstract structures (e.g. Emerald Group Publishing, n.d.). An international standard was devised for the same purpose. However Tibbo (1993) suggests that this content and structure is not equally suitable for all disciplines. Therefore the content and structure of abstracts were tested in Slovenian and international journals (Sauperl et al., 2008). The results show that the ISO 214 structure is rarely and randomly used. Additionally, the studies reviewed show that journals in different countries can have different abstract structures (Martin Martin, 2003). It is important to identify possible structures that could be acceptable internationally and across disciplines. Such abstracts may promote information transfer and influence the development of science and society.\nMethod: The process of analysis started with choosing suitable scientific journals in the Czech, English, and Slovenian languages. The following journals were selectedCzech journals\nResults and discussion: Length of abstracts\nConclusion: Results show that Journal of Documentation has the longest abstracts of the analysed journals. These abstracts also bring more diverse information (Table III). If we transfer data from this table into a model structure of an abstract, the biggest share of this abstract would describe the method. Results and purpose would follow (Figure 1). An abstract of ten sentences would then have fairly equal number of sentences representing different information: methods, results, purpose and conclusions would be included in two sentences each, and background in one and a half sentences.Based on such transfers of data, an average abstract in library science in Czech journals would only have five sentences and two structural elements. This average abstract would have two sentences of background information. In addition, purpose, methods and conclusions would be discussed in one sentence each. Abstracts in the Slovenian LIS journal Knjiznica are structured differently. More space is left for results, less for background and purpose (Figure 2).This difference may be attributed to cultural differences as described by Martin Martin (2003) or to different nature of journals in the sample. While Knjiznica (the Slovenian journal) is more scientific in nature, the Czech journals focus more on practical issues in library and information science.A prototypical abstract in information and library science, based on our findings, would contain five sentences:* three topical and/or background sentences (e.g. two topical, one background or one topical and two background);* one purpose sentence; and* one method sentence.We propose that an optimal abstract should bring more information and should therefore include six sentences:* one topic sentence;* one background sentence;* one purpose/scope/aim sentence;* one method sentence;* one results sentence; and* one conclusions and discussion.On the other hand, a prototypical abstract in journals materials science would contain eight sentences:* three background sentences;* one methodology, design/methodology/approach sentence;* two results, findings sentences; and* one sentence with practical implications.However, we propose that an optimal abstract should be richer in information and should include ten sentences:* one topic sentence;* one purpose/scope/aim;* one background sentence;* two method sentences;* one material sentence;* two results; sentences;* one evaluation of research sentence; and* one conclusions and discussion sentence.We are currently testing the prototypes and the enriched abstract structure with a user study. We believe that authors usually perceive that writing an abstract is a nuisance, when in fact it is the most important promotion tool for their work. If journal editors would provide very simple instructions for writing abstracts, authors and readers could benefit from a better presentation of scientific work.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Publishers of some scientific journals and the ISO standard require or recommend specific information to be present in abstracts. However, little is known whether this is what scientists give when they write abstracts. The aim of this paper is to test the structure of abstracts in Czech, Slovenian and international scientific journals in the English language in the areas of library and information science (IS) and materials science (MS).\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A total of 100 research paper abstracts were selected from each journal, and content analysis was performed both manually and using Weft QDA qualitative analysis software.\nFindings: - The results show that neither the ISO nor the Emerald structure is entirely appropriate. Abstracts in IS usually have the following structure: Ikaros (CZ): background, purpose of the research project; Knjiznica (SI): background, results only indicated; Journal of Documentation: results, methods, and purpose. In MS, the abstracts usually report on the following. Czech MS journals: background, methods, results; Materiali in Tehnologije (SI): methods, background; Materials Science and Technology (international): methods, results. The differences can in part be attributed to the varying disciplines and to the different roles of journals in professional societies and to cultural differences in perception regarding the role of abstracts.\nSocial implications: - It seems that purpose and results are usual for information science, while methods and results are more frequent for materials science.\nOriginality/value: - This relatively small sample gives the first insight into the culture of writing abstracts in smaller research communities.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Structured literature review about intellectual capital and innovation	[ "Innovation", "Intellectual capital", "Structured literature review" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Continuous innovation has become a key requirement for organisational viability in the present environment characterised by fierce competition and increasing globalisation (Chen et al., 2010; Kianto, 2011). As Saenz and Aramburu (2011, p. 87) point out, innovation \"is a matter of survival in a free market economy\" and therefore, the creation of something new (i.e. innovation) is no longer an optional choice but a necessity facing all organisations alike. Accordingly, finding ways to maintain the requisite level of renewal and developing capabilities for being more creative and innovative have become imperatives for firms.\nResearch method: This study follows the SLR method (Massaro et al., 2016), which \"complements traditional literature reviews because the approach helps to yield different outcomes that are defensible\" (p. 769). In addition, \"SLRs are attractive to researchers because they offer a history, some critique and outline the future research potential of particular domains\" (p. 795). Hence, an SLR is the most appropriate methodology to conduct a reliable analysis of the literature linking IC and innovation, as well as to present a fair critique of this literature and to outline future research directions.\nFindings: This section presents and critically analyses the insights of the IC-innovation literature. In other words, it answers the two first proposed research questions:\nDiscussion: The following discussion answers the third research question:\nConclusions: This paper seeks to offer a comprehensive review of the articles addressing the IC-innovation relationship in order to present the main insights and critique the evolution of the research field, as well as to propose future research lines. In general, the linkage between IC and innovation has been explored in great detail, and valuable knowledge has been generated. This study has shown that there is no consensus about the enhancement of innovation by the strengthening IC components and, most probably, this lack of consensus emerges from differences regarding firm's location, technology level, industry and size. In addition, research world in this domain is isolated from both practice and policy-making, and the ways of conceptualising both IC and innovation need further refinement in order to adjust to the current business environment.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review and critique the literature dealing with the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and innovation, and to outline the future of this research field.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Structured literature review (SLR).\nFindings: The relationship between IC and innovation has been examined in great detail; however, much remains to be understood regarding the way of approaching and conceptualising both IC and innovation according to the current business environment. Moreover, academic literature on the IC-innovation relationship shows a disconnection between academia, and both business practice and policy-making, in this research domain.\nResearch limitations/implications: Since the study was developed by one person, the results could be influenced by her subjective interpretation. In addition, only journal articles published between 2006 and 2015 have been examined.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to IC literature by providing a unique SLR of the IC-innovation field of research. The paper points to pathways for future research in the IC-innovation domain.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Conceptualising teachers' professional learning with Web 2.0	[ "Learning", "Worldwide web", "Professional education", "Teachers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Career-long professional learning is widely recognised as an essential requirement for the modern teacher, in what is seen to be a complex, uncertain and rapidly changing global educational landscape (Clarke and Hollingsworth, 2002; Grundy and Robinson, 2004; Ashton and Newman, 2006). The need for teachers to understand and embrace the processes of change underpins educational reform initiatives worldwide and professional learning has been singled out for particular attention in achieving this goal:If we want to encourage different approaches to teaching and learning, and new relationships between pupils and teachers, we need to understand the ways in which teachers come to learn, adapt and make such new approaches a reality (Fisher et al., 2006 p. 2).This paper conceptualises how teachers' professional learning might be supported and enhanced through the affordances of digital technologies and Web 2.0 technologies in particular. Web 2.0 is an emerging, experimental set of technologies and the research on enabling factors (affordances) and constraints for professional learning is limited (Redecker, 2008). Although there is a strong literature base that deals with teacher learning itself and an emerging literature base for thinking about learning with digital technologies, there is little that deals directly with teachers as learners with digital technologies (Fisher et al., 2006). Therefore the paper proposes an exploratory framework to illustrate how the elements that constitute professional learning might be supported and enhanced through the affordances of Web 2.0 technologies.\n2. What is professional learning for teachers?: Rogoff defines learning through a socio-cultural lens as \"the process of becoming someone who does something\" (Rogoff, 1993, p. 141). In doing something the learner engages in an activity and the act of participating, along with the tools that are used, change the people we are (Schneider and Evans, 2008). In this sense teacher learning is recognised as a particularly complex phenomena resistant to mechanistic formulas, descriptions, or standardisation (Banks et al., 1999; Fisher et al., 2008). It is both a cognitive, individual process and also a socially constructed activity that is situated within specific contexts (Putnam and Borko, 2000). This is a necessarily simplified description of a more complex phenomena variously referred to as professional or teacher learning. These processes are represented visually by the inner ring in Figure 1. This overview of teacher learning concentrates on the following processes:* experience;* reflection; and* construction.These are analysed within a wider \"situated perspective\" of teacher learning that includes context, mediation, and collaboration (Anderson et al., 2000) (represented in the outer ring of Figure 1).2.1 The significance of experience\n3. The context of teacher learning: a situated perspective: The situated perspective, rooted in socio-cultural traditions, emphasises the importance of context or situation in relation to teacher learning (Putnam and Borko, 2000). This is represented by the outer ring in Figure 1.3.1 Teacher learning is context-sensitive\n4. The affordances of Web 2.0 technologies: Web 2.0 is an invented term used to describe a vast range of online services, tools and applications that are generally freely available online (Solomon and Schrum, 2007). User activity is characterised by participation, collaboration and construction, rather than passive consumption. Technically Web 2.0 is not a radical departure from the original internet (sometimes referred to as Web 1.0), but it does realise a number of aspirations that users have long desired. Where, for example, Web 1.0 is essentially a \"read-only\" medium, Web 2.0 is referred to as a \"read-write\" medium, since users are empowered to develop and contribute their own digital productions (Thompson, 2007).Crook et al. (2008) describe Web 2.0 as a technology that \"celebrates and builds community. It facilitates participation and it resources debate\" (p. 7). In defining the underlying characteristics of Web 2.0 they identify five key features or benefits. These are briefly explained below with reference to their potential for supporting and enhancing teachers' professional learning, which has been described above.4.1 User-generated publishing\n5. Web 2.0 and teachers' professional learning: The section above indicates how Web 2.0 might play a significant role in affording new opportunities for learners \"disrupting traditional learning and teaching patterns, giving rise to new and innovative ways of acquiring and managing knowledge\" (Redecker, 2008, p. 7). But much of the current research investigates how teachers can be better prepared to use such technologies in their teaching rather than as an integral part of their own learning (Downes, 2004; Fisher et al., 2006). Table I illustrates a exploratory framework for mapping the varieties of teacher learning (identified in section 3) with the features and affordances of Web 2.0 technologies (described in section 4).Technologies themselves are not responsible directly for learning, but they can \"afford certain learning tasks that themselves may result in learning or give rise to certain learning benefits\" (Dalgarno and Lee, 2010, p. 17). Hence it is useful to correlate particular kinds of Web 2.0 affordances and learning tasks with the opportunities for professional learning they might offer. In this final section of the paper three scenarios are mapped against the framework to illustrate how Web 2.0 technologies might facilitate particular types of professional learning opportunities in this way. They draw upon the initial findings of a research case study in the north of England where approximately 40 teachers are working with the author in a work-based, accredited, action-research project focused on Web 2.0 technologies and pedagogical transformation.5.1 Teacher learning and knowledge construction: wikis\n6. Conclusions: This paper has outlined the various processes that underpin teacher learning within a broadly situative perspective based on socio-cultural views and theories of learning. Five key features or affordances of Web 2.0 technologies are identified as being particularly valuable and harmonious with teacher learning, even though most of these applications were not designed originally for schools or even education in the wider sense:1. user-generated publishing;2. collaboration, participation and sharing;3. re-purposing;4. multi-literacies; and5. inquiry and research.Each of these affordances offers potential support for particular kinds of professional learning in differing contexts but the precise relationship between these variables is largely uncharted and still problematic. The framework which has been suggested (Table I) is a starting-point for charting the match between the various Web 2.0 tools with their associated affordances and the elements of professional learning which accumulated wisdom indicates are most effective. This is an exploratory framework that invites further empirical investigation along the lines set out in the case studies that have been described.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to identify and develop an exploratory framework for conceptualising how teachers might use the affordances of Web 2.0 technologies to support their own professional learning.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper draws on a large corpus of literature and recent research evidence to identify the principal elements and features of professional learning and the underlying affordances of Web 2.0 technologies and applications. It generates an exploratory conceptual framework based on the emerging findings from this review using a socio-cultural theoretical perspective. The framework is explored through three individual illustrations which are drawn from a much larger case study which the author is undertaking within a newly established Academy in the North of England.\nFindings: - The findings indicate that there is potential value in exploring professional learning with Web 2.0 technologies in the ways described. The framework offers an exploratory instrument to examine how professional learning for teachers could be supported with Web 2.0 technologies in ways that might have significant benefits over traditional methods of continuing professional development (CPD).\nOriginality/value: - The potential value and affordances of Web 2.0 technologies for teachers' professional learning are largely unexplored and under-theorised, and this work seeks to establish a framework for further discussion and empirical exploration.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Effects of menu labelling on students' food choice: a preliminary study	[ "Students", "Nutrition knowledge", "Grocery store nutrition label", "Menu label" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The increasing rate of overweight and obesity is an important public health concern. Nowadays, 39 per cent of the adult global population is overweight, while 13 per cent is obese (WHO, 2017). The effects of the obesity pandemic are mirrored not only in the increasing rate of conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases but also in growing healthcare costs and dropping productivity levels (WHO, 2000; Beaglehole et al., 2011).\nSubjects and methods: Study participants\nResults: Sample characteristics\nDiscussion: This study used a between-subjects design to test students' hypothetical meal choices in fast food outlet settings in which the information on food energy value alone or accompanied by the information on the recommended DI of particular nutrients was provided. The obtained results suggest that the provision of energy content information alone, or in combination with information on the total fat, SFA, sugar and salt content and their recommended DIs, resulted in choices of food having a lower energy, fat and salt content. Only the graphical menu label managed to drive students towards choosing food items having a lower SFA and sugar content. The habit of reading packaged food nutrition labels was a significant predictor of selecting food with lower energy, fat, SFA, sugar and salt content from the randomly assigned menus.\nConclusion: This study reported a statistically significant proneness to choosing food with reduced energy and a certain nutrient content on the occasion of imaginary fast food eating, upon the presentation of a kcal menu label alone or in combination with the information on the total fat, SFA, sugar and salt content and their recommended DIs. The effect sizes reported here are comparable to those reported by other studies, but future research should be conducted in real restaurant settings. The applicable value lies within the fact that in Europe menu labelling is still voluntary and rarely seen. The results confirmed that students in the habit of reading grocery store nutrition labels are more interested in menu labelling, which they perceive as a significant contributor to the reduction of food-mediated energy, fat, SFA, sugar and salt intake. Since nutrition knowledge was not shown to be a significant predictor of food-mediated energy and nutrient intake reduction, an important step in implementing this policy should be the effort to increase the frequency of grocery store nutrition label reading and the understanding of information provided therein.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between nutrition knowledge and grocery store nutrition label use, with using nutrition information disclosure on menu selection in a group of hospitality management students, who shall be responsible for menu labelling in their future careers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A between-subject design included 324 students, who were randomly assigned to choose from a menu labelled as follows: unlabelled; kcal label only; graphical label providing information on the per cent of the recommended daily intake of energy and four nutrients. Their nutrition knowledge and habit of reading grocery store nutrition labels were tested using an additional questionnaire.\nFindings: The results showed that the provision of energy value information resulted in the selection of less energetic, less fat and less salted food, while a graphical label additionally led to the selection of food having a lower saturated fatty acid (SFA) and sugar content. Multiple regression analysis showed that the habit of packaged food nutrition label reading was a significant predictor of choosing food having a lower energy (p<0.001), fat (p<0.001), SFA (p<0.001), sugar (p<0.001) and salt (p=0.003) content, while the influence of nutrition knowledge on food selection was proven insignificant.\nOriginality/value: Given the established positive impact of menu labelling, these findings support the future European policy mandating energy and nutrient content disclosure on menus, but also point to the need for more-intense consumer education.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Impact of investment in intangible assets on corporate performance in India	[ "India", "Intangible assets", "Tobin’s Q", "Panel data regression", "Intangible asset monitor method" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: There is multiplicity as well as ambiguity in the identification of Intangible Assets. Grojer and Johanson (1999) and Guthrie and Petty (2000) termed these as \"Soft\" assets and \"Weightless Wealth\". Fincham and Roslender (2003) and Lev (2001) called these \"Intellectual capital\" and \"Knowledge assets\". Andersen (1992) describes Intangible Assets as non-physical in nature, capable of producing future economic net benefits. Edvinsson and Malone (1997) call these \"hidden capabilities\" of an organization. Brooking (1997) describes them as the \"combination of market based Intangible Assets, intellectual property, human-centered and infrastructure that enables the company to function\". Strassmann (1999) defines Intangible Assets as the difference between the market value of a company and the book value of its tangible assets.\n2. Research methodology: The study is based on a sample of 346 companies selected from BT-500. It was conducted for a period of 12 years from 2000-2001 to 2011-2012. Firms belonging to public sector and banking and financial sectors have been excluded from the sample, as the nature and significance of Intangible Assets in these companies is not comparable with those in the manufacturing sector or service industries (Guo et al., 2011). The companies not existing over the total study period were eliminated. Also, companies for which relevant data were not available were not taken. Hence, an effective sample of 346 companies was left out for the final analysis. Data are collected from PROWESS, a database of Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Annual reports of companies have also been consulted.\n3. Results and analysis: Multivariate Panel Data Regression analysis has been used to examine the impact of Intangible Assets on performance. The basic assumptions of the panel data models have been checked and the data are found to be normal. The stationarity of the data has been established and the data are free from the problem of multicollinearity. But the data have the problem of autocorrelation and heteroskedasticity. Therefore, to account for these problems, the data have been clustered and the robust standard errors are reported. Table I shows the result of Panel Data Regression where ROA, ROE and Tobin's Q are the dependent variables and Intangible Assets are the independent variables. Also, the effect of size, age, leverage, physical capital, risk and market share are controlled for. Industry and year are used as dummy variables and are controlled for. The results are presented in Table I as follows:\n4. Conclusion: The present study evaluates the impact of Intangible Assets on the performance of Indian companies. The results report a positive and significant relation between Intangible Assets and performance. Resultantly, the study is of immense importance to the corporate managers in improving managerial insights into the significance of investment in Intangible Assets. The results direct Indian managers to understand and realize the importance of Intangible Assets and keenly invest in R&D, technology, software, advertising, CRM and human resources to further augment their performance. Gone are the days when investment in fixed assets carried supreme importance. Rather, the unobserved and unscathed assets bear equal relevance and significance. Also, such investment would be more fruitful to large-sized companies, older in age and with high physical capital intensity. Investment in Intangible Assets should be a part of strategic intent of managers. To be distinct and inimitable, they should encourage investment in Intangible Assets. Such investment would definitely strengthen their internal resources and capabilities and become a source of sustained competitive advantage.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of investment in Intangible Assets on the corporate performance of Indian companies for a period of twelve years from 2001 to 2012.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Intangible assets have been measured using the \"Intangible Assets Monitor\" method developed by Sveiby (1997).\nFindings: The results of panel data regression model reveal that Intangible Assets affect performance of companies positively after controlling for firm size, age, leverage, physical capital intensity, market share, risk, industries and dummy year.\nPractical implications: The study is of immense importance to corporate managers in improving managerial insight into the significance of investment in Intangible Assets. The results direct Indian managers to understand and realize the importance of Intangible Assets and keenly invest in research and development, technology, software, advertising, customer relationship management and human resources to further augment their performance.\nOriginality/value: Specifically considering India, the research related to the association between Intangible Assets and performance is undersized. Thus, the present study would contribute to the existing literature comprehensively.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Using Facebook efficiently: Assessing the impact of organizational Facebook activities on organizational reputation	[ "Facebook", "Data envelopment analysis", "Social media", "Reputation management", "Performance efficiency" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Social media have transformed the internet from a platform for information to a platform for influence (Hanna et al., 2011). On social media, stakeholders are no longer passive recipients of organizations' messages; instead, by actively sharing experiences/opinions of products, they and the organizations are working together to create everything from new products and services, to business models and values (Kim and Ko, 2012). Understanding the value social media bring to stakeholder relationship building, organizations now view social media as a mandatory element of their communication strategy (Hanna et al., 2011). According to the research conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 93 percent of the Fortune 500 companies are active on at least one social networking site, mainly Twitter (78 percent) and Facebook (74 percent) (Barnes et al., 2015). Organizations use social media to foster favorable relationships with stakeholders by creating sharable content, interacting with stakeholders online, monitoring what stakeholders are saying and addressing negative comments (Dijkmans et al., 2015). These activities are known as online reputation management.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Organizational reputation\n3. Method: 3.1 DEA\n4. Results: 4.1 Reputation management efficiency in the use of Facebook\n5. Discussion: This study analyzed the Facebook activities of 22 companies, using DEA. The results reveal that over 60 percent of the 22 companies were inefficient, and, on average, the efficient companies posted less frequently than did the inefficient companies. The results also reveal that companies receiving more engagements and companies adopting one main Facebook page were more efficient than those receiving fewer engagements or adopting multiple Facebook pages. The results of this study shed light on some issues in the efficient use of Facebook in organizational reputation management.\n6. Limitations and future research: This study has several limitations that warrant more research. First, the 22 companies analyzed in this study are not representative; thus, the results should not be generalized to other organizations not included in the sample. The companies analyzed in this study are not all in the same industry; therefore, they may not share the same objectives and functions. Future research may want to increase the sample size, and focus on specific industries or product categories, where all DMUs share the same production function.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of Facebook in organizational reputation management by analyzing how efficiently the most reputable companies in the USA use Facebook.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study analyzed 22 companies' efficiency in using Facebook in reputation management, using data envelopment analysis.\nFindings: Results reveal that, on average, the efficient companies (n=8) posted less frequently than did the inefficient companies (n=14); companies receiving more engagements were more efficient than those receiving fewer engagements; and companies adopting one main Facebook page were more efficient than those adopting multiple Facebook pages. The size and length of history of an organization were not found to affect efficiency outcomes significantly.\nOriginality/value: The findings of this study will contribute to the optimization of Facebook use in organizational reputation management.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Interactive media usage among millennial consumers	[ "Millennial generation", "Cohort analysis", "Interactive marketing", "Decision trees", "User studies", "Individual behaviour", "Marketing starategy" ]	[ { "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: The accelerated pace of technological change in markets over the past 20 years is unprecedented. The generation of consumers that is coming of age along with the proliferation of technology into nearly every facet of daily life is commonly referred to as The Millennial Generation including members of the US population born between 1982 and 2000. In addition, technology drives global homogeneity among worldwide population within the Millennial age group, generating cross-border cohorts who exhibit similar attitudes and behaviors. Members of the Millennial Cohort pose challenges for their Baby Boomer and Generation X predecessors in terms of education, management and marketing (Reisenwitz and Iyer, 2009). Though academics and practitioners recognize the importance of technology in the daily function of Millennial consumers (e.g. Kavounis, 2008; Tsao and Steffes-Hansen, 2008), and have made progress into understanding the motivations for using these technologies (e.g. Grant and O'Donohoe, 2007), empirical investigation of interactive technology usage in today's dynamic marketing environment is lagging behind the rapid adoption of these technologies.The purpose of this research is to determine a comprehensive empirical model of interactive media usage specifically among US Millennial consumers, to contribute to an increasingly important knowledge base related to technology driven marketing media. To achieve this end, an inductive approach is employed that compares actual interactive media usage among Millennial consumers to their older counterparts: Generation X and Baby Boomers. The research establishes a realistic model of interactive media usage in the consumer decision process that provides direct implications for practitioners who seek knowledge specific to Millennial behaviors. Further, the research provides important theoretical direction for understanding adoption behaviors of interactive marketing technologies among the three prominent cohorts currently driving US markets: Millennial, Generation X and the Baby Boomers.\nLiterature: Consumer interactive media usage\nMethods: The research employs a reductionist data mining approach to construct realistic models of interactive media usage among Millennial consumers using a large national sample. Decision tree analysis (DTA) is used to generate comparative models between Millennials and Generation X and Baby Boomers, respectively, to determine behaviors unique to the generational cohorts. Data for the study (n=3,289) are provided by the Kantar Retail IQ database.Decision tree analysis\nFindings: Sample characteristics\nConclusions and discussion: The DTA suggests several patterns of behavior among Millennial consumer use of interactive media that underscores the cohorts' distinct manner with which they appear to integrate these tools into their daily lives. Not unexpectedly, the model that contrasts usage between Millennials and Boomers indicates more marked differences in both the variety of significant variables as well as in the magnitude of effect sizes. The differences between Millennial behaviors and Generation X were less pronounced compared to the former contrast.Compared to Generation X, Millennials are more active at integrating technologies into their daily lives for marketing purposes. Millennials use their mobile device and traditional internet means to connect to retailers or brands. They engage in social networking using their mobile device, but do not report regular social networking to the degree that Generation X respondents report. The model also suggests a clear indication that Millennials do not use the Internet to purchase products compared to Generation X, despite their noted frequent use of interactive technologies to connect with retailers and brands.According to the DTA model that contrasts usage between Millennials and Boomers, the differences are more distinct (i.e. stronger effects) and more extensive (i.e. more significant variables or tree depth). The two groups are significantly different across seven different variables, with the \"purchased product online in past six months\" variable splitting twice within the DTA hierarchy. For all significant variables, with the exception of purchasing online, Millennial respondents demonstrate significantly higher integration of interactive media. Using both mobile devices and traditional internet tools, Millennials accessed online resources for both utilitarian and entertainment purposes. They also indicate significantly higher interactive connections with retailers or brands through their blogging activities and couponing behaviors. Again, Millennials were less likely to purchase a product online compared to the Boomer respondents.From a general perspective, both models indicate significant usage of interactive media among Millennials for a variety of reasons: information seeking, entertainment focused, increased utility and deal focused. However, despite this activity Millennial consumers do not purchase products online to a comparable degree of the older generations considered in the study. The findings suggest implications for both practice and future research (for practical implications see managerial implications and applications). The study's design is grounded in actual behavioral data and is exploratory in this sense. However, interpretation of the findings through the uses and gratifications perspective indicates partial agreement with past research using this approach. Consistent with Grant (2005) and Tsao and Steffes-Hansen (2008), the models suggest that US Millennials actively use interactive technology for entertainment as well as technology exploration (i.e. downloading applications). Contrary to Grant's study of young Scots (Grant, 2005) the results suggest that US Millennials actively engage in marketing research over using a variety of means: blogs, e-mail, mobile connections, utilities and various applications.The findings also suggest that as expected Millennials are superiorly adept at using these technologies in their daily life compared to the older generations. The comparison between Millennials and Generation X indicates that members of the older cohort are more likely to engage in social networking from a non-mobile connection while Milllennials are more likely to access social networks from their mobile phone. Given the variety and speed with which Millennials use the potential portfolio of interactive tools, this generation appears to control the technology in a manner that is integrated into their daily lives from both utilitarian and entertainment perspectives. However, a substantial question remains regarding the Millennial consumer's resistance to online purchasing. Potential limitations related to this finding are noted in the Limitations and Future Research section.\nManagerial implications and applications: Results suggest that older Millennials (i.e. born between 1982 and 1992) use interactive technologies for multiple purposes: to connect with retailers or brands online, to download coupons online, to source entertainment and utility applications, etc. Further, Millennial consumers also report active usage of mobile devices to carry out these behaviors. However, these consumers do not buy products online at rates comparable to the older generations. The lack of willingness to purchase online does not appear to have arisen from accessibility or income limitations given the sample data characteristics.A major distinction among Millennials is the propensity to download applications particularly \"utility apps\" to connect to retailers or brands. Marketers including retailers and manufacturers should incorporate practical uses of technology into their interactive marketing media when targeting Millennials. Firms who undertake these efforts must also ensure that they deliver value in terms of information and time to the dubious Millennial consumer. This approach may not prove as useful for the older cohorts, particularly the Boomer Generation who does not use these technologies as efficiently as the younger cohort.Millennial consumers in the study do not purchase products online compared to the older cohorts. They use interactive media to gather information on the go (i.e. using their mobile device) including promotional media. This finding suggests an opportunity for brands who market in multiple channels to connect with Millennials and stimulate retail patronage using interactive promotional tactics. Based on previous research, marketers should be cognizant of the potential to irritate the Millennial consumer with too much contact or potentially inflated promotional promises (Henrie and Taylor, 2009). The same principles apply to firms who market online exclusively, however this model is further challenged to convert Millennials to online purchasers.Analysts and academics commonly assume that Millennials inter-mix function and entertainment using interactive technology. The models suggest that Millennials use their technology in directed, brief sessions. The research indicates a higher incidence of social networking on a home computer among Generation X respondents, with Millennials preferring to use their mobile device for this purpose. Therefore, efforts to integrate business with pleasure may actually irritate rather than attract the Millennial consumer. When approaching this consumer, marketers must have clear messages, effective technology and follow through on their claims.\nLimitations and future research: The purpose of this study is to determine the actual interactive behaviors of Millennial consumers in a comparative multi-generational format grounded in robust national data. Research tradeoffs were consciously undertaken to pursue the study's purpose. Limitations are primarily related the study's design including use of secondary data and the DTA method. Though the sample data are accessed from a reputable and reliable source, the questionnaire design was not determined by the researcher and as such covered only those questions important to the firm. Fortunately, the interactive technology questions were extensive in the scope of applications that they covered. Further, the six items that evaluated general interactive behaviors (Appendix), as opposed to actions taken in the past six weeks, were anchored to the context of clothing, shoes and accessories purchasing. Findings could be markedly different for different product categories such as consumer electronics or services.The age range of the Millennial Cohort within the sample includes respondents born between 1982 and 1992 due to a minimum age requirement of eighteen for participating in the survey. Therefore, younger Millennials are not included in the analysis and may use interactive technologies differently from older Millennials. Previous generational analyses note intergenerational differences between younger and older portions of large cohorts such as the Boomers with Generation Jones. As rapid diffusion of these technologies continues, marketing research will be critical to understand the nuances with which this large consumer group adopts and uses these tools.The sample data are heavier in female and Caucasian respondents. Potential gender differences may affect use of interactive technologies and thus the outcomes of the study's usage models. This sample characteristic should be considered when interpreting the results, particularly from a practical perspective. Brands that market exclusively to males should carefully interpret the study's results for their respective business contexts. Additionally gender differences may also impact future theoretical work in this area.When using decision tree analysis (DTA), replication of tree structure over multiple samples bolster the ability to generalize findings. Though cross-validation analyses suggest stable model structure for both comparisons among the sample data, replication of the tree structure using new datasets would be ideal. Likewise, though the sample size is considerably larger than those used for traditional statistical models, extremely large sample sizes provide additional power for CHAID which considers each case in its algorithm. Though the data are recent (i.e. June 2010), given the rapid pace of change in interactive capabilities, the applicability of the research directly to markets is potentially short-lived. Therefore, research should continue to evolve along with this phenomenon from practical and theoretical standpoints.Consumer integration of interactive technology will continue to be an important focus for academic and marketing researchers in the foreseeable future. From an academic perspective, the study suggests further work from the uses and gratifications perspective by examining media use through economic/utilitarian versus social/entertainment purposes. From a practical perspective, actionable research in this particular area is promising due to the availability of rich secondary data sets that reflect a range of actual behavior. Therefore, replication studies for interactive technology and usage are needed to build direct practical knowledge which can also lead to theoretical knowledge through identification of behavioral patterns.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this study is to determine a comprehensive model of millennial usage of interactive technologies in the current marketing environment based upon actual behavior.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A data mining approach using decision tree analysis (DTA) generates two comparative models (i.e. millennial versus generation X and millennial versus baby boomers) of interactive media usage across 21 technology applications. A large national sample (n=3,289) sourced from the Kantar Retail IQ constitutes the data for the models.\nFindings: - Millennial respondents indicate significantly higher usage of interactive media compared to both generation X and boomers across 14 applications. Models indicate that millennials use interactive technologies for utilitarian/information gathering purposes as well as for entertainment. However, they are less likely to purchase online compared to their older counterparts.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Models provide evidence that both supports and extends previous research into interactive media from a uses and gratifications perspective. Findings suggest theoretical directions for research for economic versus emotional uses of interactive media.\nPractical implications: - Findings suggest that while millennials are adept at using technology for research and interactive purposes they tend to buy in stores, presenting opportunities for multiple channel marketers and challenges for those who market online exclusively.\nOriginality/value: - The paper provides a realistic, comprehensive empirical model of interactive consumer behaviors across three prominent US cohorts within the current generational cycle.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
National versus store brand effects on consumer evaluation of a garment	[ "Consumer psychology", "Brands", "Clothing", "Premium products", "Brand awareness" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: National brands such as Mexx, Guess, and Ralph Lauren are very much present in the ready-to-wear clothing industry. Brand names are powerful sources of inferences concerning the quality of products (prestige, durability, etc.) (Dodds and Monroe, 1985; Keller, 2003; Render and O'Connor, 1976). It is, therefore, not surprising to learn that national brand garments are better evaluated than unbranded garments or garments that carry lesser known brands (Davis, 1985).Private brands are also increasingly present in the marketplace (Quelch and Harding, 1996), particularly in European countries (ACNielsen, 2003). While they are most notably associated with the grocery sector, they are available in many other product categories such as electronic equipment, tools, and clothing. It is estimated that private brands represent 36 per cent of apparel sales in US retail stores (NDP Group, 2003). In the face of fierce competition and dropping sales revenues, American clothing retailers more and more consider offering their customers products carrying their own label (Legwear Trends and Fashions, 2003). This strategy seems to be very successful in as much as private brand apparel sales are steadily increasing in the context of an overall decreasing market (NDP Group, 2003). A recent international study involving 36 countries showed that the growth of private brands outpaced that of manufacturer brands in over two-third of the studies markets (ACNielsen, 2003).Salmon and Cmar (1987) have put forward some reasons to explain the development of private brands in retail clothing. Firstly, many consumers shop in shopping centres where they can find a large array of clothes. Therefore, speciality shops and boutiques within large retail stores can concentrate on offering more restricted lines of clothing in order to target specific segments. Secondly, new technologies permit quicker responses to consumer demand in terms of clothing collections and stocks. Thirdly, retailers have more negotiation power over manufacturers than they used to. They may, therefore, offer their customers their own brands as well as national brands with no prejudice on their sourcing capabilities. It can also be argued that store brands help retailers differentiate themselves and create store loyalty (Legwear Trends and Fashions, 2003).The main objective of this research was to examine how consumer evaluations of a garment depend on the type of brand that it carries. Although brand name is an important cue to assess the value of a piece of clothing, other extrinsic attributes such as price, type of store, and store image may also impact on the appreciation of garments. In addition, what consumers intend to do with the desired garment is likely to shape the buying process. For instance, if the garment is to be worn everyday, its brand name and the store where it is bought may have less importance than if the purchase is made in the context of a special occasion. The experimental research presented in this article explored these ideas by looking at the interactive effects of brand name (national versus store brand), intended usage situation (everyday use versus special occasion), price (regular price versus discount), type of store (department store versus boutique), and store image (upper-class versus lower-class) on consumer evaluation of a shirt.\nBackground discussion: The question of how extrinsic product attributes like brand name, price, store name, and store image affect consumer perceptions has been the object of a great number of studies which have been reviewed in detail by Rao and Monroe (1989). The following discussion will focus on results from that literature which are relevant to the objectives of this study.Brand name\nResearch hypotheses: Four basic research hypotheses were put forward on the basis of the literature review. These hypotheses concern the main effects of brand name, price, type of store, and store image on consumer evaluations.H1. A garment carrying a national brand name is better evaluated than a garment carrying a store name.\nMethod: Overview\nResults: Description of the sample\nDiscussion: The results of this study suggest that the generally admitted superiority of national brands over private brands (Ward et al., 1986) must be questioned, at least in the context of the purchase of a clothing item. According to the findings reported in this article, consumer preferences for branded garments result from the interplay of store image and purchase motivation. For instance, in the context of buying a shirt for a special occasion, the consumers having participated in this experiment valued more a store brand than a national brand when the shirt was offered in an upper-class store. However, the opposite was noted when the shirt was available in a lower-class store. One can speculate that for special purchases, national brands offer some guarantee that a product available in a low-reputation store will meet consumers' high expectations. But this guarantee seems no longer necessary in the case of high-reputation stores offering exclusive store brands.For less involving decisions such as the purchase of a shirt to be worn everyday, the participants in this study gave their best appreciation to store brands available in low-reputation stores. One explanation for this result is that consumers may have inferred that this is where they would get the best deal. Since the product stimuli that were used in this study did not display a specific price value (e.g. 49.99$) but rather were presented as being sold at a \"regular\" or \"discount\" price, consumers may have made inferences regarding the amount of money that would be required to buy an ordinary shirt. Perhaps the non-observation of a price effect in this study may be attributed to the fact that some implicit absolute price information was contained in the store image factor. This problem should be addressed in future studies.These findings have some implications for the marketing of national and store brands of clothing. Retailers in high-prestige stores willing to promote their store brands should emphasize in their communication programs buying contexts in which a piece of clothing is needed for some special event (e.g. a wedding anniversary, a prom) because this appears to correspond to situations where store brands are best valued. Retailers in low-prestige stores should rather promote their store brands by stressing the good quality of their clothes in day-to-day usage situations. In the case of national brands of clothing, emphasizing the satisfaction guarantee that comes automatically with well-known, well-established brands would probably be the best communication strategy.\nConclusion: Store brands are very much present in the retail clothing market and it is likely that consumers will see more of them in the future (NDP Group, 2003). Store-branded clothes are not perceived to be second-class products; they are marketed and positioned like national brand items. Thus, like national brands, they use advertising, celebrity endorsements, designer names, and other promotional retail techniques in order to create a distinct personality (Aaker, 1997). Their exclusive character provides them with an aura of uniqueness which encourages store loyalty and allows retailers to distinguish themselves from competitors.Given their prominence in the retail clothing sector and the apparent brightness of their future, it is important to understand how consumers in the apparel market perceive store brands in relation to national brands. The objective of this study was to bring some relevant knowledge about this phenomenon in the area of retail fashion. It is hoped that it will stimulate further research on this neglected topic. Research carried out in different parts of the world would be particularly valuable given that the penetration of private brands varies significantly across countries. A recent ACNielsen study has revealed that Europe is the most developed region for private brands with 61 per cent of all private brand sales, followed by North America with a 34 per cent share (ACNielsen, 2003). It would be relevant to examine whether the results obtained in this study are modified as a function of the rate of private brand penetration.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The study reported in this article aims to examine the effects of national versus store brands on consumer evaluation of a garment, taking into account the intended product usage situation (for everyday use versus for a special occasion) as well as price (regular versus discount), type of store (department versus boutique), and store image (lower-class versus upper-class).\nDesign/methodology/approach: - An experiment was conducted with 127 Canadian adult consumers where the above variables were manipulated by means of short vignettes presenting a to-be-evaluated branded shirt.\nFindings: - The results of the experimental study showed that consumer evaluations of store brands and national brands were influenced by the joint effects of store image and intended usage situation.\nPractical implications: - Retailers in upper-class retail clothing stores willing to promote their store brands should emphasize in their communication programs buying contexts in which an item is needed for some special event (e.g. a wedding anniversary) because this appears to correspond to situations where store brands are best valued. Retailers in lower-class stores should rather promote their store brands by stressing the good quality of their clothes in day-to-day usage situations. As for national brands of clothing, emphasizing the satisfaction guarantee that comes automatically with well-established brands would seem to be the best communication strategy.\nOriginality/value: - The paper shows the influence of store image on consumer evaluations of garments.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Striving for job security: The lived experience of employment informality among educated youth in Egypt	[ "Employment", "Economic sociology", "Labour market", "Social policy", "Youth", "Informal economy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Work informality is a key defining feature of today's globalized economies. While long perceived as a feature of \"pre-capitalist\" societies, informality is increasingly considered as one of the defining features of the globalization era (Standing, 2011, p. 261). This paper discusses work informality in Egypt, a country with a large informal economy, with focus on educated youth. The educated have been conventionally sheltered from the precariousness of work informality in Egypt thanks to the legacy of a guaranteed employment scheme that was initiated during Nasser's socialist era of the 1960s. A bloated government sector, waves of structural reforms, and the increasing size of cohorts of graduates all contributed to making this scheme unsustainable. Educated youth, however, are a politically volatile population, as the recent events in Egypt have shown. They have been at the forefront of demonstrations seeking change in the country in 2011. Economic and social rights were central to the change they demanded. A symbolic reminder of the importance of work informality among youth is that what has been dubbed in the media as the \"Arab Spring\" was sparked by a young frustrated street vendor in Tunisia who burned himself to death in protest to his government's violent exclusion of informal workers.\nResearch methodology: The argument in this paper builds on both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion. All interviews were conducted in urban areas, primarily in Cairo. Overall, 32 interviews were conducted with both young men and women. The informants were predominately younger than the age of 35 with the exception of two women. Criteria for selection was to include those who have worked or have been actively searching for a job. Informants were selected using the regular snowballing technique through contacts initiated by the researcher with the help of three research assistants at different points in time. Data collection extended from 2009 to 2013. This was a very eventful period in Egypt with the uprising of 2011 constituting a major milestone with significant impact on youth employment due to the contraction of opportunities and the economic stagnation that ensued. The findings remained the same, although the intensity of the problems increased with the contraction of opportunities. Similarly, the hope to find a job in the government was expressed more strongly in interviews conducted post the uprising, in view of the policies that will be discussed in more details in this paper in relation to government hiring.\nThe kaleidoscope of work informality: Work informality, or the \"informal sector\", was first conceptualized as an antithesis to modern capitalist economies and as a temporary anomaly that is bound to come to an end (Hart, 1973). The reference to the \"informal sector\" came to be known in the international literature thanks to an interdisciplinary mission report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that sought to describe persisting traditional forms of undocumented economic activities in Kenya (International Labour Organization (ILO), 1972). The predominant state of thinking at the time, and throughout the rest of the twentieth century, has been that informality was a temporary stage and that the informal sector was bound to become formal as it moves away from its pre-capitalist mode of production and become modernized (Chen, 2005). A major exception to this state of thinking was the structuralist school, which saw the informal sector as a feature of capitalist economy that is exploited by the formal sector (Castells and Portes, 1989). While the modernization approach saw informality as bound to end, the globalization approach saw it as a universal phenomenon that is bound to prevail (Williams, 2014). Standing (2011, p. 261) argues that informalization is one of the defining features of the globalization era. Reflecting on the modernization thesis, he notes that informalization can no more be considered as the \"residual destined to shrink as economies industrialized\". Informality, he argues instead, has become pervasive with the use of subcontractors by large modern enterprises and the implementation of structural adjustment programmes in most countries in the south (Standing, 2011).\nThe policy setting in Egypt: Egypt's economy has witnessed a gradual, albeit strong, paradigm shift in development over the past decades. The modernization project of the 1960s was based on a legacy of state-centric development. A key marker of this legacy has been the guaranteed employment scheme to all graduates with high school diplomas and above in 1962. The shift to economic liberalization started in the 1970s with what has been dubbed as the \"open door policies\". The liberalization policies of the 1970s coincided with a major economic windfall thanks to high migrant workers' remittances from oil-rich Gulf countries, the reopening of the Suez Canal, and the flourishing of tourism (Farah, 2009). The guaranteed employment scheme was sustained during this period, despite a delay in hiring cohorts that could extend to five or six years. This windfall, however, was short-lived. It was sealed to an end by the Gulf war of 1991, with the sharp drop of migrant workers' remittances and tourism revenues. The implementation of structural adjustment policies in 1991 marked a decline in public sector investments, the privatization of some of the state-owned enterprises, and the relinquishing of the full employment guarantee scheme.\nThe lived experience of work informality: voices of educated youth within informality: This paper seeks to voice the views of young people as they reflect on their work options and aspirations[4]. It is important to realize that the private sector in Egypt is highly segmented. While the sector offers some well-paying jobs with social security and other benefits, this remains a privilege to the upper segments in the labour market. The majority of jobs obtained by young people in the private sector, as shown in the above statistical analysis, are marked with informality and provide compromised work benefits.\nDiscussion: the policy road less travelled in Egypt: Extending social security to workers within the informal economy has been a policy road less travelled in Egypt. The political turmoil in the country has forced successive governments to favourably respond to public pressure and hire youth in the government (El Baradei, 2013). This remains a temporary solution that addresses a few from this politically volatile group but fails to address the larger problem of employment informality. While this paper voices the views of young people on the value of getting a government job, this is not a solution that can be endorsed in view of Egypt's already bloated government sector. Reforming the existing social insurance system and addressing its systemic problems is a road less travelled in Egypt[6].\nConclusion: Employment informality has reached one of Egypt's most politically volatile groups, educated youth. Survey data presented in this paper shows that among educated youth, only 33 per cent have access to social insurance and a little less than half of this group (42 per cent) work without any documentation in the form of a work contract. Young people interviewed as part of this study speak of a strong consciousness and even bitterness about lack of employment and social security. They describe systemic problems they face that prevent them from access to social security, even if their employment relations allow for that. Conscious of the disparity of benefits between private-sector and government jobs, they express their strong preference for government/public sector jobs. When these jobs are not tenable, young people blame favouritism for their exclusion and forcefully speak of issues of social justice and equity.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, it seeks to voice the concerns of educated youth in Egypt as they describe their work options and preferences. Second, it seeks to highlight the gravity of the policy gap in addressing work informality, drawing on some of the international experience in this field.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews, desk-review of policies, and descriptive statistical analysis of a recent national survey of labour in Egypt.\nFindings: A large proportion of educated youth work within the realm of informality and there is a clear policy gap in addressing this issue. Contrary to what would be expected, young people value access to social security and work stability. They face systemic hurdles related to access to such benefits. Because of the legacy of guaranteed government hiring of the educated in Egypt, young people express a great appreciation of work in the government, for virtually being the only employer offering job stability and social security in the labour market.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper addresses a gap in the literature on youth employment in Egypt, where there is a dearth of research focusing on the lived experience of employment precariousness. The majority of studies in this field relies on statistics with little qualitative research voicing the views of this group.\nPractical implications: Reforms are more urgent than timely to extend social security and other measures of social protection to workers within the informal economy.\nOriginality/value: The paper builds on primary data and provides insights about the way educated youth perceive their working conditions and options. The paper also provides a discussion of the social security system in Egypt, its coverage, and possible reform approaches.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Health-related R&D priorities until 2030: Russian experience	[ "Research and development (R&D)", "Biomedicine", "Health-related", "National trends", "Research priorities" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Public health issues command close attention of decision-makers at all levels of government. In Russia, the scale of health-related problems has reached a peak during the previous decade (Saygitov and Chulok, 2015). Russia must not only significantly reduce mortality and sickness rates associated with widespread diseases but also do so very quickly (Long-Term Socio-Economic Development Concept for the Russian Federation Until 2020, 2008). In the short term, the accent must be placed on finding institutional solutions, such as increasing public health funding, introducing more efficient administrative systems and practical application of existing health technologies (medicine, medical device and biologics). Relevant steps taken in these areas already resulted in reduced mortality and increased life expectancy (Saygitov and Chulok, 2015). However, in the next few decades, the role of innovative health technologies in accomplishing the state's health-related social objectives may increase manifold, because the potential to further increase efficiency of conventional public health systems will be exhausted [which has already happened in developed countries (Ford and Capewell, 2007; Nichols et al., 2013)].\nMethods: The methodology applied in the S&T Foresight study (for details, see Sokolov and Chulok, 2012, 2016) combined a set of qualitative and quantitative instruments well-known in the practices of science, technology and innovation foresight studies (Miles et al., 2016), such as horizon scanning, bibliometric and patent analysis, expert panels, surveys, stakeholder mapping, etc. On top of that, a number of less frequently used techniques were applied, including semantic analysis of big data, wild cards and weak signal analysis.\nResults: Consistent multifaceted expert evaluation of the subject area (health-related R&D) allowed to identify and formulate key trends affecting the S&T sphere, prospective markets and priority R&D areas.\nDiscussion: Setting and updating health-related R&D priorities is a necessary precondition for developing medicine and healthcare in line with current trends and challenges. In Russia, priority setting in the biomedical sector dates back to 1996, when the first list of critical technologies for the life sciences area was approved. During the past five years, a number of programme documents were adopted on the national or industry-specific (ministerial) levels, setting priorities for health-related R&D.\nConclusions: The future of medicine will be determined by sensible management of available resources. At the same time, continuously conducting innovative biomedical R&D is also a necessary prerequisite of the sector's sustainable development. Therefore, setting research priorities remains no less relevant, taking into account current and expected demand by the population. In Russia, the history of setting biomedical R&D priorities is two decades' long. Current research priorities mainly match relevant global trends. Still unsolved issues include implementation of the declared priorities, development of infrastructure and human potential for the biomedical research sector, creating conditions for commercialisation of R&D results and promoting demand for them.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The aim of this paper is to present results of a foresight study on identifying priorities for health-related research and development (R&D) in Russia for the period until 2030.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Research priorities were identified through consistent integrated expert analysis and evaluation of the subject area, i.e. biomedical research preceding development of medical technologies.\nFindings: Key global and national trends in the biomedical R&D sector and related areas (medicine and health) were identified. According to the experts, the following markets have the best prospects for Russia: regenerative medicine, biodegradable and other biocompatible materials, diagnostic systems, implants, surgical equipment, targeted delivery systems and non-invasive visualisation systems. Entering these markets requires providing support to R&D in the following areas: promising drug candidates, molecular diagnostics, molecular profiling and mechanisms of human diseases, cell technologies (therapies), new materials (biomimetics and other), bioelectronic, bioimaging and biosensors and human genome databases.\nPractical implications: Regularly updating research priorities is a necessary prerequisite of successful science and technology development of countries, innovative companies and academic institutions. Allocation of (always limited) financial resources on the basis of such priority-setting exercises' results is evidence of adherence to scientific planning principles. Combined with monitoring and evaluation tools, priority setting for biomedical R&D must become an integral component of Russia's innovation policy.\nOriginality/value: This is a first-ever presentation of Russian experience in setting research priorities for the health-related sphere. Global and national contexts for development of biomedical R&D are described; markets and research areas with the biggest potential for Russian companies are identified.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Workplace bullying in the Australian health context: a systematic review	[ "Workplace bullying", "Bullying", "Health managers", "Workplace harassment", "Bullying behaviours" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: It is suggested that the incidence of bullying in Australian workplaces is increasing and is not exclusive to one jurisdiction, one industry or one \"type\" of worker (Lovell and Lee, 2011).\n2. Method: The PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews were applied. An initial exploratory background search in MEDLINE alone using the keyword \"bullying\" yielded over 70,000 articles. The purpose of this initial search was to ascertain what research was available, where it was located, the amount of research available and the relevance to the Australian health context.\n3. Findings: The purpose of the review was to analyse the existing literature, both internationally and in Australia, which examines workplace bullying behaviours in a health context and any relevance from a management perspective. Consistent themes emerged across the review however, each of these in turn reflected the complex dynamics of current research into workplace bullying, including the lack of a consistent definition or parameters of what constitutes bullying, by whom, and for whom, within different contexts.\n4. Conclusion: The literature supports the need to develop consistent definitions, policies, procedures and frameworks which could prevent, or at least, address workplace bullying behaviours. Key elements such as the embedding of bullying into workplace policies, procedures and frameworks and articulating clear messages in regards to workplace bullying and acceptable behaviours. In addition, managers need to act appropriately and in a timely manner when workplace bullying is reported or observed.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: During the past decade, there has been increased attention into bullying behaviours in workplaces. Research to date has varied in design, the definition of what constitutes bullying behaviour, as well as the methods used to collect data and measure bullying incidence and prevalence. Nonetheless, studies demonstrate that bullying is a significant issue, which warrants an increased research focus to develop greater understanding of the concept, its effects and implications in, and for, the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to focus on capturing a range of international and Australian literature regarding workplace bullying behaviours in a health context from a management perspective. As a result, this paper identified the gaps in the literature when expanded specifically to an Australian health context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The purpose of this review is to summarise the existing literature, both internationally and in Australia which examines workplace bullying behaviours in a health context from a management perspective. This describes the review of the literature on workplace bullying in a health context undertaken from January to April 2014. The \"Preferred Reporting Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses\" method was used to structure the review, which covered a wide range of literature from databases including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and InformIT, as well as reports, and grey literature.\nFindings: The review included 62 studies that met the inclusion criteria and reported either: factors contributing to workplace bullying, at least one significant example of workplace bullying behaviour or the impact of workplace bullying behaviours in a health context.\nOriginality/value: There is limited data on workplace bullying behaviours in an Australian health context. The literature supports there is value in future research to develop consistent definitions, policies, procedures and frameworks, which could help to prevent or address workplace bullying behaviours based on work being undertaken internationally.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Long-term trajectories of human civilization	[ "Human civilization", "Long-term trajectories" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: What will human civilization look like in one million, one billion or one trillion years? These are questions of broad scientific and ethical significance, yet they are neither well-studied nor well-understood. While cosmology has probed stellar and physical dynamics in the deep future (Adams, 2008), studies of human futures in demography, economics, sustainability science, political science and related disciplines tend to concentrate on upcoming decades, often relying on simple extrapolations of existing trends, or on scenario writing. But important civilizational processes could play out over longer time scales. To restrict attention to near-term decades may be akin to the drunk searching for his keys under the streetlight: it may be where empirical study is more robust, but the important part lies elsewhere.\n2. Conceptual and ethical foundations: The long-term trajectory of human civilization can be defined as the path that human civilization takes into the long-term future. The long-term can in turn be defined as the entire future time period in which human civilization could continue to exist. Given uncertainty about which trajectory human civilization will take, we speak in terms of trajectories in the plural, to emphasize the variety of trajectories that appear possible from our current vantage point.\n3. Status quo trajectories: Status quo trajectories involve the current civilization continuing in something like its current form into the long-term future. Status quo trajectories do not necessarily involve total stasis - indeed, stasis may be unlikely - but they do involve the continuation of current trends without major discontinuities.\n4. Catastrophe trajectories: Among catastrophe trajectories, the simplest to analyze are those involving human extinction. Following extinction, basic attributes including population, economic production and quality of life all fall to zero[9]. More complex are catastrophes that some people survive, but in a form that is qualitatively different from the status quo civilization. Analysis of these sub-extinction catastrophes requires attention to the prospects for humans in what could be a radically altered world, and to how readily survivors could rebuild some form of civilization.\n5. Sketches of technological transformation and astronomical trajectories: A hallmark of technological transformation and astronomical trajectories is that they could both enable rapid expansion of human civilization. (Technological transformation could also lead to catastrophe.) The corresponding trajectories may be similar for both technological transformation and astronomical trajectories and are thus worth considering together before diving into the details of each type of trajectory.\n6. Technological transformation trajectories: Human civilization is currently going through a period of rapid technological change. The status quo trajectory is likely to bring much technological progress. Because of this, it can be difficult to distinguish between status quo and technological transformation trajectories: the status quo trajectory would seem to be one of at least some technological transformation. However, for the technological transformation trajectories, we have in mind an even more profound set of technologies that, if developed, would put human civilization in a fundamentally different place than what may be reached via status quo trajectories. These technologies are often associated with the concept of \"technological singularity\" because they portend a state change in human civilization (Sandberg, 2010). The change can be good or bad, depending on the details of what precisely happens, and depending on one's ethical perspective. Indeed, compared to status quo and catastrophe trajectories, the evaluation of technological transformation trajectories can be especially sensitive to subtle differences in ethics.\n7. Astronomical trajectories: The status quo human civilization has already done some basic space exploration, and there is active discussion of establishing permanent colonies on extraterrestrial bodies, especially on Mars[22]. However, these space missions are dependent on human civilization on earth, and likewise are quite small relative to the rest of human civilization. If missions like these will continue to characterize human activity in outer space, then they will have minimal effect on the long-term trajectory of human civilization. In particular, the missions will neither significantly increase the total size of human civilization nor will they increase civilization's longevity. As long as they are dependent on earth, when earth civilization eventually dies out, so too will they.\n8. Discussion and conclusion: This paper has presented a range of ethical and empirical aspects of the long-term trajectories of human civilization. This is in contrast with most prior research, which focuses on near-term trajectories, perhaps due to a mix of ethical favoritism for the near-term and scientific reluctance to take on the seemingly more speculative nature of long-term trajectories. In this paper, we hope to have shown that the long-term trajectory is both an important topic and one on which intelligent things can be said. We also hope to have produced some basic findings about long-term trajectories and demonstrated the sorts of research that can advance the topic.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to formalize long-term trajectories of human civilization as a scientific and ethical field of study. The long-term trajectory of human civilization can be defined as the path that human civilization takes during the entire future time period in which human civilization could continue to exist.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper focuses on four types of trajectories: status quo trajectories, in which human civilization persists in a state broadly similar to its current state into the distant future; catastrophe trajectories, in which one or more events cause significant harm to human civilization; technological transformation trajectories, in which radical technological breakthroughs put human civilization on a fundamentally different course; and astronomical trajectories, in which human civilization expands beyond its home planet and into the accessible portions of the cosmos.\nFindings: Status quo trajectories appear unlikely to persist into the distant future, especially in light of long-term astronomical processes. Several catastrophe, technological transformation and astronomical trajectories appear possible.\nOriginality/value: Some current actions may be able to affect the long-term trajectory. Whether these actions should be pursued depends on a mix of empirical and ethical factors. For some ethical frameworks, these actions may be especially important to pursue.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Through the megacrisis: the passage to global maturity	[ "Governance", "Forecasting", "Globalization", "Consciousness", "Knowledge economy", "Technology-led strategy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: today's role in the journey of evolution: Life unfolds in cycles of birth, growth, and death. The life cycles of humans run a few decades, while civilizations rise and fall over centuries. Even planets and stars are born and die, although their life cycles run billions of years. Biologist James Lovelock observed that our planet evolves as a living organism in its own right (Lovelock, 1982), with life on Earth evolving through its own life cycle. This article outlines how global civilization is passing through a particularly critical stage in this evolutionary journey.\nAnalyzing the global megacrisis: The threats making up the global megacrisis form a complex interplay of destructive forces that are straining old systems to the breaking point. These are interrelated elements of a failing global order that looks like a train wreck in slow motion. If it had not been bad mortgages in 2008, some other flaw in these complex global systems could have caused roughly the same type of financial failure, and more failures are likely to cascade one upon the other as pressures increase. Box 1 is a summary of our trend analysis that defines the megacrisis (Halal and Marien, 2011).\nForecasting the technology revolution: Our technology forecasts offer an understanding of how the global megacrisis is likely to be resolved. TechCast's work over many years demonstrates that technological advances and their social impacts follow well-defined cycles of invention, take-off, and mainstream use that can be forecast rather accurately. For the research method and other details of the TechCast project, see www.TechCast.org\nMacroforecasts of the next economic upcycle: Our collective forecasts are aggregated to \"macro-forecast\" the larger economy over the next decade or two. The bubble chart in Figure 2 presents all three dimensions of all forecast data: \"Most likely year\", \"Experts' confidence\" and the potential \"Market size\". This analysis suggests that the Great Recession may linger for a few years, but a new wave of economic growth is likely to take off about 2015.\nAt the cusp of transformation: With such bold prospects for innovation likely over the next five to ten year planning horizon, it is essential to prepare for the Technology Revolution now. Whatever the method and whatever the purpose, organizations need to develop some type of well-thought out system to forecast and adapt to this wave of technological change. There may be uncertainty about specific breakthroughs, but there is very little uncertainty that we are going to see plenty of technological change (Halal, 2012a).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The paper aims to give an evolutionary perspective and \"collective intelligence\" methods to help understand how the world could make the passage through today's \"global megacrisis\" - the intersection of climate change, peak oil, financial instability, and other threats - reaching a critical point as industrialization doubles over the next decade.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An online survey is used to assess attitudes toward four scenarios defining the range of possible outcomes of the global megacrisis, and an improved Delphi method estimates when emerging technologies are likely to enter mainstream use.\nFindings: The survey shows that people think there is a strong likelihood these trends will cause major global disasters or a collapse of civilization in large parts of the globe. Macro-forecasts of the Technology Revolution suggest that the rise of e-commerce, green business, climate control, alternative energy, artificial intelligence, and other technological advances are likely to move the world to a more sophisticated level of development about 2020.\nResearch limitations/implications: Trend analysis and \"collective intelligence\" methods, such as attitude surveys and Delphi studies, involve some degree of uncertainty\nPractical implications: Results clarify how that today's global threats are part of a broader evolutionary passage to an advanced global order.\nOriginality/value: The evolutionary perspective is an original approach to global affairs, and the forecasts are from what may possibly be the best forecasting system available.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Understanding and evaluating teaching effectiveness in the UK higher education sector using experimental design: A case study	[ "Design of experiments", "Experimental design", "Higher education", "Case study", "Teaching effectiveness" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Design of experiments or experimental design has been shown to be one of the most powerful techniques for process optimization (Antony, 2014) and has been widely used for improving yield, capability and performance of various manufacturing processes for several decades (Montgomery, 2012). Research has shown that the application of this powerful technique for service processes or non-manufacturing settings is very limited and only a handful number of articles are found in the existing literature (Antony et al., 2011). Experimental design enables researchers and experimenters to understand the effect of several process parameters or variables simultaneously in a minimum number of trials or runs leading to an increased understanding of the process. It is a direct replacement of the traditional \"trial and error\" approach to experimentation, which depends upon intuition, guesswork and luck and still does not guarantee success (Antony, 1998).\nLiterature review: Due to the breadth of the research, the literature review focuses on experimental design in service, experimental design in HE, and teaching effectiveness in HE. While methodologies such as Six Sigma (LeMahieu et al., 2017; Cudney, Corns and Gadre (2014); Cudney, Elrod and Stanley (2014); Cudney and Kanigolla, 2014; Kanigolla et al., 2014a), Lean (Cudney, Corns and Gadre (2014); Cudney, Elrod and Stanley (2014); Kanigolla et al., 2014b) and quality function deployment (Ezzell, 2015) have been widely used in HE for continuous improvement, little research employs experimental design.\nCase study: A case study was conducted for two purposes to remove the myth that experimental design is confined to improvement of process performance in manufacturing settings, and to demonstrate the power of experimental design in a HE context. The case study encompasses the delivery of a postgraduate course to postgraduate students from 26 countries at a HE institution in the UK. The case study was carried out in four different phases: planning the experiment, designing the experimental layout, conducting the experiment and analyzing the experiment.\nDiscussion, practical implications and limitations of the study: This case study demystifies the myth that experimental design is confined to primarily improving manufacturing processes. This research demonstrates the power of experimental design methods in understanding and scientifically evaluating the most influential factors that affect teaching effectiveness in the delivery of a postgraduate course within the HE sector. The students were asked to identify the top 5 factors before the experiment was executed. The students used brainstorming and multi-voting methods to determine the top 5 factors they believe are important to teaching effectiveness. The results from students' perceptions were compared to the results from the screening experiment conducted with the input of over 100 students (Table VII).\nConclusion and directions for further research: The application of the experimental design technique for process understanding is unknown in many service environments due to the lack of understanding its benefits. Further, there is an incorrect, pre-conceived mindset that it is confined to manufacturing processes and fear among senior managers that it is a time consuming exercise that involves advances statistics. The purpose of the paper is to illustrate the use of experimental design methodology in a HE context. The key findings of the experiment have clearly indicated that students' perceptions of teaching effectiveness based on intuition and guesswork are not identical to the outcomes from a simple screening experiment. Moreover, the results of the experiment also provided a greater stimulus for the wider applications of the technique to other processes across the case study HE sector. The authors would like to pursue more experiments in the future to understand the factors influencing teaching effectiveness for other postgraduate and undergraduate courses. In addition, the authors would like to explore how the average teaching scores vary for different cultural backgrounds and if any differences exist in the top 5 factors.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the power of experimental design as a technique to understand and evaluate the most important factors which influence teaching effectiveness for a postgraduate course in a higher education (HE) context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The methodology involves the execution of a case study in the form of an experiment in a business school setting. The experiment was carried out with the assistance of over 100 postgraduate students from 26 countries. The data were collected over a two year period (2015 and 2016) from a postgraduate course offered by the same tutor for repeatability reasons.\nFindings: The key findings of the experiment have clearly indicated that students' perceptions of teaching effectiveness based on intuition and guesswork are not identical to the outcomes from a simple designed experiment. Moreover, the results of the experiment provided a greater stimulus for the wider applications of the technique to other processes across the case study HE sector.\nResearch limitations/implications: One of the limitations of the study is that the experiment was conducted for a popular postgraduate course. It would be beneficial to understand the results of the experiment for less popular postgraduate courses in the university in order to drive improvements. Moreover, this research was conducted only for postgraduate courses and the results may vary for undergraduate courses. This would be an interesting study to understand the differences in the factors between undergraduate and postgraduate teaching effectiveness.\nPractical implications: The outcome of this experiment would help everyone who is involved in teaching to understand the factors and their influences to improve students' satisfaction scores during the delivery of teaching.\nOriginality/value: This paper shows how experimental design as a pure manufacturing technique can be extended to a HE setting.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Resource Sharing for the Future: Building-blocks to Success A report of the 10th Interlending and Document Supply Conference, National Library Singapore, 29-31 October 2007	[ "Conferences", "Interlending", "Document delivery", "Resource sharing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: It was both a privilege and a pleasure to attend this conference on behalf of the Forum for Interlending (FIL), and my thanks to FIL for affording me the opportunity. Engaged in ILDS in the higher education sector for a number of years, I have recently felt an increasing divergence between readers' expectations and delivery of service, so the opportunity to attend this conference was a pleasure.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to report on the 10th ILDS Conference held in Singapore.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper is descriptive in approach.\nFindings: - The conference was very successful and, contrary to rumours, interlending and document supply is alive and well throughout the world.\nOriginality/value: - The paper is a report on the only international conference held on the subject of interlending and document supply.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Human capital planning in higher education institutions: A strategic human resource development initiative in Jordan	[ "Human capital", "Planning", "Human resource development", "Higher education institutions", "Jordan" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction and theoretical framework: The changing nature of work - especially technological, organizational, and competitive developments - has meant that public and private sector organizations struggle to attract and retain an adequate supply of qualified employees from the labor market (Baldwin and Johnson, 1995). Some researchers report that human beings or human capital may be the only sustainable competitive advantage that an organization has in our globalized world (Bontis, 1996). The notion of human capital has been motivated by the realization that the growth in physical capital has done little to explain the growth in income in most organizations, and intangible assets such as human capital have been the key contributor to economic development (Becker, 1993; Zidan, 2001). As human capital is increasingly being recognized as the most critical source of organizational capabilities, it is imperative that this asset is leveraged properly to provide optimal value for the organization because the contribution of human capital is likely to meet or exceed the value of financial capital (Swanson and Holton, 2001).Becker (1993), the founder of human capital theory, defined human capital as the investment of organizations in education and training to increase employees' knowledge, expertise, and skills, which ultimately may maximize organizational productivity and outputs. Through investment in people, the quality of work improves; individuals acquire returns in the form of additional income, higher wages, greater economic security, and increased employment prospects; and the organization realizes economic benefits (Kaplan and Norton, 2004; Nafukho et al., 2004; Sweetland, 1996; Torraco, 2001).Becker (1993) further elaborates on the necessity of training human capital. Through this training, employees increase their productivity by learning new skills and perfecting old ones while on the job. Moreover, there are two types of training. The first is general training (such as literacy), which is transferable from one organization to another and is useful to all organizations. It can be given or rented to others, but only on a temporary basis; its ownership is non-transferable (Bassi, 2001). The second type of training is specific training, which refers to skills or knowledge that are useful only to a single employer or industry (Huselid and Barnes, 2002). According to Wang et al. (2002), \"the effect of training on productivity growth is approximately five times as much as would be generated by compensation activities\" (p. 205). Moreover, the return on investment of training and education can be realized as \"any economic return\" (p. 212). Further, Brown et al. (2003) believe that \"training demonstrates a commitment to the employee and signals a desire to retain and deploy the individuals and their skills over time\" (p. 51).Human capital planning enables organizations to:* determine more effectively the type of talents needed to execute institutional strategy and operational requirements;* determine more effectively the number of people needed over the term of the institution's strategic and operation plan (this requires assessing the capabilities of the current talent pool and identifying the capacity that will be required in the future);* identify talent gaps and priorities more effectively and determine the best approach for closing the gaps by looking at their relative size; and* decide more effectively what actions/investments the institution should take to align its overall strategy and talent management processes with operational requirements (Brush and Ruse, 2005).The development of human capital within the context of university-type organizations should include:* the recruitment, selection, and placement of quality faculty members into classrooms;* the induction, motivation, and retention of quality faculty members; and* the ongoing development of faculty quality (King, 2004; Mayrowetz and Smylie, 2004).\nStatement of the problem: One of the biggest challenges university administrations face today is to have the right faculty in the right place at the right time. What universities should do to avoid talent deficits is improve their ability to forecast future talent needs using human capital planning. Without proper forecasting, universities can run the risk of being overstaffed or understaffed, or having an inappropriate mix of the skills they need to gain a competitive advantage. Although the impact of planning human capital has been indicated, little research has been conducted to determine the readiness of organizations (e.g. universities) to embark on human capital planning (Brush and Ruse, 2005; Kazan, 2005; Weiss and Finn, 2005). Further, little or no research has been conducted in Jordan that addresses human capital planning. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to determine the status of human capital planning in higher education institutions in Jordan.\nResearch objectives: The following research objectives were formulated to accomplish the purpose of the study:1. To determine the status of human capital planning as perceived by faculty members in administrative positions in three public higher education institutions in Jordan on the following dimensions:* planning;* analyzing;* organizing;* directing; and* monitoring.1. To determine whether significant differences exist in the dimensions of human capital planning based on the demographic characteristics of participants, including gender, type of position, and university affiliation.\nImportance of the study: The findings from this study are particularly important to a number of stakeholders. First, the Ministry of Higher Education in Jordan might have a detailed knowledge as to the human capital needs of universities and how it is tied to their business strategy. This is particularly important since higher education institutions are held accountable to the effective use of resources. Second, the administration that governs each university might be able to further identify the talent deficits and needs that may offer an analytic approach for making sense of their work effectiveness. Third, current and prospective employees, including faculty members in Jordanian institutions, may be better able to understand the situation of their employer and how effective they are in developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of their human capital. Finally, regional and international organizations wishing to form alliances with Jordanian higher education institutions may benefit from understanding their human capital planning initiative.\nMethodology: Population and sample\nResults: The first objective was to determine the status of human capital planning as perceived by faculty members in administrative positions in three public institutions in Jordan on the dimensions of planning, analyzing, organizing, directing, and monitoring. This objective was accomplished utilizing descriptive statistics including means and standard deviations. Table I presents means and standard deviations for the five dimensions of human capital planning as well as the overall mean value for all items. Higher mean values indicate a strong level of human capital planning (HCP), whereas lower mean values indicate a weak level of HCP. As shown in Table I, the mean value for the five dimensions of HCP was above 3.50, indicating a very strong level of human capital planning in higher education institutions under study.The second objective was to determine whether significant differences exist in the dimensions of human capital planning based on the demographic characteristics of participants, including gender, type of position, and university affiliation. This objective was accomplished utilizing the t-test statistic for independent samples for the variables of gender and type of position. However, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistic was used to compare dimensions of human capital planning based on university affiliation. Table II shows that there were no significant differences (p<=0.05) between the gender of faculty members (males and females) on each dimension and on the overall value of the human capital planning scale. However, Table III illustrates that there were significant differences (p<=0.05) between faculty members who are in department chair positions and faculty members in other positions (vice-dean and dean) on the planning and monitoring dimensions for the favor of department chairs. Finally, with regard to university affiliation, Table IV revealed that there were no significant statistical differences on all dimensions of human capital planning among the three university affiliation groups (north, middle, and south).\nDiscussion: One of the biggest challenges university administration face today is the struggle to have the right faculty in the right place at the right time. What universities should do to avoid talent deficits is to improve their ability to forecast future talent needs by using human capital planning. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to determine the readiness of higher education institutions in Jordan to embrace human capital planning. Another purpose was to determine differences between responses to the five dimensions of human capital planning based on gender, type of position, and university affiliation. A random sample of 120 faculty members who are in administrative positions (department chairs, vice-deans, and deans) was chosen from three public institutions. A valid and reliable scale comprising five dimensions was utilized in this study to generate responses on a five-point Likert-type scale with values ranging from 0-4.Based on the results of the study, faculty members under study perceived that a strong level of human capital planning existed in their institutions. To elaborate, the results indicated that there is a strong level of planning related to the data collection and determination of the program plan necessary to execute human capital planning, exploring employees' buy-in in the human capital planning process, identifying sources of relevant employment, benchmarking current and desired performance with other universities in the field, and updating job descriptions, recruitment, hiring, and retention practices. Indeed, these results are justifiable by the fact that the Ministry of Higher Education in Jordan in 2006 initiated many reform movements related to modernizing higher education and has encouraged Jordanian institutions to become world leaders and to earn better accreditation.The results show a strong level of analyses related to the talents necessary to align with business strategy and vision, creating future-oriented competency models, assessing the internal capability to develop and train talent, and assessing the external labor market to source talent. With regard to the organizing dimension, the results indicate that faculty members perceived a strong level of human capital planning related to the determining of the staffing levels needed over the term of business strategy; examining the human capital supply stream to determine locations/sources for future human capital (i.e. universities, technical colleges, and other organizations); and adjusting and procuring human resources (staff) to fit business strategy. These initiatives are also encouraged by the budget cuts and the direction of public universities to become self-dependent in generating funds and attracting efficient resources (financial and human capital).The results also indicated a strong level of human capital planning related to the directing dimension where faculty members perceived that their universities:* prioritize talent gaps and determine the best approach to close the gap(s);* initiate and promote the notion of a learning organization paradigm as a strategy to get employee buy-in and ownership in the human capital planning process;* establish organizational learning practices that encourage employees to engage in lifelong learning and contribute to organizational strategies; and* have a clear policy to reward employees who take additional training and education programs for their curiosity and interest in learning.These results can be explained by the fact that the concept of a learning organization and organizational learning has been initiated in higher education institutions to attract the best faculty members from around the globe.The monitoring dimension of human capital planning also received strong support from faculty members where universities should be active in the placement of appropriate monitoring and measurement systems to track employees' performance and to evaluate the results of the human capital effort and to compare them regularly and systematically to the measurable goals and objectives of the business strategy. Indeed many employees in higher education ion Jordan has commended the system set place in higher education and the desire to meet or exceed the set objectives (Khasawneh et al., 2008).The above results are consistent with the views of previous research in emphasizing the importance of human capital planning related to the ability of universities to more effectively analyze, prioritize, and place qualified faculty members (talents) where and when needed (selection and retention of faculty members (King, 2004; Mayrowetz and Smylie, 2004). Moreover, universities that use human capital planning will be better positioned to ensure that their institution has a constant supply of talents. Institutions that understand how to identify the type and number of talents they need, recognize and prioritize talent gaps, and take action and make investments to close those gaps will develop a sustained competitive advantage that will be hard to duplicate (Hinkin and Tracey, 2000).Another strand of results involved the differences in the results based on the demographic characteristics of respondents, including gender, type of position, and university affiliation. Results showed no statistical differences in perceptions of faculty members related to the dimensions of human capital planning based on gender and university affiliation. These results can be justified by the fact that all public universities in Jordan are governed by the Ministry of Higher Education and should adhere mainly to common practices. Further, there are equal opportunities practices in those universities that allow male and female faculty members to practice their careers without obstacles. However, the results indicated that significant statistical differences were detected with respect to the type of position (department chairs versus vice-deans and deans). The results indicated that department chairs exhibited higher mean values than did vice-deans and deans with regard to the planning and monitoring dimensions of human capital planning. These results are justified by the fact that department chairs are more involved in activities related to data collection and devising program plans to get employees buy-in and in identifying sources of employment. Moreover, department chairs are more involved in evaluating employees' performance and in the hiring and retention practices based on measurement systems that track employees' performance against set objectives.Finally, the study suggested a number of theoretical and practical recommendations for the field of study. From the theoretical standpoint, it is recommended that this study be replicated with all public and private higher education institutions in Jordan. This replication may include refinement of the instrument through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Future studies may also include testing the predictive and concurrent validity of the scale with other work-related variables such as organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior, and intention to leave/stay of faculty members. Finally, it is worth identifying the nomological network that involves internal and external factors that may enhance human capital planning.From the practical standpoint, this study suggests that universities in Jordan should always put more effort in the training and development of their faculty members to ensure talent retention. This effort may achieve the purpose of enhancing productivity of the university and therefore enhancing economic growth (Zidan, 2001). Further, human resource professionals and university administrators can use the instrument at hand as a tool for needs assessments of organizational efforts. Finally, it is hoped that this research will encourage universities in Jordan and elsewhere to create a strategic planning unit that actively deals with the human capital planning for all departments within the university. This unit should include human resource development professionals, university administrators, local business, and selected faculty members who have the real expertise in the fields of strategic human capital planning.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The primary purpose of this study is to determine the status of human capital planning in higher education institutions in Jordan.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A random sample of 120 faculty members (in administrative positions) responded to a human capital planning (HCP) survey. The survey consisted of a pool of 38 items distributed over five dimensions (i.e. planning, analyzing, organizing, directing, and monitoring).\nFindings: - The results of the study indicate that based on participants' perceptions, the higher education institutions under study have a strong level of HCP. Examples of HCP include identifying sources of relevant employment and workforce data, establishing competency models, training internal talent, updating and ensuring the accuracy of all job descriptions, and establishing organizational learning practices that encourage employees to engage in lifelong learning. The results also indicate that there are no significant differences in assessing the status of human capital planning based on the gender of participants and their university affiliation. However, significant differences were detected based on type of position only on the planning and monitoring dimensions in favor of department chairs.\nOriginality/value: - A number of theoretical and practical recommendations are suggested for the field of study.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Impact of internal branding on customer-based brand equity with mediating effect of organizational loyalty: An empirical evidence from retail sector	[ "Developing country", "Customer-based brand equity", "Internal branding", "Organizational loyalty", "Retail stores" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Branding is the most sought after resource in business because it provides competitive advantages (Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004; Urde, 2016). Backhaus and Tikoo (2004) argued that branding is not only associated with products or services but also with human resources. Furthermore, branding was used initially for products and services but, over time, became associated with people and locations, separating organizations from rivals (Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004). Branding is a multi-dimensional concept, and when used among an organizations' employees, it is known as internal branding (Ambler and Barrow, 1996; Sullivan, 2004; Frook, 2001; Eisenberg et al., 2001; Balmer, 1998; Aurand et al., 2005). Some researchers have argued that brand capacities are transmuted from companies to customers through workers who encounter consumer needs (Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004; Boone, 2000; De-Chernatony and Cottam, 2006; King and Grace, 2008; Mahnert and Torres, 2007). Thus, many organizations employ/use internal branding to attract potential job candidates in order to deliver positive messages about the employer organization (Sullivan, 2004). Service brands, such as United Airlines, are very sensitive to internal branding because of the nature of the business, employees and customers (Tosti and Stotz, 2000).\nLiterature review and hypothesis development: Theoretical background\nMethodology: Sample\nDiscussion: The present study has extended the emergent body of research on branding by testing for links between internal branding, CBBE and OL. Also, as this study was carried out within the context of a developing country, namely, Pakistan, it has stretched the current internal branding literature beyond the developed schools of thought. Essentially, this study has provided significant empirical evidence for the influence of internal branding on CBBE and employees' OL. Moreover, it has empirically revealed the partial mediating effect of employees' OL on the extent to which internal branding impacts CBBE. The study has also delivered pieces of evidence, i.e. relationship of IB with OL and CBBE, regarding internal branding from the retail sector.\nConclusion: Finally, the outcome of this study revealed that internal branding has a significant and positive impact on CBBE. A difference also measured in the levels of internal branding and employee loyalty in both organizations, but there was not a large difference between customers' brand equity in the organizations. This study found a significant level of internal branding in the retail sector. There was a remarkable level of OL in the employees of retail stores. CBBE levels were also satisfactory in both organizations, according to the study's results. This study has also concluded that employees' loyalty did not greatly affect the employee-customer relationship in retail stores in the context of a developing country (i.e. Pakistan). The effect was only partial. Customers focus on store performance and employees' attitudes and serving manners. This study recognized that internal branding leads to CBBE. This study determined that internal branding plays a vital role in the development of employees and aligning them with an organization's vision and mission; this results in health outcomes in the form of increasing CBBE. This research also established that OL is positively and strongly identifiable through internal branding.\nTheoretical contribution: Some of the key findings of this study will contribute to the current body of marketing literature. Ensuring the recommendations of Punjaisri and Wilson (2011) and Punjaisri et al. (2009), this study has explored the internal branding in another service sector (the retail store) and another Asian country (Pakistan). When the variable of internal branding studied by these scholars in Thailand, the target was the hotel industry. This research has measured the internal variable according to the parameters recommended by Punjaisri and Wilson (2011) and Punjaisri et al. (2009). This study has also followed the future research ideas of Koskimies (2011). The study's noteworthy contribution to the industry and academic world is its empirical support for the relationship between internal branding and CBBE. This relationship was suggested by King and Grace (2009). Until now, this relationship has been overlooked by researchers. This study has addressed the relationships among internal branding, OL and CBBE variables in the retail sector of Pakistan.\nRecommendations for future research: This study has explored the relationship between internal branding, OL, and CBBE. It has concentrated on retail stores, which are not representative of the entire service sector, in which many similar studies could conduct. Other sectors can be similarly studied, including the manufacturing sector and the outcomes there may be different from those in the service sector. This study performed in Pakistan, a developing country. It can be conducted in any other developing or developed country, providing outputs from different areas. This study was cross-sectional in nature; future studies might be made longitudinal to measure the long-term impact of internal branding on CBBE. In future research, the sample size should increase at a national level, and studies conducted across different cultures to enhance the generalizability of the study findings. Other mediator or moderator variables should be examined to expand understanding of the relationship between internal branding and CBBE. In future research, empirical observations of internal branding and customer brand equity at the organizational level should conduct a case study, and the different levels for internal branding and CBBE among different demographic characteristics and groups should assess.\nRecommendations for managers: This research conjure up several implications for retail industry practitioners. Conceivably of supreme significance, our findings accentuate the importance of internal branding practices to attain CBBE. According to different international reports (e.g. Euromonitor, 2016 report; State Bank of Pakistan, 2016), the retail sector is growing in Pakistan alongside modern trends and increasing competition. As retail sector is the combination of products and service delivery. The retail stores management must needs to provide their frontline employees a deeper understanding of their relevant job orientation, role clarity, trainings, briefings and group meetings to attain success in terms of brand equity. It is very important to note that the retail sector customers do not only focus on products' quality, attributes, etc. They also highly consider the way employees behave with them during the purchasing. Thus, organizations need to focus on their employees' capacity building through internal branding at workplace to win their loyalty. And in return of these organizational efforts, employees try to satisfy and generate the brand equity at customers' end.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Branding has become a permanent source of competitive advantage for any leading business. Predominantly, it is execution inside the organization for employees. The purpose of this paper is to measure the influence of internal branding (IB) on customers-based brand equity (CBBE) and the mediating effect of organizational loyalty (OL) between two retail store chains of an under developing country (e.g. Pakistan).\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper draws on primary data. Data were collected from frontline officers and customers of selected retail stores. Descriptive analysis, mediation analysis and independent sample t-test data analysis techniques were applied through smart PLS and SPSS.\nFindings: The results of the study revealed that IB influences OL and CBBE. The outcomes showed the mediation effect of OL on the relationship between IB and CBBE partially. Furthermore, results of this papers also disclosed a difference in the levels of IB and OL in both organizations. But, there was no difference in the level of brand equity among customers of both retail stores.\nPractical implications: The retail store sector is growing at fast pace with new innovations in all dimensions of the sector. These results could help the retail industry with empirical pieces of evidence to implement IB in their organizations to make the strong relationship between store and customer through efficient and well-trained frontline officers.\nOriginality/value: The study's noteworthy contribution to the industry and academic world is the empirical support for the relationship between IB and CBBE. This study has explored the IB in the service sector (i.e. the retail store) from the non-western and under developing context.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Future research directions for sport education: toward an entrepreneurial learning approach	[ "Education", "Entrepreneurship education", "Sport education" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Entrepreneurial capabilities are becoming important in the workforce due to more students starting their own businesses (Maritz, 2017). Interest in entrepreneurship education is growing amongst sport educators due to the belief that it can improve employment outcomes. The sport industry is by nature entrepreneurial and has a tradition of introducing innovations that transcend to other industries (Ratten, 2011), Ratten and Ratten (2011) identify that sport firms need to be entrepreneurial to stay ahead of their competition. Thus, sport and entrepreneurship are linked in their focus on curiosity and commitment to learning. Sport organizations need to be more involved in entrepreneurial activity due to its positive impact on performance. Entrepreneurship education provides a way for the sports industry to understand change by focusing on intellectual inquiry (Kurczewska et al., 2017).\nEntrepreneurship education: Entrepreneurship involves a process of creative destruction that replaces old practices with new ideas (Formica, 2002). Greater emphasis is placed on entrepreneurship in the society as it focuses on the principles of innovation and change (Acs and Audretsch, 2005). This change provides a way for communities to capitalize on the ideas that lead to economic and social growth. Entrepreneurship education teaches people about the benefits of change and the role of innovation (Maritz and Brown, 2013). Part of entrepreneurship education involves learning about how to recognize opportunities. This includes fostering interaction and networking activity amongst members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Students learn about marketable skills that are important when establishing business ventures (Peterman and Kennedy, 2003). This involves assessing risk by evaluating potential outcomes of the entrepreneurship.\nSport education: Araujo et al. (2017, p. 519) state \"sport education is regarded as one of these innovative sport-based pedagogical models.\" Sport education focuses more on learning about different roles in sport that occur within teams and matches. Araujo et al. (2017, p. 519) state that sport education focuses on different types of roles and \"examples of within team roles include coach, equipment manager or fitness leader, while those within match roles include referees, scorekeepers and statisticians.\" The student coach is an important part of sport education studies and differs to physical education that focuses more on fitness. Student-coaches involve learning in teams about leadership, strategy and skills (Siedentop et al., 2011). When students act as coaches, then more competence about how different people function in a team can be learnt.\nSport education and entrepreneurship: The decontextualisation of sport means there is a significant requirement for change and a way to do achieve is by focusing on entrepreneurship education by rethinking the sport education curriculum and how it can grow and develop to suit industry demands. Sport is a culture that is important to the collective social life of a community (Siedentop, 2002). Minimal attention has been paid to the role of entrepreneurship education in sport curriculum. There is still much to learn regarding how to incorporate effective entrepreneurial learning into sport education studies. There is a requirement for practical guidance on how sport can utilize entrepreneurship in the curriculum. Thus, sport education is at risk of decreasing in popularity and value unless it incorporates new pedagogical thinking and approaches such as entrepreneurship education. The need to introduce more entrepreneurship education into sport studies is due to the lacks of current consideration and the evolution of the sports industry. This enables students to learn about how to develop resilience and overcome boundaries. Exposure to entrepreneurship education can enable sport students to reconsider their projected careers to focus more on self-sufficiency and self-employment. Entrepreneurship education can facilitate innovation which is required to revolutionize the sport industry and encourage dynamic growth.\nImplications for policy and practice: This paper has several implications for policy and practice. Sport policy needs to incorporate more entrepreneurial thinking to enable improved engagement with stakeholders. Sport education needs to introduce entrepreneurship into the teaching of sport students to prepare them for their professional careers. By introducing entrepreneurship education into the educational experience of sport students, it will help improve their professional development. The teaching experience will benefit from an orientation toward entrepreneurship education as a way to more effectively prepare students for the job market. A deeper insight into how sport students can utilize entrepreneurship education is required. Entrepreneurship education provides value to sport students in supporting alternative career paths. As sport education tends to be a specialized field, it is important to integrate emerging teaching methods such as entrepreneurship education. The outcome-based approach of entrepreneurship education focuses on practicality. The sport context is a user of technological advancements such as mobile commerce to purchase tickets to sporting events and the use of technology to enhance decision making. Thus, technology innovation has changed the way sport is consumed in society. This enables entrepreneurship education to contextualize the sport environment to teach relevant skills.\nFuture research: This study broadens our understanding of the entrepreneurial learning process in sport and the interplay with sport education. However, the paper recognizes the limitations of the conceptual approach that requires further theoretical and empirical underpinning. Further longitudinal evidence regarding how entrepreneurship is embedded in sport education is required. There is potentially a bias toward entrepreneurship education in sport due to the growing recognition of sport as a business. Further qualitative and case study data are required to evidence how sport educators are effectively utilizing entrepreneurship. Thus, there is a requirement for further contextual studies evaluating the sport environment in facilitating entrepreneurship education. This would include evaluating the success of entrepreneurship education in different sports including amateur and professional contexts.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce an entrepreneurial learning approach to the study of sport education in order to inform future research directions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Sport education needs to focus on how it can overcome existing barriers to bring a more interdisciplinary approach. This paper uses entrepreneurship education theory to explore the changes required in sport education provision to create a more relevant and conducive teaching environment.\nFindings: The findings of this paper suggest that by bringing sport students into contact with entrepreneurship education, aids in the development of improved employability and social skills.\nResearch limitations/implications: Introducing entrepreneurship education into sport will help the students develop learning initiatives that advance the scholarship of sport education within the university sector.\nPractical implications: The benefits of including entrepreneurship education in sport studies could be of interest to the directors of education wanting to increase student enrollments and interest in their courses.\nOriginality/value: The study suggests ways to offer more interdisciplinary courses and activities linking entrepreneurship education to sport. This needs to be taken into consideration as it will enable the development of sport entrepreneurship education that improves links between academic research with policy and business initiatives.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Survey of reverse logistics practices in manufacturing industries: an Indian context	[ "Survey, Indian manufacturing industry", "Supply chain management", "Reverse logistics" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Industries have seen the fact that sales transactions done by them are not final. They must also deal with an escalating volume of returned/unsold/damaged/end-of-use/end-of-life products. Increased competition on global scale, reducing profit margins, changes in customer preferences, etc., have led companies to revamp their supply chain processes. Concerns to environment and sustainable development have increased manifold in recent years. Reverse logistics operations have increased relevance in this context. Reverse logistics has been labeled as \"the forgotten child of the supply chain\" (Morrell, 2001). It can be defined as the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, cost effective flow of raw materials, in-process inventory, finished goods and related information from the point of consumption to the point of origin for the purpose of recapturing value or proper disposal (Rogers and Tibben-Lembke, 1999). Reverse logistics has benefitted every member of supply chain as, for example, it has enabled retailers for enhancing return policies to improve their overall cost position (Jack et al., 2010).\n2. Literature review: Organizations have adopted reverse supply chain practices as a corporate strategy to be competitive in industrial environment (Genchev, 2009). Reverse logistics operations include various activities which a firm manages returned merchandise due to product recalls, excess inventory, salvage, unwanted or outdated products, etc. In addition, it includes recycling programs, hazardous material programs disposition of obsolete equipment and asset recovery. Reverse flow of product originates from several points and is consolidated at just a few (or one) destinations. Terry (1869), Beckley and Logan (1948) and Giultinian and Nwokoye (1975) had already given attention to returns management, through not formally referring them to as reverse logistics. Murphy (1986) was one of the first authors who used the term \"reverse logistics\" as such. He used \"reverse distribution\" as an equivalent term and defined it as the \"movement of goods from a consumer towards a producer in a channel of distribution.\" Pohlen and Farris (1992) drew attention to the concept of reverse logistics and mentioned that recyclable material does not always flow backwards through the same channel. Depending on whether the return operations are integrated or not with initial operations, two categories of reverse logistics as open and closed-closed loop systems can be identified (Kenne et al., 2012).\n3. Methodology: The existing literature on reverse logistics and previous surveys reported on reverse logistics were used for the design of questionnaire. The practicing logistics managers and academicians in the area of reverse logistics were duly consulted during the development of the questionnaire. The questionnaire was set close ended, such that the respondents required lesser time and efforts in filling up the same. The questionnaire was designed on a five-point Likert scale. For the purpose of performing statistical analysis, individual responses were coded 1 through 5 accordingly.\n4. Survey response and respondents profile: Out of a total of 500 questionnaires sent, 110 filled-up questionnaires were received. Five of the questionnaires were incompletely filled and thus these were discarded from further analysis. This gives an overall response rate of 21 percent. While higher response rate are better, response rates under 20 percent are extremely undesirable in survey findings (Yu and Cooper, 1983). Malhotra and Grover (1998) have suggested a response rate of 20 percent for a positive assessment of the surveys. Thus, the response rate in this survey (21 percent) conforms to the norms suggested by Yu and Cooper (1983) and Malhotra and Grover (1998). Out of 105 usable responses, automobile sector comprised 33.33 percent, paper 20.95 percent, food and beverage 15.24 percent and electronics sector 30.48 percent.\n5. Observations from the survey: 5.1. Related to reverse logistics operations currently practiced in Indian industries\n6. Discussion and conclusion: In this research, an attempt has been made to examine the current practices of reverse logistics followed in Indian companies through a questionnaire-based survey. It was seen from the survey that Indian companies considered implementing reverse logistics programs in their organization as a strategic-level decision. This is true from the fact that reverse logistics programs involve significant allocation of capital/resources in terms of construction of reclamation and redistribution facilities, purchasing state of art technologies for value reclamation, re-training of employees, etc.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current status of reverse logistics practices used on four sectors of Indian manufacturing industry, namely, auto, paper, food and beverage processing, and electronics.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A nationwide questionnaire-based survey has been used to assess reverse logistics practices in Indian context.\nFindings: It was seen from the survey that Indian companies considered implementing reverse logistics programs in their organization as a strategic-level decision. Volume of products entering the return stream is a key driver of reverse logistics activities. One of the important observations of this research is that Indian companies have primarily adopted reverse logistics due to the economic benefits associated with them.\nResearch limitations/implications: The results reported in this research are the bird's eye view of reverse logistics practices in the Indian context only. The low level of questionnaire responses is also one of the limitations of this study. Numerical data related to companies could not be reported in this research as companies were reluctant in giving sensitive data.\nPractical implications: The present research would be useful for benchmarking professionals/managers for understanding strategic, tactical and operational-level issues of reverse logistics with respect to Indian context. Also, logistics managers can evolve suitable strategies for successful implementation of reverse logistics programs.\nOriginality/value: The literature review indicates that only a few frameworks available give a holistic perspective of the current status of reverse logistics operations in an Indian context. This research is an attempt in this regard.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Knowledge management strategy: an organisational development approach	[ "Knowledge management strategy", "Organizational growth", "Business process" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The creative industry is one sector that is considered a mainstay of the national economy in Indonesia. Since this industry contributes significantly to the national GDP, the National Ministry of Industry has been notably active in promoting the creative industry by designating it as one of the areas with high priority for development. The main factors that play a role in the creative industries are human. Innovation became a hallmark of the creative industry companies in order to succeed, thereby introducing competitiveness in this field. On the other hand, quality standardisation of creative products has also become necessary in the creative industry (Bettiol et al., 2012).\nLiterature review: The main issue in the implementation of knowledge management is how knowledge management supports the achievement of the organisation's goals. Some previous research has focussed on the alignment between the knowledge management strategy and the business strategy. However, from the organisation development point of view, the corporate goal will differ as to their environment changes, and thus is considered to be dynamic. In the organisational life cycle theory, organisations grow through several stages and characteristics of the organisation will change according to their growth stage (Quinn and Cameron, 1983; Scott Bruce, 1987; Dodge Robbins, 1992; Greiner, 1998). Therefore, the activities undertaken by the organisation and its characteristics will change with the growth of the organisation.\nMethodology: Research method\nResult and discussion: Company profile of the three cases is shown in Table V. Case 1 was established in 1989, with Moslem wear as its main product. Today the company has around 1,400 employees, and already has subsidiaries. Case 2 is a company with main products apparel and has about 200 employees. The company was established in 1996 and currently has several business units. Case 3 is a company that was established in 2010, with shoes as its main product. The company currently has about 100 employees and several business units.\nConclusion: Based on this study, it can be concluded that the growth stage and business process characteristics are the variables that need to be considered in determining the knowledge management strategy in order to increase an organisation's sustainability. By using this model, the company owners can determine the right strategy in managing knowledge and identifying priorities for strategy implementation.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to formulate a knowledge management strategy model that aligns with the organisational growth stage and the characteristics of the business processes at every growth stage. The difference in characteristics at each growth stage has an impact on the characteristics of business processes, such as decision making and the period of process execution.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research focussed on three fashion companies in Indonesia, and data were collected using a historical case-study method. Data collection was performed through in-depth interviews with the business owners, directors and managers, by direct observation, and through the collection of secondary data from the companies' documents.\nFindings: Through this research, a knowledge management strategy based on organisational growth stages was produced. It was found that when an organisation is at the entrepreneurial stage, the knowledge management strategy focussed on humans with tacit knowledge as well as explicit knowledge. At the growth stage, a transformation of tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, especially at the individual level, is required, whereas at the expansion stage, the focus of the knowledge management strategy is on a system usage at the organisation level.\nResearch limitations/implications: Research using the case studies method has a limitation in the generalisation of the model. The knowledge management strategy generated in this study is unique to the fashion industry, where if the research were performed in other industries, there is a possibility for different results. Moreover, the characteristics of the business processes that are examined in this study are limited to the period of implementation and level of interaction. Other more detailed dimensions such as task variety and task analysability can be used to obtain more detailed characteristics of business processes.\nPractical implications: Using the knowledge management strategies model formulated at every growth stage, the company owner can specify a knowledge management strategy that suits the organisation's goal. Also, the results of this research can provide information on the priority for developing a knowledge management system aligned with the company's growth.\nOriginality/value: The knowledge management strategy formulation from the organisational development point of view has not been investigated previously. In fact, the needs of the organisation, along with its growth, will change. Therefore, this research provides a new perspective which is more dynamic and can be integrated into formulating the knowledge management strategy.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Crisis communication adaptation strategies in the MM&A train explosion in Lac-Megantic downtown: Going back to field communication	[ "Crisis management", "Crisis", "Communication", "Health services", "Strategy", "Literacy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: This case study deals with the adaptation of communication strategies set out in the pre-crisis management plan implemented by the members of Quebec's public safety authorities in the specific case of the rail explosion and fire that destroyed the downtown of Lac-Megantic in July 2013. The disaster, whose magnitude and consequences were unprecedented in Canada, prompted those in charge of public safety to review the established crisis management communication strategies and practices in order to adapt to the realities of a particular terrain and context. Many media (Descoteaux, 2013; Gince, 2014) and researchers (Lanouette, 2016, based on Seeger, 2006) have presented this incidence of crisis management as a best practice by public and municipal actors, despite a lack of resources, and have highlighted the importance that the crisis' managers assigned to their audience and the impact of their practices on the management of future crises. This situation explains why the researchers of this paper decided to look at this particular case. The case study adopts a triangulation strategy, which consists in using different data collection methods in order to analyze the same subject of inquiry (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000). These qualitative methods include semi-structured in-depth interviews, analysis of documentary artifacts, and media analysis. This allows us to examine how the public communication managers used the pre-crisis management plan, as well as to define the emergent strategies that were adopted (Mintzberg, 2007) and the unexpected contextual, mainly technological, elements that may have influenced crisis management. In the following pages, we present the context of the crisis, the theoretical framework and the methodological approach surrounding this case study and some of the main findings related to the research question presented. The analysis reveals an unforeseen context of a twofold digital divide that created a dead zone for emergency and public health messages and shows that direct communication with the victims was problematic owing to major difficulty understanding such messages (literacy). As a result, the main digital communication strategies established in the crisis management plan had to be rapidly reviewed in order to incorporate \"old-fashioned\" communication tools, such as giving out information door-to-door, meeting with people on their front porches, and holding informal street gatherings with public health doctors and social workers to better communicate messages to the disaster victims and to promote the adoption of safe behaviors. These findings demonstrate that in a crisis and emergency context, communication efforts must sometimes deviate from the planned strategies and come back to simple, direct, clear, and more \"human\" communication methods in order to adapt to the realities of the victims, a key element of crisis management often overlooked by managers who rely instead on rational and new media to communicate general mass messages to the population without deeply understanding the health literacy capacities of some vulnerable segments of the population.\n2. Context of the crisis: At 1:14 a.m. on the night of July 5-6, 2013, the small and isolated municipality of Lac-Megantic in the Estrie region of Quebec was the scene of a rail disaster, the likes of which had never been seen in Canada, when a 72-car runaway ghost train operated by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MM&A), filled with light crude oil, exploded in the town's city center. Some 40 downtown buildings were leveled by the fire, and, among the municipality's population of 6,000, 47 were killed, leaving behind 27 orphans and 2,000 disaster victims. At the time of the explosion, many citizens were gathered at the Musi-Cafe, the municipality's main bar, located next to the railway at the very spot where the train derailed. The area was utterly devastated by the flames, and many lives were lost. The fire lasted four days, consuming some 5,400,000 liters of oil (Cheadle, 2013) at 3,000degC and for several days afterward, images of the gigantic blaze were intensively broadcasted around the world (King et al., 2013). In fact, for four days, the disaster was among the top three news stories reported across the globe, according to Influence Communication (2013).\n3. Theoretical approach: 3.1 Risk, crisis, and communication adaptation strategies\n4. Research question: Given the scope of the Lac-Megantic crisis and the many emergency measures to be managed simultaneously in the context of a hard-to-reach terrain and chaotic communication conditions, we wished to address the following research question:\n5. Research setting and method: Using a triangulation approach (Stake, 1995) based on qualitative methodologies primarily drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews and analysis of artifacts following the events (namely the media and documentary trail) (Geertz, 1973, p. 127), supplemented by a press analysis, this case study (Yin, 2009) focuses on the use of pre-crisis plans and the adoption of emergent and adaptive communication practices to manage tragedies. The case study is particularly relevant owing to the rarity and impact of the train disaster in question, and the approach adopted is viewed here as an opportunity to more broadly rethink the use of communications tools in a crisis context, namely through the detailed illustration of a specific event. This approach also allows the researchers to see what can be learned from this situation that we would rather not see repeated, and, if applicable, how a crisis response may be better managed as a result of the data collected and analyzed through this study.\n6. Key findings: 6.1 From digital to grounded communication: the adaptation of communication strategies to the contingencies in the field during crisis management at Lac-Megantic\n7. Discussion and conclusion: 7.1 The communications team effective response to the crisis and to the needs of the victims\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to deal with the adaptation of communication strategies set out in the pre-crisis plan implemented by the members of Quebec's public safety authorities in the specific case of the rail explosion and fire that destroyed the downtown of Lac-Megantic in July 2013.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on a triangulation approach combining three qualitative methodologies, namely in-depth interviews, analysis of communication artifacts, and news analysis, this research aims to determine how public safety authorities used the existing crisis management plan at the time of the Lac-Megantic crisis. It also seeks to determine whether or not the crisis managers used emergent communication strategies, as defined by Mintzberg (2007). Finally, the case study also seeks to identify potentially unforeseen contextual elements that influenced the communication strategies deployed.\nFindings: The analysis reveals that the disaster, whose magnitude and consequences were unprecedented in Canada, prompted those in charge of public safety to review the established crisis management communication strategies and practices in order to adapt to the realities of a particular terrain and context. It is important to mention, first, that the crisis was managed in an unforeseen context of a twofold digital divide that created a dead zone for emergency and public health messages; and, second, that direct communication with the victims revealed major difficulty in understanding such messages (literacy). As a result, the traditional and digital communication strategies established in the crisis management plan had to be rapidly reviewed in order to incorporate \"old-fashioned\" communication tools, such as giving out information door-to-door, meeting with people on their front porches, and holding informal street gatherings with public health doctors and social workers to better communicate messages to the disaster victims and to promote the adoption of safe behaviors.\nOriginality/value: The findings demonstrate that in a crisis and emergency context, communication efforts must sometimes deviate from the planned strategies and come back to simple, direct, and \"human\" communication methods in order to adapt to the realities of the victims.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
MOOCs: meaningful learning tools for public administration education or academic simulacra?	[ "MOOC", "Spectacle", "Simulacra" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction - affectations, data, and the discourse on massive open online courses (MOOCs): Higher education is inundated with technological innovations designed to improve the delivery of the now-proclaimed product to customers with more effectiveness. The Chronicle of Higher Education has been following closely the development of MOOCs as one of the latest technological developments. According to Marques and McGuire (2013) MOOCs began conceptually with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's OpenCourseWare project to develop free online knowledge to mass audiences over 15 years ago (para 6), while others attribute the origin of the term \"MOOC\" to members of the University of Manitoba (Daniel, 2012). MOOCs as we currently know them came onto the scene in 2012 as \"Educators, social entrepreneurs, charitable foundations, universities and venture capitalists began forming initiatives to unite the best online tools with the best - or, at least, the most prestigious - teaching available. This was how Udacity, Coursera and edX (the only non-profit among those major MOOC platforms) were founded\" (para 12) The idea of mass delivery of instruction, however, has been around for quite some time. For example, beginning with the onset of the radio as a delivery mechanism in 1922, New York University attempted to bring higher education cheaply and to the masses with \"virtually all the subjects of the university (that would) be sent out\" creating \"universities of the air\" (Matt and Fernandez, 2013, para 2 and 3) - a process that was followed by several other institutions. Matt and Fernandez note further:\nThe initial case against MOOCs: Along the lines of rational thinking of Matt and Fernandez (2013), Franklin and Marshall College President Daniel R. Porterfield (2013) submits that direct human interaction with professors and students is effectively lost by MOOCs as \"MOOC providers argue that they create virtual learning communities that connect people from around the world in ways that a physical classroom does not. This is true only if we greatly diminish the meaning of the words 'learning,' 'community,' and 'connect' (whereas university) seminars create direct, interactive experiences of citizenship and community\" (para 7).\nThe case for MOOCs: Bill Gates of Microsoft Corporation states that MOOCs represent the \"golden era\" providing mass audiences \"predicting a 'decoupling' of the (college) degree (badges of skill) from knowledge acquisition\" for better employment prospects in business (Grossman, 2013, para 1-6). The idea of providing customers for universities is being undertaken at places such as San Jose State University where Udacity produced three pilot MOOCs in mathematics at a reduced rate of $150 per course as compared to the $450-$750 rate for regular classes that bear academic credit. The university would receive about have of the \"profits\" from the hoped-for massive influx of \"college ready\" students (Young, 2013, para 1-3).\nMessages: As conceived, MOOCs take on many of the characteristics presented by Baudrillard (1998) in the work Consumer Society. They are consumption-based schemes, meaning that the product or service is bought, owned, and consumed for enjoyment (p. 15) even if the consumed product is merely a system of signs. In the case of MOOCs, using Baudrillard makes a great deal of sense, since few would argue that a MOOC is a fair representation of a US educational experience in their current forms. At best, it is a simulacra (Baudrillard, 2000) that if one squints enough, or if it is consumed in the right lighting might be a comparable or possibly superior offering to the TED Talks we can view online, for free, albeit not to \"earn\" course credits. This logic is affirmed by the work presented earlier, which indicates that the bulk of consumers for MOOCs bear little resemblance to the intended \"target market\" and often lack the necessary skillset to become successful (Billington and Fronmueller, 2013; Matula and Mitry, 2013).\nSpectacles, reform, and medicine shows: We consciously linked MOOCs to televangelist programs in the paragraphs above. It prepares the reader to reconsider MOOCs as a spectacle in general, and an entertainment spectacle in particular (Debord, 1967/1995). As the mode of delivery becomes more common, more accepted, there is not necessarily a material reconstruction (pp. 17-18), but instead the often wholly unexpected clustering, or creation of a market basket of images for public (or private) consumption satisfying some need for gratification (Baudrillard, 2000), possibly outside the scope of intended use (i.e. MOOC themed drinking games, recut mash ups, etc.) The image of the MOOC, processed, commodified, and sold can be reprocessed, recut, and resold, either directly, though social transfers of sorts, and even through the application of parody.\nUnderlying technical assumptions: We have established that there is a belief in higher education that online education in general and MOOCs in particular are cost effective delivery solutions for higher education (faster, better, cheaper). There are some externalities that are not factored into the \"cost\" of delivering these modes of instruction. The most overlooked of these is infrastructure, meaning that in the these \"lean times\" in academia, universities (particularly in the USA) have tended to not develop, maintain, or expand the built environment and support services necessary to meet the demands of these new modes of delivery effectively. Second, there is an often-implicit assumption that crafting these online courses and MOOCs require little if any additional effort. Even if they had parity in terms of time investment, the distribution, and allocation of that work is quite different from \"traditional\" instruction. Third, there is an often-implied assumption that participants are skilled if not proficient in the use and consumption of material through these e-learning systems (this a fundamental requirement presented by Matula and Mitry, 2013), which in practice is often not met. Oddly enough, in practice some of these underrepresented groups often comprised of \"millenials\" lack the requisite skills to effectively engage in e-learning environments even though they have grown up with or around technology.\nConclusion: what effect on graduate education will MOOCs have?: We are left with more questions than answers, as colleges, universities, and private firms scramble to engage in this new market (spectacle). Few, including Joanne Canyon-Heller, have begun to raise questions about the scope and consequences of MOOCs on higher education as discussed at venues such as the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management conference in 2013 [...]:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore and critically assess the potential value and effectiveness of massive open online courses (MOOCs) for public administration education.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research in this conceptual paper offered a critical examination of MOOCs using the work of Baudrillard, Debord, and others to re-frame and reconsider our understanding of this emerging educational strategy.\nFindings: Baudrillard's simulacrum and Debord's spectacle concepts can inform the discussion and understanding of MOOCs in higher education.\nResearch limitations/implications: This is an emerging area that needs further study and development.\nPractical implications: MOOCs might contribute to the blurring of lines between educational products that are needed and products for which a need is manufactured by corporate interests.\nSocial implications: MOOCs might contribute to the commodification of knowledge in higher education.\nOriginality/value: This is the first conceptual paper exploring MOOCs and their issues using Baudrillard and Debord.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
All change in way and where we work: Revolution of flexibility and mobility	[ "BBC", "Flexible working", "Homeworking", "Leadership strategies", "Unilever", "Virtual management", "Work life balance" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nThought wheels, refresh zones but no folding bikes or waste bins: One of the first things a visitor to the BBC's swanky new offices in Salford, Lancashire, notices are the rather unusual double bench seats dotted along the corridors. There's a circular roof which matches the base, making them resemble huge hamster wheels which you sit inside. Apparently, they are \"thought wheels\". There are also \"collaboration pods\" - cheaper than having individual offices in which to collaborate and, wait for it, they are for \"fostering the interplay of ideas across departmental boundaries.\"According to The Independent newspaper's Jonathan Brown who visited the offices before the arrival of staff in 2011, not even David Brent of TV's The Office could have imagined the existence of the collaboration pod. He says: \"Aimed at creating what corporation bosses claim will be the most dynamic and egalitarian workplace in the world, even the director of BBC North, Peter Salmon, will sit among staff in the open-plan management suite.\" He also noted \"no shortage of break-out areas, squat stools, black-lacquered kitchens or 'refresh-zones' as well as quiet 'Twitter pods'. Although talk of 'hot-desking' is strictly forbidden, the BBC confirmed that it had 'no intention to allocate any one desk to any one person'.\"Evidently ignoring the \"hot-desking gag\" one Salford employee subsequently complained that \"Because we have to 'hot desk' it means we have to cart all our things around with us.\" And that led to problems of another sort. According to the Daily Mail's Richard Kay: \"Not content with multiple investigations into Newsnight and the Jimmy Savile affair, pen-pushers at the BBC have also set about another inquiry - into clutter on desks. Objects that are now subject to a blanket ban include wastepaper baskets, microwaves, kettles and folding bikes.\nTaking away \"security blanket\" of personal space: \"Security guards known as 'floor walkers' have been brought in to police the corridors of the PS1billion refurbished Broadcasting House in Central London, while in Manchester workers from the Peel Group, which manage the Corporation's five-storey complex at Salford Quays, patrol each desk to ensure no clutter is left. Staff have been banned from having bins, a kettle near their desks, and are not allowed to bring in folding bikes.\"Many work places have seen radical changes, and many more will do so. Having an office to yourself - maybe big enough to stick your folding bike in the corner and having a plug socket on the wall for your kettle - is a luxury which many employers have decided they can't afford. So why not \"hot desk\"? After all it's supposed to lead to efficiency and teamwork. Why have an empty office or desk when someone else could be using it? It makes sense. But we're not talking common sense, rather hurt feelings, when people's security blanket of their own space is threatened. When you can't aspire to a bigger, better office with a nicer desk and more comfortable chair; or when you can't metaphorically look down on those who have not yet achieved the trappings of your status.Status might also have a role in the new arrangements and \"hot desking\" might not be as egalitarian as intended. According to some who have had first-hand experience, you soon get to know which desks you don't sit at - those with a view by the window, for example.Australia's Business Insider quotes one disgruntled employee thus: \"Most people have their one spot and stick to it. Don't even try and park yourself at a workstation that a partner has decided to make his or her own.\" A bank worker said: \"It can take 20 minutes to get set up in the morning. Every docking station is slightly different which means by the time you have got everything you need from your locker, got your laptop set up and got your screen and keyboard working you've already wasted at least a quarter of an hour.\"\nReluctance to allow staff to work away from the office or shop floor: At least these attempts at injecting more flexibility, and consequently more efficiency, into working arrangements are happening \"at work\" - somewhere where work is and where home and the rest of your life isn't. However, the flexibility and efficiency drive is also about to change that forever, and has already done so in some businesses. The British Trades Union Congress General Secretary Frances O'Grady says: \"The recession may have fuelled rising unemployment and put pressure on flexible working practices, but homeworking has continued to thrive and grow.\"Over four million people usually work from home, while many millions more occasionally do so. The sheer scale of homeworking proves how easily it can be done but there are still too many employers who are reluctant to allow staff to work away from the office or the shop floor. Of course there are challenges with homeworking. It requires employers to trust staff and people can feel isolated if the relationship is not managed properly. But these issues are easily dealt with through smart employment relations, which unions can help with. With government figures showing a further 4.5 million people would like to work from home more often there is still much more that employers can do to meet this unmet demand for more flexible working.\"One organization at the forefront of this flexibility revolution is food and cosmetics giant Unilever which has promised to make 30 per cent of the staff positions in its business location-free by 2015. Worldwide, 100,000 employees - everyone except factory production workers - can work anytime, anywhere so long as they meet business needs, and the company is investing in technologies that help reduce the need for travel-to-work - laptops, video conferencing software, webcams, smartphones etc.Professor Robert J. Grossman reports: \"This approach represents a paradigm shift in how Unilever executives view workers' responsibilities and how they expect managers to do their jobs. Traditional indicators of performance - being on time, looking your best, being present - don't count Outcomes or deliverables matter most. In live and online training, managers learn virtual management techniques and technologies that support virtual work. They're rethinking leadership strategies and recognizing that their teams must focus entirely on producing measurable results, such as making sales targets or meeting production quotas\" (Grossman, 2013).Not everyone is happy. Some professionals and executives value the status and trappings of a nice office too much (and Unilever has been open to compromise and let some of them retain their precious territory). Chris Raia, the global Agile Working program leader, says: \"About 50 per cent of senior executives are enthusiastic. The remaining 50 per cent are agnostic or unsupportive.\"\nIt is assumed that lower operating costs will result: Professor Grossman says: \"Reactions from many workers and managers are positive, and there are signs that Agile Working is attracting top talent. Recently two female executives jumped to Unilever from competitors, enticed by flexibility for them and their families.\" Jacobina Plummer, Agile Working's global change and communications manager, says: \"I find it much easier to meet my commitments with my line manager in the US. Being online later in the day gives us more shared time during our working day, despite a five-hour time difference.\"It is assumed that lower operating costs will result from the adoption of mobile and flexible working practices. (For example, Unilever's performance has risen and it also benefits from \"most admired\" and \"best place to work\" accolades). If this is the case, those organizations that shun such innovatory ways of working are likely to be outperformed by competitors who benefit from lower operating costs.This brave new world of working at arm's length from supervisors and colleagues may have its benefits, but we should also try to recognize - before it is too late - what we might be losing. Face-to-face contact with colleagues, asking how their children are, where they are going on holiday, instant opportunities to ask for help or share problems are part and parcel of a working environment. The techies will tell you that all this can be achieved in a virtual environment. After all, if a global company can save on expensive hotel accommodation and airline tickets by video conferencing, technology can also allow colleagues to chat. But can a virtual environment ever replace those \"water cooler conversations\" in which colleagues can blow off steam?\nComment: This review is based on \"Phasing out face time: flexibility rules at Unilever - as long as the work gets done\" by Robert J. Grossman and \"Flexible working conditions and decreasing levels of trust\" by Sven Svensson. Robert J. Grossman reports on Unilever's ambitious Agile Working program, a revolutionary plan to permit thousands of employees worldwide to work anytime and anywhere they wish so long as they get the job done. Sven Svensson analyses levels of generalized trust among employees who have adapted to increasing demands for flexibility, compared with employees in traditional employment (Svensson, 2012).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.\nFindings: - The adoption of mobile and flexible working is revolutionizing the relationships between organizations and their employees but not everyone is content to embrace the changes.\nPractical implications: - The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.\nOriginality/value: - The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to digest format.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Drivers for a cross-sector successful collaboration: the Basque country model of action	[ "Cross-sector collaboration", "Public policy", "Third sector", "Public administration", "Social impact", "Solidarity" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The economic crisis, triggered in 2008, has influenced European society, affecting different areas and sectors. More than a decade later, we - in our duty as scientists - continue striving to provide solutions to fill this gap. Seeking approaches to face and respond to this reality, the European Union aims to contribute to the promotion of new ideas, strategies and structures of governance for an emerging Europe (European Commission, 2015, 2017). Therefore, this study aims to analyze solidarity actions and forms of third-sector organization to contribute knowledge to the public sector. This would have positive outcomes toward a successful collaboration for both sectors, overcoming risks and barriers.\nTheoretical perspectives: Recent evolution of the European Union Social Economy shows the need to broadly approach those social economy examples to gain knowledge on their way of functioning. Various scholars (Diaz-Foncea and Marcuello, 2012) compared the Spanish Social Economy model with the European and English tradition, considering Spanish tradition is linked to a more \"socio-laboral\" integrative service. Scholars also link the Spanish Social Economy with social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and social market. Compared to traditional companies, the Observatory for Social and Economic Development in the BC recognizes an improved behavior for this type of entity to face the economic crisis and claim the need for rigorous data to increase this sector's visibility (Bretos, 2015).\nResearch method: In this paper, results have been analyzed based on a focus group and in-depth interviews with six BC third-sector organizations that are dedicated to promoting actions in different areas with the objective of working together to provide elements of success and improvement for people with needs, as well as to positively influence the public sector. In addition, this paper includes four personal interviews (one-on-one) with important representatives of third-sector organizations, chosen because of their positive impact on the improvement of people situations and their communities. The methodology employed in this analysis is the communicative methodology (CM) (Puigvert et al., 2012), which has already demonstrated its success regarding addressing and improving social problems rather than only describing them. This qualitative methodology has shown its potential in different social contexts through several competitive projects, such as the RTD project: INCLUD-ED: Strategies for inclusion and social cohesion in Europe from Education[2], which was selected by the European Commission (2011) among the top 10 research projects as the Social Sciences and Humanities project with the greatest social impact. The CM aims to collect participants' narratives - their life-stories, in a free and unstructured way - based on the power of their knowledge (Gomez et al., 2011). The CM enables the link between researchers and those being researched, involving stakeholders in the research process from the very beginning, with the aim of responding to their needs at any moment during the process. Subjectivity is based on the argument's value rather than the number of arguments. In fact, objectivity to the reality studied came from the arguments provided and not from the physical distance of the researchers from their studied subjects (Weber, 1949).\nResults: This section will present the analysis of the results found in this study. Stakeholders participated in the conversation, and their voices are analyzed according to the transformative principle described in the methodology section. Therefore, although situations of risk may exist between both sectors, the aim of this paper is on drivers' analysis, for two reasons: to show the win-win collaboration between the third sector and public sector in the provision of social services, and to provide the possibility of transferability of the most efficient actions.\nConclusion: The problems addressed by social organizations are affecting the entire population, either directly or indirectly. Tackling them from the third sector, and throughout the population, generates better and healthier societies. Specifically, at all levels, they are messages that transcend many frontiers. Much has been published about the BC region and the peculiarities of its unique model of action and providing of services. Most of the fieldwork documentation describes it as a model of action in which the existing resources approach people, not the opposite. In many cases of resource assistance, people receive resources beyond what they have asked for (and some who have not asked for help) because of the existing connection among several third-sector organizations as well as the public sector. This manner of addressing public issues, and the entire process necessarily organized around them, means that if any third-sector organization really wants to fulfill its mission, they should establish a fruitful relationship with social organizations and volunteer sectors reaching the public.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show the positive effects of a cross-sector collaboration between public administration and third sector in the Basque Country. Solidarity within European society is a concern increasingly addressed from broader perspectives in broader territories. Civil society involvement has also reached public administrations. The European Commission H2020 project, SOLIDUS Solidarity in European societies: empowerment, social justice and citizenship (2016-2018), responds to the need to build a \"renewed\" Europe after the economic crisis, addressing social areas as employment, education, housing, health, civic engagement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The communicative methodology (CM) has been used in this research paper, including qualitative fieldwork involving representatives of third-sector organizations. The CM already showed its impact on society, through several research projects in which it has been applied. CM is based on including stakeholders' voices into research from the initial design until the end, responding their needs from research evidence. Thus, it contributes to put in common the knowledge of experts and stakeholders.\nFindings: Searching for successful practices of social innovation, this paper analyzed which elements enable such relationships between public administration and third-sector organizations to promote successful public policies. Even some risks and barriers have been highlighted, the authors' specific aim focuses on the positive aspects. Therefore, it shows drivers for a most efficient way of public management, which could potentially be extrapolated to other contexts. Some of these drivers are the following: support and collaboration between sectors, institutional trust, co-creation, active participation of the third sector, solidarity and commitment, efficient social policies and workers' professionalization.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to returning to institutions and society the atmosphere of trust that the crisis context has damaged. The Basque Countries' comprehensive model of action proves to attend citizenship contributing to a better society, from engaging a successful collaboration across sectors. The creation of two models of collaboration helps to progress in the positive interaction between the third sector and government. This paper is also original because it gives voice to people directly involved on the field and uses their knowledge to describe drivers and assess collaboration and participation of the third sector.\nPeer review: The peer review history for this paper is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-06-2019-0378\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The limits of policy analytical capacity: Canadian financial regulatory reform	[ "Financial services", "Regulation", "Financial crisis", "Policy learning", "Policy capacity", "Canada" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: We don't need to recreate the world right now [...] I think we can spend our efforts more profitably [...] (Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty (November 2008)).\n1. Introduction: Canadian regulatory responses to the financial crisis have been muted. Officials have agreed to implement whatever capital adequacy standards emerge from the Basel III process, but have done little else, publicly opposing more aggressive global initiatives - for example their high profile opposition to a \"global bank tax\" at the recent Toronto G20 Summit. While other jurisdictions stung by the massive costs of the crisis seem more open to discussion of a new regulatory policy image, consistent with insights on effective \"policy capacity\", Canadian regulators' adoption of new ideas has been impeded by the fragmentation of regulatory responsibilities - institutional and jurisdictional factors have limited effective analytical capacity. In an environment where the government and leading private sector firms trumpet the success of the existing Canadian system in weathering the crisis, this has undermined \"learning\".1.1 Public policy capacity and policy learning\n2. The \"lessons\" of the financial crisis: It is now recognized that banks were not properly assessing risk in their portfolios. With the weakness of the Basel capital adequacy standards, the scope of banks' exposure to risky liabilities \"off their balance sheets\" were not fully understood before the crisis. Once the problem was revealed, and billions in bailouts were required, policy debate framed the problem as systemic. Policymakers in the worst hit jurisdictions along with international institutions charged with promoting coordination in bank regulation - the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), and crucially the G20 (Helleiner and Pagliari, 2009), have generated new regulatory ideas. Much of the international dialogue on reform has focused on creating better capital adequacy standards; revised \"Basel III\" proposals have recently been released, which would raise the level of \"tier one\" capital (the amount of equity) that the bank should have in relation to its assets, and require clearer accounting standards for how adequacy should be measured; however many believe wider ranging reforms need attention.Many highlighted the central role of securitization in the crisis (Roubini and Mihm, 2010). Deregulation enabled banks to create and trade complex new \"asset backed securities\" (ABS) generating new profit opportunities (increasingly important given existing executive compensation structures), but raised unforeseen prudential problems. The final report of the G20 Working Group on Enhancing Sound Regulations and Strengthening Transparency concluded that existing capital adequacy standards at banks were ineffective in large part because they did not accurately assess risks associated with bank trading of securitized assets and other \"off balance sheet\" activities (page 36). While some have noted that the more \"securitized\" a bank was, the more likely it was to run into trouble, banking experts now recognized systemic incentives for banks to overexpose themselves to holding questionable securitized assets (see Goodhart, 2008; Crotty, 2009). As a result, some governments have floated plans for \"resgementing financial markets,\" or limits on the involvement of \"too big to fail\" commercial banks in investment banking - for example, the Obama administration's proposals to limit the right of commercial banks to trade \"on their own account\" (the \"Volker Rule\"). Earlier European proposals that hedge funds, investment banks and other \"non-banks\" should be regulated as commercial banks (subject to new capital adequacy standards) reflect the same concerns about securitization's impact on modern banking.There is also a widespread belief that the modern financial industry requires more centralized national regulatory systems which bring officials together to discuss system-wide problems, rather than simply focusing on isolated areas of responsibility. Both the FSF and the G20 have encouraged states to reform their regulatory structures to better support \"macro prudential\" regulation. Reflecting the new policy image, both the US and the UK (traditional supporters of \"light touch\" financial regulation) have formulated proposals to centralize regulatory authority.Finally, in the G20 process, some governments have supported the idea of new global taxes on banks to help recoup the costs of bailouts. Initially, this was an issue with little traction; early British proposals were widely criticized, but increased support from the Obama administration in 2010 suggested the possibility of some coordinated action. The tax issue relates directly to the \"too big to fail\" problem confronting policymakers. Unless the scale of modern banks or the complexities of securitization are reduced, states will effectively fully insure leading banks that are \"systemically important\". Thus some governments believe there should be either a special capital adequacy standard for these institutions, or special bank taxes to cover the cost of bailouts. While it now appears that the G20 will not endorse a coordinated bank tax, in part due to efforts by countries like Canada to stop the proposals, the BCBS has recommended additional capital adequacy standards for these institutions.While the scope of eventual reforms is unclear, the point is that officials in many jurisdictions are engaged in some form of policy learning, in which they are open to new ideas.\n3. The Canadian context: Regulatory responsibility for financial services is fragmented in Canada. By removing most of the barriers between federally-regulated institutions (banks and insurance companies) and the provincially regulated securities and mortgage and trust sectors with little reorganization of the existing regulatory institutions, deregulation complicated policymaking in the sector (Williams, 2004). The federal and provincial governments have struggled over who should regulate the securities industry which includes the Asset Backed Securities market. While the federal government would like to assert constitutional jurisdiction, many provinces have defended their remaining responsibilities. The banks' increasing involvement in securitized finance poses problems for this ambiguous division of labor - creating the potential for some \"passing of the buck\" between on issues like ABS. While legally the provinces regulate securities, in theory, the federal government is responsible, via the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) for overseeing the soundness of all federally-regulated firms (the leading banks and insurance companies) which dominate the industry.3.1 The impact of the financial crisis in Canada\n4. The Canadian response - institutional limitations to effective capacity: Aside from the Bank of Canada, regulatory agencies seem less interested in dealing with the problems exposed by the crisis then continuing with jurisdictional struggles. Since 2008, officials have joined industry in publicly opposing reforms discussed elsewhere. Julie Dickson (the head of the OSFI), has echoed the Finance Minister, the Prime Minster and the Canadian Bankers Association, arguing that many are unnecessary. Despite considerable research and analytical capacity, regulatory authorities have failed to seriously evaluate new approaches in part because it is unclear which agency is responsible (or which agency wants to be responsible) for the issues involved.4.1 The Department of Finance\n5. Conclusions: Canadian officials have done little to recommend meaningful reform and have done a great deal to undermine calls for more serious reforms. The current Harper Government, arguable predisposed to light touch regulation have tabled a number of \"anti-bank\" initiatives in areas ironically unrelated to the crisis. Their recent clamp down on bank's sales of insurance on line, tighter mortgage eligibility rules, and credit card disclosure illustrate a willingness to intervene in financial markets. The difference on those issues is that the government has received longstanding advice and pressure from important actors suggesting those reforms are necessary, including some of the agencies involved in responding to the financial crisis. However on securitization, it is not in any agencies' interest to reach conclusions drawn elsewhere, given institutional limitations and incentives to pass the buck.Canadian responses illustrate that while knowledge about the challenges confronting the financial service industry might be high, policymakers have embraced institutionally bounded lessons. In the absence of huge bailouts that might have given finance officials a more direct interest in preventing these kinds of problems in the future, the impact of new policy ideas is shallow. Canadian officials have resuscitated a decade long jurisdictional struggle over who should regulate the securities industry (with little discussion of what either level of government would do differently). As Harris (2010, p. 77) notes the, \"[...] decentralized structure allows bureaucrats to avoid responsibility for ensuring a safe and sound financial system. There is no authority representing the interests of Canadians generally. Each institution defends its own interests, while Canadians pick up the tab for errors or negligence.\"\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to document Canadian financial services regulatory reform, illustrating how existing institutional fragmentation has undermined capacity to effectively learn from the global financial crisis.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper draws on government documents, public comments and interviews with key individuals in the reform process to document the different institutional responses to the crisis.\nFindings: - The case highlights concerns raised in the policy subsystems literature that the capacity for \"learning\", even from events as significant as the financial crisis, can be undermined by poor institutional arrangements which create incentives for policymakers to support self interested and limited analysis.\nPractical implications: - The case suggests that effective learning in a complex sector requires that there be a national regulator charged with broad independent analytical responsibilities to ensure that the industry is effectively regulated. Existing fragmentation of responsibilities, combined with the interests of the industry and the current government in deflecting new regulatory rules, has meant that existing government expertise has not been effectively deployed.\nOriginality/value: - The paper offers an important corrective to the existing view of Canadian financial regulation and is a compelling illustration of how poor institutional arrangements and ambiguous jurisdictional responsibilities can impede effective policy capacity in relation to learning.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Social capital, information sharing and performance: Evidence from China	[ "Collaboration", "Supply chain management", "Information management", "Buyer-supplier relationships", "Empirical" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Information sharing refers to the extent of the exchange of critical information that may facilitate inter-firm collaboration among supply chain members (Heide and Miner, 1992; Mohr and Spekman, 1994; Zhou and Benton, 2007). The success of several companies, such as Wal-Mart and Dell, as well as academic research in the last decade, indicates that firms can gain a sizeable advantage over competitors through effective information sharing with their supply chain partners (Mohr and Spekman, 1994; Li and Lin, 2006; Ha et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2013). Sahin and Robinson (2002) provided a comprehensive review of numerous benefits of information sharing.\n2. Theoretical background and hypotheses development: 2.1 Social capital as antecedents of information sharing\n3. Research design and methodology: 3.1 Measurements\n4. Statistical analysis and results: A structural equation model with maximum likelihood estimation is used to test all relationships between latent variables and observed variables, and the relationships among multiple latent variables in Figure 1 simultaneously. The goodness of fit indices are kh2=748.899, df=337, CFI=0.913, IFI=0.913, TLI=0.902, RMSEA=0.067, all of which are better than the threshold values (Hu et al., 1992). The statistical power of this model is sufficiently high and close to 1.00. Therefore, the model is acceptable and no modifications were made. The structural equation model and the standardized coefficients of each path are presented in Figure 2. The results of hypotheses tests are summarized in Table IV.\n5. Discussions and managerial implications: The statistical results reveal several important research and managerial implications that deserve further discussion.\n6. Conclusions: Despite the touting of the value of information sharing, the industry struggles with the practice (Baihaqi et al., 2008; Manatsa and McLaren, 2008; Olorunniwo and Li, 2010). In this study, we applied social capital theory to investigate how three distinct social capital elements could mitigate opportunistic behavior and contribute to the supply chain information sharing practice. Based on the literature, a theoretical model was developed to test and verify the relationships among social capital, information sharing, and manufacturing performance. This study makes several contributions to the research and management. First, we argue, and subsequently demonstrate by statistical analysis, that information sharing practice can be conceptualized through a social capital theory lens. Furthermore, we responded to the call from the literature (Lawson et al., 2008; Matthews and Marzec, 2012) and incorporated all three social capital elements to examine their inter-relationships and their individual effects of social capital on supply chain activities. This approach proved to be rewarding, as the distinct effect of individual elements would not be recognized otherwise. Overall, the statistical results suggest that manufacturers can use the concept of social capital to build relational rents for information sharing. The findings also help us understand the process by which social capital accumulates and contributes to information sharing. For instance, firms must first engage in social interactions with supply chain partners in order to develop a trusting relationship and shared vision. Investment in intangible social elements may well be the pre-condition to promote supply chain information sharing. Moreover, our results demonstrate that, not only the content of shared information, but also the quality of shared information, can help to improve both the efficiency and responsiveness performance of the manufacturer.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of social resources on promoting information sharing practice and, thereby, improving firm performance. In particular, the authors are interested in addressing the following research questions. First, can the development of social capital (expressed in three dimensions: cognitive capital, structural capital, and relational capital) promote the content and quality of supply chain information sharing? Second, what are the relationships among the three social capital dimensions in the context of information sharing? Third, what are the effects of shared information (content and quality) on firm performance?\nDesign/methodology/approach: A theoretical model and several research hypotheses, well-grounded in the western literature, are developed. Data from 272 manufacturers in China were collected to test the model and the hypotheses. Structural equation modeling was used for statistical analysis.\nFindings: The statistical results reveal that each social capital dimension has different effects on information sharing and performance. Namely, relational capital and cognitive capital have significant positive influences on information sharing. Structural capital has no direct positive impact on information sharing, but it displays indirect affects through the other two social capital dimensions. Furthermore, both the content and quality of the shared information improve manufacturing efficiency and responsiveness performance. Finally, the paper also recognizes possible reciprocal causality between relational capital and cognitive capital.\nResearch limitations/implications: First, considering the distinct role of social relations in China, future studies should examine the influence of social capital and the potential reciprocal relationship between trust and shared vision, using data from other countries. Second, data were collected solely from the Pearl River Delta, China. Studies based on samples drawn from other regions, such as the Yangtze River Delta, the Bohai Sea economic area, and southwest China, would provide a degree of geographic and economic diversity and extend the generalizability of the results.\nPractical implications: Despite the touting of the value of information sharing, many companies struggle with the practice. The findings help us understand the process by which social capital accumulates and contributes to information sharing. Namely, firms must first engage in social interactions with supply chain partners in order to develop a trusting relationship and a shared vision for information sharing. The managers must also be aware of the possible reciprocal relationship between trust and shared vision. Both the volume and content of information sharing are critical to the performance.\nSocial implications: Manufacturers can use the concept of social capital to build relational rents for information sharing.\nOriginality/value: Responding to the call from the literature, this study extends the discussion of antecedents and consequences of supply chain information sharing, with a focus on the influences of relational resources. The paper proves that social capital provides a valid theoretical base from which to examine the role of social relations in promoting supply chain information sharing. Previous supply chain research in social capital often limited its consideration of social capital to relational capital. Understanding the effects of all three dimensions of social capital and their inter-relationships would contribute to the process by which social capital accumulates and promotes information sharing. Additionally, a study with the Chinese data should validate the theoretical model developed based on western literature, and offer valuable insights to researchers and practitioners from both economic and cultural perspectives.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How do complementarity and discount choices interact with latitude of price acceptance in price bundling?	[ "Complementarity", "Price bundling", "Latitude of price acceptance (LPA)", "Discount frame", "Bundle frame" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Consider \"E-Devices,\" an online retailer that sells a range of electronics products in the Indian market in a \"bundled products\" form (for example, speakers and wireless headphones together) as well as \"separately\". While the price of a bundle of speakers and wireless headphones is INR 1,600, speakers and wireless headphones, if purchased separately, would cost the consumer INR 1,000 each. A quick assessment indicates that these product items ordered separately would cost the consumer significantly more than the bundle.\n2. Theoretical framework and hypotheses: 2.1 Reference price\n3. Study 1: effect of latitude of price acceptance, complementarity and bundle frame on purchase intention: 3.1 Experiment design and procedure\n4. Study 2: effect of latitude of price acceptance, complementarity and discount frame on purchase intention: 4.1 Discount frame: absolute off vs percentage off\n5. Findings and contributions: Overall, the results support the hypotheses conceptualized in this paper. Consistent with H1, we observed a significant main effect of LPA, i.e. a bundle price close to the lower end of the evoked price set will generate a higher purchase intention for the bundle composed of wide LPA products than for narrow LPA products. We used budget constraint to ensure that respondents evaluated the bundle price toward the lower end of the price range. Overall, wide LPA scenarios generated higher consumer purchase intention than narrow LPA scenarios. We argue that such an evaluation by the consumer is influenced by the range hypothesis (Janiszewski and Lichtenstein, 1999) which suggests that the lower and upper endpoints of a range of evoked prices are used as anchors for price judgments. Discount on a bundle and the consumer's assessment based on the lower endpoints of the range makes the bundle attractive and subsequently results in higher purchase intention.\n6. Managerial implications: In this paper, we conducted two studies. In Study 1, we examined consumers' response to bundle offer with different levels of LPA (wide vs narrow), complementarity (yes vs no) and bundle frame (together vs separate). In Study 2, we replaced the bundle frame with discount frame (absolute off vs percentage off). Both variables, i.e. complementarity and bundle frame, were studied by previous researchers; however, LPA is hitherto unexplored in the bundling context. Thus, our main interest variable was LPA and, through two studies, we examined how LPA interacts with complementarity, bundle frame and discount frame. Our findings have a high relevance to marketing theory and practice as well as to scholars.\n7. Limitations and future research: A few limitations of this study should be noted. The study was conducted on low-involvement product categories, and thus the results may not hold true for high-involvement products. Therefore, further studies can consider high-involvement product categories. Also, the study was conducted in an experimental setup and lack of real purchase situation may limit generalizability of the findings. Therefore, future studies should validate our results on artificially constructed products and prices (for example, products from some cottage industry/mountain region), where customers have minimal knowledge and previous judgment about such artifacts[3]. Our sample was predominantly male and results might have under-represented the female group. We, therefore, recommend future studies with adequate representation from both genders. Finally, it may be worth studying the interaction effect of LPA with other factors, such as money discount vs freebies.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to examine three important questions: What would be the effects of pricing at the lower end of a wide vs narrow latitude of price acceptance (LPA) on consumer choice of the bundle? How would the nature of a bundle frame (i.e. discount on bundle vs discount on components) and discount frame (i.e. discount as absolute off vs discount as percentage off) influence the preference given to a price level that is at the wide or narrow end of the LPA? Would the effect be significantly different if the bundle components were complementary vs if they were non-complementary?\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors carried out two studies using between-subject experimental design. In Study 1, the authors used 2 (LPA: wide/narrow) x 2 (complementarity: yes/no) x 2 (bundle frame: together/separate) design, and in Study 2, the authors replaced bundle frame with discount frame (i.e. absolute off/percentage off).\nFindings: The authors find that the LPA effect is likely to outweigh the complementarity effect; however, a combined effect of complementarity and bundle frame is stronger than the LPA effect. Also, for a wide (narrow) LPA product bundle, absolute off (percentage off) discount frame is more attractive.\nPractical implications: Managers should use bundling strategy with complementary products having wider LPA. In case of wide LPA and complementary products, both together and separate frame could be the best bundling strategy while in case of narrow LPA and complementary products, together frame could be the best bundling strategy.\nOriginality/value: The main contribution relates to the role LPA plays in consumer evaluation of a bundle offer and its interaction with complementarity and discount frame. The authors apply the range hypothesis principles (i.e. price-attractiveness judgments are based on a comparison of market prices to the endpoints of a range of evoked prices) in the bundling context and extend the earlier work in the area of complementarity and discount frame.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The impact of consortia purchasing of periodical publications on the document supply service	[ "Electronic journals", "Collections management", "Document delivery", "Purchasing groups", "Statistics", "Spain" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Electronic scientific journals are journals whose full-text is available on the web, including both those that began in paper-print form but later incorporated the electronic version and those which were in electronic format from the beginning. Recently they have been offered as \"bundles\" by publishers and their use has increased considerably. They owe their success to their essential characteristics: publishing speed, ongoing updates, easy access to and recovering of information, dissemination services, and additional services offered by suppliers.The scientific community, supported by the fast development of technologies and easy access to information, has accepted electronic journals at a striking rate. This expansion has had an unprecedented impact on users and libraries, as well as on authors and publishers. This impact is most visible in many small and mid-size libraries' collections, which have quickly become two or three times larger thanks to electronic-resource acquisition strategies such as bundling and consortia purchasing. These resources, acquired and shared through cooperative agreements and consortia between libraries and institutions, have been very beneficial to libraries in developing their collections, by increasing the number of titles and reducing duplication.In this paper, we analyse how the use of e-journals and consortia purchasing have had an impact on libraries, especially on their document supply or interlibrary loan service. We have reviewed the most recent literature, 1999-2004, and have especially focussed on studies whose results show different aspects of that impact, its effects, and suggested actions. As an example of the impact on the document supply service, we present the case of the health-science library of the hospital in the Madrid municipality of Mostoles. Data from the last four years show a change in service behaviour, leading us to reflect on its causes and on the way collections of periodical publications are currently managed.\nThe impact of electronic journals: In general terms, users have accepted electronic journals with gusto, given their great advantages. By studying specialised literature on the various aspects of electronic journals, we can identify their impact on different areas, such as user habits and preferences, collection concept and budget, cost of services, and performance of the document supply service. All these aspects have been covered by the literature in the last five years. We analyse below some of the most significant studies.Changes in user habits and preferences induced by the new ways to access scientific information\nThe health-science library at the Mostoles hospital: The mission of the health-science library at the Mostoles hospital is to provide the centre's staff with the information they require to carry out their medical care, teaching, and research tasks. Currently, the hospital has 362 beds and 1,518 workers, 105 of which are intern doctors. The core of its bibliographic fund is the health-science periodic publications, which went from 231 paper-subscription titles in 2001 to 1,169 subscriptions in 2004 (145 on paper, and 1,024 in electronic format, unduplicated). This increase in the number of titles is due to the change in format and to consortia purchasing with the Madrid Commission of Health-Science Libraries, which has produced the electronic fund of the Lain Entralgo virtual library. During 2003 and 2004, bundles of journals were purchased via consortia with aggregators such as OVID and Proquest Medical Library, and with publishers, such as Elsevier (Science Direct) and Wiley. Users have adapted very well to using the electronic format, due to its easy access and the added-value services it provides. To optimise the use of the electronic journals and promote their products, access platforms have created new services, such as search engines, bibliographic links, related articles, alerts, etc. For example, Science Direct's platform allows access to the bibliographic reference, with an option to the full-text subject to prepayment, of old journals, called \"backfiles\", among which we can find The Lancet, the famous clinical medicine journal published since October 1823. For these reasons, users give priority to the information they find in full-text electronic format and demand more electronic journal titles; they also show an interest in cancelling their current subscriptions in paper format in favour of the electronic format.The Mostoles hospital library applies 95 per cent of its annual acquisition budget to renew the subscriptions to its journals. Currently, the budget to buy their core collection of journals is in two parts: one, for consortia purchasing; the other, to buy individually and in paper format, the core titles of the collection that are not included in the former. In 2004, individual paper subscriptions continued for 145 titles, as there were not enough economic or technical resources to buy them in electronic format and maintain the purchased electronic collection. Table I shows data about this evolution. The budget to purchase titles in electronic format via consortia increases every year, leaving little possibility for the library to then buy on its own new books and journals required by its users. Consortia purchasing generates a large number of titles, but many of them are not in the library's core collection and, therefore, the library must acquire titles separately in paper format. In addition, consortia purchases keep increasing, and therefore there is less money left for a library to buy separately. So far, consortia purchasing agreements work with publishers or aggregators that offer a given collection but often do not allow acquiring at a reasonable price certain titles whose subscriptions are basic and necessary for both libraries and individual users; for example, subscription to the New England Journal of Medicine.Since 2001, the library has carried out a collection development project, aimed at optimising the centre's core collection of journals and facilitating the development of collections in the consortium. For that purpose, it implemented a programme to evaluate the collection, and it established acquisition procedures and guidelines for the integration and adaptation of the new technical resources and format. In the last three years, it has evaluated its basic journal collection by issues, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Some users have been pleasantly surprised by the increase in the number of titles included in the consortia electronic subscription and that are not part of the core collection. Others, from different specialities, have been upset by the low number of electronic-format subscriptions and the continuity of others in paper format, as well as not being able to change the titles that were consortia purchased. The increase in the number of titles is due to bundle purchases, and it is the publisher or the aggregator that includes them in the \"bundles\". Currently, collection development is subject to the decisions of publishers and the consortium, rather than those of users and librarians. Publishers have the power in negotiations, as they provide the products and set the prices, and also create a potential market for their products, by providing easy access to their content.With the existing growth in both production and consumption of information, RDS is one of the most important services provided by libraries. A pilot test was initiated in 2004 to implement free-of-charge RDS in all but two of the libraries belonging to the Madrid Commission of Health-Science Libraries. Since its implementation, the number of requests has grown significantly. Table II shows the increase in RDS supplies and requests during the last four years.The increase in the journal titles has run parallel to the increase in the number of requests. As shown in Figure 1, the increase in the number of journals does not entail a decrease of the RDS, either in our library or in other libraries that request copies from us.\nConclusion: As evidenced by the literature and also by the example of this small library, users' acceptance of electronic journals has undoubtedly been excellent. Consortia purchasing projects have become a basic tool that expand collections, support cooperative technological development, and require negotiating skills from librarians. But these mass purchases do not seem to be the ideal solution for libraries; they entail losing freedom when choosing the collection, and often make library collections homogeneous by publisher.When electronic journals started to be acquired through consortia purchases, the first data showed a drop in the volume of RDS. Thus, it was believed that users, given the large number of journals to which they had access, would greatly reduce their requirements for RDS. After the impact caused by the use of electronic formats and linked services settled down, the RDS volumes levelled out. Shortly afterwards, the first data yielded by some surveys carried out in an English-speaking environment show that RDS has grown again in the last few years. The literature review and our own experience in a medical library, described above, suggest that there could be a number of reasons for the recent RDS increase:1. The platforms' intense promotion of their services encourages users to access and consume more information related to their subject of interest. This situation causes a growth of the impact factor for the journals they use. For example, currently, the users of health-science libraries request and use more retrospective multidisciplinary information, largely because it is easy to find them in the platforms.2. Another possible cause, pointed out by Mary Jackson, is that requests are redirected. This is due to electronic journal collections becoming homogeneous. Libraries buy the bundles offered by publishers or companies, which are always the same, thus reducing the libraries' ability to buy other materials or titles. The basic collection existing before consortia purchasing has not been valued. Users have given priority to accessibility to the journal services and less importance to content and speciality. Is it, perhaps, because we are now in a \"post-modern society\", where \"knowledge is characterised by its utility, distribution, storage and whether it can be downloaded onto a computer?\" (Klages, 2003), so therefore, \"anything that cannot be digitalised is no longer knowledge\" (Genoni and Jones, 2004). We live in a society where knowledge is becoming functional and our journal collections and the consortia purchasing them seem to be a clear reflection of this process.In any case, these explanations must be complemented by the actions and perceptions expressed by further user studies.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to show the impact of consortia purchased periodical publications on document supply services. These services have undergone considerable changes over the last five years, first decreasing but now recovering.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - First, this paper reviews the most recent specialised literature, focusing mainly on the impact of electronic journals in libraries, their effects, and proposed actions. Second, as an example of this new behaviour, presents the document supply service data, as collected in one hospital's health-science library in the last four years.\nFindings: - As evidenced by the literature, the users' acceptance of electronic journals has undoubtedly been excellent. Consortia purchasing projects have become a basic tool that expand collections, support cooperative technological development, and require negotiating skills from librarians. But these mass purchases do not seem to be the ideal solution for libraries, they entail losing freedom when choosing the collection and often make library collections homogeneous by publisher.\nOriginality/value: - Reflects on what possible causes have led to the current situation and the current way to manage the collection.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The trapdoor in the platform: will corporate purpose be enough?	[ "Taxation", "Corporate reputation", "Productivity growth", "Capitalism", "Income inequality", "Profits", "Purchasing power", "Revolution" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: There are many interpretations of the current state of the world economy and the geopolitical tensions that are inextricably entwined with it. The one issue on which there seems reasonably wide agreement is the stagnation in productivity growth that we have been living with for the past two decades and the impact it has had on low and middle income wage levels. Although the lowest level wages, at least in the USA, have begun to lift again, the causes of flat productivity growth and what to do about it are hotly contested. Some argue that the answer to stimulating economic growth is universal basic income (Haagh, 2019); others argue it to be massively redistributive taxation (Warren, 2020a, 2020b). Yet others focus on the malign impact of business concentration which in many sectors has left fewer than five major players and spawned many duopolies (Stiglitz, 2019). Advocates of more vigorous anti-trust enforcement believe that breaking up platform companies such Amazon, Google and Facebook will finally demolish the logjam in competition to which they ascribe stagnant economic growth, but few have articulated how to do this without creating economic havoc. We have seen the rise of cultural populism. Economic populism may have a more lasting impact.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to assess whether current corporate commitments to serve all stakeholders rather than just shareholders will protect corporate reputation during the coming economic downturn.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper reviews recent corporate commitments to corporate purpose and sustainability as well as critiques of these commitments to determine the likely public and governmental responses in the context of declining middle-class purchasing power and record profits.\nFindings: The author believes that unless corporations make deeper commitments to productivity growth, higher wages and strengthening employment, there will be meaningful restrictions imposed upon their freedom to operate.\nResearch limitations/implications: This review of corporate commitments and critiques is selective and not comprehensive. To the extent that the findings relate to events in the future, they are, by definition, non-verifiable.\nPractical implications: If corporations begin to address the concerns discussed here before the next sharp economic downturn, they may be able to escape significant new obligations imposed by the governments. If not, they are likely to lose both freedom of action and reputation.\nSocial implications: Depending on the flow of events, large segments of the population could turn against big corporations, representing a significant shift in the cultural and political environment.\nOriginality/value: Much has been written about the intersection of stagnation in productivity growth, decline in middle-class purchasing power and income inequality. However, the author believes that there has been little attention given to the possible implications from the perspective of corporate reputation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A new goal-directed benchmarking for supplier selection in the presence of undesirable outputs	[ "Benchmarking", "Data envelopment analysis" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Supplier selection problem is emerging as a significant issue for an enterprise due to global marketing competition. The emergence of supplier relationship management, which involves activities from sourcing to procurement, from supplier empowerment to user adoption, causes manufacturing firms to concern themselves with identifying, evaluating and negotiating with the preferred suppliers (Lau et al., 2006).\n2 Literature review: In the following subsections, various studies on the supplier selection and undesirable outputs are briefly summarized.\n3 Proposed model: In 1978, basic DEA model was proposed by Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes (CCR). Let n be the number of DMUs, m the number of inputs and p the number of outputs, and then define x\n4 Numerical example: This example is taken from Azadi and Farzipoor Saen (2012a). In this section, a demonstration of methodology is given to exemplify how the proposed approach can be employed for supplier selection in information technology (IT) field. System Group Co. was founded in 1988 as a small start-up IT company with the vision of establishing IT as an industry in Iran. The company is currently the largest private software company in the country providing IT solutions, specifically integrated business software solutions for vertical markets embodied in different industries. Consistent provision of quality solutions and services has excelled the company to become a software conglomerate in Iran. Currently, the company has eight active subsidiaries each specialized in different IT fields, 27 nationwide satellite companies providing after-sales services and 24 licensed companies providing sales and installations across the country. The company taps on its 900 professional staff nationwide to reach its 5,000+customers. At System Group, there are 20 main specialized application developers (suppliers) that supply a vast variety of business solutions, either starting the development of systems from the ground up, or taking legacy systems and convert them to fulfill new requirements. The performance measures utilized were number of personnel, average time for serving customers, profit margin, and number of dissatisfied customers. Number of personnel and average time for serving customers were used in some way as inputs for the DEA model. The desirable output utilized in the study is profit margin. The undesirable output is number of dissatisfied customers. Note that the inputs and outputs selected in this paper are not exhaustive by any means, but are some general measures that can be utilized to evaluate suppliers. Table I depicts the suppliers attributes.\n5 Concluding remarks: Evaluation of suppliers performance and best-practice benchmarking assists companies in improving their operations across a variety of dimensions. Especially, it helps in supplier process improvement, which in turn enhances company performance, allows for optimal allocation of resources for supplier development programs, and aids managers in restructuring their supplier network based on performance. In order to address these matters, this paper proposes a methodology for effective supplier performance evaluation and benchmarking them in the presence of undesirable outputs based on a goal-directed benchmarking model.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: In this paper, the authors extend the goal-directed benchmarking theory proposed by Stewart for benchmarking and selecting suppliers. This extension is in recognition of the fact that benchmarking for suppliers is more than a pure monitoring process and includes a component of future planning. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this paper, the proposed model utilizes a goal programming structure to find points on the efficient frontier which are realistically attainable by suppliers in the presence of undesirable outputs, but at the same time achieving a closer method to long-term organizational goals (as distinct from the local performance of individual suppliers).\nFindings: The contributions of the current paper are as follows: the proposed model considers undesirable outputs in the context of goal-directed benchmarking. The proposed model does not demand weights from the decision maker. The proposed model can be easily computerized, enabling it to serve as a decision making tool to assist decision makers. For the first time, the proposed model is applied for the supplier selection and benchmarking.\nOriginality/value: To the best of knowledge of the authors, there is not any reference that discusses supplier selection problem and benchmarking in the presence of undesirable outputs in the context of goal-directed benchmarking.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
McGraw-Hill wordsmiths craft their skills in the community: Volunteer programs benefit charities, individual employees and the company as a whole	[ "Voluntary actions", "Social action", "Employee development", "Publishing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Not-for-profit organizations that need help writing press releases or annual reports are benefiting from the expert assistance of professional writers, editors and graphic designers from information-services provider McGraw-Hill.\nProfessionally demanding and personally fulfilling: \"I was drawn to Writers to the Rescue because it is professionally demanding and personally fulfilling,\" said Susan Rifkin, who describes herself as \"someone with a corporate mind and a social worker's heart\". The supervising editor for the school-solutions group at McGraw-Hill Education continued: \"Through Writers to the Rescue, I have developed valuable communication and leadership skills that transfer to my daily life in and out of McGraw-Hill.\"Susan Rifkin's chosen charity is Mouse, which pioneers innovative programs that incorporate technology in teaching and learning in New York schools.After first helping to edit Mouse's annual reports in 2004 and 2005, a team of McGraw-Hill editors and designers collaborated with the charity to produce a professional annual report for 2006-07 at a quality that the organization could not otherwise have afforded. It was able to send the report to external stakeholders. This helped to increase visibility and to communicate a clear vision to potential partners and funders.\"Susan Rifkin is phenomenal; in fact she's on our advisory board, too,\" said Mouse executive director Carole Wacey. \"She and her team treat our projects like it is their work. Beyond producing a fabulous annual report, they also found us a printer, leveraging their printing relationships and getting us a good deal. Then, the company gave us a $1,000 grant, absorbing much of the overall cost.\"Mouse is not the only project through which McGraw-Hill employees are helping schools in New York. When one of the company's senior vice-presidents first partnered Middle School 45, in the Bronx, he realized that what the school needed most was a class of volunteers as diverse as its students. Over the past two years, he and his team have met that demand by rallying their colleagues in the McGraw-Hill Companies' Hispanic Heritage Network (HHN) to support their partnership with principal Anna Giordano and MS 45, whose student population is 70 percent Hispanic.\nEmployees foster stronger business relationships: Today, a team of 20 HHN members supports a range of student opportunities at MS 45. The McGraw-Hill Companies' legal department has collaborated with HHN and Black Employees at McGraw-Hill (Beam) to take part in a mock trial involving students in the school's law academy, and hosted a field trip for the students to McGraw-Hill's corporate offices. The corporation's employees have also hosted students at BusinessWeek magazine, participated in MS 45's annual Read Aloud Day and rolled up their sleeves to help the school's garden project.Some 20 percent of McGraw-Hill's 20,000 employees worldwide regularly take part in employee-volunteer programs. They range from joining the boards of charities to mentoring children and from stocking food banks to cleaning up parks and waterways. Over the past decade, the company has expanded its community partnership program to provide leadership-development and project-management training, enabling its employees to foster stronger business relationships through project management, leadership development, training and community-skills building.To bring together employees and their communities worldwide, McGraw-Hill created an annual Global Volunteer Day, which includes thousands of employees across almost every time zone, working on dozens of individual community projects.Around 85 percent of project-team leaders identified team building as a positive business result of the most recent Global Volunteer Day. \"We had administrative assistants working alongside the president of one McGraw-Hill unit, with everybody taking direction from an art director at McGraw- Hill Education - all of us were just employees with a common goal,\" wrote one employee participant. \"It was a real team-building experience, tearing down walls and letting us see that everyone could pitch in equally on a task.\"The company's employee-volunteer grant program supports the local organizations to which employees devote their time and energy. Employees dedicating more than 50 hours in a year are eligible to apply on behalf of their favorite non-profit group. Meanwhile, McGraw-Hill's volunteer-team service grant encourages employees to come together to create their own service projects and provides recipient organizations with $1,500 grants to cover expenses related to the projects.\nRobust set of volunteer opportunities: Under its matching-gift program, the company augments one-for-one employee contributions to not-for-profit arts causes, institutions of higher education, financial-literacy and adult basic-literacy organizations. In similar vein, the company's annual employee-giving campaign matches employee contributions to health and human-service not-for-profit organizations.The company stages an annual award ceremony to recognize exemplary employee volunteer efforts.\"Grateful to the communities for giving us the resources on which we thrive, we work to improve the places where we operate,\" said a McGraw-Hill spokesman. \"Our employees relish the opportunity to go out into the community and work in a hands-on capacity, so we have developed a robust set of volunteer opportunities for employees worldwide.\"\nNote: David Pollitt, Human Resource Management International Digest editor, wrote this article.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Explores the benefits that employee-volunteer schemes bring to information-services provider McGraw-Hill and its workers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Describes the various aspects of employee volunteering, which involve some 20 percent of the company's 20,000 employees worldwide.\nFindings: - Concentrates on the Writers to the Rescue scheme, which gives McGraw-Hill writers, editors and designers the chance help voluntary groups and charities to communicate their needs and accomplishments. Describes, in addition, several community education schemes, plus McGraw-Hill's annual Global Volunteer Day, its volunteer-team service grants and its matching-gift program.\nPractical implications: - Explains that, over the past decade, the company has expanded its community-partnership program to provide leadership-development and project-management training, enabling its employees to foster stronger business relationships through project management, leadership development, training and community-skills building.\nOriginality/value: - Reveals that employees benefit from the sense of giving something back to their communities, while the company benefits from a better-skilled, more fulfilled and more contented workforce.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Public sector reform: an overview of recent literature and research on NPM and alternative paths	[ "New public management", "Performance management", "Governance", "Developmental state", "Neo-Weberian state", "Public sector reform" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Are the underlying ideas behind New Public Management (NPM) passe? Many scholars in Public Administration have argued that other paradigms such as those of (good or sound) governance, the Neo-Weberian state, public value pragmatism and public service motivation have replaced the until recently dominant idea of NPM. This paper investigates on the basis of an overview of recent literature and research, whether these ideas are reflected in the real world of public administration or mere wishful thinking?\nWhat is characteristic of NPM?: Before that overview of research is presented it is necessary to frame it within the context of our research question. This implies it is necessary first to give the main characteristics of New Public Management and the main ideas about its successors. In this regard it is customary to refer to the landmark book by Osborne and Gaebler, of 1992, who wanted to reinvent US government in order that it works better and costs less (Osborne and Gaebler, 1992). Their ideas on New Public Management were summarized in Denhart (2004, p. 136) under ten principles: Government under NPM should by catalytic (steering rather than rowing), community-owned (empowering rather than serving); competitive by injecting competition into service delivery, mission-driven instead of rule-driven, results-oriented, customer-driven, enterprising, anticipatory, decentralized and market-oriented. This view on the public sector is based on a very critical stance towards it. There is no way out and no matter what one does, the public sector will inevitably perform worse than the market sector. Therefore, leave the rowing to those organizations that know how to deliver services, i.e. the free market. The neo-liberal roots of NPM tell us that society would be better of if the public sector as such would be downsized and the number of public officials could be decreased by privatization and economic liberalization (see Gore, 2000; Brinkerhoff, 2008, p. 986).\nResults: a preliminary analysis of actual trends: The first thing to note is that the current period of reforming public administration systems in developed and developing countries emerge within varying contexts and thus vary in themselves. There is no one-size-fits-all approach visible. In that sense and because of what we see in recent account of national public sector reforms, it can be argued we are in a period of transition. A transition from decades in which promoting efficiency and minimizing government has been the incantation for all problems in the public sector towards a period in which governments in different parts of the world seek their own way out of this ideological based fad. Labels such as the \"new\" state, good governance, a neo-Weberian state or even Developmental State are phrases heard in different parts of the world. The concrete descriptions of such a \"model state\" may vary (also depending where in the diapason between centralization and decentralization the country's ideology could be located), but is seems that they include common features, especially emphasizing the rule of law, reliability, openness and transparency; accountability and responsibility; participation and effectiveness.\nThe remains of NPM in the relation of the public sector vis-a-vis society: This brings us to the major research question from which this paper departs: Is NPM in decline, dead, demised, to be forgotten and not to be taken seriously anymore, or is it still alive and kicking? If NPM's impact has declined, what came in return? Many scholars have tried to answer this question and this section gives a brief overview of the alternative answers.\nConclusion: Our main question was: What has remained of NPM and what is the role of NPM tools in public administration today? Our main hypothesis stated: Reforms in the public sector are nowadays of a very different nature than say ten to twenty years ago; different from the basic principles of NPM or at least no longer solely dominated by this paradigm.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this article is to discuss the idea that new public management (NPM) would be passe.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The article is based on a review of existing theories.\nFindings: The article argues that NPM has two dimensions, namely the minimization of the role of government vis-a-vis society and the improvement of the internal performance of the public sector. Whereas the first dimension is indeed more and more disputed nowadays this does not imply this also goes for the second dimension. The conclusion of this article calls for explanatory empirical research in order to explain the increasing variance in reforms among countries, by investigating which factors are determinative for decisions by governments to turn one way or the other.\nPractical implications: It is far from certain which way the public sector is heading in the so-called post-NPM era. Some countries are still implementing NPM-kind of reforms, either by downsizing or by introducing performance management. Other countries have chosen alternative paths. All this implies an increased variance between countries in the direction public sector reforms take. It requires quite different support from administrative sciences compared to the one-size-fits-all recommendations for public sector reforms - in conformity with the maxims of NPM - as witnessed in the past decades.\nOriginality/value: The article contributes to the discussion about the role of NPM today. It presents original conclusions about diverging developments based on the unique comprehensive literature review on the topic.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Generalized DEA: an approach for supporting input/output factor determination in DEA	[ "Benchmarking", "Data envelopment analysis", "Dual-role factors", "Factor selection", "Generalized DEA", "Undesirable factors" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is known to be a powerful instrument for measuring the relative efficiency of decision-making units (DMUs) on the basis of mathematical programming techniques. Since the seminal work of Charnes et al. (1978), various DEA models have been developed which mainly differ in the assumptions about the underlying production possibility set and the distance measure to the efficiency frontier. Independently from such differences, the mathematical models use input factors (to be minimized) as well as output factors (to be maximized) as performance criteria and aggregate the respective quantities into an efficiency score for each DMU. One of the major strength of DEA is the endogenous determination of the weights for the aggregation of these inputs/outputs.\n2. DEA from a goal-oriented perspective: the case of pharmacy stores' customer retention: 2.1 Background\n3. Measuring goal-oriented efficiency of customer retention by applying GDEA: 3.1 The GDEA concept\n4. Problems of input/output factor determination in the light of the GDEA approach: 4.1 Factor selection and the issue of measuring bank efficiency\n5. Final conclusions: To sum up, the goal-oriented perspective of GDEA provides plausible arguments to consider this approach for benchmarking the efficiency of DMUs. It can improve the operationalization of performance by demanding to reflect about the pursued fundamental goal(s), the respective lower-level objectives, and suitable cost and benefit functions. This makes it necessary for researchers - especially in practical applications - to strongly involve the evaluators as those who will finally make decisions based on the results of the efficiency analysis. At the same time, subjective components of the evaluation process will become more apparent than in the case of the traditional DEA approach. Another consequence can be that important aspects of performance gain attention which have been neglected so far. In practice, however, such effects can be both welcomed and unwelcomed.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The determination of input and output factors is a well-known source of pitfalls when applying data envelopment analysis (DEA). The purpose of this paper is to contribute to overcome the respective problems of input/output factor determination related to factor selection, dual-role factors and undesirable factors.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The problems of input/output factor determination are discussed from a goal-oriented perspective, shedding a new light on the role of input/output factors in DEA. This is exemplified by the case of measuring pharmacy stores' efficiency concerning their goal of customer retention.\nFindings: The findings suggest to applying a generalized DEA (GDEA). The three steps of this approach include the development of a system of objectives, the derivation of corresponding performance criteria as well as the construction of cost and benefit functions. These functions build the basis for GDEA models, of which one is exemplarily described and applied to the customer retention case.\nResearch limitations/implications: While traditional DEA implicitly assumes linear cost and benefit functions, GDEA requires to explicitly specifying these functions. In doing so, the approach contributes to solve the problem of factor selection, the problem of dual-role factors and the problem of undesirable factors.\nPractical implications: For determining input/output factors in a consistent and transparent manner, it is recommended to apply GDEA in practical benchmarking studies.\nOriginality/value: GDEA integrates well-known concepts of multi-criteria decision making into traditional DEA. The new approach helps to cope with the challenges of input/output factor determination in DEA.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Evolving learning strategies for latecomers	[ "China", "Innovation", "Productive capacity", "Technology led strategy", "Newly industrialized economies" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Through examining the rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers, this paper is to explore how learning strategies of latecomers evolve in relationship to changing environmental features and their own technology accumulation.Over the past two decades, a significant number of studies have examined technological learning and capability accumulation at the project, firm, industry and national levels of analysis in developing countries contexts (Amsden, 1989; Hobday, 1995; Kim, 1997; Kim and Lee, 2003; Figueiredo, 2003; Mathews and Cho, 2000). In this field, technological learning is defined as the process of technological capability upgrading through the process of acquiring external knowledge. Latecomer firms are defined as firms in developing countries, which have two disadvantages: distance from main sources of technology and R&D, and distance from major markets (Hobday, 1995). Several studies have identified that learning of latecomers has following characteristics:* the upgrading of technological capability should be considered as the result of intentional investment of resources (Cooper, 1991);* learning is risky (Lall, 1992);* firms are at the heart of technological learning (Bell and Pavitt, 1992);* learning is a cumulative process (Hobday, 1995); and* learning involves tacit knowledge (Bell and Pavitt, 1992).Meanwhile, several factors contributing to the rise of latecomers have been identified, such as a cheap and well-trained labor supply (Amsden, 1989), technology imports (Hobday, 1995), export promotion policies (Hobday, 1995; Kim, 1997) and indigenous technological development efforts within local firms (Kim, 1997).Despite the significant research progress achieved in this field, the issue of learning strategies of latecomers is rarely treated in the literature. Barney (1991) and Venkatraman (1989) studies emphasize that, a firm that aligns its resources with the requirements in its operation environment performs better than a firm that does not achieve such a fit (White and Xie, 2006). In addition, China claimed to become \"an innovation-oriented country\" by 2020, so far, there is little literature on the topic of strategies of latecomers or how to build an innovative country (Li-Hua, 2007; Xie and White, 2006). It is therefore necessary for learning studies about developing countries to touch upon the issue of learning strategies of latecomers.This paper aims to fill in the literature gap. This paper argues that any analysis of the learning process, whether at firm-level or industry-level, must incorporate the competition environment, in which it occurs. Meanwhile, latecomers' underlying capabilities and learning activities are strongly associated with its competitive strategies. In this sense, each stage in a latecomer's development of new capabilities requires different strategies for learning.A latecomer's learning strategies represent a latecomer's interpretation and response to the threats and opportunities its managers perceive in the competitive environment. A good learning strategy for a latecomer refers to the appropriate allocation of resources for learning, which could help them survive and compete in the face of stronger competitors from advanced countries with greater technological and financial resources and capabilities. Effective learning strategies for latecomers at least have two characteristics: enabling latecomers to overcome entry barriers to gain their initial foothold in the marketplace and to maintain their margins and sustaining their future growth.This paper is in six parts. The first of these presents the literature review and research design to illustrate the research background. The second part presents research method. The third summarizes factors conductive to the entry of China's local handset manufacturers. The fourth part analyses reasons leading to the fall of their collective market share. Regarding research questions raised in this part, the final part summarizes main findings of this paper and points out limitations of this study.\nResearch method: This paper presents a single case study. One advantage associated with case studies is that the researcher can make extensive use of multiple sources of information (Yin, 1994). Secondly, several previous studies on technological learning demonstrate that an in-depth case study is an acceptable research method to explore issues raised by the article (Figueiredo, 2003; Xie, 2004).The case of the rise and the fall of Chinese handset manufacturers provide researchers an excellent entry point to the themes brought forward in this paper. As a group, from 1999 to 2003, China's local handset manufacturers had been extremely successful in terms of market share. As Figure 1 shows, the market share of local manufacturers had jumped from 5.3 percent of all units in 1999 to 54.7 percent in 2003. However, in less than four years, their market share slipped to 30 percent in the middle of 2007. Statistics on market share in China are still notoriously unreliable, but there is no denying that local firms are coming on weak. The rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers provided a rare case for us to explore the issue of how latecomers' learning strategies evolve over the learning process.Additionally, similar to the study on technological learning of China's color TV industry (Xie, 2004), an in-depth case study combining publicly available information with interviews is an acceptable research method to explore these issues. Following previous studies, this paper uses three different classes of information to establish solid construct validity (Yin, 1994), including:1. The newspaper articles. Rich Chinese language newspaper articles regarding the development of China's handset manufacturing are available, most of them in China's Electronics Newspaper. These articles, based on interviews with key figures of firms participated the industry and agencies concerned, had mostly appeared over the period 2000-2006. The newspaper articles provide the basic information to conduct this study.2. Additional information. Also, there is some additional Chinese language information publicly available and accessible; mostly appeared in company histories, government reports and company sales brochures.3. Interviews with members of Chinese local handset manufacturers. Interviews help authors identify factors contributing to the rise and the fall of Chinese handset manufacturers.Meanwhile, interviewees provide authors information regarding where to collect public available information to describe the changes in this industry.\nThe rise of China's local handset manufacturers: Technologically, latecomers are weak and vulnerable. However, latecomers do enjoy some advantages such as a cheap and well-trained labor supply, sub-contracting opportunities based on cost advantages, training by overseas buyers, low-sunk cost in earlier technology, local market knowledge, a large and relatively easily accessible pool of public knowledge and information and favorable governmental policies (local industry protection policies, financial subsidies, and export promotion incentives, etc). At early stage, at the heart of learning strategies for latecomers is to identify and use their available resources, advantages and external opportunities to compensate their technology disadvantages to gain their initial foothold in the domestic market.In addition to, the government support well documented by previous studies, China's local handset manufacturers successfully identify the following opportunities and resources, which are conductive to their impressive gains during 1999-2003.The fast-growing domestic market with a multi-level demand structure\nThe fall of China's local handset manufacturers: In 2004, there was a turning point in China's handset market. From a collective market share of 54.7 percent in 2003, they dropped to 30 percent in the middle of 2007. In this sense, learning strategies for latecomers at early stage were successful, which enable themselves to overcome entry barriers to gain their initial foothold in the market place. However, local handset manufacturers did not change their learning strategies according to the various stage of learning process. These strategies enabled them to build \"beachhead,\" but did not maintain their margins and sustain their growth in a fiercely competitive market. Following factors led to the fall of China's local handset manufacturers.The life span of handsets continue to shrink\nConclusion and limitations of this study: The rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers illustrates that learning strategies of latecomers need to evolve in relationship to changing environmental features and latecomers' own accumulation of capabilities.Local firms began in the initial investment in distribution channels and industrial design capabilities building. At early stage, learning strategies of local firms were successful, because they enabled local firms to gain their initial market foothold and generated relatively strong case flow. However, local handset manufacturers did not timely change their learning strategies. They keep on investing in distribution channels and advertising, but did not allocate adequate resources for their long-term efforts on innovative capability building. It led to the drop of their market share. In this sense, Huawei is a typical case which learning strategies successfully evolve in relationship to changing environmental features and their own technology accumulation. Like Bird, Huawei rose up from the low-end market of the network equipment. However, after it built beachhead in the marketplace, Huawei invested 10 percent of its sale in R&D capability building. Recently, Huawei has established 14 research centers around the world to develop leading-edge technologies in the telecom equipment.In this regard, this paper has following academic contributions.In the first place, based on previous studies which identified that the locus of learning evolved over time (Hobday, 1995; Kim, 1997; Kim and Lee, 2003; Figueiredo, 2003), this case illustrates that learning strategies of latecomers also need to change across different stages. Latecomers should use the relatively strong case flow for their long-term efforts on innovative capability building, which were generated from their initial market success. In this regard, this paper confirms Hobday's (1995) finding that as latecomers approach technology frontiers, R&D becomes vital for maintaining their margins and sustaining their growth. Meanwhile, it also supports findings from strategic fit research (Barney, 1991; Venkatraman, 1989). The performance of a latecomer is not only associated with the upgrading of technological capability, but also depends on the alignment between a firm's strategy and its environment. Research on the coalignment between latecomers' strategy and the environment in which they operate should be incorporated into the field of technological learning.Secondly, this paper identifies distribution channels which can act as a source of competitive advantages for latecomers to compensate for their technology disadvantages. It is less addressed by previous studies, although a number of factors contributing to the rise of latecomers have been identified, such as a cheap and well-trained labor supply (Amsden, 1989), technology imports (Hobday, 1995) and indigenous technological development efforts within local firms (Kim, 1997). It therefore has distinct value.The findings mentioned above provide following managerial implications for managers of latecomers: in the first place, the specific content of learning strategies of latecomers should evolve in relationship to their own technology accumulation and changing environmental features; secondly, at the early stage, latecomers need to find additional sources of competitive advantages to compensate their disadvantages in technology. Any gap between existing and desired distribution service can be an opportunity for catching up or a risk of falling behind. As economic growth in peripheral countries, multinationals are responding by increasing their presence. Certainly, they enjoy advantages in brand names, technology and economies of scale. However, none is unchallengeable, those advantages to multinationals do not rule out the possibility for latecomers to gain market share. The fast-growing domestic market provides any firm with the right distribution strategies and products to make significant gains in the market share. However, as competition environment changes, latecomers need to change their learning strategies timely, to keep on the moving focus of competition.This paper, as an academic study, has the following drawbacks: firstly, the case study reflects the subjectivity of the researcher; secondly, caution is warranted in the conclusion of this paper. These arguments require further verification within a wider scope.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine the rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers, to explore the issue of how learning strategies of latecomers evolve in relation to changing environmental features and their own technology accumulation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper employs a case study approach.\nFindings: - As latecomers approach technology frontiers, learning strategies need to change timely. After latecomers gain their initial foothold in the domestic market, R&D and innovation capabilities become vital for maintaining their margins and sustaining their growth. This paper illustrates that latecomers should use the relatively strong case flow for their long-term efforts on innovative capability building, which were generated from their initial market success.\nOriginality/value: - This paper provides a systematic analysis on the rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers, less addressed by previous studies. This paper has following contributions: it identifies factors contributing to the rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers. These findings will act as an effective checklist for Chinese managers to design competitive strategies against multinationals. Second, it identifies that distribution channels can act as a source of competitive advantages for latecomers to compensate for their technology disadvantages at early stage. It is less addressed by previous studies in the field of technological learning. This finding may be of interest to managers in large catching-up countries with home market advantages such as India, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The impact of external social and internal personal forces on consumers' brand community engagement on Facebook	[ "Facebook", "Consumer-brand identification", "Social impact", "Consumer engagement", "Online brand community", "Self-image enhancement" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In the past decade, innovations in Web 2.0 technologies have prompted the rise of social media. Specifically, social network sites, such as Facebook, give marketers a means for direct interaction with consumers and constitute an ideal environment for creating online brand communities (de Vries et al., 2012; Scarpi, 2010). Online brand communities are changing consumers' relationships with brands by allowing them to become active contributors through the creation and sharing of brand-related content, as well as by communicating and connecting with peers and the brand (Gensler et al., 2013; Labrecque, 2014).\nTheoretical background and hypotheses: Three theoretical pillars form the basis of the conceptual research model of this study: social impact theory, social identity theory and social exchange theory. Using these theories, the model builds around the idea that consumers' engagement in a brand community on Facebook is influenced by external social forces (Latane, 1981), and by consumers' internal personal forces (Hollenbeck and Kaikati, 2012; Toubia and Stephen, 2013). First, this study uses the rationale that the importance of the brand is a primary source for consumers\t to engage in the brand community. Therefore, the social demonstrance of a brand (external, social) as well as the consumer-brand identification (internal, personal) construct are used as drivers of brand community engagement. Second, this research integrates a Facebook-specific community perspective and analyses the influence of the number of fans (external, social), and the self-image enhancement value of the brand page (internal, personal) on consumers' brand community engagement.\nResearch methodology: Sample\nResults: Measurement model estimation\nContribution and implications: Contribution\nLimitations and further research directions: Although this study has found encouraging results and interesting implications, there are some limitations, suggesting directions for further research. First, this study encouraged participants to refer to a brand that is important to them on Facebook. This approach is realistic and in line with previous research (Alexandrov et al., 2013). However, the resulting sample includes a variety of different brands across disparate industries. Future studies may find different results when replicating the study for a narrowly defined set of brands, categories or industries. The impact of external social and internal personal forces might differ when investigating special types of brands, such as luxury brands. As luxury brands often highlight their exclusive groups of consumers, the social demonstrance of the brand could exert a stronger impact on consumers' brand community engagement than it does for fast moving consumer goods. Similarly, consumers could value the brand page higher for self-image enhancement opportunities than they do for common goods brands. Future research is encouraged to understand the differential impact of external social forces and internal personal forces on consumers' brand community engagement on Facebook in specific industries as well as for different types of brands. Of particular interest is an analytical comparison of the effects between types of brands, and an outline of the different strategies online brand marketers can adopt depending on the type of brand.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Consumer engagement has been designated as an approach to describing online interactions that more comprehensively reflects the nature of consumers' interactive relationships in online brand communities. This paper aims to explore consumers' brand community engagement in the context of Facebook brand pages. This research puts forth the hypothesis that consumers' brand community engagement on Facebook is dependent upon two overarching themes: external social forces and internal personal forces.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on social impact theory, social identity theory and social exchange theory, a conceptual research model is developed and empirically tested through structural equation modelling using cross-sectional data of 460 Facebook brand fans.\nFindings: The empirical results suggest that internal personal forces primarily positively influence brand community engagement, while external social forces can even impact consumers' brand community engagement negatively.\nResearch limitations/implications: Future research should test and validate the proposed model for specific categories and brands.\nPractical implications: This paper offers help to online brand marketers to trigger meaningful engagement of consumers in a brand community on Facebook.\nOriginality/value: This paper examines the consumer engagement construct from a behavioural perspective in a defined social media context and highlights the peculiarities of online brand communities on Facebook that distinguish them from traditional brand communities. The research uses a strong theoretical foundation to develop a model that investigates the prevalent variables that influence consumers' brand community engagement on Facebook.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Classroom practices of teachers on learning disabilities in children	[ "Primary education", "Teacher training", "Learning disabilities", "Classroom practices", "Private school", "Government school" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: One of the fundamental roles of getting educated is to expand knowledge of things one would not be able to discover otherwise. Primary levels are the most important part of a person's educational background, as it lays a strong foundation for life. The quality of teaching that children receive, is of utmost importance. At primary school, the quality of teaching affects both children's social behavior and intellectual development. Going to a highly academically effective primary school gives a particular boost to even the disadvantaged children. The disadvantaged children can be anyone from low socio-economic status, juvenile delinquents to children with special needs.\nMethodology: Aim\nLimitations of the present study: The study is limited to the assessment of classroom practices of government and private primary school teachers toward learning disabilities in children.\nVariables in the present study: Independent variables - age, gender, experience, educational qualification of the teachers, marital status and number of children, subject knowledge and medium of instruction; and\nQuestionnaire development: The present study consisted of a self-developed tool (Appendix) by the researcher, to assess the classroom practices of the teachers toward learning disabilities in children. The developed tool was subjected to expert validation.\nPilot study: Of the total sample size, 10 percent was considered for the pilot study, to know the feasibility, reliability and validity of the developed tool. The classroom practice component of the tool was assessed for reliability quotient using Brown Prophecy's Split Half Method. The reliability quotient for practice component was 0.9561. The obtained values showed more than 0.70; hence, the tool was standardized and applicable for the main study.\nResults and discussion: This section contains the basic data and findings of the quantitative data pertaining to the self-developed questionnaire on classroom practices of teachers toward learning disabilities in children. The findings are presented in the form of percentage scores, mean scores, \"t\" test and kh2 test results. The findings are depicted in the form of tables and interpreted.\nConclusion: The comparative study on \"Classroom Practices of government and private school primary teachers on Learning Disabilities among children\" revealed a low to moderate levels of practice levels. The present research suggests that there is a need to offer teachers from both the groups, regular trainings on understanding learning disability among children. Trainings can be provided in the areas of teaching skills, inclusive education, intervention measures/managing children with LD in the classroom, special education, counseling, classroom habits of a teacher, etc. This will ensure that teachers are empowered thus becoming powerful, operative and competent in teaching children with different needs and handling the uniqueness of each and every child. This study recommends that there is a need for improving the classroom practices of teachers, in order to help children benefit and get equal opportunities as their non-disabled peers.\nImplications of the study: The researcher on the basis of the findings of the present study suggests that trainings/workshops/intervention measure for teachers are much needed in order to help them in identifying and handling children with LD in a regular classroom especially at the primary level.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is threefold: to study the classroom practices followed by the government and private school teachers in handling children with learning disabilities; to study the differences in practice levels of government and private school teachers with respect to learning disabilities among children; and to study the influence of Socio-demographic factors of teachers on the level of their classroom practices toward learning disabilities in children.\nDesign/methodology/approach: As per the questionnaire development, the present study consisted of a self-developed tool (appendix) by the researcher, to assess the classroom practices of the teachers toward learning disabilities in children. In sum, 10 percent of the total sample size was considered for the pilot study, to know the feasibility, reliability and validity of the developed tool. The sampling technique used was convenient sampling. The data were collected through the survey method from 40 government and 40 private school teachers.\nFindings: Both groups of teachers had low to moderate levels of practice with respect to handling children with learning disabilities in the classrooms. The findings disclosed significant association between demographic variables like monthly income, place of residence, and present school experience and selected features related to learning disabilities. A significant association was observed with teachers' gender, having special training on handling children with learning disabilities and having children with learning disabilities in the classroom. A significant association was also found between schools offering regular training programs for teachers on teaching, handling and awareness of learning disabilities and practice level of the respondents.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study is limited to the assessment of classroom Practices of government and private primary school teachers toward learning disabilities in children.\nPractical implications: The researcher, on the basis of the findings of the present study, suggests that trainings/workshops/intervention measure for teachers are much needed in order to help them in identifying and handling children with LD in a regular classroom especially at the primary level.\nSocial implications: Trainings can be provided in the areas of teaching skills, inclusive education, intervention measures/managing children with learning disabilities in the classroom, special education, counseling, classroom habits of a teacher, etc. This will ensure that teachers are empowered thus becoming powerful, operative and competent in teaching children with different needs and handling the uniqueness of each and every child. The school organizations and the government authorities can be informed on the need for such measures. This study recommends that there is a need for improving the classroom practice of teachers, in order to help children, benefit and get equal opportunities as their non-disabled peers.\nOriginality/value: This research paper is based on the findings collected from 80 primary teachers from various schools across the city.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Customer citizenship behavior on social networking sites: The role of relationship quality, identification, and service attributes	[ "Social networking sites", "Relationship quality", "Consumer-company identification", "Customer citizenship behaviours", "Relational bonds" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Social networking sites (SNS) have become part of the daily lives of consumers and are important marketing channels for service firms (Boyd and Ellison, 2007; Dutta, 2010; Cheung et al., 2015). According to the 2013 Gartner report, a high rate of 74 percent of consumers rely on suggestions found in virtual communities (i.e. corporate SNS) for purchasing decisions. People express opinions, build relationships, discuss brand experiences and preferences, and influence others who are on their trust list through SNS (Araujo and Neijens, 2012; Xu et al., 2012). As such, an increasing number of organizations utilize consumer interactions through SNS to enlarge the effects of their marketing strategies, further to increase profits (Araujo and Neijens, 2012). That explains why more than half of the Fortune 500 corporations maintain active SNS to communicate with consumers and to encourage the interactions among their SNS users (Dutta, 2010).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 CCB\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Data analysis and results: We used LISREL 8.7 to test our hypotheses. The results revealed an adequate fit to the data for all sample (kh2(156)=559.57, GFI=0.91, AGFI=0.89, CFI=0.99, NNFI=0.98, RMSEA=0.066, RMR=0.045). The paths were all statistically significant, except the one from structural bond to SNS RQ (see Table IV for details). For the relationship between relational bonds and SNS RQ, the coefficients for financial bond (b=0.39, t=4.93) and social bond (b=0.17, t=2.91) were both statistically significant, and supported H1a and H1b. However, the coefficients for structural bond (b=0.13, t=1.86) were not, which led to the rejection of H1c. Consistent with expectations, CCI exhibited significant effects on SNS RQ (b=0.36, t=10.53). Thus, H2 was supported. The effect of SNS RQ (b=0.56, t=7.56) on CCB was similarly statistically significant, which supported H3. The effect from CCI (b=0.26, t=6.25) to SNS identification was significant as well, lending support for H4. As for the link from SNS identification (b=0.35, t=4.74) to CCB, the result was significant and supported H5. Finally, SNS RQ (b=0.69, t=16.02) was statistically significantly related to SNS identification. Thus H6 is supported.\n5. Discussion: A central aim of this study is to elucidate the antecedents of CCB within an SNS context. This study incorporates both external (relational bonds offered by service firms) and internal (identification generated within consumers) factors to examine how each type of factors affects CCB on SNS. Furthermore, this study examines the moderating effect of service attribute. The results provide support for all the hypothesized effects for Starbucks, whereas two hypothesized effects (social and structural bond to SNS RQ) turned out to be non-significant for 7-Eleven and ran counter to the findings of prior studies (e.g. Chen and Chiu, 2009; Lin et al., 2003). The reasons for the non-significant effects of these two links may be that people shop at convenience stores for the core value of convenience offered by 7-Eleven. As a result, 7-Eleven allocates relatively few resources on matters other than associating with convenience. Extending such offline practice to their online SNS context, 7-Eleven devotes most of its efforts on offering economic-related benefits to their SNS participants. This view is reinforced by an examination of the Facebook activities of 7-Eleven, which emphasize discount and promotion activities and utilize mainly one-way communication to spread the message. Customized information is not the main concern of 7-Eleven at this point. As a result, 7-Eleven Facebook fans are not attracted to any structural bonds.\n6. Conclusion: This study contributes to the literature on SNS by incorporating the RM perspectives in examining factors initiating CCB on the corporate SNS, and by adopting different types of motivations to explore the main drivers encouraging CCB. In addition, this study belongs to the limited studies that discuss CVBs on the corporate SNS, and that differentiate CCI (offline construct) from SNS identification (online construct) for further examination. The results shed light on the existence of a contingency role for service attribute on SNS, and further suggest how firms with distinct attributes can effectively allocate their resources when encouraging CCB on SNS.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the customer- and firm-focused driving factors, relationship quality (RQ), and identification on customer citizenship behaviors (CCB) on corporate social networking sites (SNS), as well as the impact of service attribute in such relationship.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted among the Facebook members of 7-Eleven (318) and Starbucks (316) in Taiwan to test the proposed framework. A structural equation modeling was used to test the validity of the research model and hypotheses.\nFindings: The results reveal that SNS RQ and SNS identification are key factors affecting CCB, whereas financial bond (firm-focused) and consumer-company identification (customer-focused) are critical initiators. The findings reveal contingencies across service attributes for such effects. Experienced service firms can better encourage CCB by intimating SNS relationships with followers. Search firms should secure online identification to enable customers to perform CCB. The results also confirm the mediating effects of SNS RQ and SNS identification.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to the literature by simultaneously examining the firm (external)- and individual (internal)-level of incentives, and to further reveal the main drivers encouraging CCB on corporate SNS. This study also belongs to the limited studies that discuss consumer voluntary behaviors on the corporate SNS. The results shed light on the existence of a contingency role for service attribute on SNS, and further suggest how firms with distinct attributes can effectively allocate their limited resources when encouraging CCB on SNS.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Pessimism and hostility scores as predictors of patient satisfaction ratings by medical out-patients	[ "Patients", "Personality", "United States of America", "Health services" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Practicing clinicians know that certain patients are difficult to satisfy, inconsolable and personally challenging, no matter how comprehensive, efficient and expert their care, nor how polished the physician's interpersonal skills. Patient satisfaction has been widely studied. Satisfaction determinants range from structurally-based ones such as the type of health care delivery system, to physician characteristics, including interactional style and the physician's age (Kirsner and Federman, 1997). The Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) evaluated patient satisfaction based on practice type and payment method (Rubin et al., 1993). The MOS included more than 17,000 patients who had filled out a nine-item questionnaire after an out-patient visit. Patients seen in a solo or single-specialty practice, rather than in multi-specialty groups or health maintenance organizations, were most likely to rate the overall visit as excellent. Physician age and gender have also been correlated with patient satisfaction; specifically, lower satisfaction is reported by patients after seeing younger, female physicians (Hall et al., 1994). Effective communication skills and particular physician behaviors, such as performing a physical examination, have been associated with higher patient satisfaction ratings (DiMatteo et al., 1980; Bartlett et al., 1984; Robbins et al., 1993). Organizational factors, particularly patient waiting time, have been studied and, as expected, longer waiting times result in lower patient satisfaction (Probst et al., 1997).Although much has been written about organizational, structural, and physician-specific factors related to patient satisfaction, surprisingly little has been written about patient characteristics and their relationship to medical care satisfaction ratings. For example, patients who believe their health status is good are more satisfied with their care (Probst et al., 1997). Patient satisfaction is associated with compliance and willingness to continue receiving care from a particular physician (Rubin et al., 1993). Conversely, patients with depression or anxiety disorders are more likely to express dissatisfaction from unmet expectations (Kroenke et al., 1997). Furthermore, in a study of patient characteristics among out-patients at our center, lower satisfaction ratings were reported by patients who were young, who were employees of the center, and who lived locally (Locke, G.R. personal communication, September 2002). Therefore, understanding factors associated with patient satisfaction, including the patients' personality characteristics, is important. This study investigated the personality characteristics of pessimism and hostility as they relate to patient satisfaction ratings. We hypothesized that pessimistic or hostile patients would report less satisfaction with their care.\nMethods: Two archival data sets were abstracted. The first data set consisted of information from 11,636 medical out-patients who completed a patient satisfaction survey for the Department of Internal Medicine from March 1998 through March 1999. An eight-item questionnaire was mailed to randomly selected medical out-patients two to three months after their care episode. A five-point scale was used to rate seven items pertaining to satisfaction with access, interactions with physicians and allied health staff, general satisfaction with the visit and willingness to recommend our center to others. The topic of the eighth item was the completion of all scheduled tests and consultations (yes/no), not satisfaction. The survey response rate was 60 percent. The second data set comprised scores from approximately 335,000 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventories (MMPIs) archived at our institution since 1959. When the two data sets were merged we found that 1,259 medical out-patients had completed both the patient satisfaction survey and, before that survey was completed, an MMPI. All MMPIs had been obtained before the satisfaction survey. Of the MMPI and the patient satisfaction responses, 1,259 out-patients formed the basis for our study. We then assessed the degree of association between:* personality traits of pessimism and hostility, as assessed by the MMPI; and* patients' reports of satisfaction with care.The study was approved by our institutional review board, and all study subjects gave research authorization. Pessimism and hostility were chosen for study because these personality traits, as assessed by the MMPI, are considered relatively stable (Maruta et al., 1993; Maruta et al., 2000). Furthermore, in our experience, these qualities come closest to defining the intangible characteristics that physicians sense in patients who are difficult to satisfy. The MMPI consists of 550 unique true/false items about thoughts, feelings, attitudes, physical symptoms, emotional symptoms, and previous life experiences (Swenson et al., 1990). It was initially developed when McKinley and Hathaway (1943) noted that:Competent internists have estimated variously that from 30 to 70 percent of the ambulatory patients who appear for medical attention come primarily because of one or more complaints that turn out to be psychoneurotic in nature.The MMPI scales are reported as T-scores, which are standardized to a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. High scores on the pessimism (PSM) scale reflect a pessimistic explanatory style; low scores, optimistic. The PSM scale for the MMPI is based on Seligman's explanatory style theory (Colligan et al., 1994), which suggests that people who believe that the cause of an adverse event is internal and personal (rather than external), stable (rather than transient) and global (rather than specific) possess a pessimistic personality trait. Research shows that a pessimistic explanatory style is predictive of an increased likelihood of depression, poorer physical health, lower levels of achievement and increased use of medical and mental health services (Seligman, 1989, pp. 5-32). Hostility was measured by the MMPI hostility (Ho) scale (Cook and Medley, 1954). The scale's developers describe a \"hostile person\" (i.e. scoring high on the Ho scale) as:... lone who has little confidence in his fellowman... [and] sees people as dishonest, unsocial, immoral, ugly and mean...Hostility amounts to chronic hate and anger.Statistical methods\nResults: Patient characteristics\nFindings: Table I shows the percentage of \"excellent\" ratings by PSM T-score categories and the p values from the logistic regression models with three sets of explanatory variables. In general, with higher PSM T-scores, reflecting an increasing pessimistic explanatory style, the percentage of patients giving \"excellent\" ratings was significantly lower. This pattern was fairly consistent for all survey questions. With higher PSM T-scores, the odds of a patient giving the center an \"excellent\" rating were significantly lower, even after adjusting for completion of tests/consultations and for all the previously identified predictors of satisfaction. However, the association weakened when adjusting for the Ho T-score. This can be explained by the relatively large positive correlation between the PSM and Ho T-scores (r=0.61; p<0.001). The exception is the question pertaining to the patient's willingness to recommend the center, for which the ratings were not associated with these MMPI scale scores.Pessimistic patients (PSM T-score >=60) were significantly less likely to give \"excellent\" ratings for various aspects of their care than those classified as optimistic (T-score <=39). Specifically, 72 percent of the optimistic patients rated it excellent (p=0.003), while 59 percent of the pessimistic patients rated the overall care provided by their physicians as excellent. Furthermore, a significantly smaller proportion of pessimists than optimists rated other aspects of their care as excellent:* respect shown by physicians (64 percent v. 75 percent; p=0.008);* willingness of physicians to listen to the patient and family (60 percent v. 67 percent; p=0.047);* physicians responding to questions about the patient's medical condition and treatment (57 percent v. 71 percent; p=0.002);* helpfulness of allied health staff (53 percent v. 65 percent; p=0.002); and* overall care received (55 percent v. 63 percent; p=0.003).However, the PSM scale scores were not associated with willingness to recommend the center (86 percent of pessimists v. 89 percent of optimists; p=0.282). Table II displays the percentage of \"excellent\" ratings by Ho T-score groupings and the p values from the logistic regression models. The same patterns were present among the \"excellent\" ratings in relation to patient hostility (i.e. higher Ho T-scores) as for the PSM scale. The results from the models were also similar. A smaller proportion of patients who scored high on hostility (Ho scale T-score >=60) gave excellent ratings on various aspects of their care than did patients who scored low on the Ho scale (T-score <=39). This is evident in their responses on individual items:* overall care provided by their physicians (57 percent v. 66 percent; p=0.002);* respect shown by physicians (57 percent v. 70 percent; p=0.008);* willingness of physicians to listen to patient and family (54 percent v. 66 percent; p=0.001);* physicians responding to questions about the patient's medical condition and treatment (53 percent v. 67 percent; p<0.001);* helpfulness of allied health staff (47 percent v. 64 percent; p<0.001); and* overall care received (52 percent v. 63 percent; p=0.001).Again, the exception to this trend was the question pertaining to a patient's willingness to recommend the medical center to others. There was no significant difference in the percentages of hostile patients (Ho T score >=60; 83 percent) and non-hostile patients (Ho T score <=39; 88 percent) who reported \"definitely would recommend the center\" (p=0.434).Table III displays the odds ratios for \"excellent\" ratings corresponding to 10-unit (1 SD) increases in MMPI scale scores for PSM and Ho. The odds ratios were estimated for each of the three models. When significant associations existed, there was an approximately 15 percent to 20 percent decrease in the odds of giving an excellent rating for every 10-point increase in the PSM or Ho T-scores. The time interval between completing the MMPI and the patient satisfaction survey did not affect the association between the MMPI T-scores and the satisfaction ratings, except for the question about willingness to recommend the center. Patients who had a long interval between completing the MMPI and the patient satisfaction survey were more likely to \"definitely recommend\" the center to others than were those with a shorter interval. Among patients who would definitely recommend the center, the estimated odds ratios that corresponded to a 10-unit (1 SD) increase in the MMPI T-scores increased with the interval. In general, these odds ratios increased by about 0.02 to 0.03 for every 5-year interval increase.\nDiscussion: Patient satisfaction has been studied from various vantage points. However, our approach to studying the contributions of patient personality has not been previously taken. Our analysis shows that pessimistic patients (i.e. having a pessimistic explanatory style as theorized by Seligman) or hostile patients (i.e. high scores on the Ho scale) are significantly less likely to rate satisfaction with their care as excellent. Our results are a first step towards understanding that certain aspects of the patient's personality affect ratings of their satisfaction with care. Previously, these aspects of patient personality were experienced subjectively and understood solely through physician's intuition and judgment. Adverse encounters were believed to result from the physician's characteristics and behaviors or from organizational and structural factors surrounding the care episode. Now it is evident that some aspects of the patient's personality affect ratings of satisfaction with care. These occur independently of other factors already known to contribute to variations in ratings of patient satisfaction. Clearly there are likely to be other patient-related characteristics that affect patient satisfaction ratings. These may include emotional states (e.g., depression) at the time of the survey or episode of care, or certain patient expectations, unknown to the physician, before the encounter. Additionally, patient satisfaction ratings for particular physicians and health care organizations are tacitly assumed to be a reflection of physicians or health care system. However, our findings indicate that important data about the factors contributing to patient satisfaction ratings are missing if patient personality characteristics are not considered.It is notable that willingness to recommend our center to family and friends was not associated with hostility or pessimism. This may result from feelings that, regardless of their opinion about some aspects of their experience during a particular care episode, these patients would still recommend the center because of other factors such as the center's reputation. We included all patients who had completed both a patient satisfaction survey and an MMPI and did not exclude cases in which there was a long interval between the survey and the MMPI. Time limits were not imposed because we were studying two personality traits that are relatively stable. Furthermore, one might speculate that patients coming to a tertiary care medical center for evaluation, who had also been asked to complete an MMPI, had a combination of medical and psychological issues requiring multidisciplinary investigation. Such patients are diagnostically and personally challenging for physicians. Patient satisfaction ratings may be decreased if these patients are also characterized by traits of pessimism or hostility.Patient satisfaction at our center is associated with several variables, including status as employee/dependent, age of patient, distance traveled for care, and type of care received. We included these independent variables in the models as adjusting variables. Nonetheless, significant differences were noted in satisfaction on the basis of levels of hostility or pessimism. Although these findings are intriguing, the possibility exists that physician care or manner may be modified by patient personality factors, since astute physicians are attuned to the personal qualities of their patients. Finally, while contributing little to the practical management of hostile or pessimistic patients, this research is a first step towards understanding how patient personality affects reported levels of satisfaction with medical care and why some patients are difficult to satisfy regardless of other factors related to their care.\nConclusions and recommendations: This research clearly demonstrates that patient personality characteristics play an important role in the results derived from patient satisfaction surveys. Physicians are much less likely to obtain excellent ratings from pessimistic or hostile patients, as defined in this article. This influence is independent of physician or practice characteristics. Patient mix may temper an individual doctor's satisfaction ratings. Therefore, institutional policy makers need to be aware of the potentially significant contribution of patient personality factors in adversely affecting the patient satisfaction ratings of individual physicians. This research also suggests that it may be informative to identify personality characteristics of those who were sent satisfaction questionnaires and did not return them.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this research is to determine whether a pessimistic or hostile personality style adversely affects satisfaction with out-patient medical visits. Many patient and health care provider demographic characteristics have been related to patient satisfaction with a health care encounter, but little has been written about the association between patients' personality characteristics and their satisfaction ratings.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - An eight-item patient satisfaction survey was completed by 11,636 randomly selected medical out-patients two to three months after their episode of care. Of these, 1,259 had previously completed a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). The association of pessimism and hostility scores with patient satisfaction ratings was assessed.\nFindings: - Among patients who scored high on the pessimism scale, 59 percent rated overall care by their physicians as excellent, while 72 percent with scores in the optimistic range rated it as excellent (p=0.003). Among the hostile patients, 57 percent rated their overall care by physicians as excellent, while 66 percent of the least hostile patients rated it as excellent (p=0.002).\nOriginality/value: - Pessimistic or hostile patients were significantly less likely to rate their overall care as excellent than optimistic or non-hostile patients.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Influence of resources on maintenance operations with different asset monitoring levels: A simulation approach	[ "Simulation", "Process modelling", "Discrete event simulation", "Maintenance", "Operation", "Asset health" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: There has been an increase in the demand for availability and capability contracts, resulting in the emergence of business models such as product service systems (PSS), which essentially move to the \"sale of use\" rather than the sale of the product itself (Baines et al., 2007). Unlike traditional business models, in PSS customers are buying the capability or availability of assets rather than owning the assets (Phumbua and Tjahjono, 2012). Assets under such contracts are required to be available in order for the manufacturer/supplier to survive and compete. Rolls-Royce (2013) is one of the leading examples in PSS as they sell their \"aircraft engines\" under availability contracts. The sale of an aircraft engine, along with the service and spare part support, is negotiated on the basis of the hours that the engine actually flies (Baines et al., 2009). In this case, business processes for maintenance operations need to be effective in order to maximise the availability of an asset. Maintenance service is a key part in assuring the availability of an asset, as it has a major impact on quality and cost. The management of maintenance operations processes needs to be effective in order to ensure the level of availability of an asset as contracted (Datta and Roy, 2012). Maintenance operations are highly complex, especially if the manufacturer/supplier has to manage different assets at different locations. For this reason, some authors (including Bitner et al., 2000; Froehle and Roth, 2004; Lightfoot et al., 2011) have proposed the application of monitoring technology to monitor asset health. It has generally been considered that a higher monitoring level results in higher asset availability. This was based on reasoning, not on experimental/empirical methods; therefore, further experimental research is required to observe the influence of such monitoring levels on maintenance operations systems as a whole.\n2 Literature review: 2.1 The drivers to adopt product monitoring levels\n3 Methodology: The aim is to understand and assess the effect of different levels of spare parts and labour availability (as system constraints) on different asset monitoring levels (reactive, diagnostics, and prognostics) of products in different locations far from their service providers. Additionally, the research aims to provide a dynamic assessment tool to make comparisons between different monitoring levels.\n4 Case study: In this case study, a scenario of assets that were sold under availability contracts are described in detail. Next, a DES model was created applying different monitoring levels on each asset to understand how the complex maintenance operations (which include inventory, asset location from service provider, and number of labour units) will behave. Finally, different levels of spare parts and labour were applied in order to gain a deeper understanding of their effect on the availability on different monitoring levels, using DES. The different monitoring levels applied in this case study are as follows:\n5 Discussion: With the recent increase in the integration of product and service as in PSS, manufacturers and suppliers need to enhance the complex processes of their maintenance operation. Maintenance is a key aspect in product performance, but the research tends to focus on maintenance within production systems (manufacturing plant) or field assets in isolation. Maintenance of products (assets) in use is complex, as fleets of assets are scattered among different customers. Therefore, ensuring the availability of these assets as contracted under PSS, is a necessity.\n6 Conclusion: This paper examined the behaviour of a maintenance processes for assets under different monitoring levels using DES. This paper also investigated the behaviour of complex processes of maintenance operation and showed how different levels of spare parts and labour availability would affect asset availability. It shows how DES can discern the different asset monitoring levels.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The demand for contracts on assets availability has increased. Recently published papers show that the use of asset health monitoring technologies is being encouraged to improve the asset performance. This is based on reason rather than analysis. This paper aims to understand and assess the effect of different types of business processes for maintenance resource levels on the behaviour of the maintenance operations and asset availability located at different customer locations using different asset monitoring levels.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A discrete event simulation (DES) model was developed to mimic complex maintenance operations with different monitoring levels (reactive, diagnostics, and prognostics). The model was created to understand and assess the influence of resources (labour and spare parts) on a particular maintenance operation. The model was created to represent different levels of asset monitoring to be applied in a case study. Subsequently, different levels of spare parts (ranging from deficient inventory to a plentiful spares inventory) and labour were applied to show the effects of those resources on the asset availability.\nFindings: This research has found that the DES was able to discern different processes for asset monitoring levels in complex maintenance operations. It also provided numerical evidence about applying such asset monitoring levels and proved that the higher asset monitoring level does not always guarantee higher asset availability.\nPractical implications: The developed model is a unique model that can provide the decision makers of maintenance operations with numerical evidence to select an appropriate asset monitoring level based on their particular maintenance operations.\nOriginality/value: A novel DES model was developed to support maintenance operations decision makers in selecting the appropriate asset monitoring level for their particular operations. This unique approach provides numerical evidence rather than reasoning, and also proves that the higher asset monitoring level does not always guarantee higher asset availability.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Cross-cultural marketing strategies for delivering knowledge-based services in a borderless world: the case of management education	[ "Knowledge management", "International marketing", "Management development", "International business" ]	[ { "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: The last two decades have witnessed the emergence of a new global marketplace for services. International trade in services is growing due to the establishment of the General Agreement of Trade in Services, which, under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, is focusing its efforts on increasing trade liberalization of services internationally (Javalgi and White, 2002). In 2005, total world trade in commercial services exceeded $9.5 trillion (World Trade Organization, 2006).Knowledge-based services, which represent an important and rapidly-growing sector of the services economy, are defined as those which are relatively intensive in their inputs of human capital (e.g. people know-how skills) and information and communication technologies (Styles et al., 2005). Apart from general characteristics of services (e.g. intangibility and inseparability), knowledge-based services possess additional unique characteristics such as high customization, complexity, risk and uncertainty (Jackson and Cooper, 1988). Knowledge-based services include management and engineering consulting, information technology and training services, architectural services, and educational services (Lovelock and Gummesson, 2004). In developed economies, these services have been experiencing an average annual growth rate estimated at 10-12 percent over the past several years.Indeed, the growing importance of knowledge-based services is underscored by the growth in knowledge process outsourcing from advanced nations to countries such as India, China, Philippines, and Chile: in 2003, knowledge outsourcing was barely a $1.2 billion-a-year industry, dwarfed by lower-level services such as call centers and back-office operations including help desks, payroll processing and medical transcription which, taken together, were more than six times as large. Knowledge outsourcing is expected to grow to more than $17 billion in sales by 2010, according to Evalueserve, a business and financial research company (Mukherjee, 2007).Management education is defined for this paper as primarily degree-based programs that lead to baccalaureate and advanced degrees in business administration and its allied disciplines.This paper examines cross-cultural \"product-market\" strategies that business schools can consider in serving international markets. In the educational services sector, \"product\" may be defined as the curriculum, instructional style, and all of the ancillary services that constitute the educational service experience. Our goal is to articulate a framework that recognizes the cultural characteristics of a target country and the service consumption styles of students in that country in decisions that affect modes of delivering management education services. Our framework incorporates the works of two scholars: Hofstede's (1983) cultural dimensions and Kolb's (1999) research on students' learning styles.This paper reviews the recent literature, discusses the framework for serving international markets, examines the theoretical and managerial components of the framework, and concludes with an extended discussion of the strategic considerations in designing and delivering management education services in international markets.\nLiterature review: In his thoughtful discussion on higher education as an international trade commodity, Czinkota (2006) observes: \"Universities have internationalized over time but have not kept pace with globalization and the transformation of world relations\" (p. 153).Colleges and universities, especially those in advanced nations, have been no strangers to international trade. As study destinations, the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have been among the largest \"exporters\" of higher education services, while countries such as India and China have become among the largest suppliers of student \"customers\" that study at foreign institutions (Australian Education International, 2005; Mai, 2005). Indeed, American institutions of higher education have been contributing to the US's export trade by \"importing\" international students to their home campuses for undergraduate and graduate study since the 1950s, and this sector of America's international trade has shown dramatic growth in the second half of the twentieth century. The number of international students in the USA has grown exponentially from about 34,000 in 1954-55 to nearly 600,000 in 2004-05 (Open Doors, 2005). Most popular fields of study for international students in the USA are business and management, 18 percent; engineering, 16.5 percent; and math and computer sciences, 9 percent.But following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as foreign student enrollments slid 2.4 percent in 2003-2004 and another 1.3 percent in 2005 (Hussain, 2006), many universities in the US have realized that a strategy based solely on recruiting international students - who must leave their home countries and study at the school's US campus - is myopic because it overlooks a multitude of creative opportunities for serving large and lucrative international markets. Global higher education is undergoing a \"tectonic shift\" with worldwide enrollment growth over the past two decades exceeding even the most optimistic of forecasts (Daniel et al., 2006). Universities and business schools can ill-afford to ignore this important trend.Internationalization in business schools has commonly referred to curricular changes that incorporate and integrate international business topics into existing curricula. Internationalization can also, however, refer to the increasing international diversity found, and sought, in the business school classroom and in the actions taken by business schools to serve international markets by expanding international recruitment in underserved markets such as India and China and by delivering their educational services through such modes as joint venture partnerships and wholly-owned campuses in foreign locations.The strategy of going global highlights the importance of strategic and organizational integration, and thereby the administrative integration of operations located in different countries as the key differentiating characteristic of an internationalized business school. The resources committed to these different geographies can just as well take the form of qualified faculty and pedagogical styles as buildings and computer hardware (e.g. Scherer et al., 2005). We believe that what really differentiates the internationalized business school from ones with domestic orientations is that the former creates an internal organization to administer key cross-border tasks and transactions rather than depending on independent agents and intermediaries to guide the development of foreign affiliates.As more and more educational institutions begin to expand to foreign markets, strategic questions that were previously reserved for multinational corporations are now being studied by college administrators, such as: what are the critical factors, both internal as well as external to the institution, that impact the entry mode selection decision; and how do the external drivers and country-specific educational factors (e.g. curriculum content mandated by a government regulatory agency or restrictions on importing selected educational materials) presented to the institution impact curriculum choices, students' learning styles, and teaching methods? The answers to these and other related questions in management education - and higher education - are not clear and, for the most part, have not been adequately investigated.Modifying the curriculum (i.e. the \"product\") to reflect global concerns is a logical step in serving international markets. Yet, there is little direction in the internationalization of management education that takes into consideration the interaction among cultural factors, teaching methods, and learning styles. Clarke and Flaherty (2003) suggested that specific and somewhat unique background and cultural differences of business students from newly-emerging markets demand that marketing educators adapt certain aspects of their pedagogy to the specific needs of that student segment. Our intention is to address these issues within a managerial framework that is discussed in the following section.Framework for serving international markets\nStrategic considerations: Success in the international markets that a business school is intending to serve will depend on how it understands and accommodates to the strategic considerations that operate. These considerations include product design and market entry strategies, managing collaborative relationships, recognizing and capitalizing on country-of-origin effects, estimating capital requirements, and maintaining educational and service quality. These issues are discussed in the sections below.Product design and market entry strategies\nConclusions: The transformation of the world from domestic or regional economies to today's interdependent, borderless, global economy has heightened awareness among colleges and universities to seriously consider their roles in the global delivery of education. With domestic college enrollments peaking in many advanced nations, business schools in those countries have recognized the need to go beyond merely internationalizing their curricula or recruiting international students to their home campuses.This paper emphasizes the interrelationships between cultural dimensions, learning styles and teaching methods when evaluating the choices of foreign market and entry mode with its base of potential customers. The findings available with respect to teaching methods are evaluated and suggestions are made for their application with respect to the proposed framework. These dimensions of education service delivery have been evaluated by many scholars and are generally categorized as key variables to help explain the overall quality of service that is extended by the institution to its stakeholders.Anecdotal evidence on the globalization efforts of business schools suggest that most of these initiatives appear to be discrete and independent with little attention paid to an integrative, coordinated strategy. These activities are usually conducted outside of the \"formal\" academic strategic plan, and are generally led by academics or administrators who have an appreciation for the opportunities and potential that is present in international markets. Global perspectives have become conventional wisdom for today's multinational firms; business schools and institutions of higher learning are just beginning to think globally.\nDirections for future research: Global expansion of management education services and the strategic and tactical considerations, introduced in our framework, can provide a fertile field for empirical research. Hofstede's models have been the subject of many investigations in international business, but their applications for management education - and other disciplines - would be valuable sources for empirical investigations. Hofstede's work on social distance, for example, would be a useful foundation for studies on how instructional delivery modes (discussions, lectures, debates, etc) can be adapted to the conditions of a specific culture.As our framework suggests, Kolb's work on learning styles, when examined in the context of Hofstede's cultural considerations, raises many research questions and testable hypotheses. For example, empirical testing of this part of the framework could be done across two or more cultural settings to verify if the differences have managerial significance in terms of such dependent measures as learning outcomes.Although this paper attempts to integrate the diverse literatures of foreign entry mode, services marketing, and education to develop a conceptual model for the decision of a business school to go global, other important constructs might be examined. For example, the internationalization of service offerings has been shown to be predicated on entrepreneurial dimensions of the firm and the organization's flexibility in meeting the demands of a host country's marketplace. Therefore, information regarding the organization's structure might provide useful insight into our proposed framework.The growing awareness among institutions of higher education of the enormous market potential that globalization offers - and the financial and societal benefits of becoming providers of educational services that respond creatively to the cultural considerations and learning styles of individual nations - will make this important service industry a truly global force in creating change.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Knowledge-based services range from accounting, engineering, and management consulting to educational services. This paper seeks to explore the nature of management education services and to discuss how business schools can employ cross-cultural product-market strategies to enter and serve foreign markets with programs that match the needs of the targeted markets.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A framework is presented for delivering management education services across borders. Hofstede's cultural dimensions are integrated in recognizing the cultural characteristics of a target country and differing learning styles of students in making market entry decisions and the pedagogical styles that might apply to specific target markets.\nFindings: - In seeking new globally diverse markets, providers of knowledge-intensive services such as management education must craft marketing strategies that recognize consumer demand and consumption characteristics as well as service design and delivery options that fit market needs.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Global expansion of management education services and the strategic and tactical considerations that are introduced in the framework can provide a fertile field for empirical research.\nPractical implications: - The paper develops cross-cultural \"product-market\" strategies that business schools can consider in serving international markets, with product defined as the curriculum, instructional style, and all of the ancillary services that constitute the educational service experience. Generalizability of the findings to other knowledge-based services is also discussed.\nOriginality/value: - The conceptual framework recognizes a dominant theme in international business, suggesting that internationalization potential depends on service industry characteristics and on specific host country internationalization drivers.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Is keiretsu really a source of competitive advantage for Japanese automotive suppliers?	[ "Buyer-supplier collaboration", "Automotive industry", "Competitive advantage" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: During the last decades, the automotive industry has experienced significant transitions such as outsourcing, globalised supply network, and technology development (e.g. ERP, advanced manufacturing systems, modular production systems) that have drastically increased the importance of business relationships. The original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and automotive suppliers are expected to conduct their businesses as global partnerships fostering win-win opportunities (Humphrey and Memedovic, 2003; Jurgens, 2003; Sturgeon et al., 2009). In this context and together with the success of the Japanese OEMs, a close relationship with small number of suppliers in long-term contracts, so called the Japanese-style partnership or keiretsu, has been considered as an industrial standard of successful business practice (Dyer and Ouchi, 1993; Lettice et al., 2010; Veloso, 2000). This success has attracted interest in both practice and theory of business relationships. For instance, several studies compared different types of automotive relationship practices argued that mutual trust, information sharing, long-term contract, small supplier base based on the keiretsu have been the source of competitive advantage in the Japanese OEMs (Cusumano and Takeishi, 1991; Liker and Choi, 2004; Zirpoli and Caputo, 2002; Lee, 2004).\nThe Japanese component industry and keiretsu partnerships: The key features to understand the structure of the Japanese automotive industry are supply chain tiers and keiretsu affiliation. Within this supply chain, firms can be classified in term of their position compared to the focal firm (Christopher, 2005). By centring the focal firm, firms who supply products/services to the focal firm are called supply-side Tier 1, followed by supply-side Tier 2 firms who supply to Tier 1 firms. When the supply chain structure becomes complex and contains many players, the supply chain tiers are also extended (e.g. Tiers 3, 4, etc.). For example, the automotive industry is often described as a hierarchical pyramid structure in which there is OEMs at the top of pyramid followed by a number of Tiers 1 and 2 suppliers (Figure 1). Since this tier indicates the position within the supply chain, it does not implicate the firm size and product responsibility.\nTheoretical perspectives on competitive advantage: In order to extract the determinants of the firm's competitive advantage in the business relationship, this paper relied on the three different theoretical perspectives, namely: resource-based view (RBV), industrial organisation, and relational network (RN). For each theoretical perspective, this paper explores the fundamental concepts of these theories, analyses their assumptions and arguments and discusses the context of competitive advantage in the business relationships by referring to the previous literatures. The basis of each perspective is summarised in Table I. These three major theoretical lenses were chosen given their ability in allowing an investigation of supply chain strategies in conjunction of inter-firm business relationships management from both OEM and supplier perspectives.\nA conceptual framework for supplier competitive advantage: Throughout the review presented in the previous section, it became clear that while the three theories stand on their original assumptions and concepts, they contain elements that overlap and could be combined and better visualised in three main dimension of competitive advantage. This section synthesised them into a single framework (Figure 2), which is dedicated to analyse the level of competitiveness of suppliers.\nMethodology: This section explains the research design. Figure 3 illustrates the research design used in this paper.\nSurvey results: The following profiles describe the competitive advantages of each supplier group. As stated earlier, this paper looked for performance differences in the average score of five-point scale measures, while the demographic measures support the description. Table III indicates that the conceptual framework has a good internal validity. The results of all 22 measures are shown in Table IV.\nConclusions: Based on the above analysis, a number of interesting observations can be made. One of the advantages of this paper is that it considered different types of component suppliers with three various measurement scales by looking into the interactions among them though most of the previous studies ignore the considerable differences in supplier groups and took one or two specific measures. Hence, this section summarises the research conclusions, its limitations, and future research.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how firms create and sustain competitive advantage in the inter-firm business relationships from a supplier's perspective. It also investigates what factors affect their competitiveness and relationship between buyers and suppliers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This is an exploratory study on keiretsu partnerships composed of four main phases: analysis of theoretical perspectives, construction of a conceptual framework, interview of a CEO, and finally, a survey questionnaire with Japanese automotive suppliers.\nFindings: As a result, this paper classified these 11 companies into four supplier groups (affiliated or independent Tier 1 suppliers; affiliated or independent Tier 2 suppliers) and analysed their competitiveness developing the research propositions further. The benefits of affiliation under a keiretsu partnership are discussed, showing that there may be little benefit in being an affiliated Tier 1 supplier. Even more critical, the results show that independent Tier 2 supplier may be more competitive than affiliated tier ones.\nOriginality/value: These intriguing results reveal an urgent need of investigating Japanese automotive supply chains from the suppliers' perspectives in the future research. This paper extended the literatures on competitive advantage and business relationships at both theory and managerial practice.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A market-oriented model for the independent-living retirement village industry	[ "Australia", "Price", "Hedonic analysis", "Independent-living unit", "Market-oriented model", "Retirement village market" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: With the continued ageing of the \"baby boomer\" generation the provision of affordable accommodation for seniors has now become critical for community, practitioners and policymakers (Bohle et al., 2014). Initially, it was argued that retirement villages could be recognised as a viable option for seniors to maintain both independence and the necessary support (Howe, 1986). However, a later study used a cross-sectional survey of seniors who lived either in the retirement villages or in their own homes in Melbourne, Australia, to confirm the important contribution of retirement villages in enhancing the quality of life of seniors (Gardner et al., 2005). A retirement housing demand model was developed in the USA to examine the relationships between homeowner characteristics and housing preferences (Gibler and Taltavull, 2010). Another study used a logistic regression model to track the life course of seniors in the USA, where the model estimated the potential relocation decisions of senior regarding retirement village decisions (Wiseman, 1980; Gibler and Clements, 2011); the findings confirmed that \"age\" had a positive relationship with the decision to move into the retirement village.\nPrevious studies into retirement villages: With the under-lying purpose of diversifying the lifestyle options of seniors, research into seniors' housing has recently attracted the attention of different disciplines including architecture, urban design and urban policy and planning. From an architectural perspective, there has been an examination of the effects of an extended lifespan on accommodation requirements to develop a viable design process for the seniors (Demirbilek and Demirkan, 1998; Demirbilek, 1999). An earlier study explored patterns between four theoretical frameworks relating to the identification of home and place to influence the design of accommodation for older adults (Lien, 2009). Other studies proposed a framework and guidelines for a universal design approach for senior housing (Carr et al., 2013; Demirkan and Olgunturk, 2014); however, Brookfield et al. (2015) supported the use of a design strategy to enhance the activities of older people from the broader perspective of housing for seniors. Note the architectural research primarily focussed on the physical challenges that occurred in the ageing lifespan of seniors, although incorporating modifications to address loneliness and social involvement could not be resolved.\nStatistical description of the retirement village attributes in Australia: Previous research into the retirement village attributes from a market perspective can be classified into two groups, being either demand-related or supply-related. As indicated in Figure 1, previous studies examined the demand-supply gaps affecting retirement villages with the underlying objective of promoting a model development approach for retirement villages.\nMarket analysis of retirement villages: hedonic price model: It is accepted that the price of a residential accommodation is an indicator reflecting supply and demand of the utility-bearing attributes; a hedonic model based on the price of a good can be decomposed into a series of values of its attributes and has been widely adopted to estimate the value of residential accommodation including houses (Rosen, 1974). The hedonic model approach estimates the price by regressing the sale price on a set of housing attributes and a constant term for each time period, where the housing attributes include structure type, area, characteristics and land area (Gelfand et al., 2004; Kuminoff and Jarrah 2010; Gobillon and Wolff, 2011). The hedonic techniques were also used to estimate the value of a wide range of amenities corresponding to the locations of houses including distance to CBD, clean air, school quality and crime rates (Anselin and Gallo, 2006; Pal, 2010). Recent studies have further extended the approach and argued that house prices were also influenced by surrounding prices with certain spatial lags (Fingleton, 2006; Gray, 2012; Helbich et al., 2013).\nPractical implications: This research examined the gap between the retirement village supply and the market by examining important market elements of the retirement villages. The results are reported in Table III.\nConclusion: Adding to the existing body of knowledge, this research proposed an innovative approach to address the problem by examining the market supply levels and analysing attributes of the existing retirement village ILUs and their relationship with the value of a retirement village. The results confirmed the most popular format of a retirement village ILU in Australia included two bedrooms, one bathroom, one garage and a private garden. Most retirement villages housed approximately 100 ILUs, and although some villages were located a substantial distance from a CBD, they were located in an area surrounded by a local neighbourhood. The most common facilities in Australian retirement villages include community centres, libraries, pools, 24-h medical alerts, village buses and on-site managers. Although the structure of the ILUs were generally similar, minor variations were observed in village characteristics, facilities and services between each capital city.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: As the \"baby boomer\" generation continues to enter their senior post-retirement years, the provision of affordable retirement housing has become increasingly important for the community, practitioners and policymakers. However, relatively little attention has to date been placed on identifying an effective market mechanism for the industry of the independent-living retirement villages to meet this increased and unprecedented demand. This study aims to develop an innovative and affordable retirement village development model which meets the needs of all stakeholders including seniors, retirement village residents, the retirement village industry and government.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The attributes of this study are as follows: structure of individual living units, retirement village characteristics, retirement village facilities and services and support mechanisms. The analysis was undertaken based on data relating to independent-living retirement villages in five Australian states. A hedonic pricing model was used where the price distributions relating to these four aspects were estimated.\nFindings: The results confirmed the structures of the independent living units and the retirement village characteristics were closely related to pricing, followed by services and supports with a lesser relationship, although the facilities were not significantly related to pricing.\nResearch limitations/implications: This research is not able to address the entire retirement village market in Australia because the available market data are limited.\nPractical implications: This research uses an innovative supply-side approach to assess retirement village attributes and values, which provides stakeholders with up-to-date market information to assist in guiding the performance of the retirement village industry.\nSocial implications: The market evaluations imply that seniors are reluctant to pay for village attributes that are not regarded as highly sought-after. A cost-effective strategy of new retirement village developments and upgrades can be further induced, which in turn can enhance the market efficiency and affordability of the retirement villages.\nOriginality/value: This pricing model for retirement village units extends previous studies into retirement villages and presents stakeholders with an innovative and reliable market-oriented model.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The journey from recall to knowledge: A study of two factors - structured doodling and note-taking on a student's recall ability	[ "Knowledge", "Doodling", "Note-taking", "Recall ability" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Education plays a crucial role in constructing one's future as a successful person in life and as a valuable citizen in the society. Education reduces the challenges of life that one might face. Developments in computers, telecommunications, psychology, engineering mathematics, medicine, and every other branch of learning would be unattainable if education did not permit us to construct on the enhancements of the great minds before us. Education is the one thing that segregates human beings from all other creatures. Self-realization of the individual is a key objective of education but it is also the vital impetus that thrusts the potential in man into action. The Indian education system has been well acclaimed across the globe for its deep rooted understanding and learning abilities. In ancient times, we had Gurukuls (ashram of guru), and today in the twenty-first century, our classrooms boast of laptops, internet, white boards, tablets and mp3 players - learning has experienced an absolute metamorphosis. Educationalists today are empowered to entrench technology in the curriculum that, in turn, augments learning by meeting the needs of a variety of learners. Transformations in the classroom pedagogies encouraged us to conduct a research on understanding the impact of these new pedagogies on classroom effectiveness.\nLiterature review: Learning as a process\nLearning methods in classroom teaching: Doodling\nThe current study: In the study, we wished to assess the effect of different learning tools on recall ability of students in the class. The tool being assessed were structured doodling and note-taking vis-a-vis simple lecture/listening mode. Participants in Andrade's study were instructed to focus on a specific part of the information for recall and both the experiment and control group participants were allowed to take notes. In our study, the three groups, structured doodling, note-taking and listening groups, were instructed to focus on the listening comprehension (LC) and they were clearly told that their recall ability would be assessed in the end, with no amount of deception or misguidance which is a contrast, in comparison to Andrade's study.\nMethodology: Participants\nResults: Initially, we verified that there should be no significant difference between the three groups we had selected. The age (F=1.62, p=0.214) or gender (F=1.12, p=0.738) depicted that there is no significant difference among the groups in terms of age and gender. We then analyzed the data using ANOVA and found the group difference (F=6.42, p=0.01, a2=0.23). Using the turkey HSD test for post hoc analyses, we found substantial dissimilarities between the groups. The details are given in Table II.\nDiscussion: We assessed the effect of three learning tools on recall ability of students in the class in our study. The tools that we assessed were structured doodling, note-taking and listening. Our analysis completely supports the hypothesis that structured doodling is an extremely effective learning tool and it had a substantial positive impact on the recall ability of the students. Similarly, note-taking as a learning tool also created a positive impact on recall ability of students, as compared to simple listening. Though we had hypothesized that structured doodling is more effective than other leaning tools, the results did not depict a major difference in structured doodling and note-taking. Thus, it is important to highlight here that structured doodling has an analogous consequence on recall ability as did a conceptual encoding aid like note-taking. It was satisfying to note that participants in the note-taking group as well as the structured doodling group performed well in the recall quiz. The activity of taking notes would aid, just as structured doodling, as a form of stimulation to thwart mind wandering. Thus, one can surmise that both these tools are equally effective in enhancing students' recall ability and learning.\nLimitations and future directions: The study provides some significant outcomes but faces some limitations as well. First, we did not capture the doodling habits of the students. Participants who are already exposed to the art of doodling or usage of doodling can perform better as compared to those who are doodling for the first time. Second, the study limits itself to a small sample size of 120 and management graduates. This can be experimented further in other disciples like science and technology. Future studies might focus on providing additional insight in the arena where the higher engagement learning tools are utilized in the normal environs of a course in a classroom rather than being limited to a one-off comprehension activity. The study uses an audio recording of 5 min, but it is still a question to answer whether this much time is enough for the participants to cognitively disengage. A future direction of the study can perhaps be to engage studies in an activity as along as regular lecture of about 60 min.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The millennial students are disengaged in the current classrooms. Hence, there is a definite need to evaluate and compare the current learning tools. The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of three learning tools - listening, structured doodling and note-taking - on recall ability of students in the classroom. The authors have specifically compared the effect of Andrade's (2010) and Boggs et al.'s (2017) structured doodling condition (i.e. shading in shapes) vis-a-vis note-taking and listening.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An experimental research design was used for the study where three groups of around 40 participants each were created. The participants were Indian students (72 males and 48 females) who were undergraduates at NMIMS University, Navi Mumbai. Each group experienced all the three learning methods that are listening, note-taking and structured doodling. It was a 3x3 mixed model design. Listening, note-taking and structured doodling were compared on recall ability. This was assessed using a questionnaire extracted from Boggs et al.'s (2017) study and a self-designed evaluation sheet.\nFindings: Across all three groups, structured doodling and note-taking had a higher impact on recall ability than the traditional method. However, the difference in the impact of note-taking and doodling on recall ability was not practically very large. The current finding assumes higher significance in the Indian education set up as Indian students are accustomed to note-taking as a learning tool yet structured doodling had a statistically analogous effect on recall ability compared to a systematically documented note-taking. Hence, a future direction could be to assess the impact of a blended learning tool that utilizes both note-taking and doodling or note-taking through doodling.\nResearch limitations/implications: First, the authors did not capture doodling habits of the students. Second, the study limits itself to a small sample size of 120 management graduates. The study can be extended to other disciplines like science and technology and also on how the higher engagement learning tools can be utilized in the normal environs of a course in a classroom. A future direction of the study can be to engage students in an activity as long as a regular lecture of about 60 min. A fusion of learning tools that effectively combines note-taking and doodling can be suggested to enhance recall ability and classroom engagement.\nPractical implications: Higher order learning tools characteristically require technologically advanced infrastructure setups. In developing economies like India, most educational institutes may not have access to technologically advanced classrooms; hence, the implementation of higher engagement learning tools becomes a huge challenge. The endeavor in this study has been to study the impact and effectiveness of learning tools like doodling and note-taking which do not inherently call for access to advanced technology.\nSocial implications: In today's age of globalization, emerging economies like India are seen to be taking center stage. Thus, ensuring that Indian education system is geared up to train students to compete globally and in the same vein, these students have access to higher engagement learning tools - the absolute need of the hour. Hence, the current research aims to bridge the gap between global education innovations and Indian classroom teaching method implementation.\nOriginality/value: The research has assessed the effectiveness of three different learning tools, namely - listening, note-taking and structured doodling - in Indian higher education setup. The current research is in harmony with the current literature and would function as an adaptation and augmentation of Andrade's (2010) and Boggs et al. (2017) studies. A very scanty research body on understanding the impact of learning tools on recall ability exists in the Indian education setup. Current research will act as a bridge between global path breaking education research and implementation of in-class teaching methods in Indian higher education.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Sustainable consumption: a teaching intervention in higher education	[ "Higher education", "Teacher training", "Educational experience", "Environmental education", "Sustainable consumption" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The environmental impact of excessive consumption and its relation to advertising\nA proposed teaching intervention: \"mental pollution\": This standpoint was used to develop a constructivist teaching strategy of an investigative nature (Alvarez and Vega, 2009b) which, by bridging the gap between theory and practice, aims to raise the awareness of students (in this case, trainee teachers) and educate them to adopt a sustainable model of consumption by actively involving them in finding solutions to specific real-world problems instead of merely discussing the various possibilities (Vega et al., 2009).\nAnalysis and assessment of the teaching intervention: Method\nAnalysis of the research findings: SPSS 15.0.1 and Excel 2007 were used to analyse the data obtained.\nAnalysis of the relationships between variables: Relationships between different kinds of conceptual knowledge of environmental issues and their relation to consumerism, attitudes and behavioural intention towards the environment\nConclusions: The educational experience described above has proved to be an effective resource for ensuring that university students obtain a statistically significant improvement in their understanding of the social and environmental impact of consumerism and its interaction with other environmental issues. Furthermore, it also promotes the development of attitudes in favour of the environment and environmentally and socially responsible consumption by making them aware of the problem and convincing them of the need to take action in this regard, in spite of the fact that the high initial attitudinal level shown by participants left little room for change to take place.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse a teaching strategy designed to increase the awareness of trainee teachers and educate them with regard to sustainable consumption.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Ninety-four subjects (trainee teachers) were assessed on their knowledge of the environmental impacts of consumerism, their attitudes to sustainable consumption and their behavioural intentions before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the teaching intervention took place.\nFindings: Statistical analysis of the results obtained revealed that subjects increased their knowledge of the social and environmental impacts of consumerism, became more aware of the need to take action in this regard, and developed behaviours oriented towards a sustainable model of consumption.\nResearch limitations/implications: The proper application of an educational strategy of this nature requires more time than that actually assigned to the teaching intervention itself. This obstacle was overcome by using the time envisaged by the European Space for Higher Education, but the outcome could not be monitored.\nPractical implications: A reduction of individual and collective consumption in universities.\nOriginality/value: The study demonstrates the possibilities of an educational strategy that when applied to trainee teachers in higher education promotes sustainable consumption.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Rationality, accounting and benchmarking water businesses: An analysis of measurement challenges	[ "Australia", "Fair value measurement", "Data envelopment analysis", "Accounting measurement", "Economic efficiency", "Urban water utilities" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: New public management (NPM) reforms are designed to enhance the performance, responsiveness and accountability of public sector agencies through the application of commercial business practices and the design of incentives packages (e.g. Hood, 1995; Box et al., 2001; Parker and Gould, 1999; Hoque and Moll, 2001a, b; De Vries and Nemec, 2013; Wiesel and Modell, 2014; Nyland and Pettersen, 2015). A particular focus in recent times has been the discussion of refinements to public sector service performance reporting to enable stakeholders to understand how efficiently these entities are deploying resources to meet their objectives (e.g. Parker and Bean, 2012; Rossi and Aversano, 2015). Reflective of these NPM concerns and global developments within the water sector (e.g. Abbott and Cohen, 2009; Marin, 2009), considerable attention has been placed on enhancing the efficiency of state-controlled Australian water businesses (Cunningham, 2013). This drive for efficiency in the Australian water sector has been hamstrung by many challenges. Amongst others, these have included a record breaking drought across South-eastern Australia during 1997-2009 (the \"Big Dry\") (e.g. Gergis et al., 2012); escalating infrastructure and operating costs; a changing population and demographics; coupled with budgetary constraints and the politicisation of water management (e.g. Bell and Quiggin, 2008; Byrnes, 2013; Marlow et al., 2013; Cooper et al., 2014; Worthington, 2014).\nNPM, urban water management reforms and the role of DEA: Reforms in the public sector globally have aimed to promote a culture which emphasises performance and responsive to the needs of the public. This change has created demand for reform to organisational strategic priorities and new calculative and management practices such as performance reporting and benchmarking in public sector organisations.\nMethodology and data: DEA models can take either an input or output orientation. The former minimises inputs subject to a set of constraints whilst the latter maximises the output subject to a set of constraints. They can also specify in terms of economies of scale. For example, the constant returns to scale (CRS) assumes that a given increase in inputs will result in an equal-proportionate increase in outputs. However, some industries depict variable returns to scale (VRS). If CRS formulation is applied to an industry characterised by VRS, the efficiency scores will be influenced by scale effects. The technical details of DEA specification used are provided in Appendix.\nResults and discussion: Figure 2 shows distributions of the bias-corrected efficiency for the three models with alternative capital inputs[6]. The average relative efficiency of urban water utilities in Victoria over the period 2005/2006 through 2012/2013 for Models 1, 2 and 3 with alternative capital measures are summarised in Table IV. The average efficiency score for Model 1 (HC) is 0.6576. This implies that an average utility could reduce its inputs by 34.2 per cent while keeping its output constant[7]. As Table IV indicates, the model that used the physical capital asset base (Model 3 - PAB) yielded the highest average bias-corrected efficiency whilst the Model 2 (RAB) yielded the lowest average bias-corrected efficiency. Bias-corrected efficiency scores were calculated using 2,000 bootstrap replications.\nConclusion: NPM reforms have had a significant impact on the Victorian water sector. Tangible evidence of the outcomes of these reforms has included the moves to ensure Victorian water businesses adopt a corporatized structure, prepare statutory accounts in accordance with the standards of the AASB, mark their statutory infrastructure values to FV, and the regulatory focus on efficiency and competition by comparison within this sector. Reflecting on these reforms, this study has considered the reliability of the application commercially focussed of FV infrastructure measurement and efficiency benchmarking to Victorian water businesses. Specifically, this study reviewed the sensitivity of DEA efficiency scores and rankings for Victorian urban water businesses to the choice of capital input measure and as infrastructure is measured using either statutory accounting information (historic cost or FV), regulatory accounting bases, or physical information.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the sensitivity of economic efficiency rankings of water businesses to the choice of alternative physical and accounting capital input measures.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to compute efficiency rankings for government-owned water businesses from the state of Victoria, Australia, over the period 2005/2006 through 2012/2013. Differences between DEA models when capital inputs were measured using either: statutory accounting values (historic cost and fair value), physical measures, or regulatory accounting values, were scrutinised.\nFindings: Depending on the choice of capital input, significant variation in efficiency scores and the ranking of the top (worst) performing firms was observed.\nResearch limitations/implications: Future research may explore the generalisability of findings to a wider sample of water utilities globally. Future work can also consider the most reliable treatment of capital inputs in efficiency analysis.\nPractical implications: Regulators should be cautious when using economic efficiency data in benchmarking exercises. A consistent approach to account for the capital stock is needed in the determination of price caps and designing incentives for poor performers.\nOriginality/value: DEA has been widely used to explore the role of ownership structure, firm size and regulation on water utility efficiency. This is the first study of its kind to explore the sensitivity of DEA to alternative physical and accounting capital input measures. This research also improves the conventional performance measurement in water utilities by using a bootstrap procedure to address the deterministic nature of the DEA approach.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The influence of service quality and patients' emotions on satisfaction	[ "Customer satisfaction", "Portugal", "Service levels" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Service quality and customer satisfaction are a major goal in modern organizations. Public services cannot detach from this general concern, mostly because they act on the socio-economic level and serve individuals and organizations that need adequate, timely and effective responses (Vinagre and Neves, 2002). Public Sector importance, especially as a service provider, forces managers and practitioners to address quality and client satisfaction issues as a priority. These services have, however, specific characteristics, such as intangibility, heterogeneity and inseparability. Their production, distribution and consumption are simultaneous processes and they are not storable. They are created in buyer-seller interactions and they are essentially activities or processes, in which customers participate in the production (Gronroos, 2000). Consequently, the customer perceives a service in all its production processes and not merely as the result of that production. Therefore, the features of these services make it difficult to adopt service quality and customer satisfaction evaluation criteria. Service experiences are the outcomes of the interactions between organizations, related systems/processes, service employees and customers (Bitner et al., 1997). Customer satisfaction and customer perceptions are therefore often influenced by those interactions (Bitner et al., 1994; Surprenant and Solomon, 1987).The wide diversity of services constitutes another factor that poses measurement difficulties. We may need separate criteria to differentiate services mainly on the basis of the sort of experience users have with a particular service. Transactions can thus be open or closed; the degree of involvement can vary as well as the duration of consumer experience. Services can also differ in the degree of technical knowledge and skill required. Despite the generalized acknowledgment of these differences among service types, there is a rather limited body of knowledge on the effects that these different types of services have upon consumer satisfaction. Traditionally, in order to explain service quality and satisfaction, only cognitive measures were considered such as disconfirmation or the perceived service performance (Liljander and Strandvik, 1997). Departing mainly from Westbrook's (1987) and Westbrook and Oliver's (1991) work, several empirical studies revealed that service use has potential to elicit a complex variety of emotional and cognitive responses. Both studies proved the DESII scale's validity and reliability in consumption settings and show that a number of different positive and negative emotions can be related to satisfaction.Considering healthcare services consumers' differing needs, we assume that we can also find differing evaluations of the degree of importance (involvement) attached to the service among the patients. Some studies found a significant relationship between involvement and the level of emotions concerning service experience (e.g., Bloemer and Ruyter, 1999; Price et al., 1995). Having this in mind, involvement seems a variable to be considered in patient satisfaction and emotional response analysis. Focusing on consumer satisfaction with a public healthcare service (in this study we considered patient as a health service consumer); we intend to know the service quality dimensions perceived by patients and the relationship between emotion, expectations, service experience and involvement. From an empirical study in six healthcare centres, we intend to evaluate service quality dimensions, the emotions linked to service experience and the complementary effect of expectations and involvement on patient satisfaction.\nTheoretical framework: Despite seemingly alike, perceived service quality and consumer satisfaction are distinct constructs that may be defined and evaluated in different ways. Oliver (1997) identified a few major elements that differentiate service quality and satisfaction, he suggests that quality is a judgment or evaluation that concerns performance pattern, which involves several service dimensions specific to the service delivered. Quality is believed to be determined more by external cues (e.g., price, reputation). Satisfaction, however, is perceived as a global consumer response in which consumers reflect on their pleasure level. Satisfaction is based on service delivery predictions/norms that depend on past experiences, driven by conceptual cues (e.g., equity, regret). Although perceived service quality may be updated at each specific transaction or service experience, it tends to last longer than satisfaction, which is understood as being transitory and merely reflecting a specific service experience (Martinez-Tur et al., 2001). In short, researchers dispute the relationship between perceived service quality and satisfaction (Ting, 2004). In this study, we suggest that service quality should be one patient satisfaction antecedent.Service quality\nSatisfaction predictors: theoretical model of analysis: Acknowledging that consumer experience is complex, especially at the service level, calls attention to the important role emotions may play when associated with other cognitive variables that explain these phenomena. Usually, service quality is considered mostly a cognitive construct while satisfaction has been considered a more complex concept that includes cognitive and affective components (Oliver, 1997). However, considering the interaction between the two in service experience, perceived service quality can also include dimensions that are mostly relational. Therefore, these relational dimensions are permeable to a strong emotional influence; opposing the purely cognitive nature of service quality evaluation. The mere possibility that emotions can be present across all interactions between consumers and service providers makes it difficult to separate emotions from service quality evaluations (Liljander and Strandvik, 1997). Some researchers argue that emotional versus cognitive saliency depends on the type and nature of service transactions. Services with more qualified or more credential properties imply that a consumer's capacity and ability to evaluate the service provided is reduced. In these cases, there should be a greater tendency to evaluate aspects relating to attention received during the interaction established along the service experience (Shemwell et al., 1998) and emotional aspects. Acknowledging potential expectation effects, service quality and emotions on satisfaction, we hypothesized that:H1. Service quality has a positive effect on patient satisfaction.H2. Positive emotions have a positive effect on patient satisfaction.H3. Negative emotions have a negative effect on patient satisfaction.H4. Expectations have a positive effect on patient satisfaction.The diversity of emotional experiences is explained as a function of emotion-cognition interactions resulting in cognitive-affective structures (Izard, 1992). Consequently, we assume an interrelation between cognitive variables in forming emotions and satisfaction (Westbrook and Oliver, 1991). Within this context, it is foreseeable that expectations are related to the frequency with which patients experience positive or negative emotions. Therefore:H5. Expectations have a positive effect on positive emotions.H6. Expectations have a negative effect on negative emotions.We presume that service involvement motivates patients to initiate a more positive service-interaction. Consequently, we expect that in a healthcare service there is a high level of involvement given the degree of importance it has for the patient and in which there is a direct relation between the degree of involvement, satisfaction and other predictors such as expectations and emotions. These assumptions led us to make the following predictions:H7. Patient involvement has a positive effect on expectations.H8. Patient involvement has a positive effect on positive emotions.H9. Patient involvement has a negative effect on negative emotionsH10. Patient involvement has a positive effect on patient satisfaction.The research model and the expected effects are represented in Figure 1.\nMethodology: Sample\nResults: Service quality measure\nConclusions and recommendations: In our initial discussion, we considered that the service quality construct is multidimensional. We departed from the assumption that this multidimensionality was equivalent to five quality dimensions proposed by Parasuraman et al. (1988): reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles. However, considering several studies developed by other researchers, we acknowledged that these dimensions lacked stability as well as the possibility that variations may occur depending on the characteristics of each service. This phenomenon is surely related to the required modifications made in the original instrument in order to adapt it to the specific type of service as Parasuraman et al. (1991) acknowledged. These modifications may have, somehow constrained the possibility of replicating the study and, therefore, lowered the likelihood of finding similar results.In our study, SERVQUAL was minimally altered to guarantee its adaptation to Portuguese public healthcare centres' context, considering that the evaluations done by individuals should comprise a multiplicity of levels (the organizations and the individuals) as well as a multiplicity of service providers (physicians, nurses, auxiliary staff, administrative staff) and consequently, a multiplicity of events of service and interactions. From the PCA we identified four dimensions: Reliability, Physician's assurance, Employee's assurance and Tangibles. Regarding the dimensions proposed by Parasuraman et al.(1988), two dimensions were clearly kept: \"reliability\" and \"tangibles\". The remaining two dimensions seemed to be specific to this type of service, as they relate directly to the service providers' occupational level: physicians aggregate Assurance and Empathy dimensions for this professional group and all the other occupations aggregating respective items from Assurance dimension. As Sureshchandar et al. (2002) highlighted, the interaction/intervention element's importance has been acknowledged by many researchers. Service quality measures have shown that with the exception of physical elements, all the remaining measures refer to the human element linked to service performance.This study provides further support for the idea that service quality construct dimensions vary (Vinagre and Neves, 2002) and that it is necessary to adopt a contingency approach in which the number of dimensions varies according to, among others, the type of the service. We believe that this approach is preferable to the idea of the five-factor universal structure present in the SERVQUAL scale. As predicted, given the healthcare services' credential, patients have no \"skill\" to evaluate exactly the service's technical reliability, so the interaction dimensions gained greater saliency: \"assurance and empathy with the physician\", \"assurance with the nursing and auxiliary staff\". This result is also consistent with Donabedian's (1980, 1989) statement that patients often are in no position to assess care process technical quality and they are sensitive to interpersonal relationships.The scale used to evaluate the emotional experience appears valid. The pattern of emotions associated with service experience showed the coexistence of diverse emotions linked to the service experience. Results also supported the process complexity that leads to satisfaction with a service, which involves diverse phenomena within the cognitive and emotional domain. Our study highlights the importance of relational and emotional aspects in patient satisfaction. Satisfaction also varied with the involvement seen as the importance level of the service to the patients. The higher the individual involvement, higher the tendency to feel satisfied with the service provided. The involvement also had a direct and significant effect on emotions: the more important the service is to the individuals the higher the number of positive emotions and the lower the number of negative emotions they experience. Expectations also have a direct effect on emotions: the higher the expected satisfaction the more individuals tend to experience positive emotions and, the less they tend to experience negative emotions. These results support the assimilation effect of expectations. Therefore, the results showed that individuals experience pleasant or unpleasant emotional states following expected levels of satisfaction, operating like a self-fulfilling prophecy.Our study highlighted the effect of emotions, mainly positive ones, on the patient's satisfaction. From a management view point, one should keep in mind that besides seeking to provide high standards in terms of service quality, it is necessary to take into account relational aspects between the service provider (physicians, nurses and auxiliary) and the patients and the goodness of interpersonal skills in patient patient's satisfaction (Donabedian, 1980). Even when performance is perceived as high quality, satisfaction levels may be affected if the providers of these services disregard the patient's emotions and if, consequently, they do not know how to manage those emotions.Some limitations have to be considered in our study. The emotion's inventory we used, although showing good internal consistency, is not extended to typologies proposed by other authors. Future research could develop the idea of dimension variability regarding the service quality dimensions and test whether emotions experienced in specific service contexts (e.g., more or less qualified, a more open or closed transaction, greater or lesser degree of involvement) are also operating within these dynamics.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this research is to develop and empirically test a model to examine the major factors affecting patients' satisfaction that depict and estimate the relationships between service quality, patient's emotions, expectations and involvement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The approach was tested using structural equation modeling, with a sample of 317 patients from six Portuguese public healthcare centres, using a revised SERVQUAL scale for service quality evaluation and an adapted DESII scale for assessing patient emotions.\nFindings: - The scales used to evaluate service quality and emotional experience appears valid. The results support process complexity that leads to health service satisfaction, which involves diverse phenomena within the cognitive and emotional domain, revealing that all the predictors have a significant effect on satisfaction.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The emotions inventory, although showing good internal consistency, might be enlarged to other typologies in further research - needed to confirm these findings.\nPractical implications: - Patient's satisfaction mechanisms are important for improving service quality.\nOriginality/value: - The research shows empirical evidence about the effect of both patient's emotions and service quality on satisfaction with healthcare services. Findings also provide a model that includes valid and reliable measures.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Mediator analysis of passion for work in Indian millennials: Relationship between protean career attitude and proactive work behavior	[ "Behaviour", "Motivation (psychology)", "Employee behaviour", "Attitudes", "Career development", "Individual behaviour" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The contemporary world of work is witnessing a significant shift in terms of workforce demographics and the nature of the employment relationship (Lyons et al., 2012; D'Art and Turner, 2006). The demographics of the workforce are changing with the entry of \"Generation Y\" (Leung, 2013) or \"millennials\" (Ng et al., 2012; Smola and Sutton, 2002) into the workplace. Millennials hold distinct personalities (Loughlin and Barling, 2001; Twenge et al., 2010), work values (Lyons and Kuron, 2014) and distinct work expectations (Hershatter and Epstein, 2010) compared with previous generations. Accordingly, organizations are devising innovative strategies to attract, engage and retain new workforce that can create sustainable competitive advantage (Miller et al., 2013; Jerome et al., 2014). The changes in the employment relationship documented by Baruch (2014) include no guarantee for long-term employment, reduced growth opportunities and shift in overall responsibility for developing and enhancing careers of the employee. This insecure employment environment has replaced traditional career path model with the protean career (Srikanth, 2012; Direnzo and Greenhaus, 2011). The notion of protean career (Hall, 2002) refers to the career attitude in which the employees are in charge of their careers, instead of the organization. Employees with high protean career attitude (PCA) are both self-directed and determined to accomplish values formalized personally (Briscoe et al., 2012). They are expected to initiate establishment of particular goals targeting at the fit between their objectives and values. Organizations also have a preference for responsive (Grant and Parker, 2011) and adaptive employees who perform without continuous requirement of regular supervision (Parker, 2000). A longitudinal study conducted by Seibert et al. (2001) documented that employees who displayed initiative for career management and innovations, acknowledged more rewards compared to the individuals who displayed non-proactive behaviors. Recently, researchers have documented a broad range of positive outcomes of PCA, such as career self-management behaviors (Hirschi and Freund, 2014), organization commitment (Khan et al., 2016), career growth (Waters et al., 2014), job satisfaction and organization commitment (Supeli and Creed, 2016) and subjective career success (De Vos and Soens, 2008). Moreover, researchers have investigated behavioral theories with career landscape, see Koster (2014) whose study linked organization citizenship behavior with career satisfaction. Singh (2007) found the link between leaders' career anchors with followers' organization citizenship behavior. Liu et al. (2012) linked career satisfaction with voice behavior and Lysova et al. (2015) studied career identity with change-supportive behavior. However, there is insufficient evidence on the link between careerist orientation and proactive behavior (Crawshaw et al., 2012). Hence, this study examines the relationship between PCA and PWB. Furthermore, such career attitude is characterized as highly flexible and individuals are motivated to possess greater responsibility in management of their career (Direnzo and Greenhaus, 2011). Millennials are also labeled as flexible and adaptable generation (Fenn, 2010), thereby resembling characteristics of PCA. Although millennials account notable satisfaction with their career development, jobs and recognition (Kowske et al., 2010), but they also demonstrate low level of commitment toward organization, and may decline to work with the same organization, compared with preceding generations (Westerman and Yamamura, 2007). Hence, an investigation of the career attitudes and behavioral outcomes of the millennials within the context of protean careers would help organizations in retention of new workforce (Lyons et al., 2012). Extant literature and research gap within the domains of career attitude, experiences and behavioral outcomes found in millennials becomes a compelling area which needs further research. The present study examines this in detail.\nNeed and context for the study: A large division of the India's demographics belongs to the millennial generation (Arora, 2013). A PwC's (2011) 14th Annual Global CEO Survey (p. 3) found that by 2020, millennial generation will represent about 50 percent of the global workforce. The attitudes and behaviors of Indian millennials at workplace are different from previous generations and they possess an unconventional approach toward managing their careers that is different from traditional career paths (Saxena and Jain, 2012). The career paths of millennials have evolved from linear careers to contemporary careers (Sen and Hooja, 2015). A study conducted by Motiram and Singh (2012) documented that young employees are seen shifting jobs every two years, their long-term commitment in organizations exists only if they find fit between the assigned tasks and their career expectations (Cunningham, 2016). Thus, in the current emerging economy, attracting, developing and retaining millennial generation has been increasingly recognized as a crucial factor for organization's success (Thunnissen et al., 2013).\nTheoretical framework and development of hypotheses: PCA\nMethod: Sample and procedure\nMeasurement: A set of standardized measures were utilized to operationalize the major constructs given in theoretical model. Cronbach's a value (reliability) and validity of all the measures were calculated (Podsakoff et al., 2003), and are demonstrated in Table I.\nResults: Descriptive statistics\nHypotheses testing: Analytical strategy\nDiscussion, conclusion and implications: The findings of the study demonstrate a framework indicating that millennials with high PCA are more likely to display passion for work and proactive behavior in accomplishment of their personal and career goals. This framework is consistent with London's (1983) career motivation theory and self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000; Vallerand et al., 2010). Both theories focus on facets of the social context which refers that employee's attitudes and behaviors are all the way directed through their own values of career management. It is expected that when protean individuals do not find fit between their values and with the values and directions of their workplace, they are less likely to initiate change, or delve in self-management and career development. Therefore, uncovering the path between career attitude and behavior, i.e. internalization for work done in this study will help in focusing at the retention of millennial generation.\nLimitations and future research directions: Our findings in terms of understanding of career attitude and contribution in the career and PWB literature provide avenues for future research. The study captured the link between PCA and PWB through passion for work, but could not examine these relationships longitudinally. As the internalization process is not of fixed nature, it may change after certain duration (Ethier and Deaux, 1994). Likewise, PCA and its conception into some work or activity may also change after a period of time. Hence, we recommend future studies to pursue a longitudinal research design, with intense interviews and narratives in order to capture the complexities of career management and work behavior. This research study is confined to millennial employees working in India only, it will be inappropriate to generalize these findings to millennials belong to other markets. Thus, its generalizability should be made in other markets as well.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between protean career attitude (PCA) and proactive work behaviors (PWB) and with the theoretical underpinning of self-determination theory to ascertain if passion for work acts as a mediator for PCA and PWB.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A survey of 255 millennial employees working in diverse industries in India (such as information technology, banking and education) was conducted. Regression analysis was used to measure the direct effects of the hypothesized relationships. Sobel test and bootstrapping analysis were used to measure the indirect effects of the hypothesized relationship.\nFindings: PCA assists in fostering passion for work. Passion for work is positively related with PWB and fully mediates the relationship between PCA and PWB.\nPractical implications: Employers should provide flexibility in work design and autonomy in career decisions. Also, Human resource managers should provide career growth opportunities to retain millennial talent.\nOriginality/value: This study bridges the knowledge gap between different domains of knowledge including PCA, passion for work and PWB. This study is one of the rare attempts to understand the relationship between PCA and PWB through the lens of passion for work. It also bridges the gap relating to its context. With an increasing number of millennials in workforce in India, an understanding of their career attitudes and outcome behaviors has become a significant concern. The results of the present study underpin career motivation theory, self-determination theory and generational cohort theory.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Exhibition destination attractiveness - organizers' and visitors' perspectives	[ "China", "Visitors", "Destination attractiveness", "Exhibition", "Exhibitors", "Organizers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Large-scale conventions or exhibitions can attract a sizable number of attendees. Conventions are formal assemblies with a large number of people meeting for a common purpose, whereas exhibitions are market events held at intervals at which companies present their main products and sell mainly to commercial buyers on the basis of samples (Kirchgeorg, 2005). Despite subtle differences in meaning and use in different geographical regions (Montgomery and Strick, 1995), terms such as trade fair, tradeshow and exposition are used interchangeably with exhibition in most studies. Both conventions and exhibitions can generate substantial economic contributions to a city or region and solidify its image and reputation as a leading business events destination (Deery and Jago, 2010; Getz, 2008). Thus, government support has been considerable, as has investment in purpose-built infrastructure to develop the potential of a destination as a host of business events (Weber and Ladkin, 2011). In the convention context, stakeholders are mainly associations/meeting planners and attendees. Associations and planners base their selection of a convention site primarily on their perceptions of attendee preferences. In the exhibition context, key stakeholders are organizers, exhibitors and visitors (Bruhn and Hadwich, 2005). To attract a sizable number of exhibitors and visitors for a successful exhibition, organizers have to understand what constitutes an attractive exhibition destination for both parties.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Key stakeholders for exhibitions\n3. Study 1 - visitor surveys: 3.1 Method\n4. Study 2 - organizer interviews: 4.1 Method\n5. Conclusions: This paper discusses exhibition destination attractiveness in China from the perspectives of visitors and organizers rather than that of exhibitors. The cross-stakeholder comparison draws a holistic picture of varying preferences and considerations of the three key exhibition industry players. From the perspective of visitors, exhibition destination attractiveness comprises five dimensions: accessibility, venue facilities, destination leisure environment, destination economic environment and cluster effect (host city/region as sources of exhibitors). Accessibility appeared to be the strongest indicator, followed by venue facilities and leisure environment, signifying aspects visitors valued most. Visitor perspectives differ from exhibitors' perceptions reported by Jin et al. (2013), for whom a destination's cluster effect was the strongest indicator and accessibility was a weaker indicator. For exhibitors, important indicators for a cluster effect included leadership of the host city in the industrial sector, the presence of an industry association and the city as a distribution hub - factors exhibitors valued in determining exhibition destination attractiveness. In contrast, visitors seemed to interpret cluster effect as only host city/region as a source of exhibitors, considering it less important than other destination factors such as accessibility, venue facilities and leisure environment. This difference between visitors and exhibitors with respect to the destination attractiveness scale important and should be noted by both industry and academia. Together, this study and Jin et al.'s (2013) study serve as a strong basis for future validation studies to improve the robustness of the destination attractiveness scale for exhibitors and visitors.\n6. Implications: 6.1 Theoretical implications\n7. Limitations and future research directions: This study has arbitrary boundaries and limitations that in part also present areas for future fruitful research. First, the focus of this research is on location-fixed, trade-to-trade (business-to-business - B2B) exhibitions with a variety of topics, scopes and scales of importance rather than on consumer (business-to-customer - B2C) exhibitions. B2B exhibitions typically involve significant travel for both exhibitors and visitors, and participants are typically from within the industrial segment hosting the event (such as manufacturers, distributors, service providers and industry end-users). In contrast, participants in B2C exhibitions are usually regional end-users of the goods or services exhibited, with visitors not traveling far (UFI, 2014). Caution should therefore be exercised when inferring that destination attractiveness factors derived from this study are applicable to B2C exhibitions or location-mobile exhibitions.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide a holistic view of exhibition destination attractiveness by examining perceptions of two of the three key stakeholders (exhibition organizers and visitors) and contrasting them with those of exhibitors.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research used a mixed method approach, collecting 535 responses from visitors attending nine business-to-business exhibitions in four major cities in China via structured surveys. In addition, eight in-depth interviews with CEOs/owners of leading global and Chinese exhibition companies were conducted.\nFindings: The findings revealed that exhibitors may go almost anywhere where there is potential for successful business. In contrast, visitors prefer exhibition destinations with good accessibility to minimize travel time and an attractive leisure environment that offers a degree of enjoyment in addition to taking care of business. A destination's \"economic environment\" and \"cluster effects\" were comparatively less important to them. Organizers were cognizant of these differences, contributing to their reluctance in taking large-scale, branded exhibitions to second-tier destinations, despite considerable efforts by these cities to improve their infrastructure.\nPractical implications: This study offers practical guidelines for destination administrators and exhibition organizers with regard to evaluating destination resources for long-term exhibition development.\nOriginality/value: In contrast to prior studies, this research identifies significant differences in perceptions of exhibition destination attractiveness among all three key industry stakeholders. It also presents a persuasive case for the need to clearly differentiate between the attractiveness of a destination for attracting/hosting exhibitions versus conventions, rather than approaching the subject from a more generic meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) segment/business events perspective.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Replacing incomplete markets with a complete mess: Katrina and the NFIP	[ "United States of America", "Natural disasters", "Insurance", "Floods" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In mainstream economics, insurance markets are referred to as complete if it is possible to provide a perfect hedge against all possible events. If the supply of contingent claims does not cover all possible events, then markets are referred to as incomplete[1]. One reason for incomplete insurance markets is the presence of \"social risk\" associated with widespread, destructive events (Hirshliefer and Riley, 1979). Such events would include earthquakes, tidal waves, hurricanes and floods. The associated risks cannot be easily diversified.Insurance markets for US floodplains have historically been viewed as a case of incomplete markets. Indeed, the passing of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (which instituted the National Flood Insurance Program - NFIP) was motivated by the alleged incompleteness of insurance markets in the floodplains. As stated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency - FEMA (2002, p. 1):As early as the 1950's, when the feasibility of providing flood insurance was first proposed, it became clear that private insurance companies could not profitably provide such coverage at an affordable price, primarily because of the catastrophic nature of the flooding and the inability to develop an actuarial rate structure which could adequately reflect the risk to which flood-prone properties are exposed.Regardless of whether or not FEMA accurately portrays private insurers' willingness and/or ability to provide flood insurance profitably, the stated purpose is clear[2].Implicit in its policy, the NFIP aims to \"provide some insurance protection to flood victims\" (US Government Accountability Office - US GAO, 2006, p. 1) and to \"pay operating expenses and insurance claims with flood insurance policy premiums rather than tax dollars\" (US GAO, 2006, p. 2)[3]. The later is conditional on the ability of NFIP to borrow from the US Treasury under the expectation that the loans be paid back: \"Historically, the NFIP has been able to repay funds borrowed from the treasury to meet its claims obligations\" (US GAO, 2006, p. 2).The central theses of this paper are that the NFIP in practice (1) has operated mainly to protect the assets of financial intermediaries rather than flood victims and (2) failed to self-fund a meaningful share of its payments, resulting in a considerable tax on the American public and proposals for additional taxes. The arguments presented to support the above theses will be made in the context of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's August 29, 2005 landfall. Furthermore, a subsidiary thesis is that (3) the administration of NFIP flood insurance policies by private insurers has resulted in, post-Katrina, a regrettable transfer of blame from the NFIP to private insurers[4].Embedding the arguments in the context of Katrina's aftermath might at first blush seem exceedingly ungenerous to FEMA and the NFIP. Katrina was an extraordinary event. However, the NFIP exists to complete allegedly incomplete insurance markets conditional on being self-funding. The presence of incomplete markets in the first place is due to \"flood damages, which most commercial insurance companies refused to cover in standard property insurance policies\" (Burby, 2006, p. 175). The prior is that private insurers cannot expect to be self-funding because \"catastrophic losses tend to be lumpy [resembling] not a large number of independent trials but rather a single draw for highly correlated risks\" (Born and Viscusi, 2006, pp. 55-6). So to excuse FEMA and the NFIP from criticism based on Katrina would be akin to excusing them from coping with their raison d'etat.\nWho or what is the NFIP protecting?: If we assume that the NFIP acts to protect flood victims, we would expect to observe it offering flood insurance policies at subsidized (below-market) rates. Furthermore, we would expect the NFIP to encourage and/or require that property-owners in high-risk floodplains obtain the subsidized policies. The encouragement/requirement would be based on the fact that studies have demonstrated property-owners' considerable reluctance to purchase flood insurance, even when subsidized (Anderson, 1974)[5]. The subsidies are not, therefore, expected to arise from across the tax base broadly. They are expected to arise through mandating participation across the floodplains.The NFIP does provide subsidized insurance -, e.g. the average premium in a high-risk area for $100,000 homeowner flood coverage was $1,500 at the time of Katrina[6] - and requires (since the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973) insurance for certain property-owners in high-risk floodplains. However, property-owners for whom flood insurance is mandatory are only those who have a mortgage; they are required to purchase insurance at least up to the outstanding amount on their loan[7]. Given the low propensity of property-owners to purchase flood insurance, the NFIP administrators must have realized that un-mortgaged owners would be unlikely to purchase policies.If most of the insured are mortgaged, then the holders of the mortgages (i.e. the financial intermediaries) are receiving most of the NFIP protection. In other words, the NFIP requires mortgages to be insured; it only offers insurance to property-owners who are recognized as unlikely to take up the offer. Lenders, on the other hand, have traditionally required insurance to be purchased by their borrowers, e.g. in the case of private mortgage insurance (PMI)[8].By the time Katrina made landfall, the state of flood insurance coverage was predictable. Chappell et al. (2007), based on survey data from Gulf Coast Mississippi communities, determined that 69 percent of residents did not have federal flood insurance[9]. FEMA, moreover, recognized the extent to which floodplains residents were without coverage. NFIP spokesman, Butch Kinerney, stated in 2006 that, \"Only 44 percent of the homes that should have flood insurance do have flood insurance\" (Boreczky, 2006)[10]. And FEMA (2002, p. 29) was aware of this issue long before Katrina:Unfortunately, the response nationwide to purchasing flood insurance voluntarily has been less than enthusiastic. Just over 95,000 policies were in force in 1972, and very few victims from Tropical Storm Agnes that hit that same year had flood insurance.Nearly, since the NFIP's inception, it was clear that potential victims of natural disasters were not insuring themselves against flood damage.With a majority of property-owing victims of Katrina uninsured, associated economic losses have been estimated at more than $200 billion (Burby, 2006, p. 171). Claims on NFIP flood insurance from 2005 are estimated at almost $25 billion (Fletcher, 2006)[11]. It is not unreasonable, given the above-cited paucity of flood insurance, that a similar number is associated with uncovered damages.\nThe burdens to taxpayers: Given that subsidized flood insurance was required for certain property-owners and opted for by others, it is without doubt that the NFIP increased the amount of insurance policies provided from pre-NFIP levels in the flood plains. However, the rationale for subsidizing insurance, from a society-wide point of view, was not only that it could be achieved, but also that it could be funded by the collected policy premiums. This must have been justified by:* a belief that private insurers are not large enough to exploit required economies of scale; and/or* private insurers face financing constraints that rule out the kind of intertemporal risk diversification that the NFIP is capable of.Whatever the reasoning, the self-funding of the NFIP was never expected to imply a balanced budget on a year-by-year (or flood-by-flood) basis. Borrowing from the US Treasury (at positive interest) was foreseen given the expectations that continued collection of policy premiums would allow for the borrowing to be repaid. (During relatively calm years, presumably, premiums would create a budget surplus for the NFIP and funds for repayment.)However, pre-Katrina the NFIP was only authorized to borrow up to $1.5 billion from the treasury (US GAO, 2006). And indeed, \"Historically the NFIP has been able to repay funds borrowed from the treasury to meet its claims obligations\" (US GAO, 2006, p. 2). With claims of over $20 billion in 2005, however, Congress upped the borrowing limit to $20.8 billion, \"an amount the program is unlikely to be able to repay while paying future claims with its current premium income of about $2 billion annually\" (US GAO, 2006, p. 2). NFIP spokesman Kinerney even stated in December of 2006 that the interest payments on the treasury borrowings alone were projected to reach $1.3 billion by the end of September 2007 (Wood, 2006).Not only did borrowing limits from the US Treasury have to be increased nearly 139 percent, but also the need to do so disrupted payments on flood insurance claims from reaching Katrina victims for a significant amount of time. On November 16, 2005, realizing that claims outstanding exceeded its borrowing limits, FEMA suspended payments to flood insurance policy holders. Payments were not resumed until Congress upped the borrowing limit in March of 2006[12].Clearly, the NFIP must either raise premiums - decreasing the subsidization and, presumably, the number of policy-holders - or it must have its debt forgiven, resulting in a massive tax on the public. Both of these options have found their way into the US House of Representatives-passed Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007 (HR 3121). At the time of writing the bill is under discussion at the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and, if passed, will increase the allowable NFIP premium increases from 10 to 15 percent annually. As well, $17.5 billion of debt to the treasury will be forgiven (US CBO, 2007).Furthermore, proposals to extend mandatory coverage to include not only 100-year floodplains (where the annual probability of a flood is 1 percent) but also 500-year floodplains (where the annual probability is 0.2 percent) have been discussed (Mogul, 2006). While this proposal has not found its way into legislation, recent proposed legislation has called for FEMA mapping of 500-year floodplains in the USA for the first time and mandatory notification by financial institutions to borrowers in those floodplains of their hazard status[13]. The mapping of 500-year floodplains is a necessary step for any subsequent extension of mandatory flood insurance coverage into those areas. Such extensions would broaden the premium base while decreasing the average size and per-policy number of claims. (This follows from the decreased probability of flooding in the 500- versus 100-year floodplains.) The new mandatory coverage would be essentially a tax on (relatively) low-risk populations to cover the NFIP deficits and debt.Finally, it should be realized that, since the NFIP mandatory coverage primarily shelters lending institutions in practice, whatever taxes are eventually levied to cover the NFIP bailout will complete implicit transfers to those lending institutions.\nPassing the buck: As demonstrated above, FEMA's operation of the NFIP has been problematic. Mandatory flood coverage has been designed in such a fashion as to protect lending institutions first-and-foremost while flood victims have largely remained uncovered. Also, the NFIP has failed as a self-funding insurance scheme and now threatens the public with substantial tax liabilities into the future. But for all its failings, the NFIP has avoided a public relations nightmare to great extent[14]. This is due largely to the administration of the NFIP through private insurance companies.The sale of NFIP flood insurance policies is primarily through a program started in 1983 called Write Your Own (WYO), accounting for 95 percent of policies as of 2002 (FEMA, 2002, pp. 22-3). In 2002, there were 86 private insurance companies participating. In the WYO program, all premiums are transferred to the NFIP and all claims are paid by the NFIP. The private insurers keep only an administration fee. Private insurers operating in the WYO program for the gulf coast in 1995 include State Farm and Allstate (Fletcher, 2006).In high-risk areas, private insurers administer subsidized flood insurance and, because it is subsidized, cannot profitably offer competing policies. Also, private insurers do offer complementary conventional homeowners insurance policies. In Katrina's wake, many residents of the Gulf Coast both did not have flood insurance and mistakenly assumed that their homeowners' policies covered flood damage and the now-infamous storm surge (concurrent wind and water) damage. Property-owners often found themselves with flood insurance claims suspended (by the NFIP) and claims on homeowners policies denied (by private insurers) for what they viewed as misleading clauses (Contreras, 2006).However, whereas private insurers' images suffered significantly (wrongly or rightly) in the eyes of Katrina victims, claimants for flood insurance never dealt directly with the NFIP. This diverted blame for NFIP failings to private insurers. It also exacerbated homeowners' bad feelings towards private insurers for their own failings, real or imagined. For example, Chappell et al. (2007) fail to find a positive correlation in survey evidence between those individuals responding that they having flood insurance and those responding that they had received government aid. They hypothesize that this is because, \"respondents did not equate federal flood insurance with government aid [...] administered by 88 private 'write-your-own' insurance companies, not by FEMA\" (Chappell et al., 2007, p. 358).\nConclusions: The NFIP, as administered by FEMA, aims to provide flood insurance to property-owners in US floodplains, and to fund that provision through the collection of policy premiums rather than taxpayer dollars. This paper contends that the NFIP has proved ineffective in those aims.The NFIP has mandated floodplains coverage to only mortgaged property-owners, resulting in the protection of lending institutions' assets first-and-foremost. Also, the NFIP's subsidized rates resulted in its own insolvency in the wake of Katrina. The tax burdens implied are considerable as the US Congress appears likely to forgive billions of dollars of NFIP debt borrowed from the US Treasury.Robert Detlefsen, the Director of Public Policy for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, perhaps stated the obvious in assessing the problems with the NFIP made evident by Katrina:The critical thing that will determine whether there is a viable market for catastrophe insurance is whether insurers are free to charge a premium that is commensurate with the risk they are taking (Fletcher, 2006).If an insurance scheme is not viable in the floodplains commensurate with the above, then it appears best to not create a facade to the contrary. Doing so provides incentives for property development in high-risk areas. This development associated with costs that taxpayers have not been straightforwardly convinced to bear.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the stated goals of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and then demonstrate that in practice those goals have not been achieved, and at significant cost to US taxpayers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The objectives are achieved by describing statements of the NFIP and the legislation behind it, and then providing an analysis of the NFIP in practice in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.\nFindings: - The NFIP flood insurance primarily shelters lending institutions rather than flood victims. At subsidized rates, premiums covered little of the Katrina-based claims, and future premiums cannot realistically be expected to repay off the resulting debt to the US Treasury.\nResearch limitations/implications: - If the findings are accepted they lead one to conclude that government attempts to complete incomplete markets are fraught with inherent and exceptional difficulties.\nPractical implications: - The NFIP should be eliminated, allowing private insurance to be offered when profitable in floodplains and allowing property-owners to make informed choices as to residence and development.\nOriginality/value: - Attention to general disaster relief and the controversies surrounding private insurers and homeowners policies following Katrina have overshadowed the NFIP's federal flood insurance failings. This paper contributes to that relative void.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Organizational culture, climate and IC: an interaction analysis	[ "Intellectual capital", "Organizational climate", "Organizational culture", "Canada", "Iran", "Lebanon", "Management techniques" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Academic scholars, as well as profit and non-profit organizations, in many countries have put a mounting emphasis on the successful management of knowledge management and the broader concept of intellectual capital (IC). As managers' awareness about the critical role of IC in improving organizational performance increases, there is an increasing demand for studies (Tayles et al., 2007) investigating the attributes that would lead to the successful implementation of IC management systems, not only within their national boundaries, but also across borders. There seems to be an obvious gap in the literature to evaluate the role of culture and climate in improving IC management systems, especially in an international context.The study objective is to investigate empirically the effects of region of residence on moderating the role of organizational culture and climate in supporting IC management systems. The results of the analysis complement those studies that have found culture and climate to be significant in a domestic context (e.g. Isaac et al., 2010) and in an international context (Nazari, Herremans, Isaac, Manassian and Kline, 2009) for supporting IC. This significance in the current study is tested in an international setting by comparing Canada and the Middle East (Iran and Lebanon). This study offers a contribution by investigating the moderating effects of the region of residence on the relationship between organizational characteristics (culture and climate) and IC management systems. The analysis is conducted at the level of an individual's perception of his/her organization, as this is often the point at which IC has an opportunity to take hold and eventually be transferred to the organization level.1.1 Background\n2. Theoretical development: 2.1 IC\n3. Hypotheses development: The aim of the Arab Human Development Report (UNDP, 2003) and the Arab Knowledge Report (UNDP, 2009) is specifically to reduce the knowledge gap between Arab countries and more knowledge-intensive countries. Therefore, as the settings for the data collection, this research includes two developing countries (Lebanon and Iran) and one developed country (Canada) in which the authors have resided and worked for many years.3.1 Countries of analysis\n4. Methods: 4.1 Survey instrument\n5. Results: Before combining the Iranian and Lebanese samples into one Middle Eastern sample, the two samples were compared statistically using an independent sample t-test to confirm that they were similar. Based on the work of Hofstede (1980) and Nazari, Herremans, Isaac, Manassian and Kline (2009), it was assumed that there were no major differences between the two countries; however, this assumption was re-confirmed this in the current study before proceeding with other statistical analyses.The demographic characteristics of the two samples were checked to ensure similarity for comparative purposes. The two samples were similar in age, gender, and functional areas. Final sample included 161 respondents from Canada and 44 respondents from the Middle East. Due to the differences in sample size, homogeneity of variance for each variable in the current study was tested using Levene's test. The variances did not differ between the Canadian and Middle Eastern samples. Thus, at the 99 percent confidence level, the two samples had the same variances.Each of the subscales was subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL 8.4 to determine if a one-dimensional construct versus a multidimensional construct model better fit the data (see Table I). In each instance, the multi-dimensional construct was a significantly better fit.The reliability of each construct was determined by computing Cronbach's alpha coefficient for pooled data from all countries. The alpha coefficients ranged from 0.66 to 0.88. There were only two constructs that had Cronbach's alpha of less than 0.70, fear of unknown (a=0.66) and ownership of ideas (a=0.67). Davis (1964, p. 24) suggested that for studies involving more than 50 subjects one may accept reliability levels that are even less than 0.5. Nunnally (1967, p. 226) suggested that:In the early stages of research on predictor tests or hypothesized measures of a construct, one saves time and energy by working with instruments that have only modest reliability, for which purpose reliabilities of .60 or .50 will suffice.This study meets both of these conditions, given a much larger subject pool (205 respondents) and its exploratory nature, as little empirical study has been done on climate to date. Further, other researchers have utilized Cronbach's alphas below 0.7 for subscales in the early exploratory stages of their studies (e.g., Chau and Tam, 1997).Correlations were also run to identify the significance of bilateral relationships between the study constructs. All three categories of IC were significantly related to all the dimensions of organizational culture and organizational climate (p<0.01). The relationships among the study constructs were significant, but they were all lower than 0.71, indicating the lack of collinearity.5.1 T-test results and sample specific descriptive statistics\n6. Discussion and conclusion: In the present study, support was found for strong correlations for the three components of IC management systems (human, structural, and relational) and all culture and climate constructs and their sub-components (sig<0.01 level). The findings suggest that cultures possessing characteristics of cooperation, deference to power, and fear of the unknown support IC management systems (similar to Nazari, Herremans, Isaac, Manassian and Kline, 2009). However, the current study contributes to the literature by extending their application to the North American as well as the Middle Eastern contexts in the realm of the development of IC managerial systems and distinguishing between culture and climate variables.Regarding the IC literature, several authors had theorized about the importance of culture to IC development and knowledge management (Alavi et al., 2005; De Long and Fahey, 2000; McDermott and O'Dell, 2001); however, this research provides empirical support and specifically investigates culture's relationship to managerial systems related to IC. The four climate variables of risk-taking, trust, openness, and ownership were highly correlated with IC management systems. Calculated risk-taking is important for the creation of ideas (Detert et al., 2000; Leonard-Barton, 1995) and learning from unsuccessful endeavors (De Long and Fahey, 2000). Lower trust levels among employees inhibit sharing knowledge, building strong relationships, and using infrastructure and systems. This finding supports previous research regarding knowledge management (Alavi et al., 2005; Gold et al., 2001); however, this research extends this relationship to all three dimensions of IC management systems and tests the relationship in different international contexts. Openness within an organization is supportive of the generation of new ideas and innovation during activities such as brainstorming (Gold et al., 2001; Starbuck, 1992) as employees share their knowledge with others (Alavi et al., 2005). Finally, when employees fear that their ideas will be credited to others, it is unlikely that new knowledge will flourish in an organization (De Long and Fahey, 2000).The investigation continued to determine if this relationship would remain the same if culture or climate were expected to change. An important implication for managers was discovered. For culture, Canada and the Middle East showed similar results in IC management systems when culture improves. However, for climate, if the organizational climate improves in the Middle East, respondents perceived even greater improvements in IC management systems than did their Canadian counterparts. This work provides greater insight into a number of previous studies about Middle Eastern countries (Ali and Sabri, 2001; Attiyah, 1993; Hofstede, 1991). These previous studies suggested that Middle Eastern firms restrict the effective transfer and management of knowledge through bureaucratic structures, power, and inadequate concern for knowledge, but they were unable to attribute the difficulties to a distinction between culture and climate. As well, the recent Arab Human Development (UNDP, 2003) and Arab Knowledge Reports (UNDP, 2009, p. 220) recognized the importance of the findings of these studies by suggesting that the Arab countries need to develop \"openness to, and inter-communication with, humanity at large\" to reduce the knowledge gap between the Arab countries and knowledge-intensive countries, such as Canada. They further suggested that the research output in the Middle Eastern region is low due to several reasons, some which relate to the culture and climate. Although this study was limited to organizations, they are appropriate places to address the challenges of oppressive climates of intellectual restrictions and the lack of support for innovation and creativity. Based on the findings, Middle Eastern organizations must seek to create climates that tolerate mistakes to lower barriers that impede knowledge sharing and generation (McLaughlin et al., 2008) and that empower employees to undergo learning processes (Cegarra-Navarro and Dewhurst, 2006). They also need to emphasize the development of an open climate to permit tacit knowledge sharing (Seidler-de Alwis and Hartmann, 2008) and informally to encourage creativity through knowledge sharing (Taminiau et al., 2009). Finally, they need to promote frequent interaction among employees to enhance the creation of team-based knowledge (Donnelly, 2008) and the sharing of tacit knowledge (Cavusgil et al., 2003).When organizations tolerate mistakes in the knowledge development process, the barriers to knowledge creation and sharing diminish (McLaughlin et al., 2008). Empowered organizational control permits companies to undergo learning processes due to modification or abandonment of ideas or products failing to meet customers' needs and expectations (Cegarra-Navarro and Dewhurst, 2006). Also, climates that feature openness enhance the sharing of tacit knowledge (Seidler-de Alwis and Hartmann, 2008). Informality of knowledge sharing within an organization's climate encourages creativity (Taminiau et al., 2009). Finally, frequent interaction among employees promotes the sharing of knowledge (Cavusgil et al., 2003) and supports team-based knowledge creation (Donnelly, 2008).To this end, the findings of this study which highlight the importance of organizational climate variables (risk-taking, trust, openness, ownership of ideas) in fostering IC in two countries of the Middle East are pertinent and constitute a stepping-stone in attempting to transform the region into a knowledge society. The findings from the current study can be instrumental in achieving the practical benefits in line with the following recommendations of the Arab Knowledge Report (UNDP, 2009) and the Arab Human Development Report (UNDP, 2003):* Improve knowledge sharing within the organization and boost organizational productivity; within the region, allowing for acceleration of efforts to become part of the worldwide knowledge economy; within the country, leading to improvement of national economy.* Increase employee satisfaction and retain employees within an organization, reducing recruitment, selection, and training costs.* Provide a stimulating and challenging environment within each organization that will contribute to the reduction or reversal of the brain drain on a national level.* Tap the knowledge of migrant workers within the regional economies.* Attract greater foreign direct investment within the national and regional economies.* Facilitate the transfer of knowledge from advanced economies to economies of the region.Even though not all of the recommendations pertain to organizations, organizations constitute the building blocks of national economies. It is only by understanding and improving organizational environments for cultivating IC that steps can be taken toward the attainment of national and regional objectives of creating knowledge societies.Finally, Schein (1986, p. 95, emphasis added),differentiating between culture and climate, suggested that even in domestic organizations, climate \"can be managed in the traditional sense, but it is not at all clear whether the underlying culture can be.\" Based on the findings, it is suggested that managers with international operations in the Middle East, as well managers overseeing domestic operations, concentrate their efforts on changing organizational climate (risk-taking, trust, openness, and ownership of ideas) rather than culture, as culture tends to be deeply engrained in the sub-conscious and more difficult to change, in part, because employees are unaware of their own culture. As well, McDermott and O'Dell (2001) suggested that it is better to adapt IC management systems to the culture of an organization rather than changing the culture to be conducive to IC management systems.\n7. Limitations and future research: Future research should examine the findings of this study in more organizations in the Middle East and among more Middle Eastern countries to determine if these relationships are generalizable to a broader sample. In line with Denison's (1996) call for research incorporating both culture and climate variables, in the present study the culture variables are distinguished from the climate variables based on previous research. Larger sample sizes would also allow for a more sophisticated analysis through a simultaneous regression analysis, which allows for testing of more in-depth relationships between the various culture and climate variables and the effect of each on IC systems. Future research would continue to distinguish other dimensions of both culture and climate that are important in developing good IC management systems.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This study aims to empirically investigate the role of organizational culture and climate in supporting intellectual capital (IC) management systems. Specifically, it seeks to investigate the relationship between organizational characteristics (culture and climate) and IC management systems in the Middle East (Iran and Lebanon) and Canada.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Data were gathered via a survey instrument and statistical analysis was used to test for significance between dependent and independent variables. Then a two-stage hierarchical multiple regression was used to test for the nature and effects of country of origin as a moderating variable.\nFindings: - The findings suggest that both culture and climate play significant roles in developing management systems for IC. In addition, for country, when organizational climate improves, Middle Eastern respondents perceived an even greater improvement in IC management systems compared to their Canadian counterparts.\nOriginality/value: - There is limited research that has been undertaken to compare developed and developing countries with regard to the influence of organizational characteristics on IC management systems. This research is timely given the recent publication of the Arab Human Development Report and the Arab Knowledge Report. This study provides insight into the ability of organizations in the Middle East to develop a knowledge base and reduce the knowledge gap between the Arab world and countries currently classified as knowledge intensive.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Leadership vision as a moral duty	[ "Stewardship", "Followership", "Moral leadership", "Covenantal nature of leadership", "Leadership vision" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nLeadership vision as a moral duty: Although much has been written about leadership, leaders struggle to obtain the trust, followership, commitment, and extra-role effort required to compete in today's global marketplace (Bennis and Nanus, 2007). Scholars such as Paine (2002), consultants such as Covey (2015), and practitioners such as DePree (2004) have written about the importance of both instrumental and normative outcomes and the importance of treating employees as valued partners. Block (2013), Hernandez (2008, 2012), and Ciulla (2014) have all addressed the stewardship obligation of leaders and Organ (1988), Organ et al. (2005), Pava (2003), and DePree (2004) have all described leadership as a \"covenantal relationship\" with sacred obligations. But often today's leaders fail to meet the expectations of those whom they seek to lead - a problem affirmed as the challenge of leadership by such experts as Barnard (1938), Simon (1956), Pfeffer (1998), and Christensen (2016) for the past eight decades.\nDefining leadership vision: The etymology of \"vision\" provides rich insight into its practical meaning. The word comes from the Proto-Indo European root weid with usage found in the vocabularies of 19 different countries (Online Dictionary of Etymologyy, n.d.). Significantly, vision has traditionally meant \"to know\" as well as the capacity \"to see\" (Online Dictionary of Etymology, n.d.). It is in understanding vision in terms of what one knows and can apply - in addition to what one sees - which enables organizations and their employees to achieve their highest potential (Covey, 2005, pp. 98-99).\nElements of leadership vision: Leadership vision consists of six important elements. In this section, we identify those elements and present nine propositions.\nImplications of the paper: This paper provides three significant contributions about leadership vision and its practical implications:\nConclusion: Opportunities for future research abound in testing the elements and propositions of this paper. Each of the propositions suggests measurable elements of the leadership that have practical implications for the modern organization. As leaders struggle to earn and retain the trust of those whom they seek to lead and to serve they require wisdom, experience, and a broad range of skills that are important to understand (Kouzes and Posner, 2012). As scholars and practitioners work together to examine the propositions of this paper, they have the opportunity to confirm or disconfirm the validity of the assumptions and ideas contained herein.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Although much has been written about leadership, the concept of leadership vision is not widely understood, is far more complex than is commonly perceived, and is profoundly ethical in its normative and instrumental nature. The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of leadership vision, identify seven complex elements, which are key elements of leadership, and identify the importance of leadership vision as a moral duty. Eight testable propositions about leadership vision are presented that address the nature of leadership vision.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper begins with an examination of the complex nature of leadership vision. After defining leadership vision, this paper identifies seven key elements and nine propositions that practitioners and scholars can test to assess the nature of that vision. Following the presentation of three significant contributions, this paper concludes with a challenge to practitioners and scholars to closely examine the importance of leadership vision.\nFindings: This paper invites leaders in today's complex organizations to refine their leadership vision by honoring the duties they owe to others. The leadership vision strengthens leaders' capacity to guide and serve their organizations and the people working within them.\nPractical implications: This paper assists leaders in their duty to serve their organizations, its stakeholders, and a society that badly needs great leaders with vision, commitment to excellence, and a clear moral compass.\nOriginality/value: This paper provides three significant implications about leadership vision. It defines leadership vision as a complex and multi-faceted moral duty; it presents eight testable propositions about leadership vision, which have value for both practitioners and scholars; it raises the bar for would-be leaders with regard to the obligations that they have in serving others and in guiding organizations.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Touch transforms the culture at HC-One: New business deals with legacy of poor management and damaged morale	[ "Organizational culture", "Organizational change", "Awards", "Care homes", "Computer-based learning" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: A new business created following the collapse of UK care-home company Southern Cross had to deal with a legacy of poor management and damaged morale and their inevitable consequences for service quality.\nBuilding a learning culture: \"We were a bit shocked when we realized that we had inherited a culture where staff were heard to say, 'Training is training, but what we actually do in the workplace is different!'\" Alison Innes-Farquhar recalled. \"Building competent compliance meant overcoming this division between training and operations and linking learning messages to the real work experience. This meant capturing the vision and values of the new business and embedding them throughout the learning content.\"\nManaging training delivery: No matter how effective the learning content, building compliance also depends on the effective management of training delivery so that all employees are able to complete the required training at the appropriate time. HC-One's Touchstone learning-management system has a range of tools to help local managers to ensure that their homes meet all the regulatory requirements.\nTransforming the workplace learning experience: Almost all staff are now use Touch e-learning. They have completed just over 250,000 e-learning courses in 12 months - amounting to a total of 228,000 training hours delivered. An online evaluation of Touch, completed by more than 4,400 learners, gives average approval ratings of 92 percent across a range of usability and quality measures.\nReductions in the cost of training: E-learning has enabled HC-One to reduce the time that staff are off-shift for training. This has reduced the delivery cost per head of compliance training courses by 67 percent, resulting in a cumulative saving in spending on training of more than PS4 million in 12 months.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Observes how a learning program helped a new business created following the collapse of UK care-home company Southern Cross to deal with a legacy of poor management and damaged morale and their inevitable consequences for service quality.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Explains the reasons for the introduction of the Touch learning program, the form it takes and the results it has achieved.\nFindings: Reveals that 24 bespoke courses have been created for the 15,000-strong workforce. There have been 250,000 course completions, taking around 228,000 hours in total. Around PS4 million has been saved on training in the first year of the program.\nPractical implications: Describes how an effective communication program helped to secure support for e-learning among a workforce that had previously been less tech-savvy than the average.\nSocial implications: Highlights the particular advantages of the training program for a dispersed workforce where regulatory compliance is an important issue.\nOriginality/value: Provides the inside story of how a training program helped to transform organizational culture and individual performance.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The effect of institutional transition on entrepreneurial orientation of family businesses: Evidence from India	[ "Emerging economy", "Entrepreneurial orientation", "Family firms", "Pro-market reforms" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is the set of organizational processes, methods and styles that firms use to act entrepreneurially (Miller, 1983; Randerson, 2016). EO among family firms has been a topic of interest within family business as well as entrepreneurship literature (Bettinelli et al., 2017; Covin and Lumpkin, 2011; Cruz and Nordqvist, 2012; Liu, 2014; Lumpkin et al., 2010; Naldi et al., 2007; Patel and Chrisman, 2014; Schepers et al., 2014; Sciascia et al., 2013; Short et al., 2009; Wales, 2016; Zellweger and Sieger, 2012; Zellweger et al., 2012). One stream of research argues that a family firm's risk aversion (Naldi et al., 2007), lack of requisite skills within family and reluctance to share control with non-family members (Chrisman et al., 2015; Gomez-Mejia et al., 2007; Mishra and McConaughy, 1999) make them less entrepreneurial. The other stream of research argues that higher levels of discretion, low bureaucracy, long-term orientation, patient capital, altruism and alignment of interest among owners and managers make family firms more entrepreneurial (Carney, 2005; Chrisman et al., 2015; Schulze et al., 2001; Sirmon and Hitt, 2003). What has been largely overlooked in this line of literature is the effect of institutions that create and/or regulate \"the rules of the game (here business transactions)\" (North, 1990, p. 3). This paper intends to fill this gap by examining how institutional transformation may facilitate or constrain the EO of family firms, especially in a large and important emerging economy, India, that is quite different from that of developed economies and going through an institutional evolution. Taking such an institutional perspective from a relatively unexplored yet unique institutional context, India, offers the potential to gain noteworthy insight into the contextual influences affecting the family firm entrepreneurial behavior (Randerson et al., 2015) and enriching the family business literature.\nTheory and hypotheses: Family business and EO\nMethods: Data\nMethodology: Panel data have several advantages over cross-sectional or time series data including more degrees of freedom, which improves the efficiency of econometric analysis. It has greater ability to capture complex phenomenon and dynamic relationships. It reduces measurement errors and omitted variable bias (Hsiao, 2007; Wooldridge, 2002). Hence, the authors conducted a retrospective, observational study using multiple ordinary least square regressions on the unbalanced panel data using Equation (1), where i, t, and l represent firms, years and different controls, respectively. After that, a sub-sample analysis of only family firms was conducted using Equation (2), where i, t and l represent firms, years and different controls, respectively. The value of the coefficient b11 in Equation (1) captures the main effect of family business on EO. Meanwhile, the value of the coefficient b31 in Equation (1) captures the conditional effect of pro-market reforms and family business on EO. Similarly, the value of the coefficient b32 in Equation (2) captures the conditional effect of pro-market reforms and FBG on EO (Baron and Kenny, 1986):(1)\nResults: Table I reports the descriptive statistics for the variables of interest. We find that the average firm is approximately 20 years old, while the average age of family-owned firms is 28 years and FBG firms is 35 years; the average firm has a return on assets of almost 21 percent; the average firm spends nearly 4 percent of its sales revenue on marketing; and 20 percent of the firms are listed on the stock exchange. Table II reports the results of the main effect of the family business as well as the conditional effect of pro-market reforms on EO. The models are arranged incrementally, with the main baseline specification followed by the model with interaction variables added. The various fit parameters, such as the overall R2 value, show that the model increasingly fits the data better.\nDiscussion: EO is an important aspect of generic growth through internal resources practised by family firms and is often seen as a precursor to corporate entrepreneurship (Harms, 2013). Families that want to stay in business for generations do not have a choice but to encourage entrepreneurship (Davis and Roberts, 2014). Due to the hypercompetitive business environment and rapid technological shifts, it has become imperative to identify fresh ways to satisfy consumer needs. Thus, it is widely acknowledged that \"entrepreneurship serves as the 'means' to the family business' 'end' of long-term survival, sustainability, growth, and renewal\" (Goel and Jones, 2016, p. 94). However, given the heterogeneity in the entrepreneurial behavior of family firms (Le Breton-Miller et al., 2015), this study looks at some factors that either encourage or inhibit EO in family firms.\nConclusion: Using a novel data set from an emerging market, this study investigates the impact of family ownership on EO. It also investigates contingencies when they are likely to be risk averse, thus accounting for both the heterogeneity in the behavior of family firms as well the dichotomy of positive and negative views of family ownership on EO. For family entrepreneurs, the paper suggests the importance of quickly adapting to the new institutional environment, while for policy makers it highlights the effect of reforms on a vital part of the economy. The institutional contexts for business families and family firms in some of the emerging economies like India have been undergoing significant changes, triggering an unprecedented abundance of new opportunities. This emerging phenomenon offers great opportunities for family firms' entrepreneurship research, and our study is an early attempt to capitalize on the same. The authors hope that this effort will inspire more research on family firms' entrepreneurial behavior leveraging the contextual peculiarities of emerging economies like India to enrich family business theory and practice.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the impact of family ownership on the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of firms in an emerging market and the contingencies under which it is likely to be affected.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper adopted a panel data multiple regression using ordinary least square methodology on a sample of 51,972 observations belonging to 12,250 firms from India.\nFindings: The study finds that family businesses have higher EO than non-family firms. However, it is likely to be affected during institutional transition due to environmental uncertainty. Furthermore, during institutional transition, there will be differences in the EO of family business groups and stand-alone family firms due to the former's ubiquitous network-level resource advantages.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper contributes to the literature on family business by reconciling the positive and negative views on the effect of family ownership on EO by arguing that the risk-taking behavior of family firms is contingent on the environmental conditions and the resource position of the firm.\nPractical implications: This study will enable managers and other stakeholders to predict the entrepreneurial attitude of family-owned firms during environmentally stable as well as turbulent times.\nSocial implications: This study highlights the implication of institutional transition through reforms on a vital part of the economy. Policy makers have to be sensitive to repercussions on family business due to environmental turbulence.\nOriginality/value: This is one of the first papers that investigate the influence of institutional transition and the resource position of Indian family firms on their EO.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Using Monte Carlo simulation to refine emergency logistics response models: a case study	[ "Modelling", "Monte Carlo simulation", "Emergency measures", "Response time" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Over the past few years, the literature related to emergency logistics has greatly expanded. A number of emergency or emergency logistics plans and response framework have been developed by numerous agencies and governments around the world. However, many of these seem to be purely theoretical and relatively ineffective in their initial response or subject to unforeseen constraints. It is, therefore important to develop a more comprehensive approach and provide a holistic emergency logistics planning framework that key-related stakeholders can adhere to.The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for the development of emergency logistics response model. The proposition of a theoretical or conceptual model is in itself not sufficient. What is needed is to validate the proposed emergency response model through the use of simulation models.The proposed planning framework focuses on the preparedness phase of emergency operations with a focus on responsiveness capability. Responsiveness is a key issue for emergency logistics as aid has to arrive as quickly as possible, in the right place, in the right condition to help disaster victims. In order to illustrate the proposed emergency logistics planning framework and its application, an illustrative case study is presented in order to help emergency logistics decision makers understand better how to improve their emergency logistics planning process.This manuscript is separated into four main sections. The first section introduces the paper and its objectives. The second section discusses key concepts related to the development of emergency logistics response model. The third section introduces the role of simulation models in emergency logistics. The fourth section describes the illustrative case study of a Thai emergency logistics response model and its simulated outcome. The summary further discusses lessons learned from the simulation outcome of the proposed Thai logistics response model and its impact on emergency logistics planning.\n2 Basic principles of emergency logistics response modelling: According to Beresford and Pettit (2009), the aim of emergency logistics is to establish a tailored supply pipeline that fits a particular crisis or natural disaster. The principal leg of the pipeline is usually transport and freight transport is generally a key \"driver\" of the emergency supply chain in most cases. A variety of transport modes from road to air (Barbarosoglu et al., 2002) is likely to be used in order for aid to reach a crisis area rapidly.Over the past few years, the literature related to emergency logistics has greatly expanded. A number of models have been identified which incorporated many key stages of the emergency cycle and are discussed in detail by Pettit and Beresford (2005). Relevant models include the disaster management cycle (Carter, 1999) and the recovery model of Haas et al. (1977). The latter identifies overlaps that occur between each of phases of the full emergency cycle. Military involvement in the early stages of an emergency is usually greater due to the capability of military organisations to respond rapidly to severe needs.The work of Jennings et al. (2000) detailed some of the basic principles surrounding the movement of food and commodities into areas where assistance is required. The authors developed a response model expressed in terms of the selection of transport modes and networks required for effective delivery of assistance to refugees. Pettit and Beresford (2005) expanded the earlier Jennings model with the purpose of developing a better understanding of emergency logistics needs by splitting a specific emergency into different stages or phases. In their model, the focus was on the participation of military and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in emergency situations. During the initial stages following any disaster, the body playing a pivotal role is the relevant government, often initially activating military resources but as soon as the situation stabilises so does the importance of military assistance declines; NGOs then take over, commonly leading to specific aspects of the emergency operations. Other situational factors that could either facilitate or hinder emergency operations were also accounted for in the proposed model such as, for example, the underlying political situation or physical geography/accessibility.Although each crisis is unique in its characteristics, most crises exhibit similar logistical elements. These elements allow the logistician involved in emergency operations to follow a structured response pattern when dealing with the majority of crisis. This response pattern is shown in Figure 1 which represents a basic disaster response model.Crisis situations share similar logistical elements. Wherever the crisis occurs, the need for first aid and food is immediate and ongoing. According to the World Food Program, it can take on average approximately four months for food aid to reach recipients in crisis area through a fully charged logistics pipeline. Therefore, the emergency agency either has to divert freight that is already afloat, borrow or buy food from a neighbouring country or geographical area, or even transport first aid and food by air. This method of supplying first aid and food can continue until aid from various donors arrives.In order to establish such emergency pipeline, the emergency logistics planner must first assess various attributes of the crisis affected location and, in the case of landlocked nations, the neighbouring countries as well.As a starting point, a suitable port will need at least to be chosen. This decision will depend largely on the handling, storage and efficiency of the port in question. The infrastructure from the port to the crisis stricken area needs to be considered and assessed, as well as the political situation, topology and seasonal fluctuations of the weather. All these factors influence the choice of emergency route and mode by which aid will be transported.Last but not the least a suitable storage site for aid must be established at the distribution site, so as to ensure a constant supply in reserve at all times. Once the port and route and storage facilities have been established and the emergency pipeline is sufficiently charged, alternative routes can then be ascertained in case of bottlenecks and complications in the established emergency pipeline. It is of paramount importance throughout the crisis to always deliver sufficient quantities of aid at regular intervals, as the lives of crisis affected people depend on it.As the emergency matures, and a constant supply of aid is arriving at key distribution sites, the emergency logistics planner's attention can then switch to minimizing emergency aid logistics cost. The extent to which emergency logistics costs can be reduced depend largely on the expected duration of the crisis, however, the main reductions in cost can occur through the selection of alternative modes and routes, and by reducing handling and storage.The principle objective of emergency logistics is to get the logistics response up and running as quickly as possible and to establish the pipeline to be as robust as circumstances dictate in order that interruptions in supply do not occur. While satisfying these objectives, the emergency logistics system must also be able to keep costs of operating the logistics pipeline to a minimum.A major advantage for any aid agency in a crisis situation is the gift of forethought. If an area is prone to natural disasters and/or civil conflict, then it is beneficial to have equipment needed at the outset of an emergency nearby, for example, Strategic Logistics Stock for Asia's tsunami areas based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, the storage of aid in large quantities is often not very cost-effective.The ability to borrow or buy food at short notice from a nearby location is useful at the outset of a crisis. Aid agencies can pre-arrange these agreements with countries and firms in disaster prone areas prior to any emergency occurring, thus reducing the time taken to move the initial supplies. These pre-arranged agreements can result in a reduction in costs, as aid that is borrowed or bought from a neighbouring area may have previously been flown in and stocked.It must, however, be stressed that crisis situations are not static as the crisis is constantly mutating and changing. This can result in past emergency logistics operations and cost-effective route, mode or even both, not being the best option under the present conditions. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that emergency logistics planners embrace a flexible planning approach to allow for different scenarios. The generic disaster model presented in this paper tries to clarify some of the options available in logistics planning during crisis conditions.The logistics of moving aid to an actual crisis area is obviously far more complex than any model can portray. However, the basic emergency logistics response model, as shown in Figure 1, does illustrate key difficulties that can arise in a crisis and the possible thought process that an emergency logistics planner may use. Logistics pipeline charging, and if necessary re-charging, is the key on-going task once supply lines are established and managing the logistics pipeline in constantly varying conditions is an on-going process.The ultimate aim in emergency logistics response planning is to establish a logistics pipeline that is tailored to fit that particular crisis, and which must be able to minimize costs in the long run. The rationale behind emergency logistics cost reduction is to make more resources available for the acquisition of necessary aid. Meeting customers' requirements is another core logistics principle but in the case of emergency logistics \"timeliness\" and \"responsiveness\" are critical performance dimensions. While the price of aid can sometime be considered as a secondary issue in emergency circumstances, cost should not be as high as via ad hoc channels which are established by a variety of aid agencies in a post-disaster scenario. Clear time-definite key performance indicators as well as best estimates of the types of goods needed would need to be clearly defined beforehand (Pettit and Beresford, 2009).\n3 Simulation modelling for emergency logistics response: The use of simulation modelling is relatively common in management plan formulation in order to consider the impact of decisions on the management of a given system. Simulation model output can be assessed, interpreted for further refinement or other scenario planning. This avoids the risk of actually implementing a decision without understanding the possible consequences.Figure 2 shows the simulation model development framework. The input of the simulation model can include data from interviews of related respondents, a collection of previous emergency logistics response data and other published information. The data of interest are the time needed for each relief activity, during and after the disaster from both an information and physical perspective.In the case of information derived from interview logs or news clippings, these details may sometime be qualitative and ambiguous. On the other hand, quantitative information such as response time data from previous emergency logistics operations can be mathematically analysed directly. These qualitative and quantitative data can then be used as input for the developed emergency response simulation model. The output of the simulation model can provide key information for decision making as the simulated emergency relief logistics model can be further improved to better meet emergency operations requirements.Figure 3 shows the developed simulation model. When the necessary data, such as the time needed for each activity, are collected, a distribution analysis can be conducted. The known distribution of inputs is used to generate data for the calculation and simulation of relief logistics activity time taken. The total time required for emergency logistics activities is then revealed. As the simulation model requires a series of iteration, this will increase the confidence level of the output. The collection of the response time will then be analysed and finally incorporated in any necessary decision making related to emergency logistics relief planning.In developing simulation models for emergency logistics, the use of Monte Carlo simulation can be selected to simulate the output of any logistics response model. Monte Carlo simulation is a computerised mathematical technique that allows people to take into account risks in quantitative analysis and decision making (Mooney, 1997). The technique is used by professionals in such widely disparate fields as finance, project management, energy, manufacturing, engineering, research and development, insurance, oil and gas, transportation and the environment. To put it simply, Monte Carlo simulation is a method that evaluates iteratively a deterministic model using sets of random numbers as inputs.Monte Carlo simulation provides decision makers with a range of possible outcomes and the probabilities that will occur for any choice of action. This is of great importance to emergency logistics decision makers and planners. It shows the extreme possibilities, the outcomes of going for broke and for the most conservative decision, along with all possible consequences for middle-of-the-road decisions.Monte Carlo simulation performs risk analysis by building models of possible results by substituting a range of values, a probability distribution, for any factor that has inherent uncertainty. It then calculates results over and over, each time using a different set of random values from the probability functions. Depending upon the number of uncertainties and the ranges specified for them, a Monte Carlo simulation can involve as much as thousands or tens of thousands of re-calculations before it is complete. Monte Carlo simulation produces distributions of possible outcome values.In using probability distributions, variables can have different probabilities of different outcomes occurring. Probability distributions are a much more realistic way of describing uncertainty in risk analysis variables.During a Monte Carlo simulation, values are sampled at random from the input probability distributions. Each set of samples is referred to an \"iteration\" and the resulting outcome from that sample is recorded. Monte Carlo simulation does this hundreds or thousands of times, and the result is a probability distribution of possible outcomes. In this way, Monte Carlo simulation provides a much more comprehensive view of what may happen. It tells the emergency logistics decision maker not only what could happen, but how likely it is to happen.Emergency logistics planners need not only to conceptualise and propose emergency logistics response models but also simulate the potential outcomes of their proposed response model. This will enable them to better understand the impact of their planning decisions. Preparedness is a key condition to successful emergency operations. The usage of simulation models can refine proposed emergency logistics response model for further improvement before any field trials are conducted.\n4 From theory to practice: insights from Thailand: 4.1 The Thai context\n5 Summary: Proposing a new emergency or disaster logistics response model is in itself challenging enough (Kovacs and Spens, 2009) but not sufficient. What is needed is to be able to predict the model behaviour if it is going to be implemented. This can be done through the development of a Monte Carlo simulation model. This option is much less risky than actually waiting for another tsunami or another natural disaster to happen and test the developed emergency logistics response model in a real-life situation.A number of constraints have affected the simulation model outputs and this need to be considered in terms of their respective impact on the emergency operations. The biggest constraint in the Thai logistics response model has been identified as the road clearance activities that enable access to prone areas. The longer it takes to clear access, the longer will it take for the supplies to get to destination while the alternative would be of course, to use different transport mode to deliver aid such as air drops or even coastal shipping services. Emphasis can therefore be targeted at this specific activity as a key success factor for the emergency response to be within the determined time.The simulation model results enable decision makers to re-think proposed logistics response model and test their performance under a controlled environment. The re-engineering of information, physical and control flows within the logistics response model can then further be conducted and tested to improve the model output. However, it must not be forgotten that the revised and simulated logistics response model to be designed will never be perfect as there are still other factors and constraints that have not been and can never be included in a simulation model.A simulation model is only a tool that can help emergency logistics decision makers better understand the dynamics within an emergency logistics response plan. Simulation results are always subjected to limitations but they are a good starting point in any planning process.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for the development of emergency logistics response models. The proposition of a conceptual framework is in itself not sufficient and simulation models are further needed in order to help emergency logistics decision makers in refining their preparedness planning process.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper presents a framework proposition with illustrative case study.\nFindings: - The use of simulation modelling can help enhance the reliability and validity of developed emergency response model.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The emergency response model outcomes are still based on simulated outputs and would still need to be validated in a real-life environment. Proposing a new or revised emergency logistics response model is not sufficient. Developed logistics response models need to be further validated and simulation modelling can help enhance validity.\nPractical implications: - Emergency logistics decision makers can make better informed decisions based on simulation model output and can further refine their decision-making capability.\nOriginality/value: - The paper posits the contribution of simulation modelling as part of the framework for developing and refining emergency logistics response.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Do labels influence purchase decisions of food products? Study of young consumers of an emerging market	[ "India", "Consumer behaviour", "Emerging market", "Consumer purchasing decisions", "Food labels", "Packaged food" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Recent food crises and continuous debate on the suitability of genetically modified organism food products have added into consumer's anxiety and concerns for food quality and safety. Ever increasing demand for information on quality, process, and origin of food products have resulted in the manifold increase in sales of packaged products which are now labeled with basic information about the products. A food label, which is one of the essential mediums through which consumers get to know what the food contains, allows them to take proper decisions based on all the necessary information about healthy and hygienic nature of food product (Latiff et al., 2016). Uncertainty is high in the food domain because the product cannot be experienced before purchase (Giraud, 2003). Labeling is a powerful quality signal and a direct aid to consumers in making purchase decisions because they can convey important information on the search, experience, and credence attributes of the products (Dimara and Skuras, 2005). Labeling allows consumers to evaluate food products and to make informed choices (Lagerkvist, 2013). Detailed and well-informed food labels have become an indispensable part of today's consumption scenario (Singla, 2010), and labeling on food products has emerged as a prominent policy tool for promoting healthy eating (Cowburn and Stockley, 2005). India, a country of more than 1.2 billion consumers of food (Census of India, 2011) with expected spending up to US$1 trillion (PwC, 2012) by the year 2021, offers great opportunity for the expansion of concept of healthy eating and consideration of nutrition in food (Kumar and Anand, 2016). With the supermarket revolution in early and mid-1990s in developing and transition countries including India, demand for packaged food has increased (Reardon and Minten, 2011). Over the past 20 years, there has been an almost 300 percent rise in consumption of packaged food in developing countries such as India (Procter, 2007). Indian packaged food market is set to witness a quantum jump to $50 billion from $32 billion at present due to increasing popularity of ready-to-eat items (TOI, 2015).\nReview of literature: Many empirical studies have investigated how the nutrition content can influence consumers' perception of food healthiness, purchase intention, and post-taste evaluation (Huang and Lu, 2016). With an increase in health concerns and marketing activities that essentially present products with healthier alternatives, the healthiness of food products has become an increasingly important attribute for consumers making purchase decisions (Huang and Lu, 2016). A study of young European and North American consumers revealed that the perception of healthiness, in addition to price and taste, is the most important predictor of food choices (Johansen et al., 2011). Kearney's (2010) observation that in many upper and middle-income developing economies, the population in the lower socio-economic group are double burdened with under-nutrition (deficiencies of energy, micronutrient or both) and over nutrition leading to obesity and other diseases, also holds true for India. During decision making, the consumers look for quality cues, specifically for the brand and other guarantee signals (Trigui and Giraud, 2012). The decision that the consumers make before purchasing or consuming any food product, is a function of the quality of food, price, packaging, and labeling (Mohd Daud et al., 2011). Mandatory nutrition labels have the broad reach and are present at the point of purchase as well as when food is prepared or consumed (Feunekes et al., 2008). Considering the importance of detailed information on packaging, the Indian Government made the declaration of nutrient content mandatory for almost all pre-packaged foods in addition to product name, manufacturer's name and address, the amount of product, ingredients and date of expiry (Vemula et al., 2014).\nPurpose of the study: There have not been many researches which studied influence and usage of food labels on consumers' purchase decision in India, which is a fast-emerging global food market (Kumar and Kapoor, 2015). Further, the present research primarily focuses on studying youths' (18-30 years old) usage of food labels who constitute more than 20 percent of India's population. The youths are considered to be the members of Generation Y who are in the transition period between parental supervision and more definitive independence and they are on the verge of entering the workforce, and becoming heads of households. People in Generation Y enjoy eating but not interested in cooking (Sloan, 2005; Richards et al., 2006), and thus depend more on packaged food. Young adults (17-30 years) are in the life stage of increased self-reliance and autonomy and many of them are moving away from their homes and parents, becoming more independent for their food and beverages choices as well as for their purchase decisions (Hattersley et al., 2009). Since use of packaged food is on rise in India, it is imperative to know how the young consumers perceive these foods. Findings of this study will thus reflect the possible behavior of future and potential customers, and will help in developing appropriate strategies to make labels more useful and effective tool of communication affecting purchase decisions of young customers. This study was undertaken with the following research questions:\nMethodology: A purposely developed questionnaire was administered to 300 randomly selected youths of age between 18 and 30 years. These participants were drawn from four conveniently selected academic institutions each situated in northern, southern, eastern, and western part of the country. The study focused on educated young consumers so that they could well appreciate the importance of food label. The first part of the questionnaire sought information on socio-demographic profile such as age, gender, education, and family's monthly income of the respondents. The second part of the questionnaire had questions related to consumers' perception of importance and reading of food labels using a five-point Likert scale. It also included questions seeking consumers' response to the information content of food labels. Although consumers' perception of importance and reading of food labeling was captured in five-point Likert scale, it was grouped into two categories, namely, \"Not Important/Influence\" and, \"Important/Influence\" for analysis purpose. kh2 statistics was used to understand the relationship between demographic profile of the consumers and their reading of food labels. To find out the important attributes of food labels, factor analysis was performed to delineate the underlying dimensions among a set of food labeling attributes. Finally, the influence of explanatory variables on the use of food labels for purchase decisions of the consumers was tested using logistic regression. For this purpose, the consumers' response to the question on \"does the food label influence your choice of the food product?\" was used as a binary dependent variable.\nFindings and discussion: The demographic profile of sample respondents, from whom the data were collected for the present research, is depicted in Table I. The majority of the respondents are below 30 years of age as the emphasis was laid on understanding the decision process of the youth related to the importance of labeling during their purchasing of food products. The average age of the respondents turned out to be 25 years. As expected, all of them were well educated. About 65 percent respondents had been found to be vegetarians (who do not consume red meat, poultry, seafood, and the flesh of any other animal) About 50 percent belonged to lower and middle-income group, whose monthly family income ranged from Rs. 25,000 to 75,000 (US$1=Rs. 63). The sample also consisted of nearly 40 percent respondents who hailed from rich section of the society with household monthly income of more than Rs. 75,000.\nConclusions: The present research analyzes the usage and influence of food labels on the purchase decision of young consumers, who are likely to enter their independent professional working life soon and going to become as head of their respective families. The study brings out a positive answer to the question of whether consumers attach importance to the food labels while purchasing food products. Based on the findings of the present research, it can be safely concluded that educated Indian youth attaches considerable importance to the food labels and read it before making final purchase decisions as these have become an important source of product information for young consumers. Gender and food habit of the consumers were found significant in affecting consumers behavior towards food labels. Studies from different parts of the world, including those from India, have reported that women rated and read labels more seriously than men. It was found that the consumers, who were primarily vegetarian, were more thoughtful about the labels and their contents.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the usage and influence of food labels by the young consumers of an emerging market where food labeling regulation is comparatively recent phenomenon.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A purposely developed questionnaire was administered to 300 randomly selected youths of age between 18 and 30 years. The first part of the questionnaire sought information on socio-demographic profile, whereas the second part of the questionnaire had questions related to consumers' perception of importance, their reading behavior, and their responses on the information content of food labels. Appropriate statistical tools were used to analyze the data.\nFindings: Results revealed that young Indian consumers attached considerable importance to the food labels and read it before making a final purchase decision. In addition to price, all the product attributes which had implications for the consumers' health were considered as extremely important by the young consumers. Information regarding different important product attributes can be broadly clubbed in two categories, namely, \"product specification\" and \"product quality.\" The final decision to purchase a product based on the food labels varied significantly based on the consumers' gender, age, food habit, and residential locality.\nResearch limitations/implications: Nature of study does not allow drawing a conclusion regarding the causal relationship between food labels and consumers' purchase decisions.\nOriginality/value: As labeling regulation is a comparatively recent phenomenon in India, study of the usage and influence of food labels on young consumers' purchase decision, a hitherto not much-studied subject, will contribute significantly to the literature on food labels.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Understanding data volume problems of RFID-enabled supply chains	[ "Radio frequencies", "Supply chain management", "Data handling", "Simulation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in combination with standardized numbering schemes such as the Electronic Product Code (EPC) enables the tracking of physical objects in supply chains. Raw ID reads of RFID tags are enriched by context (time, reader location, etc.) and captured as RFID event data. These RFID events are a key enabler for increasing efficiency of various business processes and allow for a more fine-granular way of management (Nath et al., 2006). Retail giants (e.g. Wal-Mart), aerospace companies (e.g. Boeing), pharmaceutical companies and many other companies are interested in leveraging these benefits and are involved in creating a global set of standards for RFID-based business applications, the EPC Network (EPCglobal, 2007a). One of the critical parts of this set of standards is the EPC Information Services (EPCIS) specification (EPCglobal, 2007b). EPCIS enables a standardized way for inter-organizational data sharing of RFID event data. The result is increased supply chain visibility and granular data for decision making. Many scholarly papers (Delen et al., 2007; Gaukler et al., 2007; Ilic et al., 2009; Lee and Ozer, 2007) agree that the benefits stemming from this increased visibility can be significant. However, there is the public perception (Levinson, 2003; Srivastava, 2005) that current technology is by far not capable of coping with the volumes of RFID data involved in these scenarios.Thus, the goal of this paper is to provide a quantitative data volume analysis for RFID-enabled supply chains. We estimate data volumes at the example of a retail supply chain since the retail industry is considered being a lead adaptor of RFID technology. As the generation of RFID events is closely linked to characteristics of product flows and replenishment management in a supply chain, we apply a simulation modeling methodology based on parameters of a real-world supply chain.The paper is structured as follows. In the next section, we review related work and elaborate the research gap. Next, we introduce the implemented supply chain model and its assumptions. Then, we present and explain the results from the simulation runs. Then, we extend the results to multiple products and stores and thereby assess the impacts on a complete retail supply chain. Then, we discuss our findings and describe the most important lessons learned. The final section concludes this paper and highlights future work.\n2 Related work: The absence of systems and infrastructures that can cope with the data volumes and constructively exploit its value is considered a key challenge for global RFID adoption (Brady et al., 2007; Wu et al., 2006). Several papers already exist (Derakhshan et al., 2007; Lin et al., 2007; Wang and Liu, 2005; Wang et al., 2006) that offer innovative systems, principles and data structures to handle RFID data volumes more efficiently. In their key assumption - the extent and structure of the expectable RFID data volumes - all of these papers cite the same sources.Literature provides only limited understanding of the actual problem space. Papers describe the extent of the problem either with qualitative phrases such as \"enormous data volumes\" (Vadlamani et al., 2006), educated guesses such as 7-15 TB of data generated by a single large retailer per day (Bhuptani and Moradpour, 2005; Schuman, 2004), or with over-simplified calculations (Gonzalez et al., 2006; Han et al., 2006).The limited understanding of the structure and extent of the RFID data volumes problem reveals a research gap. There is a need for quantitative and reliable data on RFID data volumes and their impacts on individual supply chain members. This understanding could support researchers and developers of RFID event databases, discovery services, access control frameworks and analytical tools in their design decisions and performance assessments.\n3 Simulation model: 3.1 Business scenario and assumptions\n4 Simulation results for a single product scenario: 4.1 Setup\n5 Extension to a multiple product scenario: In this section, we extend the scope from a single to a multiple product scenario. This allows us make a reasonable impact assessment on a complete retail supply chain. The impact analysis focuses on item-level tagging, since it is said to offer tremendous efficiency gains for retailers and real-world deployments in the retail industry are still scare.5.1 Data volumes by retail store size\n6 Discussion and lessons learned: This section aims to capture the most important lessons learned during the iterative process of refining the simulation model and the discussions of our findings with industry experts.6.1 Implications for sizing the problem space\n7 Conclusions and future work: The goal of this paper was to provide a quantitative analysis of RFID event data volumes in a supply chain. By using a simulation modeling approach based on characteristics of a real-world supply chain, we made a first step in this direction and were able to start from a proven basis toward future scenarios such as case- and item-level tagging without needing to conduct costly field trials. The positive responses from our industry partners confirmed the value of this approach and helped to derive lessons learned for an envisioned field trial. As our approach bases on the characteristics of an average, single type of product, the findings must be interpreted carefully for scenarios with completely different characteristics. However, our results show that the data volume problem induced by item-level tagging is likely to be overestimated, but still bears significant challenges for processing and analysis of RFID event data in supply chains. One of the key learnings is that for a retailer, the data volumes are likely to be in the same magnitude of order as POS data is today. Thus, with hardware of today it should be possible to cope with data volumes of item-level tagging. However, efficient inter-organizational information sharing still comprises several significant unresolved software challenges due to real-time processing and distributed data management requirements. Researchers and developers of information-sharing repositories, data discovery services and event data storage systems can potentially use our figures and simulation approaches as a first starting point for optimizing design decisions and conducting performance evaluations.Future research on RFID event data volumes is still needed in order to verify and extend our results to different types of products and industries. Once data from field trials on case- and item-level tagging is available, simulations combined with other approaches such as value stream mapping can help to optimize data flows even further by identifying bottlenecks and critical parts. Different designs and architectures for core information-sharing components such as data repositories or discovery services can then be evaluated on a more quantitative basis. Since the number of scholarly articles in this area is very limited, there is significant potential for discovering new insights and implications that can clearly shape and direct the development of future RFID infrastructures.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The widespread application of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in supply chains is said to cause enormous data volume problems that could render RFID event-driven supply chains unmanageable. An unbiased and quantitative understanding of the characteristics and extent of these data volume problems is necessary to identify and remove adoption barriers. This paper aims to address the issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper presents a simulation study based on a real-world scenario that reveals quantitative characteristics of the data volumes problem in an RFID-enabled supply chain and discusses its implications.\nFindings: - The results suggest that data volumes will be much lower than currently assumed by practitioners. Thus, this work can be seen as a first basis for eliminating unjustified adoption concerns regarding data volumes complexity. However, it finds that the data volume problems bear still significant challenges for researchers and developers of RFID infrastructures with real-time decision-making applications.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The simulation study is based on a single product case study of a retail supply chain in Europe. Since a simulation is always a simplification of the real world, the results need to be interpreted carefully in different contexts. The nature and extent of the problem might vary across different products, industries and geographic regions.\nPractical implications: - Researchers, end-users and solution providers might use our paper as a guideline how to approach and quantify the data volume problem in their particular case. Moreover, the result data can be used to benchmark and optimize RFID applications.\nOriginality/value: - This paper is one of the first scholarly works that analyze RFID data volume problems in supply chains with a quantitative methodology.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Understanding the risks in China's PPP projects: ranking of their probability and consequence	[ "Risk identification", "Risk management", "Public private partnerships", "Risk assessment", "Investments", "China" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are arrangements where the public and private sectors both bring their complementary skills to a project, with varying levels of involvement and responsibility, for the purpose of providing public services or projects (Efficiency Unit, 2008). In recent years, there has been an increasing market of PPP for the development and operation of infrastructure projects in China. Figure 1 shows the number of projects and the total amount of private sector investment in the infrastructure development of China since 1990.Private participation in infrastructure development in China was first seen for the power industry during the 1980s in the form of build-operate-transfer (BOT). The Shenzhen Shajiao B Power Plant, which came to operation in 1988, is regarded as the first BOT project in China (Qiao et al., 2002). However, the local government and associated commercial banks for this project took a large proportion of the risks due to the lack of BOT experience. As a result, several state-approved pilot BOT projects have been awarded in order to introduce and adopt international BOT practices on a larger scale since 1996. Examples of these pilot projects include the Laibin B power project, the Dachang water project and the Changsha power project (Wang and Tiong, 2000). Since the introduction of these projects, the involvement of private investors in infrastructural development for public utilities has improved greatly. However, at the end of the last decade, the central government invested huge amounts of treasury bonds in infrastructure construction, and was determined to clean up the illegal projects, which lead to a fadeout of the first round of private investment (Shen et al., 2005). Stepping into the twenty-first century, public facilities are in high demand to cope with the rapid economic development. The huge investment in infrastructure development could not be completed by the government alone, thus provides a good business opportunity for private investors. Furthermore, in an effort to offset adverse global economic conditions and to boost domestic demand, the Chinese government introduced a series of measures to relax credit conditions, reduce taxes and embark on a massive infrastructure spending program (Chinese Government's Official Web Portal, 2008). With the 4 trillion RMB stimulus plan as announced by the Chinese government, only 1.18 trillion comes from the central government, the rest would have to be topped up by the local government, and/or the private sector (National Development and Reform Commission, 2009). Since most of the local governments are still subject to severe budgetary pressure, there is a heavy reliance on the private sector investment. This provides opportunities for private investors to get more involved in infrastructure development via PPP mode.Although there is a comprehensive collection of literature related to the potential risks of PPP projects in China, most of them focused on more dated examples and were written at the end of the last decade. Therefore, it is valuable and necessary to conduct a more up to date evaluation of the potential risks in China's PPP projects. The research findings will contribute to both the practice and research in risk management for China's PPP projects and also provide valuable information for those international companies who are interested or intend to invest in China's infrastructure construction sector.\n2. Related previous research: Many researchers have offered detailed risk registers and have assessed the respective importance of PPP risks. United Nations Development Organization (UNIDO) (1996) provided a checklist classifying BOT risks under two major categories (i.e. general/country risks and specific project risks); Ozdoganm and Birgonul (2000) identified the risk categories that were observed from a hydropower plant project in Turkey, which include market, financial, political, legal, construction, operation risks; Zayed and Chang (2002) defined eight main project risk areas, namely political, financial, revenue and market, promoting, procurement, development, construction completion, operating; a checklist of risks for private finance initiative (PFI) projects in the UK was also presented by Hardcastle and Boothroyd (2003); Thomas et al. (2003) classified risks into four project phases: development phase; construction phase; operation phase; and project life cycle phase. These existing literatures provide a solid foundation for this study to develop an appropriate risk register and conduct a more up to date evaluation of their relative importance.A comprehensive collection of literature regarding PPP projects in China can also be found. For examples, Zhang and Kumaraswamy (2001) provided an overview and analysis of the BOT-based approaches for infrastructure development in China. Ye and Tiong (2000) looked at the relationship between government support and risk-return trade-off of the private partner in China's BOT power projects. Chen and Messner (2005) compared three representative BOT water projects in China to provide both descriptive and predictive insights to both public and private parties involved in water BOT projects in China. The research team led by Dr Robert Tiong in Singapore contributed a lot of efforts on the risk and its management in China's BOT projects. These included the evaluation and management of political (Wang et al., 1999a; 2000a), foreign exchange and revenue risks (Wang et al., 2000b, c), risk management framework (Wang et al., 1999b), and also other researches on BOT projects in China (Zhang et al., 1998).However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, only a little effort has been committed to the systematical identification and management of risks in China's PPP projects, as reported by international construction management journals in recent years. Sachs et al. (2007) conducted a questionnaire survey to analyze the political risks and opportunities of PPP in China and other selected Asian countries. An impressive improvement of the Chinese governmental behaviors in PPP was seen in their results. Based on the Chinese government's increased PPP experience in the last decade, they have made a lot of efforts to improve the investment environment, including moving towards adopting international contractual practices and working out an equitable risk-sharing scheme (Wang and Ke, 2008; Chen and Doloi, 2008). Because of the unique economic, environmental, cultural and political background in China, and the lack of advanced technology and management in the Chinese construction industry (Zou et al., 2007), this paper aims to conduct research on risk management with regard to PPP projects in China.\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Identification of the risk factors\n4. Discussion of survey results: The presentation of results herewith constitutes statistical descriptive analysis carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The survey feedback includes two groups of data, the likelihood of occurrence of each risk and its magnitude of consequence. Therefore, this study adopted the risk significance index which can be calculated by multiplying the probability with the consequence's magnitude, this technique has also been used commonly for similar research studies (Zou et al., 2007). The ranking of the probability and consequence of risk factors are presented in Table III.4.1 Agreement of respondents with and without PPP experience\n5. Conclusions: This paper has studied the probability and consequence of risks in China's PPP projects. The 46 responses collected were analyzed by the mean score ranking technique, the Kendall's concordance analysis, and the Spearman rank correlation test. From the Kendall's concordance analysis of the assessment by the respondents within each respondent group on their rankings of risk factors was confirmed consistent. The Spearman rank correlation test reflected that there was no significant disagreement on the rankings of the probability and consequence of risks identified between respondents with and without hands-on PPP experience. The top ten risks according to their risk significance index score were as follows:1. government's intervention;2. poor political decision making;3. financial risk;4. government's reliability;5. market demand change;6. corruption;7. subjective evaluation;8. interest rate;9. immature juristic system; and10. inflation.Another observation which can be made from the mean calculation is that five of them are related to the government. Also, risk factors concerning macro economy such as interest rate and inflation were rated highly. It could be asserted that most key risk items in China's PPP projects are at a national or industry level status, associated with economic, political and legal conditions. The possible consequence of these key risk items, the most impacted parties, and the preferred allocation were then discussed. Recommendations on the commercial principles or contract terms between the government and private consortium were also provided.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Based on the Chinese government's increased public-private partnership (PPP) experience in the last decade, they have made a lot of efforts to improve the investment environment. This paper hence aims to conduct a more up-to-date evaluation of the potential risks in China's PPP projects.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - As part of a comprehensive research looking at implementing PPP, a two-round Delphi survey was conducted with experienced practitioners to identify the key risks that could be encountered in China's PPP projects. The probability of occurrence and severity of the consequence for the selected risks were derived from the surveys and used to calculate their relative risk significance index score.\nFindings: - The results showed that the top ten risks identified according to their risk significance index score are: government's intervention; poor political decision making; financial risk; government's reliability; market demand change; corruption; subjective evaluation; interest rate change; immature juristic system; and inflation. Further analysis was conducted on these risks so that the possible consequence, the most impacted parties, and the preferred allocation are discussed. Recommendations on commercial principles or contract terms between the Chinese government and private consortium are also provided.\nOriginality/value: - These up-to-date findings concerning the probability and consequence of key risks would provide a valuable reference for private investors who are planning to invest in infrastructure projects in China.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Voluntary disclosure and corporate governance: empirical evidence from Kuwait	[ "Kuwait", "Corporate governance", "Voluntary disclosure", "Determinants", "Annual reports" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Corporate disclosure is of critical importance for the efficient functioning of stock markets. Accounting research provides evidence that investors rely on corporate disclosure revealed by managers (Sletten, 2012). The original theoretical framework for the extent of a firm's corporate disclosure is from Grossman (1981) and Milgrom (1981). Their developed \"unravelling\" model explains possible motives for firms to provide full disclosure to investors by assuming that all firms receive value-relevant information, and that the disclosure of this information is common knowledge. Investors value firms at either the level of their disclosed information or the mean of the undisclosed information. In this setting, no equilibrium exists in which a group of managers choose not to disclose because at least one firm in this group is always higher than the mean, and this firm receives a higher valuation by disclosing instead of withholding. Sletten (2012) argued that the \"unravelling\" model implies that all managers choose to disclose all relevant information because the firm with the best news always prefers to reveal its news - revealing the news is better than being assumed to have the mean news. Once the best firm reveals its news, the second-best firm, and so on, faces the identical situation. In her review of theories and determinants of corporate disclosure, Shehata (2014) shows that voluntary disclosure is an effective way to disseminate corporate information to stakeholders about the business to reduce information asymmetry and agency conflicts between managers and investors. Similarly, Lan et al. (2013) argue that firms might benefit from giving investors additional corporate information to exploit the disclosure benefits that exceed disclosure costs, such as lower capital or debt cost. Given these benefits, the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB, 2000) describes \"voluntary disclosures\" as \"information primarily outside of the financial statements that are not explicitly required by accounting rules or standards\". Because of its critical role in the functioning of efficient capital markets, voluntary disclosure and its determinants have been identified as an important research area in financial reporting and have received a great deal of attention in empirical studies (Beattie, 2005). Researchers are interested in assessing the level of voluntary disclosure, the types of information that meet users' needs and the variables that influence voluntary disclosure practices. Empirically, several disclosure studies have attempted to assess voluntary disclosure practices and identify determinants of voluntary disclosure, especially those related to institutional mechanisms (i.e. corporate governance). However, most of the studies that have examined the voluntary disclosure practices and its determents were conducted in countries with highly developed markets. Relatively little research exists on the voluntary disclosure practices and its determents in emerging markets. The institutional mechanisms that influence disclosure levels in developed countries may not coincide with such mechanisms in less-developed countries because these countries, such as Kuwait, have different economies, societies, politics and cultures.\n2. Legislation and the regulatory environment: Kuwait is a relatively open economy with an emerging capital market. The KSE, established in 1944, is considered as the oldest stock market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The KSE is organized by the Amiri Decree issued in August 1983, as amended by Amiri Decree No. 158 of 2005 and Ministerial Decree No. 35 of 1983. These laws govern the general framework of the KSE and established a KSE Committee with responsibility for setting its rules, general strategies and policies and for managing the market. Together with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) and the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), the KSE aims to coordinate and integrate financial and economic activities and capital movements in Kuwait to achieve national economic development and financial stability. Thus, listed companies on the KSE follow the regulations released by these previous monitoring bodies.\n3. Theoretical background, prior studies and hypotheses development: The present study attempts to assess and analyse the level of voluntary disclosure practices in the annual reports of KSE-listed firms and explores the association between corporate governance attributes and voluntary disclosure practices. The literature on corporate governance shows that there are differences in the level of voluntary disclosure among firms and that corporate governance mechanisms are main determinants of the level and quality of voluntary disclosure practice (Albassam, 2014). Eight independent variables representing corporate governance mechanisms are developed to explore this issue as follows.\n4. Data and methodology: 4.1 Sample and data collection\n5. Results: 5.1 Descriptive statistics - dependent variable\n6. Conclusion: The current study focuses on voluntary disclosure in corporate annual reports of non-financial firms listed on the KSE over the period from 2005 to 2008 by tracking changes in the level of voluntary information disclosure during the study periods and exploring the influence of corporate governance variables in explaining the variations in the extent of voluntary disclosure. An unweighted voluntary disclosure index was constructed and developed based on prior voluntary disclosure studies. A total of 49 voluntary items were identified and categorized into four categories: corporate environment, corporate financial performance and future prospects, corporate governance information and corporate social and environment information. Data on voluntary disclosure and corporate governance attributes were hand-collected for 52 listed firms (206 observations) from annual reports and from other complementary sources for the years 2005-2008. REs regression was used to test the research hypotheses.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess and analyse the level of voluntary disclosure practices in the annual reports of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) listed firms and explore the association between corporate governance mechanisms and voluntary disclosure practices.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Panel data analysis was undertaken over a period from 2005-2008 with an aim to examine the influence of corporate governance mechanisms on voluntary disclosures made by 52 listed firms in their four years of annual reports. An unweighted voluntary disclosure index has been used for hand-collecting data from annual reports.\nFindings: The findings show that the mean voluntary disclosure level over the four years is 23 per cent. Four out of eight corporate governance mechanisms examined found to be significantly associated with the level of voluntary disclosure, three negatively, one positively. Cross directorship, board size and role duality are negatively related to voluntary disclosure, while government ownership is positively related to voluntary disclosure. In contrast, the proportion of non-executive directors, family members on the board, the presence of an audit committee and the presence of the ruling family on the board have an insignificant influencer on voluntary disclosure practices.\nPractical implications: The study provides an assessment of KSE-listed firm voluntary disclosure practices and its determents and highlights that that corporate governance attributes affect the voluntary disclosure practices of KSE-listed firms.\nOriginality/value: The findings of this study contribute to the arguments concerning the role of corporate governance mechanisms in improving the level of disclosure and information transparency.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Experiences of internet users regarding cyberhate	[ "Social media", "Human computer interaction (HCI)", "Interactive media", "Social networking", "Computer-mediated communication (CMC)", "Instant messaging" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The internet has significantly altered society and our everyday lives in many respects. Choices in designing, using and regulating the internet are not only technical but also ethical, including understanding the role of human value in shaping cyber behavior (Gagliardone et al., 2015). Social media and mobile computing technologies have not only been utilized by individuals, students or social activists (Agre, 2002) but also exploited by those groups who target, discriminate and dehumanize specific racial, ethnic, religious, political identities and cultures (Waldron, 2012). Web 2.0, which allows for extensive user interaction, has unexpectedly resulted in hate spreading outwards from \"hate sites\" (Barnett, 2007). The sites encourage users to accept as fact, pre-digested ideas that seem easy to identify with, in order to simplify socio-economic problems (Lee and Leets, 2002; Foldi, 2012). On these extremist sites, hate speech is a form of propaganda, used for the diffusion of radical political, ideological or religious ideas through cyber environments.\nMethods: An exploratory survey method was adopted throughout the study to examine a group of internet users' experiences of cyberhate by descriptively exploring the existing situation from various perspectives.\nResults: This section includes the findings in line with the research questions posed in this study.\nDiscussion: The current study explores internet users' experiences of cyberhate in the aspects of ethnicity, religion, sexual preference and political perspective. An initial objective of this research was to identify the exposure of internet users regarding cyberhate. In order to explore the cyberhate experiences of internet users, participants were first asked about their observations and experiences of cyberhate in general and the rate of its effects on their lives. Our findings reveal that participants acknowledged that they have seen or observed a great deal of cyberhate. However, they also think that cyberhate targeting their identities has a moderate level effect on their lives. This finding corroborates previous research focusing on online extremism and hate exposure among adolescents (Hawdon et al., 2015, 2017; Rasanen et al., 2015). This result is in accord with the recent studies indicating that a \"red flag\" in the sense that hate speech and materials seem to be a part of the online experience.\nConclusion: The current study set out with the aim of exploring internet users' experiences of cyberhate in the aspects of ethnicity, religion, sexual preference and political perspective. Based on the results of this study, internet users who participated in this research have been exposed to cyberhate targeting their identities of ethnicity, religion, politics and gender. Additionally, social media was reported as being a major source for experiencing cyberhate, which is also a common finding of similar research in the field. Although no significant variations were observed regarding participants' cultural and educational backgrounds, this research will serve as a base for future studies to explore the dynamics and outcomes emerging from online communications.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore internet users' experiences of cyberhate in the aspects of ethnicity, religion, sexual preference and political perspective.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Researchers employed an exploratory survey method to examine internet users' experiences of cyberhate. The participants of the study were determined by purposive sampling methods to attain maximum variety among internet users with high-level digital literacy skills. The data were collected from 355 internet users affiliated with two universities in Turkey and the USA using a personal data form and a survey (Cyberhate Experience Survey) of which reliability and validity indexes were ensured.\nFindings: The results indicated that participants have observed and experienced cyberhate at different levels targeting their ethnic, religious, gender-based and political identities. The findings also pointed out that gender, income and socio-political identities are significant variables on exposure to cyberhate regardless of cultural and educational boundaries. The majority of survey respondents reported that they had encountered cyberhate mostly on social media platforms.\nSocial implications: The findings of the study imply that to address the hate speech problem comprehensively, the author must enlighten people, change their way of thinking and broaden their perspectives by using measures such as intercultural dialogue, critical thinking, media literacy, education on tolerance and diversity.\nOriginality/value: This research was intended to contribute into the need to elaborate on various aspects of cyberhate, which is shared by academics, thinkers, journalists and educators. It may also serve to clarify how frequently internet users encounter hateful content and harassment online, which can have social consequences and influence young people's trust to other people.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Fiscal externalities in a three-tier structure of government	[ "USA", "EU", "Conditional grants", "Federal redistribution", "Public investment", "Fiscal federalism" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In contrast to the common assumption in the literature on fiscal federalism, more than two tiers of government are involved in most federal decision making. E.g. regions in the US finance expenditure by about 20 percent through federal transfers and by 35 percent through state grants. On the other hand, local governments in the European Union (EU) receive more than 70 percent of grants from national governments, while the EU itself only plays a minor role in the provision of regional funds[1]. The EU usually transfers these grants to national governments, which then can decide on how to allocate EU-funds among its regions. In this sense, the role of intermediate governments is much stronger in Europe than in the USA.\n2. Benchmark case: two tiers of government: This section presents a baseline model analyzing regional investment incentives and corrective policies in a federal redistribution system with two tiers of government and fiscal externalities generated by federal redistribution. The federal system consists of one central government and a large number (N) of regions of type 1 and of type 2, respectively[2]. Production in region i is logarithmic and depends on its productivity parameter r\n3. Analysis with three tiers of government: This section presents a model with three tiers of government to discuss regional investment incentives and corrective policies in the presence of fiscal externalities generated by redistribution of the two higher tiers of government. In fact, disincentive structures and optimal corrective policies are more complex in a federal system with three tiers of government. E.g. consider the USA or the EU: Two tiers of government (federal and state vs supranational and national governments) with distinct objectives redistribute and engage in corrective policies toward their regions. Having said this, there are crucial differences between the US- and EU-system. In the USA, both federal and state governments can levy taxes to finance matching transfers. In the EU, only national governments can levy taxes to finance conditional grants. Our model will show that this difference in tax autonomy may have far-reaching implications for the implemented level of regional investment.\n4. Conclusions: Unlike in most of the theoretical literature, federal systems are often organized over more than two tiers of government. This paper has proposed a framework to analyze corrective policies in a three-tiered federal system. Our model reveals that a qualitative shift in redistribution power toward the highest level of government reduces the regional investment level desired by the middle-level government. This may be interpreted as an additional, qualitative effect of redistribution arising in a federal system with three tiers of government.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Federal systems are often more sophisticated than assumed in the literature. In many cases, at least three tiers of government are involved in federal decision making. The purpose of this paper is to cast some light on this increasingly important issue in fiscal federalism.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In a model with three tiers of government, the author analyzes corrective policies in the presence of fiscal externalities generated by federal redistribution.\nFindings: The author identifies an additional qualitative incentive effect, particularly for intermediate governments. They behave strategically to attract additional redistribution funds from outside, though still using corrective policies to provide investment incentives toward their own regions. The results also suggest that differently from the USA the federal system of the EU may lead to inefficiently low regional investment.\nOriginality/value: The presented model is a first step toward analyzing strategic behavior and the effect of corrective policies in more complicated federal set ups with three tiers of government involved. This is relevant for federal structures such as Germany or the USA, as well as for government interactions at the international level.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Strategizing for workplace e-learning: some critical considerations	[ "Learning", "Learning organizations", "Internet" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: E-learning - indeed the internet as a whole - is a curious and uneasy forum for human interaction, flickering back and forth between psychology and technology, never seeming to reconcile the two. The practice of flaming in e-mails and newsgroups that occurs when oft tacit social norms and boundaries are violated (Shapiro and Hughes, 2002), the present popularity of blogging, and the wealth of chat rooms and discussion boards in online \"communities\" focused on topics ranging anywhere from parenting to professional development to shoe fetishes suggest that the internet is very much a social space, despite its current limitations on face-to-face interaction.But with ease, the internet as a social space can be ignored or marginalized: the \"right\" technology can marshal all of this pesky, unpredictable human interaction strictly in the name of task achievement. Any agency, any serendipity on the part of souls connected in cyberspace may be either disregarded entirely, treated as a nuisance to be overcome, channelled or avoided. In short, there remains - despite the omnipresence of the internet in North American life - an uncomfortable tension between humanity - at its most creative, awful, impulsive, capricious or wondrous - and technology with its sometimes comforting mantra that all of the above, with the right algorithms, can be conquered, mastered, contained, or whipped into shape for maximum productive capacity. Thus, as the internet and the learning and communication tools it offers up continue to grow in volume and complexity, we continue to draw, redraw and puzzle over the boundaries between people and technology.\"E-learning,\" an enormous and growing aspect of life online, must be examined in light of this basic tension. Specifically, this study considers e-learning as it applies to workplace learning and training, for it is in the shadow of the quest for an efficient \"bottom line\" that we run the risk of tipping the balance between technology and its human users unfavourably toward a technological and economic determinism that does not attend to the social aspects and contexts that impact our motivation and ability to learn. Through a critical review of a number of North American workplace learning and technology industry publications and web sites, this work argues that an excessively instrumental approach to e-learning generally fails to meet learning needs of workers and, by extension, ultimately fails to serve the learning organization's quest for success in the \"knowledge economy\".First addressed is a fundamental problem in the field of e-learning: an utter lack of consistency in its terminology. Semantic considerations are not obscure or frivolous here. Shaky use of language in the field points to a much larger problem that should become clear: namely that an unexamined use of terminology often reflects workplace e-learning practices that are equally unexamined and ill-defined.A review of trade and industry publications is then used to examine what the language contained in these materials suggests about the belief systems that underlie e-learning developments and practices. The ways in which e-learning is languaged in practitioner literature reveal problematically narrow and commodified conceptions of knowledge and learning. Technology, it seems, makes it too tempting to attempt to quantify learning by tracking employee performance in relation to ROI, or to assume that the right software alone will facilitate effective online learning relationships from which knowledge \"products\" can be mined. Because workplace learning or training increasingly employs instructional technology, recognition of its related social factors seems to disappear: technology eclipses the learner, and economic considerations precede educational ones. If the social situatedness of learning is recognized at all - as in the recent flurry of activity as the corporate sector has discovered the \"learning community\", relationships are considered only is far as they can be structured to generate economic assets for the organization.From this review, it is concluded that significant gaps may exist between corporate interests and learner needs when it comes to e-learning. E-learning must be understood as a social phenomena. This better reflects and directs the long-term interests of an organization's learning goals than do the technocentric conceptions of e-learning that abound in the literature reviewed for this paper. Organizations investing significantly in the infrastructure required to implement e-learning can benefit from a more holistic understanding of the ways workers interact and learn in online environments.\nE-nomenclature: It is almost impossible to address the topic of e-learning without considering what the term means. It is addressed here for two reasons: first to explicate how it is understood for the purposes of this discussion, and second to illustrate ways in which the tentativeness of existing definitions contribute to the difficulty of considering e-learning critically across multiple disciplines and learning environments.Trying to define e-learning\nChallenging e-learning discourses in trade and industry literature: A case can be made that the lure of profit has contributed to a degree of hype that makes it difficult to distinguish fact from utopian fiction in the world of instructional technology. As a result, perhaps nowhere is e-learning less critically examined than in corporate North America, which still, despite the dot com meltdown of 2002, remains a site of entrepreneurial cacophony (Morrison, 2003, Pailing, 2002).This section reviews policy documents related to workplace e-learning from the United States and Canada; numerous web sites, vendor sites and online document repositories; and articles from a variety of representative trade and industry publications. Themes were drawn from two major US trade magazines. KMWorld Magazine (65,000 print circulation) is a monthly publication targeting \"enterprise executives engaged in the business theories, practices and practices of organizational and enterprise knowledge management and business intelligence\" (KMWorld, 2005). T+D (Training & Development, 40,000 print circulation) is published monthly by the American Society for Training & Development, and focuses on practical strategies for human resource development. Both organizations also maintain large interactive web sites with discussion forums for subscribers. Print articles were systematically consulted for the years 1999-2004 using the search term \"e-learning.\" These searches generated 170 relevant articles, from which interpretive themes were drawn. Using the Google search engine, again with \"e-learning\" as a search term, additional trade publications like Computerworld and Lifelong Learning Market report were examined, as were a number of vendor sites. Scholarly work and policy papers were simultaneously consulted to triangulate the observed themes.The intention of these exercises was to study way(s) in which language, e-learning terminology and metaphors are used to represent e-learning in workplace applications. A synthesis of the reviewed literature provides a broad sense of how corporate North America is approaching and making sense of this far-reaching and fundamental shift in employee learning and training. From the review, a number of themes emerged. First, knowledge and learning are almost universally perceived and discussed as commodities, as evidenced in the industrial factory metaphors that pepper this literature, and an omnipresent concern for the \"bottom line\". E-learning articles focus considerable attention on determining e-learning's costs and potential \"return(s) on investment\". Further, these discourses are characterized by a strong sense of alarm, urgency and speed. In fact, it is nearly exhausting simply to read them.In an article entitled The Brave New World of E-Learning (apparently without irony), e-learning consultant Adkins (2003, p. 29) warns, \"Just in time [learning] is too late\". And who, really, has the energy to attend Hewlett Packard's \"Non-Stop University?\" (Hill, 2004). Finally, practitioner literature promotes e-learning technology and technological solutions in ways that downplay or disregard learner needs, motivations and behaviours. Often, the assumption appears to be that the \"right\" platform or strategy will automatically bring learners to the fore, regardless of learner characteristics or contextual factors.The knowledge based economy\nDiscussion and conclusion: This work reviewed trade literature and white papers to provide a perspective on the ways in which e-learning is valued and discussed in the workplace. E-learning research and reflections from the fields of post-secondary education and adult education were also consulted, although these perspectives are not specifically articulated. However, it is summarily clear that e-learning remains a fragmented and confusing field, lacking the definition and theory required for interdisciplinary study. If the broad fields of \"business\" and \"liberal education\" have always been somewhat at cross-purposes, the field of e-learning renders no surprises.Yet with the accepted imperative for lifelong learning, and the workplace increasingly recognized as a significant site of that learning, adult educators and executives could benefit from good conversation. Spitzer (2002, p. 167) recalls Megatrends guru John Naisbitt's now 20 year-old advice that \"one of the keys to the success of technology [is] to marry 'high tech' with 'high touch'\". The literature reviewed for this study suggests that e-learning strategies in the workplace can leave much to be desired in terms of the \"human touch\". Where technological and economic considerations abound, there is a failure to accommodate or appreciate the full complexity of adult learning processes and the situated nature of knowledge. E-learning's high-tech media may provide the illusory sense that knowledge can be produced, packaged, consumed and exchanged online, but an abundance of literature in constructivism and adult learning makes a strong case that it is in fluid, dynamic and highly social contexts that meaningful learning and creative problem solving are most likely to occur (Hardaker and Smith, 2002; Marsick et al. 2000; Trentin, 2002; Wenger, 1998).Organizational learning literature - most still not moving significantly away from the premises found in seminal and oft-cited works by Senge (1990) and Watkins and Marsick (1993) - generally espouses the importance of creativity, conversation, teamwork and empowerment for knowledge workers to exercise their full collective potential for learning and innovation. Yet e-learning, as a growing site of this learning, appears for the most part to remain trapped within the confines of technology, rationalism, and assembly-line thinking.The implications are that much work needs to be done if workplace e-learning strategies are to be aligned with the learning organization model. Organizational e-learning initiatives should therefore be informed not only by cost and technology considerations but also by their potential consequences for learners and organizational culture. Failure to address the affective, social and contextual elements of learning can lead to a narrow, industrialized \"production\" of workplace knowledge that Laiken (2001, p. 1) argues is \"notoriously inhospitable to human creativity and learning\".The stakeholders and expertise that impact the success of an organization's online training and learning initiatives are as varied as the numerous disciplines that inform the IT field as a whole. Managers, content experts, adult educators, business analysts, technicians and workers must bring multiple perspectives and interests to the strategic process if a common vision for workplace learning is to be realized. However, if strategic decisions are unilateral on the part of organization's executive(s), one can only hope that they are informed by a broader and deeper understanding of affective, contextual and cultural learning variables than the practitioner literature here reviewed indicates. \"[I]ncreasingly,\" state Russel et al. (2003, p. 36), \"learning about learning is good business sense\".\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this work is twofold. First, the vagueness of e-learning terminology is explored as a premise that the uncritical use of language reflects uncritical approaches to e-learning. North American practitioner literature is then reviewed to examine the way(s) in which e-learning vocabulary and metaphors reveal the attitudes and values that executive decision-makers and analysts bring to bear on organizational e-learning strategies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Trade and industry publications related to e-learning in the workplace are written both by and for executives and e-learning analysts. A swath of these publications and web sites, along with three major white papers from the OECD, Canada Conference Board and NGA/ASTD were analyzed for major themes.\nFindings: - This review finds practitioner literature dominated by concerns about cost and technology in strategizing and implementation to the near exclusion of learner considerations. It is argued that a broader conceptualizing of e-learning's impact is required for effective analysis.\nOriginality/value: - This review lends perspective to the values and priorities of executive decision makers in practice, showing that a broader understanding of workers' learning and affective needs is required if e-learning is to be applied effectively toward developing creative, productive, satisfying and sustainable learning organizations. Organizational decision makers should seek the input and perspective of multiple stakeholders to ensure that e-learning strategies are appropriate not only in terms of financial and technological feasibility but also in the interests of lasting positive effects on employees and organizational culture.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
From welfare to wealth creation: A review of the literature on privatization of state-owned enterprises	[ "Corporatization", "Financial performance", "Privatization", "State-owned enterprises", "Disinvestment", "Performance contract" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The performance of \"state-owned enterprises\" (SOEs)[1] has been deteriorating over the last few decades due to cut-throat competition fueled by de-regulation, globalization and opening up most economic sectors to private investors (recent exemplary work on globalization and governance of SOEs: Cuervo-Cazurra et al., 2014; Bruton et al., 2015; Grossi et al., 2015; Reddy et al., 2016b). Public policy makers around the world were left with minimal policy options at a time when their performance caused not only administrative headaches but also political nightmare (Kim and Chung, 2008; Alexius and Ornberg, 2015). The continued dismal performance of SOEs has been persuading the public authority to undertake massive structural reforms including disinvestment and privatization[2] in extreme cases. It is widely believed that the transition of ownership from the state to market leads to enhanced efficiency, profitability and sustainability of the enterprise. Privatized firms are more efficient than SOEs as the profit motive is usually absent for public firms and they are instead bound by other social objectives (Hartley and Parker, 1991). Privatization has now become a part and parcel of the economic reforms agenda in every part of the world and researchers continue to target it for both theoretical and empirical work (Omran, 2004; Christensen, 2015).\n2. Methodology: The research works in these areas were identified from journals, organizations and institutions. the methodology is based on a systematic and structured review of literature. Unlike other literature reviews in public sector management and economics (Megginson and Netter, 2001; Grossi et al., 2015; Bouwman and Grimmelikhuijsen, 2016; Daiser et al., 2017), the systematic review is based on the citation analysis of journals, authors and titles. For conducting citation analysis, we have considered Elsevier's Scopus indexed SCImago Journal Ranking (SJR) database for journal citation based on keywords search of economics, finance, accounting and management. The search has further been filtered with keywords public sector, SOEs, privatization, disinvestment, ownership structure, autonomy and financial performance to identify relevant journals/research in this field.\n3. Analysis and discussion: This section is divided into three sub-sections. While Sub-section 1 covers citation analysis, Sub-section 2 has made an opinion-based assessment of the research papers with respect to variables selected, measurement techniques used and statistical tools applied. Sub-section 3 stipulates the impact assessment of privatization.\n4. Implications of the study: The paper prescribes some policy prescriptions which are essential either for maximizing the gains or minimizing the costs of privatization programs of SOEs and would be useful for the public policy makers. These, inter alia, includes inducing competition, robust regulatory mechanisms, global economic and financial conditions, responsiveness of domestic capital market, enabling environment for investment, prevailing socio-political climate, internal restructuring of SOEs before its privatization, holding stakeholders/pre-privatization consultations, strong communication strategy to tackle any uninvited troubles from various pressure groups, etc. The bottomline message is that the state must commit and undertake parallel reforms along with privatization for improving the performance of SOEs (e.g. an alternative to privatization is \"contractual buyouts\" by Reddy et al., 2016a).\n5. Limitations of the study: In this study, an attempt has been made to assess the impact of disinvestment/privatization of SOEs on their performance particularly in the developing countries such as India. Though the study covers few research papers on privatization of SOEs in the socialist economies, future research may concentrate more on economies who have traveled millions of miles especially in the last two decades from their socialist/Marxist approach to a capitalist/market-based economy such as Russia, China, etc. The study has focused mainly on non-financial SOEs as it is widely believed that financial sector has gone an extra mile so far as financial reforms are concerned, both public sector and private sector financial institutions/firms are equally competitive in terms of its efficiency, productivity and profitability.\n6. Future research recommendations: The paper would be useful to future researchers especially the beginners and early career researchers in terms of its current trends, selection of variables, measurement techniques and statistical tools applied. While much has indeed been learned about privatization as a political and economic policy option, some issues which have either not been covered or discussed in a very limited way in the literature are:\n7. Conclusion: Given that economic transitions, corporate governance and performance of SOEs have attracted a great attention from public management and business strategy scholars in recent years, this paper aims to summarize a large number of empirical studies that examine the performance of SOEs. First, the citation analysis reveals American Economic Review, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies and Journal of Finance as the top-cited journals, whereas Megginson and Netter (2001), Megginson et al.(1994), Djankov and Murrell (2002), Boardman and Vining (1989) and Balsam et al.(2003) as the top-cited authors in this particular research field.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review several influential empirical studies that examine the performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The paper undertakes a citation analysis of journals, authors and titles in the area of privatization and firm performance in general, and assesses the impact of privatization on the performance of SOEs in particular.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The methodology is based on a systematic and structured review of over 100 papers published in economics, public management, business strategy and related social sciences. The systematic review is based on citation analysis of journals, authors and titles. The journal and author citation counts were tabulated by leveraging the databases of SCImago Journal Rankings and Google Scholar and filtered it to find out the most highly cited journals and authors. The structured review is based on the framing opinion with respect to major findings, variables selected, measurement techniques and statistical tools applied by different researchers. The impact is measured through coding a value \"P\" in case of positive effects, \"N\" in case of negative effects and \"NT\" in case the study found both positive and negative effects.\nFindings: The citation analysis reveals that American Economic Review, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies and Journal of Finance as the top-cited journals, and Megginson and Netter (3,468), Megginson et al. (1,737), Djankov and Murrell (1,356), Boardman and Vining (1,320), Balsam et al. (1,094) and DeWenter and Malatesta (1,018) as the top-cited authors in this particular research field. While majority research studies have revealed a significant improvement in the performance of SOEs in the post-privatization period, few studies have reserved their impact as neutral or even negative in some respects.\nOriginality/value: Given that economic transitions, corporate governance, and performance of SOEs have attracted a great attention from public management and business strategy scholars in recent years, this paper aims to summarize a large number of empirical studies that examine the performance of SOEs. The paper would be useful to future researchers especially the beginners and early career researchers in terms of its current trends, selection of variables, measurement techniques and statistical tools applied.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Venture creation persistence: overcoming stage-gate issues	[ "Entrepreneurial behaviour", "Persistence", "Entrepreneurial action", "Opportunity variations", "Gestation activities" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Starting this business is like a dream come true. After almost 25 years of waiting, trying, and failing, I thought it was just a pipe dream and that it might never happen(Gene Thompson, July 2005).\nIntroduction: Nascent entrepreneurs often take extended periods of time to start their venture (Hechavarria et al., 2016). In doing so, entrepreneurs also often seemingly show a striking lack of progress. For instance, Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics (PSED) data suggest that 38 percent of nascent entrepreneurs had begun their initial start-up activities five or more years before they were initially contacted for the PSED survey (Gartner et al., 2004, p. 295) and that the mean time period from the initial start-up activity to the initial PSED phone interview was an astounding 77 months (Gartner et al., 2004, p. 296). Further, research highlights that many ventures take much longer to start, with 10 percent of start-ups taking longer than 100 months (Brush et al., 2008, p. 165).\nPersistence and entrepreneurial action: Nascent entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial persistence\nMethod: We selected an inductive approach allowing us to develop finer-grained insights to elaborate extant theory. Specifically, we undertook a longitudinal (38 month) field study encompassing participant observation, detailed autobiographical data, interviews with the focal entrepreneur and his family, and archival data (i.e. business plan, company e-mails, TV footage, and historical documents). Our primary data collection method was participant observation.\nThe founding of matrix motorsports: We begin with first-order concepts (i.e. the informant's conception of the process) in this section before moving on (in the next section) to second-order concepts (i.e. the infusion of theory into the data) (Van Maanen, 1979). Thus, we begin with a brief narrative of Gene Thompson's start-up efforts, notably focusing on a timeline of his activities that led to his eventual full-time entrepreneurial endeavor. Table I summarizes and elaborates on this timeline, which was derived from a detailed interview with Gene during November 2004 as well as follow-up interviews with Gene and other family members.\nPersistence through stage gates and opportunity elaboration: We now turn to linking Gene Thompson's narrative to extant literature. In doing so, we highlight commonalities with and divergences from extant theory, ultimately elaborating theory on entrepreneurial persistence and action. We focus on the cyclical nature of organizing in which resolving stage-gate issues resulted in emergence-type events (flurries of activity); stage-gate issues served as the impetus for venture idea variation that helped overcome stage gates; and persistence by continually varying, or elaborating upon, an opportunity idea. As such, we develop theoretical explanations regarding how nascent entrepreneurs can continue to persist despite outward appearances of making little progress toward start-up.\nDiscussion: Implications for theory on entrepreneurial persistence\nConclusion: Creating a new venture represents the seminal step for nascent entrepreneurs. However, despite their intentions, many entrepreneurs take years to start a venture if they even achieve start-up at all. Using a longitudinal case study, we showed how the venture-creation process may extend over a significant period of time and how one entrepreneur persisted as he kept trying to start his venture. In doing so, we highlighted the nature of entrepreneurial persistence as a cyclical process of facing and resolving stage gates through which one must pass to move forward in efforts to start a venture. Building upon extant conceptualizations of entrepreneurial action as a phased process occurring over time, we show that flurries of activity occur both before and after stage gates as entrepreneurs may move back and forth between phases as they elaborate upon and refine new variations of their original venture idea.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into how nascent entrepreneurs persist despite outward appearances of little progress by using participant observations, and autobiographical and interview data.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Utilizing a multi-year case study, the authors use participant observation, autobiographical, and interview data to build the arguments.\nFindings: The authors demonstrate that persistence involves overcoming stage-gate issues, and overcoming stage gates requires a flurry of activity and opportunity variation. Once stage gates are overcome, entrepreneurs experience an emergence-like event with a new flurry of activity that propels them toward the next stage gate. Doing so, the authors extend theories of entrepreneurial persistence and entrepreneurial action by suggesting that nascent entrepreneurs who are slowly making progress toward start-up may be persisting by taking small but important steps toward start-up.\nOriginality/value: This study offers detailed observations and analysis about the behaviors and activities that a nascent entrepreneur undertook during an extremely long gestation/persistence period, which ultimately ended with the successful completion of the goal.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Business service outsourcing in manufacturing firms: an event study	[ "Event study", "Business services", "Reliance on technology", "Service outsourcing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Manufacturing firms increasingly rely on business service outsourcing to cope with cut-throat competition. Eroding margins force manufacturers to explore every opportunity for creating and capturing firm value (Steiner et al., 2016). Business service outsourcing contributes to firm value in two ways: first, it can yield cost advantages, driven by economies of scale or labor cost arbitrage (Raassens et al., 2014). For example, ABB, a leading power and automation technologies manufacturer, outsourced its IT services to realize \"immediate cost savings\" (AWP News, 2010). Second, business service outsourcing can lead to superior service quality by leveraging partners' capabilities (Kalaignanam et al., 2013). Thus Renault UK outsourced its accident management services to Quindell to \"better meet customer needs\" (Dow Jones Global Equities News, 2013).\n2. Literature overview: 2.1 Business service outsourcing and firm value\n3. Conceptual framework: Figure 2 contains the conceptual model, which predicts the impact of the outsourced business service type (external vs internal) on firm value, as well the moderating effect of the outsourcing arrangement. It focuses on three characteristics: outsourcing intention, reliance on technology, and outsourcing partner.\n4. Methodology and measures: 4.1 Assessing the impact of business service outsourcing on firm value\n5. Results: In line with previous research, it is first tested whether the CAR due to service outsourcing in general differ from zero (Swaminathan and Moorman, 2009). As depicted in Table V, the results of the t-test (Brown and Warner, 1985) do not indicate significant CAR for business service outsourcing in general (p>0.1). However, the abnormal returns display considerable variation, ranging from -4.75 to +4.63 percent, such that the type of service outsourcing and outsourcing arrangement might make a difference.\n6. Discussion: Outsourcing business services is a highly relevant and challenging managerial issue. This research provides a systematic analysis of its firm value consequences, with implications for scholars and practitioners.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Many manufacturing firms entrust partners to provide services on their behalf. However, it is not clear whether and when firms can capture the potential value advantages of outsourcing business services. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of different types of business service outsourcing on firm value.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper uses event study methodology to estimate the impact of business service outsourcing announcements on abnormal returns of publicly traded manufacturing companies in Europe.\nFindings: External service outsourcing that directly affects the company's customers leads to more favorable outcomes than internal service outsourcing. This effect is contingent on the strategic outsourcing intention, the service's reliance on technology, and the choice of the outsourcing partner.\nResearch limitations/implications: Findings show that firm value depends critically on the service value it delivers to customers. Future research could explore further contingency variables, and investigate the role of service outsourcing networks and relationships.\nPractical implications: The insights of this study help managers to decide why, how, and to whom they should outsource their business services, as well as how to justify their outsourcing decisions, and how to communicate them toward the financial markets.\nOriginality/value: This research sheds light on the value implications of outsourcing decisions. Two types of business service outsourcing are distinguished, namely, internal and external. Furthermore, the study enhances our understanding of a contingency perspective on service outsourcing decisions.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Reviewing congruity effects in the service environment musicscape	[ "Music", "Customer services quality", "Customer satisfaction" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Consumers inevitably draw meaning from the service environments they visit. Consequently, there has been increased managerial acknowledgement in recent years of the importance of environmental aesthetics (Kozinets et al., 2002). The experiential benefit of engaging all five senses has been stressed by Pine and Gilmore (1998), who suggested that experiences are as different from services, as services are from goods. Research (Harris et al., 2003) has also identified the need for service organization managers to be aware of the way theatrical productions create an integrated and holistic experience for audiences through skilful design of visual (e.g. lighting, costumes, and props) and aural (words, music, and audio) stimuli. Likewise, there is a need to ensure that the music used in service organizations is integrated with other atmospheric elements in order to convey a coherent message and reinforce a consistent positioning strategy. Morrison and Beverland (2003) highlighted several organizations that have successfully matched their background music to their desired positioning, heritage, brand image, store design, and customer base, often using different music to demarcate different zones within the service environment. This underlines the importance of a high level of congruity between music and service environment.\nGenre: Although musical genre subsumes an extensive range of other musical variables (e.g. variations in tempo and timbre, etc.), studies have treated musical genre as a discrete variable because it is impossible to manipulate while holding other variables constant.Genre congruity with other servicescape elements\nTempo: Musical tempo is the speed at which a musical passage progresses. It is a variable that has been quantifiably measured in several studies by using a metronome to monitor the number of beats per minute (BPM).Tempo congruity with other servicescape elements\nVolume: Musical volume is relatively easy to modify for managers and academic researchers. Like musical tempo, it is a variable that allows comparative, quantifiable measurement, but unlike musical tempo, research is constrained by defined decibel level parameters ensuring that stimuli are neither inaudible nor painful for participants. Most studies have compared stimuli where one piece of music is louder than another piece of music, although little acknowledgement has been made of the impact of musical dynamics (e.g. where one passage of notes is louder/softer than another passage of notes within the same piece). While musical volume levels can be set at a constant level for all participants in experimental environments by using headphones (Oakes and North, 2006), it should be noted that customers in authentic service environments may be different distances from the audio source, making it difficult to calibrate volume manipulations even when decibels are measured from a single location.Volume congruity with the generic service category\nLiking: Musical liking may be a function of numerous factors including aspects of the music, the listener, and the listening situation (North and Hargreaves, 2005). Using occupation as a determinant of social class, Shepherd (1986) also revealed how individuals placed higher up the social class structure were more likely to prefer up-market musical genres such as classical and jazz. Holbrook and Schindler (1989) indicated that consumers' sensitivity to pop music peaks in the early 20s age band, creating bonds with individual pieces of pop music that can last a lifetime. These findings clearly have social class and age segmentation implications for many organizations that use background music.Scott (1990) argued that musical responses are not biologically imbedded, but are gradually learned through a process of social conditioning. Consequently, musical liking and the subsequent effectiveness of musical communication might well depend upon an individual's cultural background, which would be a function of various factors (e.g. the importance of peer group approval of musical preference). Indeed, Sawyer (2005) outlined the inadequacy of explanations of musical communication based only upon the structural characteristics of music. He suggested that the semiotic concept of indexicality (the association between a sign and its object) could provide a broader explanation of how musical meaning is inevitably context-specific and implicitly referential. For example, consumers may associate their own personal experiences with a piece of music, so that when the music is heard within a service environment, it stimulates memories of the original experience and the emotions induced. The nature of these memories is likely to influence whether the music is liked or disliked. Disney use music to appeal to parents (Carson, 2004) by linking theme park experiences back to nostalgic memories of music used in Disney films enjoyed as children. In addition to using designated background music for individual rides and attractions, Disney use music to identify geographically themed locations (e.g. a live \"Oom-Pah\" band in the German pavilion).Other studies have investigated how preference is a function of properties of the music itself. Most notably, Berlyne (1971) suggested that musical properties such as complexity and familiarity combine to elicit listener arousal, and argued that musical liking is highest at intermediate arousal levels. In contrast, Martindale and Moore (1988) used neural network models of human cognition in proposing that musical liking is a function of the extent to which a musical stimulus is prototypical of its class. North and Hargreaves (2000) argued that prototypicality and arousal should not be regarded as mutually exclusive concepts since they may operate simultaneously to impact upon musical liking.Valence congruity\nManagerial implications: Evaluation of the environment\nDiscussion and future theoretical directions for research: Interactive effects\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review that highlights significant findings from empirical research examining the impact of music within various real and simulated service environments.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper examines the results of studies that have manipulated specific musical variables (genre, tempo, volume, and liking), and attempts to identify consistent patterns of findings to guide managers and researchers. The studies focus upon a range of dependent variables including evaluation of the environment, perceived wait and stay duration, consumption speed, affective response, and spending. Possible explanations for apparently inconsistent findings are discussed.\nFindings: - A variety of studies reveal the positive influence of musical congruity upon desired outcomes. Future research proposals identify the need to examine defining-attribute and prototype theories of musical congruity.\nOriginality/value: - The review highlights a range of implications drawn from the studies that will be of value to service organization managers who use music as a key component of their servicescape in order to enhance desired cognitive and affective responses.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A structural model of supply chain management on firm performance	[ "Performance measures", "Quality management", "Supply chain management", "Business performance" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Over the past two decades, supply chain management (SCM), emphasizing the interdependence of buyer and supplier firms working collaboratively to improve the performance of the entire supply, has generated extensive interest in both academic and practitioner communities (Shin et al., 2000; Narasimhan and Kim, 2007). In particular, with the increasing trend of business globalization, how a firm gains and retains its competitive advantage while facing domestic and international challenges has drawn a lot of attention (Huo et al., 2008; Kannan and Tan, 2005). The effects of SCM on firm performance in manufacturing industries have also been extensively documented. SCM provides benefits to suppliers and customers by enhancing upstream and downstream linkages. Additionally, firms have began to integrate their external customer-firm-supplier relationships and internal contextual factors as a means to improve customer satisfaction, firm performance, and firm competitiveness. However, research examining the interaction among customer-firm-supplier integration, firm contextual factors, and firm performance has been limited.SCM has been recognized as an important issue and has generated a substantial amount of interest among managers and researchers. Since the 1980s, SCM has been regarded as one of the most effective ways for firms to improve their competitive advantage. SCM has been documented to be positively associated with enhanced competitiveness and improved firm performance (Li et al., 2006). In addition, SCM has been widely considered to be an effective management tool for firms to maintain business stability, growth, and prosperity. Supporting this claim, Harrison and New (2002) report that:While 70 percent of the respondents thought that their supply chain strategy was currently important or very important in achieving competitive advantage, in the future 91 percent thought that this would be the case.Harrison and New (2002) also found that leading players in SCM:[...] regard their supply chains as key elements in their corporate strategy and perceive them to be very important for competitive advantage, both now and in the future. They have already invested significantly in supply chain infrastructure [...] and expect to continue investing at a relatively high level into the future.SCM entails closer coordination and configuration of the business process between suppliers and customers in order to make products available in an efficient and effective condition (Forker et al., 1997). A successful SCM implementation is expected to enhance the relationship between upstream suppliers and downstream customers, and thereby increase customer satisfaction and firm performance. Prior research has indicated SCM as a key driver of firm performance (Kannan and Tan, 2005). In addition, previous literature suggests that a successful SCM strategic vision is founded on the basis of effective management leadership, which creates and communicates the corporate strategic vision of SCM. The vision is translated into strategic planning, requiring that the internal business processes are designed to support and then contribute to better customer satisfaction and later reflects on firm performance measures (Tan, 2001a, b). Therefore, an interesting and important issue to investigate is how SCM affects firm performance, while considering customer-firm-supplier relationships. The objective of this study is to examine the structural model of SCM and the relationship between SCM and the performance of various information-related industries in Taiwan.Kaynak and Hartley (2008) state that:Supply chain management (SCM) consists of internal practices, which are contained within a firm, and external practices, which cross organizational boundaries integrating a firm with its customers and suppliers.However, there is no clear distinction between SCM and total quality management (TQM) in the literature, and in fact, the domains and practices of SCM and TQM overlap to some degree and can be reinforced by each other (Kannan and Tan, 2005). Customer focus and supplier management are two practices that are often discussed in both SCM and TQM studies (Kannan and Tan, 2005; Kaynak and Hartley, 2008). Thus, in this paper, we will integrate external SCM, internal contextual variables, and firm performance in our structural model. This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between SCM and firm performance, which is useful for firms and researchers who seek to better understand the effects of structural factors of SCM on various levels of firm performance.The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In section 2, the literature is briefly reviewed, a research model and related hypotheses pertaining to the relationships among external supply chain relationship, internal structural variables, and firm performance are offered. Section 3 describes the research methodology, including the development of the survey instrument and sample. We present and discuss the results of testing the structural model and relevant managerial implications in section 4. Finally, section 5 concludes this paper.\n2 Literature review and hypotheses developments: The effects of integrating SCM and TQM practices can be studied through three different perspectives. From the supply chain perspective, firms look beyond their own internal organizations and connect downstream customers and upstream suppliers in order to improve collaboration among supply chain members. Second, from the quality management perspective, firms with effective SCM implementation can realize internal benefits, such as improving quality, process, and design management. Finally, from the financial perspective, the integration of external supply chain and internal contextual variables can contribute to superior financial performance (Corbett et al., 2005; Hendticks and Singhal, 1997; Das et al., 2005; Kaynak, 2003; Mohrman et al., 1995; Kaynak and Hartley, 2008; Yeung, 2008).Hypotheses development\n3 Data and research methodology: Data collection\n4 Findings and discussion: We divided the research model into three subsections for detailed discussion. It is important to keep in mind that the existence of an upstream-downstream relationship is a prerequisite for firms to implement SCM effectively. The first subsection is used to examine the relationship between customer focus, management leadership, and supplier management (that is, testing of H1a and H1b). We then discussed the relationships between the contextual variables of our structural factors in the second subsection (that is, testing of H2a, H2b, H3, H4a-H4c, H5a-H5c, H6a, H7a, and H7b). Finally, the third subsection is used to discuss the relations among operational performance, customer satisfaction, and financial performance (that is, testing of H7a, H7b, and H8a-H8c).From the left-hand side of Figure 1, H1a that customer-oriented strategy (customer focus) has a positive impact on management leadership effectiveness. The result shows that customer focus is positively related to management leadership with a coefficient of 0.731 at the 0.01 significance level. As competitive pressure increases, firms must pay special attention to customer needs in order to maintain or expand their current market shares. The main goal of SCM is to team up with customers and suppliers to satisfy customer needs. This result suggests that a customer-oriented strategy can help a firm focus its management leadership on satisfying its customer needs. Next, the result reveals a positive correlation between management leadership and supplier management, with a coefficient of 0.215 at the 0.1 significance level. Since, major resource allocations are made by the top level of management, strong management leadership helps firms mobilize resources to enhance supplier management.In the next subsection, we discussed the relationships between contextual variables. First, we reported the effects of management leadership on human resource management, supplier management and design management, which show that the coefficient of management leadership and human resource management is 0.745 at the 0.01 significance level. The coefficient of management leadership and supplier management is 0.215 at the 0.1 significance level, while the coefficient of management leadership and design management is 0.387 at the 0.01 significance level. These results suggest that management leadership can significantly influence human resource management, supplier management, and design management performance in an SCM environment.Second, the results show that human resource management has a significant and positive effect on quality data and reporting with a coefficient of 0.738 at the 0.01 significance level. This result suggests that human resource management is a driving force behind the quality data and reporting function.Third, we discussed the empirical results of quality data and reporting hypotheses testing (H4a-H4c). The results evince that the effects of quality data and reporting on process management (a coefficient of 0.564 at the 0.01 significance level), design management (a coefficient of 0.571 at the 0.01 significance level), and supplier management (a coefficient of 0.441 at the 0.01 significance level) are all significantly positive. These results suggest that enhancing the quality data and reporting functions can ensure the continued performance of the entire production process, ranging from supplier management and design management to manufacturing process management.We next reported the empirical results of testing the supplier management-related hypotheses (H5a-H5c). The results showed that supplier management has a positive relationship to process management with a coefficient of 0.172 at the 0.1 significance level and a positive relationship to design management with a coefficient of 0.607 at the 0.01 significance level. The relationship of supplier management to operational performance is also positive, with a coefficient of 0.382 at the 0.01 significance level. The results suggest that supplier management is an important driver for improving the performance of design management, process management, and operational performance. Thus, establishing a cooperative relationship with qualified suppliers can enhance the maintenance and expansion of a firm's competitive advantage.The results suggest that enhancing supplier management can help firms procure quality materials and parts which better meet the requirements of buyers and thus contribute to better overall process management. Moreover, enhancing supplier management can also improve design management by collaborating with suppliers and buyers during the product design process stage. Since good collaboration between suppliers and buyers has positive effects on both process management and design management, supplier management thus also increases firm operational performance.Finally, we discussed the interactions between process management, design management, and operational performance. The association of either design management and process management or design management and operational performance is not significant. One possible explanation for this is that design management is still not strongly emphasized by most Taiwanese IT firms since design management is mainly responsible for their customers abroad, such as Hewlett-Packard or Dell. Taiwanese information-related firms are mainly working as manufacturing agents for their customers. Firms are involved in design management in order to understand and meet their customer's needs. One unique characteristic of Taiwanese firms is that design directions and decisions are mainly controlled by their customers, global IT leaders such as Apple and Intel. The current benefits of design management emphasize meeting customer's needs in terms of having sufficient technological skills to provide products. Therefore, design management does not appear to be a significant factor in improving process management and operational performance. In contrast, the results show a significantly positive association between process management and operational performance, with a coefficient of 0.598 at the 0.01 significance level. These results suggest that superior process management is a driving force behind improving operational performance for Taiwanese information-related firms.In the third subsection, we discussed the relationship between internal operational performance, external customer satisfaction, and firm financial performance. Our results clearly demonstrated that operational performance is significantly and positively associated with customer satisfaction (with a coefficient of 0.809 at the 0.01 significance level) and financial performance (with a coefficient of 0.397 at the 0.01 significance level). These results suggest that improving operational performance can improve customer satisfaction by providing quality products to satisfy customer needs. The coefficient of customer satisfaction and financial performance is 0.350 at the 0.01 significance level, which suggests that improving customer satisfaction is beneficial to firm growth, through deepening relations with existing customers and generating new customers, which will enhance financial performance as well.Managerial implications\n5 Conclusions: The main objective of this study is to examine the interaction of external customer-firm-supplier integration, internal contextual factors, and firm performance. The results of this study contribute to theory development of SCM by exploring a structural model connecting the relationships among external customer-firm-supplier integration, internal contextual factors, and firm performance. In order to compete successfully, managers should extend their vision beyond their own firms and into the supply chain to enhance internal operational performance, external customer satisfaction, and financial performance.Our structural model identified the relationships among SCM practices and confirms the importance of integrating with supply chain members in order to improve firm internal contextual variables and firm performance. Our results of positive benefits reaped from a successful SCM implementation show that SCM improves operational performance which yields greater customer satisfaction and financial performance. Higher financial performance is also attributable to better customer value resulting from the achievement of better customer satisfaction. The results of this study contributes to prior SCM literature by establishing a structural model to examine the relationship among components such as the external buyer-supply partnership, internal contextual variables, and the various levels of firm performance.Some limitations to this research should be noted. The first limitation of this paper lies within its methodology. The empirical analysis of this paper is based on survey data, which in this study is cross-sectional and therefore cannot examine the longitudinal interactions between customer-firm-supplier relationships, firm internal contextual factors, and firm performance.The impact of SCM practices may be influenced by contextual factors, such as industry type, firm size, strategic position of a firm in the supply chain and the type of a supply chain. Therefore, the second limitation of this paper is its scope. The sample of this study is limited to information-related firms in Taiwan. Since information-related industries in Taiwan play a significant role in global business, the general applicability of our findings is thereby enhanced. Another limitation of this research is that this study does not investigate the breadth and depth of various individual SCM practices. Since the main objective of this paper is to examine the interaction of external SCM and internal contextual factors, we did not consider the range of varying SCM practices employed by individual firms. Future studies can incorporate contextual factors, such as organizational size and supply chain structure, and examine their impact on SCM and competitive advantage.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among supply chain management (SCM) practices and their impacts on firm financial and non-financial performance. This paper contributes to SCM literature by exploring a structural model connecting the relationships among external customer-firm-supplier integration, internal SCM contextual factors, and various dimensions of firm performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In order to understand the interactions between SCM practices and firm performance, this paper considers four internal contextual factors, namely: human resource management, quality data and reporting, design management, and process management. Three levels of firm performance are also examined in this paper, including internal operational performance, external customer satisfaction, and firm financial performance. A structural model was further constructed by integrating external SCM, internal SCM contextual factors, and firm performance. The sample data were collected from Taiwan information-related industries, where firms are facing increased global competitive pressure and heavily utilize SCM to retain their competitive advantages.\nFindings: - The results presented in this paper show that external customer-firm-supplier relation management positively impacts firm internal contextual factors, which in turn have positive effects on firm performance. This finding suggests that a successful implementation of SCM not only directly improves operational performance, but also indirectly enhances customer satisfaction and financial performance. In addition, higher financial performance is also attributable to better customer value resulting from the achievement of better customer satisfaction.\nOriginality/value: - This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationships among SCM practices and how they affect various levels of firm performance, which in turn, provides strategic insights on the relationship between SCM practices and firm performance.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
ROI on a shoe-string: strategies for resource-constrained environments: Measuring more with less (part I)	[ "Management training", "Training evaluation", "Return on investment" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In increasing numbers, senior executives are asking training professionals to show how their programs and processes add value. In fact, when citing top trends facing the profession, the 2004 ASTD Competency Study (ASTD Press, 2004) states that workplace learning professionals must \"articulate the business value\" of their initiatives and demonstrate a payback for their efforts in the form of improved organizational performance and measurable results. Specifically, \"Increasing pressure from shareholders for short-term profits means that there is greater pressure on employees to produce results and on training to show a return on investment.\" Showing the bottom line impact of training programs not only proves the value a training function brings to an organization, but also provides focus and direction when deciding which programs to offer and which to discontinue. Yet the issues and concerns around resources necessary to implement a comprehensive evaluation process often hold organizations back from providing bottom-line data on training and learning programs. This delay in producing results based information often causes the reduction of necessary resources when resource reallocation within the organization takes place. For practitioners who must prove training's bottom line value in resource constrained business climates, there are special challenges to demonstrating training's impact.For instance, best practice organizations that successfully link training to improved business performance are those that allocate and share resources for evaluation planning. Yet which comes first? The resources required to demonstrate training's value or the track record of contribution that justifies the allocation of resources? The reality is that the two are not mutually exclusive. A key part of sustaining and maximizing existing training resources, as well as building support for increased allocation of resources, is to focus on where those resources, both internal and external, can do the most good.This kind of focus requires a proactive and systemic approach. While many training and training functions have not yet been required to provide bottom-line data, the time to begin gathering these data is before they are required.\nAn evaluation framework: A systemic approach to measuring training's impact begins with an evaluation framework. Donald Kirkpatrick (1998) created a four-level model of categorizing evaluation data that has been used as a common frame of reference for decades. Jack Phillips expanded upon this framework to incorporate a fifth level of evaluation for capturing the financial impact of training programs or return-on-investment, ROI. The five-level evaluation framework is as follows:1. Level 1: reaction and planned action. Measures reaction and the action planned following a training or learning initiative.2. Level 2: learning. Measures learning and knowledge changes as it relates to successful program implementation, typically through a variety of methods, including: self- assessments; team assessments; facilitator assessments; simulations; case studies; skill practices; and exercises. With increased emphasis on building learning organizations, the issue of capturing learning gains from new programs has become especially important.3. Level 3: application. Measures the extent to which trainees apply learned skill and knowledge back on the job.4. Level 4: business impact. Measures changes in business results related directly to the training project. These may include such impact measures as increased revenues, improved quality, reduced response times and enhanced efficiency. Recognizing that there are many factors that can influence a particular business performance measure, evaluation at this level must include a method to isolate the effects of the program from other influences.5. Level 5: ROI. Measures return on investment or how the monetary benefits of the program compare with the costs of the program. Two common formulas for calculating the actual return are the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) and ROI. For calculating the BCR, you divide the total benefits of the program by the program costs: Equation 1 To calculate ROI, the program costs are subtracted from the total benefits to produce the net benefits, which are then divided by the costs: Equation 2 Many impact studies stop at a report of business results at level 4 and consider a program a success if it produces business enhancements in such areas as quality, call volume, or satisfaction. That information is important, but the ultimate level of evaluation shows whether the cost of closing the gap was greater than allowing the gap to continue.\nCost-saving approaches: Many organizations around the globe are using cost-saving approaches so they can begin conducting ROI evaluation within their current budget while others use cost-saving approaches in order to increase the number of ROI studies they conduct. The following ten cost-saving approaches to ROI have been proven to significantly decrease resource requirements while still providing sound, credible data:1. plan for evaluation early in the process;2. build evaluation into the training process;3. share the responsibilities for evaluation;4. require participants to conduct major steps;5. use short-cut methods for major steps;6. use sampling to select the most appropriate programs for ROI analysis;7. use estimates in the collection and analysis of data;8. develop internal capability;9. streamline reporting; and10. utilize technology.Part one of this article will describe practical application of approaches one through five, with part two presenting strategies six through ten. Part two will also highlight implementation strategies to support the transition to a results-based training effort.1. Plan for evaluation early in the process\nSummary: By evaluating training programs with the ROI in mind, training functions can be perceived in a more credible light. Programs aligned with organization strategy are offered, while others that add little value are redesigned and sometimes eliminated. With proper planning around a proven framework, realistic evaluation targets, and shared responsibilities for major steps, the ROI process can be implemented in a cost-effective, systemic manner and can assist the resource-constrained training function to present their work in terms of financial benefits that leaders understand and have come to expect. Specifically, part one of this ROI series emphasized the following cost-savings approaches:1. Plan for evaluation early in the process.2. Build evaluation into the training process.3. Share the responsibilities for evaluation.4. Require participants to conduct major steps.5. Use short-cut methods for major steps.Part two will continue describing practical application of five additional cost-savings approaches to ROI implementation:6. Use sampling to select the most appropriate programs for ROI analysis.7. Use estimates in the collection and analysis of data.8. Develop internal capability.9. Streamline reporting.10. Utilize technology.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Despite heightened interest in return on investment (ROI) and increased accountability for training professionals to prove their bottom-line organizational value, many practitioners are deterred from comprehensive measurement and ROI evaluation due to concerns about the cost, time, and human resources necessary to fully implement the process. The purpose of this two-part series is to present ten best practice, cost-saving approaches for developing a credible, economical ROI strategy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A systemic approach to measuring training's impact begins with an evaluation framework. For the purposes of this article, Jack Phillips' five-level framework for capturing the financial impact of training programs was referenced. Based on over 20 years of research and global applications, Phillips' ROI model also includes techniques for isolating the impact of other variables, besides training, on performance improvement.\nFindings: - Many organizations around the globe are using cost-saving approaches so they can begin conducting ROI evaluation within their current budget, while others use cost-saving approaches in order to increase the number of ROI studies they conduct. The ten cost-saving approaches for measuring programs at the ROI level have been proven to significantly decrease resource requirements while still providing sound, credible data. Despite these factors, establishing an evaluation culture is no easy task. In many ways, implementing a system-wide ROI effort is similar to implementing a large-scale change initiative.\nPractical implications: - Practical application of these cost-saving approaches allows the resource-constrained training function to present their work in terms of financial benefits that leaders understand and have come to expect. It is a vital step in establishing business partnerships that will enhance commitment for training programs, products, and services going forward.\nOriginality/value: - By evaluating training programs with the ROI in mind, training functions can be perceived in a more credible light. Programs aligned with organization strategy are offered, while others that add little value are redesigned and sometimes eliminated. Trainers, designers and developers can use the findings of an ROI evaluation to increase training alignment with business needs and to improve the efficiency of the training design, development, and delivery life cycle.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Citation behavior of Pondicherry University faculty in digital environment: a survey	[ "Citation behaviour", "Trust", "Social media", "Digital library", "Open access", "Scholarly communication", "Authority" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Literature citation is considered the act of connecting text statements through reference to the broader literature and a powerful form of social communication (Greenberg, 2009). Initially, users mainly adopted citations to facilitate better information retrieval of documents. However, with the intervention of technology and the ease of tracking citation digitally, citation has manifested itself into rhetorical devices, indicators and credibility (Hellqvist, 2010). Today, it is considered an important tool to judge quality and research impact in academia, thereby creating space for controversies and obsession for impact factors, immediacy index and h-index among scientific community (Bornmann and Daniel, 2008; Trassler and Anderson, 2012). Other common problems include the meaning of trust, authority, impact and usefulness (Bornmann, 2013; Jamali et al., 2014; Tenopir et al., 2017), discipline disparity, gender and research impact (Batista et al., 2006; Craig et al., 2007; Harzing and Alakangas, 2016). Regardless of how citation is perceived, it is a motivation for authors to acknowledge and cite works of fellow authors in his/her original manuscript. The challenges authors face today are manifold, and therefore, it is crucial to understand the factors that motivate authors from developing nation to cite.\nLiterature review: The issue of citation behavior has been widely discussed among sociologists of science for at least four decades. Attempts have been made to explore more about citation behavior and in formulating theories for the concept. There are mainly two major theories of citation behavior situated within broader social theories of science and are discussed by many scholars (Bornmann and Daniel, 2008; Thornley et al., 2015; Case and Higgins, 2000). The two theories are normative theory and social constructivist theory. Normative theory argue that authors cite documents that are relevant to their topic to acknowledge intellectual debt (Merton, 1988), whereas the social constructivist theory argue that authors tend to cite documents that are supportive of what they write, preferably by noted experts, a persuasion strategy to attract and convince the readers (Gilbert, 1977). There is also a unified theory, which synthesizes the two views, i.e. both normative and social constructivist arguing that the practice of citation is affected by both reasons (Bornmann and Daniel, 2008; Small, 2004).\nMethodology: The present study is a descriptive inquiry on authors' citation behavior. Author-based approach was adopted over reader-based approach for the present study because it provided logical and accuracy into authors' insights to motivation. A survey method was adopted for data collection. Among the various data collection tools available for conducting a survey, a questionnaire was used for the present study, as it was found to be most suitable for the current study in the environment in which the work was carried out. The questionnaire was self-administered (Brooks, 1986; Snyder and Bonzi, 1998 and Shadish et al., 1995), consisting of closed-ended questions of two sections. The first section consisted of questions regarding personal information. The second section contained a scale of 26 statements on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly agree (5) to strongly disagree (1), which is meant to measure the respondents' reasons for citation. The total population of the faculty in the main campus was 320 belonging to 12 different schools and 48 departments. From the total population, a sample of 100 faculty was created using judgmental sampling, out of which 28 faculty were from social science and seventy-two from Science. The judgment criteria being faculty whose publications are indexed in Scopus database and are willing to participate in the survey were only selected for inclusion in the sample, assuming that the faculty whose works are in Scopus have good research output and can impart more information on citation behavior. The study had a 0 per cent rejection rate because most of the faculty are colleagues, three of the authors are faculty in the same institution and two of them were involved in the data collection process personally. As shown in Table I, 79 per cent of the respondents were male and 21 per cent female. A total of 6 per cent of the respondents were between the age group of 24-34, 54 per cent between 35 and 45, 28 per cent between 46 and 56 and 12 per cent above 57 years old. Majority of the respondents were Professors (53 per cent) followed by Associate Professors (32 per cent), and Assistant Professors (15 per cent). The majority of the faculty (72 per cent) was from the science disciplines and 28 per cent of the faculty was from the social sciences. A total of 68 per cent of the respondents are with a PhD, 29 per cent have post-doctoral experience and 3 per cent are post-graduates. Majority (39 per cent) of the faculty in the survey had 5-10 years of teaching and research experience, 21 per cent between 11 and 15 years, 35 per cent 16 years and above and 5 per cent had a teaching experience of fewer than 5 years.\nResult and discussion: Reasons for citing\nDo authors cite to inflate academic credentials?: In a letter to the Editor, Scientometrics, Zhivotovsky and Krutovsky (2008) communicated that self-citation could potentially inflate bibliometric result of h-index. Nishy and Rana (2016) recent finding on papers published from CSIR-NIIST by Indian author suggests that 64.69 per cent of all the published papers have author self-citations. There is, however, a \"lack of substantive differences in self-citation behavior across disciplines\" (Snyder and Bonzi, 1998).The findings of our study, therefore, indicate that a majority of the authors admitted that they refrain from self-citation to inflate their number of citations (mean score = 2.12). Similarly, authors also stated that they do not cite papers suggested by reviewers only to increase their chances of acceptance (mean score = 2.97).\nNegative citation: Table II shows the faculty reasons for citing a source. Citation is the attribution of an individual contribution to the universe of knowledge. The acknowledgment could be attributed with both positive as well as negative citation. However, criticism and contradictory findings are seldom attributed to citation and the narratives of citation have often been associated with positive citation. Ball (2015) argues that \"papers that tended to receive criticism were ones that received a relatively large number of citations overall.\" However, previous research has shown that \"negative citation\" is fairly rare (Case and Higgins, 2000). In line with Case and Higgins (2000), the results of the present study indicate that just above 22 per cent of the respondents stated that they have criticized the work of another researcher to show an alternative argument or incorrect method/interpretation (mean score = 2.77).\nDigital transition: Table III shows the citation behavioral change due to the transition of scholarly communication due to digital transition. Traditionally, print media has been the most popular means of scholarly communication until the advent of the electronic journal. Therefore, technology has changed \"formal academic publishing and provided new less formal means of sharing, discussing and disseminating research information\" (Thornley et al., 2015). Davis and Cohen (2001) found a significant increase in newspapers and Web citations replacing scholarly resources cited between 1996 and 1999). In line with Gao (2015), citation behaviors of the respondents remain traditional. The respondents stated that they prefer to cite articles for its originality even if this meant citing an article that is not born digitally, as an important judgment in considering what to cite (mean score = 3.28). Moreover, reference management tools, such as Mendeley, Zotero and EndNote that ease referencing have not significantly changed the way the respondents cite (mean score = 2.470).\nOpen access and open peer review: Perception of open access among scholars has considerably improved. In line with Antelman (2004) and Watkinson et al. (2015), authors agree that they cite open access journals provided they are properly peer reviewed (mean score = 3.95). However, findings on faculty perception toward open peer review process suggest no inclination (mean score = 2.63). Hence, they remain traditional in their trust for blind peer review in scholarly communication.\nInstitutional repository, social media, blogs and journal metrics: Table III shows the faculty perception of citing informal source of information. Institutional repository digital pre-prints, academic blogs and social media have recently been platforms for researchers to communicate their findings. However, using informal reference source for peer review journals has been underreported. Paulussen and Harder (2014) argues that \"the number of articles citing social media as a news source appears to be low\" among Belgian newspapers. Although these mediums have greatly reduced the gap of the peer-review process, the credibility of the source remains the primary concern of the scholars. Findings of the present study also reveal similar concerns. Faculty refrain from citing social media/social networking sites/websites/blogs (mean score = 2.48). Similarly, their' attitude toward citing social media, institutional repositories, academic blogs, newspaper, tweets, etc. remain uncertain, even if this meant content source from reputed researchers (mean score = 2.64). Moreover, findings of our study indicate that the respondents' do not prefer citing pre-print research articles that are available in the institutional repositories (mean score = 2.63). The result reaffirms the authors' faith in the peer review process as an authoritative source for citation. Similarly, according to the respondents' metrics, such as usage metric, altmetric or article level metric generally incorporated in electronic journals were not credible (mean score = 2.86).\nGender and discipline: Table IV shows the difference in behavioral change in citing digital sources with reference to gender and discipline of study. Harwood's (2009) comparative study on citation behavior of computer scientists and sociologists suggests that there is a difference in citation behavior among the two; computer scientists cite with the intention to direct their audience to further reading, whereas the sociologist's texts featured more cases of critical citations. On the contrary, the results of the present study show that there is no significant difference (at 5 per cent) between male and female in their citation behavior or behavioral change in digital environment [t(98) = 0.144, p = 0.886 and t(98) = -0.668, p = 0.505]. Therefore, irrespective of gender or discipline, the respondents cite for the same reason (citation behavior) and follow the same source (digital). Findings suggest that there is no significant difference (at 5 per cent) between discipline (science and social science) of study among the respondents in their citation behavior or digital citation behavior.\nConclusion: The present study provides some insights on the role of trust and authority in the citation behavior of Pondicherry University faculty in the digital world. Citation behavior is a complex phenomenon and can differ depending on various factors. It is \"multidimensional and not a unidimensional phenomenon\" and may differ from scientist to scientist (Bornmann and Daniel, 2008, p. 43). However, the present study opines that authors in the digital age assign trust and authority to cited sources based on sound methodology, theoretical approach, highly cited and indexed journals. Overall, the result of the study suggests that citation behavior of Pondicherry University faculty is inclined toward normative citation theory. At the same time, it resonates Thornley et al. (2015, p. 14) study that respondents tend to cite works of publications either purely on the basis of intellectual content (normative reasons) which is in line with normative theory or cite sources on the basis of knowledge of the social and academic context (constructionist reasons). Hence, the result resonates previous empirical studies (Brooks, 1986; Thornley et al., 2015) that authors have complex motivations behind citing which are often times difficult to comprehend. This was found to be particularly true in this study as well, where authors depict a behavioral pattern that included both the intellectual content and social and research network while citing. More importantly, faculty were found to be progressive regarding their perception toward citing open access journals provided they are reputed and peer reviewed. However, citing informal sources of information, such as social media, blogs, tweets, etc. have not significantly influenced the faculty perception of trust and authority. Similarly, the use of reference management tools to organize referencing was found to be quite unpopular among them. Journal impact factor remains the standard metric for evaluating trustworthiness, whereas alternative metrics, such as usage metrics or article level metrics, are only popular indicators and not academic. Finally, while trusting or determining authority of the sources they cite, faculty remain traditional and conservative even in the digital era. Disruption in peer review system, metrics, reference manager, scholarly blog has not significantly influence their perception. Rather, peer review and original publisher's version remains the most important and crucial criteria while making trust decisions. It can, therefore, be concluded that often times intellectual reasons and social and academic context cannot be placed at opposite ends and treated as isolates but rather linked inexplicably as observed in the study.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the citation behavior of Pondicherry University faculty with a focus on their recent publication experience, indexed in Scopus. The paper endeavors to gain an insight into their pattern of citation of scientific papers and attempts to understand the underlying motive in doing so especially in an era where information resources have transitioned from print to digital.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study adopted a judgmental sample consisting of 100 selected faculty members whose recent papers were indexed by Scopus database. A pre-defined questionnaire consisting of demographic profile and 23 items on citation trust and authority statements of citing sources was self-administered to them.\nFindings: The findings of the study indicate that the citation behavior of faculty in Pondicherry University is complex and multi-faceted. Although majority of the faculty depicted an inclination toward normative citation behavior (concerned with the intellectual content of the work), there are others who displayed social constructivist (concerned with the social aspects of the work) citation behavior as well. However, in spite of the differences observed in the citation behavior of the faculty, it was observed that they remained traditional while making trust decisions even in the digital era. Finally, findings suggest no statistical significant difference when it comes to variables, such as gender and discipline in the citation behavior of the faculty.\nOriginality/value: Given the ever-increasing importance of citation in judging the quality of research journals, in ranking institutions and in determining the efficacy of faculty in India, author-based approach of understanding citer motivation definitely carry research value.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The rhetoric and narratives in management research	[ "Rhetoric", "Narratives", "Management research" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: This special issue, on the rhetoric and narratives in management research has been assembled by two special issue editors, Dr Marja Flory (Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University) and Prof. Dr Alfonso Sauquet (ESADE Universitat Ramon Llul, Barcelona, Spain). The papers have been selected from the contributions to the 4th Conference on Rhetoric and Narratives in Management Research held on March 24-26, 2011 at the ESADE campus in Barcelona. We had already published the selection of papers from the former, 3rd conference, but this time, everything is different. First, the editors have refrained from publishing the keynote speakers - Deirdre McCloskey, Barbara Czarniawska and the undersigned, to mention but a few. This had, incidentally, saved the editor-in-chief of JOCM and a co-author of the present editorial from a tricky dilemma - had they proposed to select my contribution, I would be torn between a necessity to conform to their wishes (cutting myself out would have been a mild form of censorship) and a lurking suspicion that publishing myself in a journal, of which I am the editor-in-chief, is not exactly the spitting image of academic neutrality and rational objectivity. This is mentioned for a reason. One of the most ethically interesting papers in the present special issue has been written by Thomas Basboll and it bears the title \"Legitimate peripheral irritations: the ethos of critique and the scholarship of integration in the study of sensemaking\". Rarely has an author buried his (it is a he this time) intriguing message behind a more clumsy, lengthy and sleep-pill-like title. But the message is crystal-clear. Karl Weick, the guru of organizational change management, has been guilty of a fairly silly plagiarism (the one, which could have been easily acknowledged as a trick of memory, but for which a responsible researcher would have apologized immediately and unequivocally). Weick did not. He did not question the PhD student's findings, but questioned the motives of his supervisor in publishing it. I guess the case of the former German minister of defense, Mr von Gutenberg, was more serious, but still, Basboll's analysis of Weick's dismissive and evasive response and attempts of our colleagues to deal with criticism by pointing out that a PhD student in case (Hendrik Graham) and his supervisor (Thomas Basboll) are \"nobodies\" and thus unfit for critique of the established masters of the discipline - are sure to raise a few brows.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to introduce this special issue on the subject of the rhetoric and narratives in management research.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper reviews selected contributions to the 4th Conference on Rhetoric and Narratives in Management Research held on March 24-26, 2011 at the ESADE campus in Barcelona.\nFindings: - The paper reveals various views of rhetoric and narratives in management research including plagiarism, individual (personal) narratives , material and spiritual narratives and deception in storytelling.\nOriginality/value: - The paper provides a useful introduction to the various papers on rhetoric and narratives in management research.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Deconstructing the manager: discourses of power and resistance in popular cinema	[ "Gender", "Organizations", "Postmodernism", "Qualitative research", "Sex and gender issues", "Cinema" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nFilms and firms: Films and firms go a long way back. As early as the 1940s, films such as Force of Evil (1948) and The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) portrayed life in firms and how everyday life is affected by firms. In the 1950s, films started focusing on the people within the firms, especially those in power, and the construction of the \"evil capitalist\" (Ribstein, 2005) began with the protagonists of Executive Suite (1954), The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) and Patterns (1956). The 1980s saw an upsurge of films portraying the \"evil corporation\" which acted against the best interest of the people - however \"people\" may be defined - such as Wall Street (1987) and Other People\nManagement, organizations and popular culture: While the \"popular\" is still met with skepticism (Rhodes, 2004) or even with suspicion (ten Bos, 2000) in organization studies, work in this area is gaining momentum, and more researchers are seeing \"representations (of managers and organizations in popular culture) as a legitimate source of material or knowledge from which to conceptualize work and/or organizational phenomena or as a resource with which to approach theorizing practice\" (Rhodes and Westwood, 2008, p. 3). I position my work within this literature, highlighting not only the educational value of paying attention to popular films but, most importantly, the questions they raise about power and resistance in organizations.\nTheoretical framework and methods: In this study I focus on the discursive formation of managers and employees in popular films and on the power exhibited through this formation. I see discursive formations as \"systems of dispersion\" (Foucault, 1972, p. 37) in that meanings are always connected together in and through a certain discourse. In addition, since \"where there is power there is resistance\" (Foucault, 1979, p. 95) I examine how popular films act simultaneously on two competing planes - being both admiring and hostile towards organizations - thus portraying both resistance and complacency towards the capitalist world (see also Clegg, 1998).\nConstructing the manager: The films analyzed tell a specific story about who the managers are and what they do; in fact, they seem to tell a clear story of what power looks like. Before discussing issues of power, however, it must be noted that all the films examined have male protagonists, both in the role of the manager and in the role of the employee/hero[5]. And, although the construction of masculinity - and the \"doing of gender\" - in the cinematic workplace is discussed at length elsewhere (Panayiotou, 2010), it must be noted here also. In fact, it may be said that \"the strange silence\" (about men as managers) that Collinson and Hearn (1996) locate, \"the embedded, taken-for-granted association, even conflation, of men with organizational power, authority and prestige\" (p. 1) is evident in all the films. This imagery, however, that seems to be taken for granted, neglected and \"thereby reproduced and reinforced\" (p. 4) must be studied from multiple angles if it is to be deconstructed and challenged.\nConstructing the hero - deconstructing the manager: The second construct put forward by the films analyzed is a paradoxical one: while on the one hand, films tell us that to belong in an organization we must sell our souls (selves), on the other hand, they prompt us to fight against this urge if we are to maintain our authenticity. Here I propose that this second construct, the employee/hero who is found in the beginning of the film trying to emulate the boss but then denounces the idea in order to find or to maintain a \"true self\", can be read as a deconstruction of the manager, which then formulates the basis for an emerging discourse of resistance.\nDiscourses of power and resistance in Hollywood cinema: In one of the closing scenes of Wall Street, as Bud Fox is being carried off by the FBI charged with several illegal activities in the firm, an elder broker tells him: \"Remember something. Man looks into the abyss, there is nothing staring back at him. At that moment finds his character and that is what keeps him out of the abyss\". Is the abyss in this quote an allegory for organizations? Following Knights and Vurdubakis\nConcluding remarks: Where does the juxtaposition of the two discourses leave us? Perhaps it leaves us, the audiences, to question again the \"reality\" of the films. Or, it leaves us to accept their non-reality precisely because this offers us the possibility to see that we as individuals do have the power to bring about organizational if not social change. In the end then, just as the \"other\" becomes the \"self\" through the films analyzed, \"reality\" can be found in the \"non-reality\" of Hollywood fiction. In other words, even though the characters displayed are fictional, this does not mean that they are un-real.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This article aims to explore how mainstream popular cinema, usually a vehicle of effortless and accessible entertainment, produces or reproduces prevailing discursive constructs about managers, management and corporate firms and provides a cultural reading of organizations. Using a post-structuralist framework, it seeks to deconstruct the representations of managers in several popular films. It aims to propose that the analysis of this representation allows complex questions about the nature of power in organizations and the \"opportunity costs\" of resistance to be addressed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This article focuses on the discursive formation of managers and employees in popular films. The films were chosen using a popularity measure on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) and treated as \"visual narratives\". A variation of Rose\nFindings: The analysis reveals two seemingly competing discourses surrounding the representations of managers that encompass both a description of power and the resistance to this power. In this sense, although popular films position subjects - managers and those managed - in very specific ways, at the same time their construct of power is highly contextual and open to change. This finding leads to, first, a Foucauldian understanding of power and, second, a reconceptualization of power and resistance as one and the same construct, power/resistance, that may help address the \"where\", \"who\", and \"why\" of resistance that has previously been ignored.\nOriginality/value: The article brings popular culture to center stage in organization studies and argues that by not paying attention to its power to inform, society is cut off from valuable knowledge about how management is \"done\". The article also reveals that although on surface the representations of managers in films seem to reinforce the dominant discourse of the \"macho\" manager, at the same time, a second representation - the bright, eager, usually working-class employee who wants to emulate the boss but then \"sees the light\" and becomes a \"hero\" - is offering a critique of this construct, making popular culture potentially subversive.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Who staffs the US leaning tower? Organisational change and diversity	[ "Organizational change", "Universities", "Social problems", "Labour market", "United States of America" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Almost regardless of who you ask, there is a broad consensus that the institutional environment surrounding US colleges and universities has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. The evidence for these changes seems to be everywhere. Yet a coherent organisational and social scientific explanation for these changes is elusive. The lay public and college alumni also suspect that something is stirring in the halls of the US academy but they cannot come up with a coherent narrative for explaining the changes. Such statements as \"college is the new high school\", \"a college education is the only ticket to the middle class\", \"college costs are out of control\", \"state-supported higher education is doomed\", \"the competition to get into a good college is more intense than ever,\" resonate with the popular press and the lay public. While America's love-hate relationship with its intelligentsia remakes itself with each generation, the latest manifestations of this crisis of confidence are organisational and labour-market oriented.Our paper examines this changing landscape through the lens of the changing institutional field of university administration. Our argument is multi-faceted, but our thesis is not:(1) the American academy is becoming a \"leaning tower\", top heavy with administrators and non-academic managers who increasingly control and dominate university life; and(2) this series of institutional changes has altered the way that college administrators are recruited, and altered - largely for the worse - their relationship with faculty and research scientists on US college campuses.We use institutional theory as a theoretical frame for our argument, and present preliminary data on the recruitment of top administrators at American colleges and universities in 2004-2005 to illustrate the labour market dynamics we discuss.Our argument is laid out in five parts. First, we discuss the changing institutional environment of higher education in USA. The relationship between the typical US university and the stakeholders that make up its institutional environment is (perhaps) the most complex in the world. Second, we discuss the organisation and evolution of college administrator labour markets, and present preliminary findings on recent changes in these labour markets: in short, they have become more distinctive over time as college administration separates itself from the college professoriate as a separate career track. Third, we examine new organisational forms that have developed in tandem with this distinctive college administrator labour market, paying special attention to academic search firms as critical mediators of and players in college administrator labour markets. Fourth, we present evidence that search firms increase the diversity of applicants and hires into college administrative positions, an outcome that further highlights the growing distinctiveness of these labour markets. Fifth and finally, we will discuss the changing (and diminished) role of college faculty in relation to these developments. Colleges and universities are changing from being faculty and student-centred to being administratively centred, much as the rest of American business enterprise has moved from a focus on front-line employees and middle-managers to top managers and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), with accompanying wage and salary inequality to go along with it.\nContemporary institutional theory and professional work: Institutional theory suggests that the regulation of organisational behaviour occurs through and is a consequence of taken-for-granted beliefs, schemas, and values that originate in larger institutional contexts (Greenwood and Hinings, 1996; Meyer and Rowan, 1977; Powell and DiMaggio, 1991; Scott, 1995). In most institutional accounts these beliefs, schemas, and values are not primarily responses to market pressures and efficiency dynamics. Instead, these arrangements represent active responses to dominant sets of norms, values and beliefs of key organisational actors - in our case, administrators, professors, donors, parents, state agencies, employers, and the like. Specific ways of organising become archetypes that represent coherent patterns of organising in response to underlying values and beliefs (Greenwood and Hinings, 1993).Mechanisms for enforcing institutional configurations are the key to the establishment and maintenance of a strong correspondence between institutionalised values and beliefs and methods of organising. In institutional theory, these forces usually are classified under the headings of normative, coercive and mimetic pressures. Normative pressures result from the socialisation of institutional actors into a set of beliefs that define specific organisational arrangements as the \"best and customary\" way of organising specific activities. Professor's training and involvement with graduate education and professional associations are classic mechanisms that exert normative pressure through their socialisation - and continued re-socialisation - of occupational incumbents. Coercive pressures result from the actions of regulatory oversight agencies and major resource providers. These stakeholders have the ability to enforce their will on organisational actors by conferring or withdrawing legitimacy and resources. Accreditation, inspections, and claims to speak for broader unorganised constituencies - in addition to the sheer ability to make or withhold large donations and take legal action - make coercive pressures in well-institutionalised organisational domains credible. Mimetic pressure is a consequence of the establishment of taken-for-granted methods of organising. Once specific organisational practices dominate a specific field, resorting to those practices as the best solution to a problem is simply a matter of borrowing from what others do.More recently neo-institutional theorists have been interested in examining change processes (Greenwood and Hinings, 1993; Oliver, 1991; Powell and DiMaggio, 1991). There are two broad strands of institutional research and theory that attempt to understand change:(1) a tradition focusing on variations in embeddedness in specific institutional contexts that promote specific organisational archetypes (Greenwood and Hinings, 1993, 1996); and(2) a somewhat less prominent tradition that talks about strategic responses to institutional processes (Oliver, 1991). In the first conception, embeddedness in an institutional context makes gradual change less likely and radical (or revolutionary) change more likely.Embeddedness also reflects the structure of the institutional context (Greenwood and Hinings, 1993; Oliver, 1991) - the extent that contexts are permeable and the extent that institutional monitoring practices are tightly or loosely coupled.\nChanges in the institutional field of university administration: The disembedded institutional environment of college administration\nThe changing organisation and evolution of college administrator labour markets: At the same time as the institutional environment of the US research university was changing, the labour market for college administrators was shifting as well. The effects of these changes have been slow to evolve, but have been increasingly apparent in the past ten years or so.The creation of a distinctive administrative track\nThe evolution of new organisational forms and college administrator labour markets: The evolution of a distinctive administrative career in US colleges and universities comes with a distinctive organisational form that mediates the relationship between administrators and the universities that hire them - the academic search firm. The academic search firm, as an industry, seemed to evolve in tandem with the university-hopping occupational internal labour market of university administrators. But more specifically, administrative search firms evolved to fill specific needs that universities have in their increasingly complex environments, such as:* The reporting requirements for high-level academic searches - both from the federal government, state governments, and significant university stakeholders - almost necessitates a full-time consultancy to keep track of the paperwork and reporting requirements for the search. Academic search firms have evolved in the direction of providing these services and they have developed an institutionalised niche for assuring compliance with these statutes.* Administrative search firms act as important intermediaries and network facilitators at the upper reaches of the administrative labour market. Search firms can keep and compile a permanent list of potential recruits without tying any individual recruit to a specific job. Recruit lists can be kept without jeopardising the relationship between a potential recruit and his/her present employer or university. Universities can use search firms as \"dating services\" to contact potential hires about their interest in a new job. The university, if asked, can deny that it has contacted the candidate directly. The candidate, if asked, can deny that they have been contacted directly. And both parties can back out of the transaction without either side losing face or making a public revelation.The administrative labour market has become so complex, and there is so much movement across institutions, that it is virtually impossible for a university to simply hang out a \"help wanted\" advertisement and understand the range of people that might be available to accept their job. The search firm, because it helps numerous clients find the administrators they need, has a much better idea what the administrative labour market is like and is in a position to assess the fit between candidates and institutions. In summary, academic search firms fill a serious and growing structural hole between the need for administrative help that comes from an increasingly specialised, occupational internal labour market, and the universe of potential recruits who could take the job.\nDiversity in the search and hiring processes for university administrative posts: Another potential consequence of the increasing administrative intensity of the US university is the increasing demographic diversity of university administrators on college campuses. Given the university's well-known emphasis on affirmative action, potential college administrators from underrepresented groups have been able to take advantage of the broadening market for college administrators, often securing \"fast track\" status into the upper reaches of administration at rates that would have seemed dizzying 30 years ago. But exact statistics on this trend are hard to come by, and for each administrative position that carries a tenured academic appointment, there are some ten others that do not. We present some preliminary data below on the 2004-2005 academic year.Hypotheses from institutional theory\nThe college administrative track and the changing role of college faculty: One could legitimately ask, what effects do all of these administrative changes have on the role of the college/university faculty? We argue that these changes are diminishing the role of the college faculty and turning administrators into \"representatives\" of outside constituencies who simply apply institutional pressure on college faculty to do whatever is required by those stakeholders.Specifically, this new administrative hiring has come at the expense of faculty hiring. University faculties are stable or shrinking in size. The administrative ranks have grown in size. Administrative salaries relative to faculty salaries have risen, driving up earnings inequality in the academy. The disjuncture between the occupational internal labour market that college faculty occupy - where labour market attractiveness is driven by scientific and academic achievements - and the occupational internal labour market that administrators occupy - which is driven by administrative successes that are amorphously defined - create two disparate and conflicting worlds. On the one hand, college administrator effectiveness depends on being able to motivate faculty to provide more data on teaching effectiveness and scientific productivity. On the other hand, the demands of various constituents outside of the university are often poorly defined, in conflict, and appear to demand more of all types of academic duties - more students, more contact hours, higher student ratings, more publications, more research grants, and more dollars per grant - and an ever-expanding professorial work week. In the sweepstakes between motivating faculty and appearing to control them, the academic administrator labour market seems to reward the latter more than the former.\nA research programme for studying administrators and faculty from an organisational perspective: In our preliminary analysis, we have suggested that the roles of faculty and administrators on US college campuses have been diverging radically over the past 20 years or so. This divergence is seen in:* the sheer numbers of people and new administrative positions that have been created;* growing salary inequality between administrators and faculty on many campuses; and* the surprising growth in professional positions that carry no academic rank and draw from people with a wide variety of credentials outside of the traditional PhD.Our preliminary results for recruitment into administrative positions in the 2004-2005 academic year suggests that women and underrepresented job incumbents tend to have traditional academic credentials, and the growing stream of administrators from a wide variety of backgrounds appear to be whites and men. We are in the process of engaging in a more systematic data collection effort to detect if this trend has developed over time and to determine when it started, specifically, for various types of colleges and universities. Theoretically, we are interested in exploring several new areas that our exploratory research suggests need to be addressed:(1) We found it relatively easy to get information on faculty salaries and expenses, but almost impossible to find the same information for administrators. Is this part of the organisational dynamic involved in exerting current and future control over faculty?(2) Does an expanded administrative component translate into better service for faculty, students, and constituents? How many of these people think they are \"representing\" some external constituency rather than the university? And, finally,(3) Why is this trend happening in higher education when middle management seems to be disappearing in private industry? And what does this say about the health and diversity of the US academy?These questions are not merely academic, but affect the future of the US university in the 21st century.Opens in a new window.Figure 1\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The paper aims to argue that US colleges and universities resemble a \"leaning tower\" with ever expanding layers of administrators and managers who control and dominate university life. This set of institutional changes has altered the way that college administrators are recruited.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper uses recent developments in institutional theories of organisations to explain the changing environment facing US colleges and universities and the role that college administrators play in this environment. The paper matches data from a sample of administrative positions advertised in the 2004-2005 Careers section of the Chronicle of Higher Education with web-based data on incumbents subsequently hired for each position. These data are supplemented with aggregate statistics provided by the Chronicle and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP).\nFindings: - Results suggest that only a small number of administrative positions advertised involve academic appointments with tenure and that the educational qualifications advertised span a surprisingly wide spectrum of credentials other than academic PhD's. Ethnically underrepresented groups and women are most likely to hold jobs requiring PhD's while whites and men occupy most of the positions where qualifications are ambiguous or classic academic qualifications are not called for.\nOriginality/value: - The paper is the first to discuss the growing distinctive labour market for college administrators while providing preliminary data on the diversity effects of this labour market.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The attributes of leftovers and higher-order personal values	[ "Thematic analysis", "Personal values", "Leftovers", "Household food waste", "Means-end approach", "States of being" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Recent global estimates suggest that between 30 and 50 per cent (or up to 2bn tonnes) of all food produced for human consumption is either lost or wasted, highlighting a contemporary problem in modern society (FAO, 2011; Institute of Mechanical Engineers, 2013). Although food loss happens at a number of points in the food supply chain an avoidable portion occurs through consumer behaviours in domestic households (Lanfranchi et al., 2016; Tucker and Farrelly, 2015). Household food waste emerges as the many dynamics of daily life intersect with food provisioning, preparation and consumption (Evans, 2012a, b; Pearson et al., 2013; Porpino et al., 2015). As such, there are multiple points of interaction between household members, the food and resultant leftovers, where waste reduction opportunities are possible or have passed (Evans, 2012a, b; Quested et al., 2013). Therefore leftovers, as one aspect of household food waste, become an important focus of investigation in their own right (Cappellini, 2009; Cappellini and Parsons, 2012).\nMethodology: Theoretical framing\nBenefits/limitations to the research method: There were four key benefits to using this type of data collection that were relevant to the study. First it was possible to achieve a higher number of responses in a shorter space of time as the text-based surveys could be accessed by any number of participants at any time of the day. Additionally, the researchers were able to get opinions from a wider range of individuals across the country, rather than being dependent on more localised participants when using face-to-face interviews. On the one hand, the method also provided the opportunity to collect the opinions of more participants in particular age groups to more easily obtain intergenerational insights. Finally, the data came in a readily-accessible text form for analysis, thus removing the additional expenses involved in transcription costs. On the other hand, there are limitations to this approach in that there is very little guarantee about the quality of the responses obtained from the questions posed, other than the research firm's panel members' general interest in participating in research. Additionally, as there is no interaction between the researchers and the participants during data collection, there is no opportunity to further probe the answers provided by participants.\nResults: Emergent themes\nImplications for research and practice: The findings extend the food waste research in two ways. First, by focussing purely on aspects of leftovers the study addresses this important aspect of food waste in its own right, thereby adding to research of this nature, such as studies by Cappellini (2009) and Cappellini and Parsons (2012). Second, in the Cappellini-lead studies the findings are examined from a social practice theory, where it is the descriptions and observations of everyday household practices around leftovers that are the focus. In the current study the findings are framed within a means-end approach. Thus, the findings are drawn into a hierarchical map that elucidates household members' relationships between the perceived attributes and benefits of leftovers, consequences and higher-order personal values or states of being.\nLimitations and future research: The first limitation is the text-based interview method. While reaching a wider number of participants with better geographical dispersion, there was no opportunity for specific probing questions when areas of interest arose. Second, the study represents a snapshot of people's reporting of information around leftover food and how they deal with this specific form of waste. It is well recognised that self-reporting and actual observations of behaviour can present contradictory results (Porpino et al., 2015). Thus future research should use ethnography or \"go-along interviews\" (Garcia et al., 2012), an interview technique that more accurately investigates participants thoughts and actions in relation to this topic of interest.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the inter-relationships between peoples' perceptions of the attributes of leftover food and how they lead to higher-order values in relation to food waste.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The method involved an online, text-based, qualitative survey of 112 panel members from a market research firm. The data were examined using thematic analysis and framed using a means-end approach.\nFindings: Findings show that leftover foods take on both positive and negative attributes and benefits, as shown in four themes--tasty foods, dangerous foods, images of spoiling and used or second-hand--leading to consequences, identified as creating time, Time to binning and repurposing. Additionally, how individuals in a household speak of themselves based on their higher-order values, termed as states of being, can determine whether such foods are repurposed or consigned to the bin. These states of being are reflected in the three themes: the responsible ones, the virtuous ones and the blameless ones.\nOriginality/value: This study provides more focussed insights on the interplay between the attributes and benefits of leftovers and how household members position themselves towards these foods, particularly in their transition to waste.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Mobile payments in India: the privacy factor	[ "India", "Technology readiness", "Emerging markets", "Privacy concerns", "Adoption readiness", "Mobile payments" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: India had grown dramatically since its economic liberalization in 1991. Pegged as the fastest growing emerging market in the world, it had pulled millions of its 1.2bn population out of poverty. India's growth rate was 7.3 percent in 2016, when in a bold, overnight move, aimed at curbing corruption, tax evasion and counterfeiting, its prime minister banned the two largest currency notes (Anand and Kumar, 2016). Demonetization took nearly 86 percent of India's legal notes out of circulation and was expected to reduce its growth rate by a whole percent the following year (Iyenger, 2016). Replacing the currency notes was the first step but the next, long-term move was to increase transparency by digitizing payment systems. This would also expand access to financial services, currently a major bottleneck in India. However, when almost 95 percent of transactions were in cash and 90 percent of vendors did not even have the ability to accept any other form of payment (Wade, 2017), going cashless was a challenging endeavor for Indians.\n2. Literature review and research objective: 2.1 Conceptual development\n3. Model development and hypotheses: Drawing upon extant research from the developed world and some insights from emerging markets, the rationale for the proposed conceptual model and accompanying hypotheses are provided below.\n4. Research method: 4.1 Data collection and sample characteristics\n5. Data analysis and results: 5.1 Measurement model\n6. Discussion and conclusion: This research demonstrated that in countries such as India where new technologies are being rapidly introduced, overall beliefs about technology influences the perceptions of specific technologies, in this case, mobile payments. This study also demonstrated the pivotal role of privacy as a moderator where high PCs reduces the positive impact of peoples' positive attitude toward mobile payment adoption.\n7. Limitations and future research: India's immense diversity added several layers of complexity to the task of obtaining a representative sample. This study was conducted in four cities of varying sizes and from different parts of India, but the applicability of this model needs to be examined in rural areas as well. Due to the challenge of a four-city, multi-language, pen and paper survey in India, where it is culturally more appropriate to approach male rather than female respondents, the sample is more skewed toward males. However, since India is a patriarchal society with decision making often resting with males, this sample skew would not be likely to significantly impact these research findings. About 80 percent of sample was 18-35 years old who are likely to be more technology savvy and perhaps less concerned about privacy than older people, but a strong impact of PCs was still found. Future research could examine this for an older demographic. Also, based on income, 72 percent of the sample is middle class, 15 percent upper class and 10.5 percent lower income. This is the largest and likely the most attractive prime target audience for mobile payment providers, because the upper class would already have access to other means of payments such as credits cards. Demographic differences did not explain any of the variance in this study suggesting either an artifact of the data or the ubiquity of mobile phones across all income segments, gender and age groups. Other studies have also failed to find such effects (cf. Singh et al., 2017).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand Indian consumers' intention to use mobile payments by examining their adoption readiness (AR) in the larger context of their technology readiness (TR) and their privacy concerns (PCs).\nDesign/methodology/approach: A four-city, three language, paper and pencil survey yielded a sample of 600 respondents from India. Data were analyzed using structural equations modeling.\nFindings: This study finds that AR positively mediates the relationship between TR and intention to adopt (IA) mobile payments. More importantly, PCs negatively moderate the relationship between AR and IA.\nResearch limitations/implications: Results will vary depending on country and other variables outside the scope of this study such as perceived risk, trust, etc. The sample was large but mainly comprised males, between 18 and 35 years of age.\nPractical implications: The cash shortage due to a recent demonetization move in India had spurred mobile payment adoption but usage and retention remained low. Many other banking self-service technologies had not been successful and digitization was critical for easing payments and potentially paving the way for mobile banking. However, using mobile phones for financial transactions raises PCs that attenuate the positive impact of AR. Also, understanding overall attitudes with TR is important in a rapidly digitizing country with relatively novice users.\nSocial implications: Adoption of mobile payment technology can help address social and economic challenges in India, such as financial inclusion, corruption and tax evasion. Given the increasing awareness of privacy issues in India, mobile payment adoption, which already faces acquisition and retention challenges, will likely to face greater resistance in the future.\nOriginality/value: The findings add to the literature on emerging markets and marketing of technology products by identifying the critical role of privacy in the adoption of financial technology services. Moreover, the authors demonstrate that given the rapid introduction of technology in India, consumers' overarching TR has to be considered along with AR for mobile payments. Thus, the authors offer a tripartite, customer-technology-transaction view of the mobile payment adoption process in India.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Does language homophily affect migrant consumers' service usage intentions?	[ "Control", "Services marketing", "Collectivism", "Language homophily", "Migrant consumers", "Service provider" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Globalization continues to enhance the extent that people of different languages interact in the marketplace. In turn, the study of language in marketing research has become increasingly important. This is especially true for the highly communicative field of services marketing, leading scholars to call for more research on how language affects service encounters, particularly how language affects intentions to use a service (Holmqvist and Gronroos, 2012, P1; Holmqvist et al., 2017). Recent work has examined how language affects consumer outcomes in the services marketing domain, such as preference for service providers and word-of-mouth. (Holmqvist, 2011; Holmqvist et al., 2014; Van Vaerenbergh and Holmqvist, 2013, 2014). However, research has yet to address the extent that the language spoken by service providers affects the willingness of consumers living in a country other than their native country or region (i.e. migrant consumers) to engage with service providers.\nConceptual framework and hypotheses: Language homophily\nStudy 1: Study 1 provides an initial test of whether language homophily between service providers and migrant consumers affects migrant consumers' service usage intentions. The study uses the context of a medical service provider, as choosing and interacting with medical service providers can be challenging for migrant consumers (Sanmartin and Ross, 2006). In this context, this study tests H1, that is, high (vs low) language homophily will increase migrant consumers' intentions to use the services of a general medical practitioner.\nStudy 2: The objective of this study is to identify a process mechanism by which language homophily affects the service usage intentions of migrant consumers. Specifically, the study tests whether high (vs low) language homophily exerts a positive effect on migrant consumers' expectation of control over a service encounter and whether expected control increases service usage intentions (H2). This study also tests the generalizability of the observed effect of language homophily on service usage intentions by using a financial, rather than medical, service context and by sampling migrant consumers living in the USA and England, rather than only in Chile. English is the dominant language in the USA and England, whereas Spanish is the dominant language in Chile. By sampling migrant consumers from the USA and England, the present study helps to ensure that the effect of language homophily on service usage intentions is not specific to host countries whose dominant language is Spanish. Similarly, the present study's use of a financial services context helps ensure that the observed effects are not limited to medical services. As with medical services, migrant consumers are known to face challenges in accessing and using financial services (Leonhardt and Chu, 2017; Osili and Paulson, 2009), and such challenges affect their well-being (Wright, 2010).\nStudy 3: The objective of this study is to identify a boundary condition for the otherwise robust effect (Studies 1 and 2) of language homophily on migrant consumers' service usage intentions. Similar to the initial study, this study recruited migrant consumers living in Chile and asked them to evaluate a service provider while manipulating language homophily between subjects. This study also measured each participant's level of collectivism to determine whether it affects the extent to which language homophily affects service usage intentions.\nSingle-paper meta-analysis: The previous studies used different service contexts (medical and financial) and included migrant consumers living in Chile, England and the USA. In each study, language homophily was found to have a significant positive effect on service usage intentions. Analysis of effect sizes, as measured with Cohen's d, shows that the magnitude of the effect of language homophily on service usage intentions ranged from medium (Study 2 = 0.54, Study 3 = 0.65) to large (Study 1 = 1.39; Cohen, 1988). This suggests that the effect of language homophily on service usage intentions holds across medical and financial service contexts and among migrant consumers living in host countries where English or Spanish is the dominant language.\nGeneral discussion: Summary\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper investigates how language homophily between service providers and migrant consumers affects migrant consumers' intentions to engage with financial and medical service providers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Three empirical studies were conducted with migrant consumers living in Chile, England and the USA. Participants were presented information on service providers, and language homophily was manipulated between subjects. In the high (low) language homophily condition, service providers were described as having (not having) the ability to speak the native language of the migrant consumer.\nFindings: Language homophily was found to increase migrant consumers' expectation of control over a service encounter and, in turn, increase their intention to use a provider's services. Collectivism was identified as a boundary condition. Among high collectivist consumers, language homophily did not affect service usage intentions; however, language homophily did positively affect service usage intentions among low collectivist consumers.\nOriginality/value: This work extends prior research on service provider language by finding a positive effect of language homophily on service usage intentions and by identifying mediating (i.e. expected control over the outcome of the service encounter) and moderating (i.e. collectivism) mechanisms for this effect.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Networking capability in supplier relationships and its impact on product innovation and firm performance	[ "Networking capability", "Supplier relationship portfolio", "Product innovation", "Dynamic capabilities", "Partial least squares", "Latent classes" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Successfully managing supplier relationships, including overall supplier portfolios, has been shown to increase the purchasing and manufacturing efficiency of firms by streamlining resource acquisition and optimizing operational costs (Da Silveira and Arkader, 2007; Ketchen and Hult, 2007). Having close relationships with firms in the supply chain has also been discussed as being instrumental for firms' innovation activities through joint research and product development (Szwejczewski et al., 2005; Johnsen, 2011). Innovation is often the outcome of collaborative work between partners pooling their resources rather than the result of isolated firms exploiting their own resources (Chesbrough, 2003; Smart et al., 2007; Azadegan et al., 2013). Suppliers constitute important providers of such resources (e.g. technologies, knowledge, skills), which firms may lack in their innovation activities. Therefore, supply chain management as well as innovation literature posit the management of supplier relationships as a key mechanism for increasing a firm's innovativeness (e.g. Wognum et al., 2002; Zirpoli and Caputo, 2002). Besides managing individual supplier relationships, there is also the need to constantly re-shape the overall innovation partner portfolio (Smart et al., 2007), as mature portfolios could become stale, limiting the product design and development (Capaldo, 2007). For example, over time the portfolio of supplier relationships may not provide access to the resources necessary to accomplish successful product innovation as a result of changing customer requirements, new regulations, or different technological possibilities (Hauser et al., 2006; Bohlmann et al., 2013). Hence, to enhance innovation success, managing supplier relationships as part of an overall portfolio is a key managerial challenge and requires specific strategies and capabilities (Smart et al., 2007; Johnsen, 2011).\n2. Conceptual background and development of hypotheses: We couch our argument in the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm (Barney, 1991) and the RV of the firm (Dyer and Singh, 1998). The RBV argues for the importance of valuable as well as non-imitable and rare resources, which are combined into capabilities that lead to firm-specific advantages such as efficient operations or superior product quality (Das and Teng, 2000). The RV extends this view by emphasizing the importance of business relationships in mobilizing and combining such resources from external partners, leading to relationship-specific advantages, such as the collaborative development of unique technologies (Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000).\n3. Research design: 3.1 Sample\n4. Analysis and findings: 4.1 Main model analysis and moderation effects\n5. Discussion and theoretical contributions: This study uses a sample of 156 firms in the Iranian automotive supplier industry to test the relationship between NC, product innovation, and firm performance as well as the role of relationship proclivity. The results for the overall sample show that NC has a positive effect on product innovation. Furthermore, relationship proclivity amplifies the positive effect of NC on product innovation. A more detailed analysis at the NC component level reveals that overall only NC routines oriented at developing existing supplier relationships influence product innovations. However, these results are further qualified by a more detailed latent class analysis, which identifies two subgroups among the surveyed firms: in one subgroup product innovation results purely from relationship development capabilities, while in the other (larger) subgroup initiation and ending capabilities are positively related to product innovation, with development capabilities showing no significant impact. We therefore provide evidence of a \"masking effect\" when analyzing the overall sample (Hair, Sarstedt, Ringle, and Mena, 2012).\n6. Managerial contributions: Our study contributes to managerial knowledge by illustrating the need for a selective approach with regard to networking-related routines in a product innovation context. As distinct networking mechanisms for supplier relationship portfolio management emerge from our analysis, this study suggests that managers should devote equal attention to strengthening existing relationships on the supply side as well as to initiating new partnerships (e.g. screening for promising partners and signaling their firms' relationship value to attract new counterparts) and managing fading relationships (e.g. by developing routines to exit from sub-optimal relationships). Additionally, as relationship termination processes are often neglected in management practice, partly due to the mindset embedded in some organizational cultures (Ritter and Geersbro, 2011), our study calls for greater managerial interest in concrete organizational routines that may be useful for disengaging from those supplier relationships that are no longer fruitful in terms of their impact on product innovation. In this context, firms should also heed the fact that capabilities themselves are only one aspect of successful management but that certain attitudes, in our case relationship proclivity, are important success factors in utilizing these capabilities. It is therefore pivotal to provide training, education and incentives to instill a management mindset, which embraces business relationships but also allows for a flexible dealing with under-performing relational partners.\n7. Limitations and future research: Our research is focused on one setting (i.e. the automotive industry in Iran). Therefore, while such a specific research design allows us to control for many parameters, it limits the generalizability of the findings. Further studies need to broaden our findings to other industries and countries, specifically those which show a different cultural make-up from Iran. It also needs to be noted that after the data collection period, the Iranian automotive industry suffered considerably from more stringent sanctions, with car/bus production falling to just under 800,000 units in 2015 (from a high of over 1.5 m in 2011) (Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, 2016). Therefore, our findings (relating to a period of growth in the industry) are not representative for the downturn and contraction period. However, as sanctions have again been lifted in 2016, it can be expected that the Iranian car industry will return to a growth trajectory.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically investigate the concept of networking capability (NC) for the management of supplier relationships and their dynamics in order to leverage product innovations. NC in the context of supplier relationships is conceptualized based on dynamic capabilities aimed at relationship initiation, relationship development, and relationship ending. Furthermore, the study tests the interaction of NC with relationship proclivity as an organizational feature, and analyzes latent classes of NC affecting product innovation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study brings together prior research on company routines related to inter-firm networking, the dynamic capability approach to strategy, and literature on inter-firm innovation. The study utilizes multiple informant survey data gathered from 156 firms operating in the automotive parts industry in Iran. Data are analyzed with partial least square structural equation modeling, as well as latent class analysis using finite mixture modeling (FIMIX-PLS).\nFindings: This research provides evidence for the positive influence of NC with respect to supplier relationships on firm product innovation, as well as overall firm performance. Relationship proclivity is shown to amplify this effect. At the same time, the research illustrates that NC may be applied in different combinations in the context of supplier relationship portfolio management. Two mechanisms are tentatively identified: firms using \"static optimization\" focus mainly on supplier relationship development capabilities, while those using \"dynamic optimization\" utilize supplier relationship initiation and ending capabilities.\nResearch limitations/implications: This research focuses on one setting (i.e. the automotive parts industry in Iran). Further studies need to broaden these findings to other industries and countries, specifically those which show a different cultural make-up from Iran. Furthermore, this research indicates the existence of two distinct mechanisms as to how different aspects of NC impact product innovation. While it is reasonable to identify these mechanisms as networking \"strategies,\" this study does not clarify whether this represents intended strategies by firms or relates to emerging capability patterns.\nPractical implications: The study contributes to managerial knowledge by illustrating the need for a dynamic approach with regard to networking-related routines in supplier relationships in the context of product innovation. This study suggests that managers should devote equal attention to strengthening existing supplier relationships as well as to initiating new supplier relationships (e.g. screening for promising partners and signaling firm's relationship value to attract new counterparts) and managing non-performing supplier relationships (e.g. by developing routines to exit from those supplier relationships).\nOriginality/value: The paper contributes to a better understanding of dynamic approaches to networking with suppliers and their impact on product innovation from the perspective of the focal firm. It furthermore provides a fine-grained understanding of different latent classes of firms in terms of how they utilize networking capabilities.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Motivating students and lecturers for education in sustainable development	[ "Transdisciplinarity", "Fear appeals", "Learning autonomy", "Motivators in education", "Self-reflection in education" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Sustainable development (SD) is a long-term effort. But it should be accomplished by people who - having this in mind - also have a shorter-term perspective and focus on actions that are rewarding in the short term. Focusing only on long-term rewards does not match the capabilities of the human brain (McClure et al., 2004).\n2. Fear for catastrophe: From the beginning of modern environmentalism, education has been regarded as of key importance. In October 1977, the first international conference on environmental education was organized by UNESCO in Tbilisi. The concluding declaration did not just aim at educating environmental specialists. One of its recommendations was:\n3. Motivation: In theories of fear as a motivator for protective measures, three aspects are relevant:\n4. Motivating students and colleagues: The prevailing pedagogical model is that of a student being an empty box, to be filled with whatever the lecturer decides to pour into it. Motivators in which the student's sense of autonomy is addressed, or where the connection between theory and real-life practice is shown, are often limited to extracurricular activities like excursions and study visits. Autonomy in learning was introduced since the end of the 1960s by individualized instructional systems (van der Klauw and Plomp, 1974). As autonomy is such an important motivator, especially at the age of most university students, it is remarkable that these attempts failed. However, their failure was mainly due to their success: lecturers were detached from their students and were unable to observe/check their students' learning process (Plomp and Van Der Meer, 1977). This underlines the importance of another motivator (in this case for lecturers) \"connection to others\": an uncontrollable autonomy of learning for students was undermining the responsibility of lecturers for the entire curriculum. Individualized instructional systems, creating more autonomy for learners, were not rejected for courses that were not part of a curriculum, as is generally the case for foreign language learning (Holec, 1979).\n5. Discussion: In the cases, a number of the motivators can be observed that have been introduced in this paper. In fact, the motivators that were identified before were all present in all of the cases that were analyzed, although to different degrees (Table III).\n6. Conclusion: Based on this limited study, it is impossible to assess which of the motivators that have been identified might be most effective. This might also depend on various factors that we did not take into account. The cases presented here are all rather long-term successful, although some are older than others. They have all proven themselves as being more than just a nice experiment. However, their success could also very well be seen as \"the successful exception\", or in other words: Would these courses also be so successful in a curriculum that really would be built on a different pedagogical approach? In engineering, there are only few curricula that are built on problem-based learning (Kolmos et al., 2004). Some curricula only use problem-based learning partially, as it is claimed that students need to have acquired a certain level before they are able to guide their own learning process (Kirschner et al., 2006), i.e. to work autonomous as a group. This is in line with our results, as all selected cases were rather advanced courses. So do we need other motivators for SD courses for undergraduates as we need for graduate courses?\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims at identifying factors that could contribute to the motivation of students in sustainable development (SD) education. The underlying idea of the paper is that SD education is not always as attractive among students and lecturers as many would like it to be.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper briefly reviews literature regarding behavioral change for long-term benefits. It identifies four motivators that could be effective to make people pursue longer-term objectives. It identifies if these motivators were present in five cases of successful SD education.\nFindings: The four motivators for students that were identified in the literature review (a sense of autonomy, a challenge of reflection on the future role, connection with others, self-fulfillment, focus on the individual learning need) could be observed in the cases of successful SD education, although to various degrees. Individual autonomy in learning was not observed, but group autonomy was present in all cases.\nResearch limitations/implications: The case studies were all electives. It is unclear how the motivators could work out in mandatory courses. Moreover, the curriculum as a whole will affect the success of single courses. Successful courses being \"the exception\" of the curriculum might be judged differently if they would be part of the curriculum in which such courses would be the main stream. Further research is required to check if the motivators are effective in mandatory and not specifically SD-targeted courses. It is also not clear how various motivators could be applied most effectively in a curriculum.\nPractical implications: The paper gives guidance to lecturers and educational managers to design attractive and effective SD education.\nOriginality/value: The paper treats SD education from a novel perspective: how to convey a credible behavioral message, and how to motivate students for education for SD.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Central bank opacity and inflation uncertainty: Effects in a large emerging economy	[ "Monetary policy", "Uncertainty", "Inflation targeting", "Central bank transparency", "E52", "E58" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The impact of central bank (CB) transparency on the economy is an object of intense investigation in the last years[1]. In particular, the literature emphasizes the significant developments in the CB communication to the public with reductions in the volatility of inflation. In this context, the improvement in the CB ability to communicate to the public is an important feature. If the public uses the releases of information to recognize the degree of commitment to policy actions and to infer the future course of action, disclosing information (transparency) can be decisive to reduce not only actual volatility but also inflation forecast uncertainty. As Friedman (1977) pointed out changes in the policy direction given an observed burst in inflation are the main sources of forecast uncertainty if the public does not know the type of policy that will follow. Therefore, as the ability to communicate to the public improves and the CB becomes more transparent, the uncertainty should decrease.\n2. Economic transparency and inflation uncertainty: This section develops a theoretical framework that links the effect of increases in the dispersion of the degree of CB opacity to the level of inflation uncertainty[4]. The private sector is represented by a new Keynesian Phillips curve (which represents a constraint to the model) where the current inflation (pt) depends on the expected future inflation (Etpt+1) due to the presence of two types of firms in the economy (one with sticky prices and another with flexible prices)[5]. Hence:(1)\n3. Methodology: Following the theoretical model in the previous section, we present an empirical model that relates inflation uncertainty to the variability of the supply shocks and to the variability in the opacity. Due to the fact that the theoretical developments are based on the CB releases of information and the agent's forecasts for inflation, the relevant measure of uncertainty must be constructed using a survey-based measure rather than a measure based on a specifying an econometric model to the actual rate of inflation.\n4. Empirical results: The database used to construct the uncertainty measure is the focus market readout. The survey started in May 1999 based on a survey among 50 institutions. The CBB objective was to support the monetary policy decisions that would follow the IT implementation in June 1999 using the survey results comparatively to the econometric models output that acted as a benchmark for future decisions. Initially, as reported in Marques et al. (2003), the forecasts were restricted to annual forecasts of the main price indexes in Brazil. The survey has broadened its scope since then with the objective of including, not only more variables like the exchange rate or interest rates, but also of including monthly forecasts to these variables. In 2001, an online system was implemented which allowed real time forecasts and daily reports to the monetary policy committee.\n5. Conclusion: The theoretical model does not leave any doubt about the relevance of the CB transparency regarding its effects on inflation uncertainty of the economic agents. It is important to highlight that this observation is confirmed for all estimated models. In specific, the variability in the degree of CB opacity increases the uncertainty regarding future inflation for all FOCUS survey participants. These observations are relevant because they provide additional evidence that CB transparency is an important tool for guiding public expectations. In particular, it is observed that transparency helps to avoid uncertainty caused by CB preferences.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper relates to the literature on central bank (CB) transparency and inflation uncertainty. Considering that opacity is a possible source for inflation uncertainty the purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that increase in the dispersion of the degree of CB opacity generates higher levels of inflation uncertainty.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In a first step, the authors present a theoretical model that shows how increase in the dispersion of the degree of CB opacity creates higher levels of inflation uncertainty. In a second step, the authors test the assumption that increase in the dispersion of the degree of CB opacity generates higher levels of inflation uncertainty in the Brazilian economy.\nFindings: The findings denote that CB transparency is an important tool for guiding public expectations and thus contributes to avoiding the uncertainty caused by CB preferences.\nOriginality/value: This paper extends the theoretical model presented by de Mendonca and Simao Filho (2007) by the theoretical link between the forecast error and opacity. Furthermore, because the theoretical underpinning relies on the CB guiding inflation expectations, the authors construct an uncertainty measure based on survey of forecasts where such expectations can be inferred through the variability in the forecast error.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Unwritten: young women faculty in educational leadership	[ "Women", "Academic staff", "Education", "Leadership", "Narratives" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nUnwritten: young women faculty in educational leadership: I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefinedI'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned (Bedingfield et al. (2004)).As women professors of educational leadership who are involved with feminist research and the preparation of k-12 women leaders, we came to the realization that while we have dedicated our professional lives to advancing women leaders in the k-12 environment, we have neglected women like ourselves, particularly young women, in the academy. In our struggle to give voice to k-12 women leaders, we have remained unheard ourselves and began to question why we spend enormous amounts of time pushing limits for other women and fail to do the same for ourselves. This paper is an emergent approach to facilitating social justice in higher education based on four young women professors' sharing of our experiences in the academy. We utilize biographical narrative inquiry (Sanders-Lawson et al., 2006; Shields and Edwards, 2005) to allow readers a window into our lives and make meaning of our stories through a feminist approach. We conclude the paper with ideas and suggestions for young women professors and universities to facilitate academic contexts that celebrate diversity and social justice.\nUnderstanding male privilege and women's oppression in the academy: According to an American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Faculty Salary and Distribution 2003-2004 Fact Sheet, women account for only 38 percent of faculty nationwide. They are most well-represented at community colleges and least represented at doctoral institutions. Among full-time faculty, women are disproportionately represented at lower ranks and least well represented among full professors. Minority women faculty are even more scarce (Wyche and Graves, 1992).Professional and personal superwomen\nFeminist research and design of the study: Drench yourself in words unspoken ... (Bedingfield et al. (2004)).Starting research from women's lives allows for more adequate descriptions of lived realities (Harding, 1991). Knowledge is grounded in human experience, and because women are found in every race, class, and culture, feminist research must start from all women's lives (Harding, 1993). We designed an emergent study that allowed us to gain voice through a biographical narrative format (Sanders-Lawson et al., 2006; Shields and Edwards, 2005). According to Safarik (2003):Because higher education organizations are essentially people and because these individuals bring their own personal and professional backgrounds to their interpretation of organizational life, narrative approaches may be particularly useful (p. 419).We wrote our narratives on our own and shared them with one another for feedback and to understand more about one another as people both inside and outside of the academy. We analyzed our narratives to determine when and how the category of gender has been most significant in our lives as women professors and to identify areas where redefinition is needed. We strove to produce knowledge that is emancipatory and politically focused (Bloom and Erlandson, 2003).\nWho are young women professors of educational leadership?: Live your life with arms wide open ... (Bedingfield et al. (2004)).What follows are our narratives. We offer our voices with the desire of uplifting ourselves, coming to know ourselves and one another better, and allowing others a window into who we are and what we have experienced as young women professors of educational leadership.Whitney's story\nWriting the unwritten: Today is where your book begins,The rest is still unwritten (Bedingfield et al. (2004)).This project gave us a reason and the space not only to give voice to our experiences, but to bring enablers (see Philipsen, 2008) and enabling processes to the light. We analyzed our narrative data and drew common elements from our stories together to develop strategies for the young women who follow us. We recognize that this project offers the experiences and perspectives of only four young women professors, so we encourage readers to view our strategies and suggestions as a way of beginning discussions and action-oriented behaviors in educational leadership departments. We also encourage other women faculty to share their stories to include more voices in what we hope will become an ongoing data collection process.Action-oriented mentoring\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - As women professors of educational leadership who are involved with feminist research and the preparation of k-12 women leaders, the authors came to the realization that while they have dedicated their professional lives to advancing women leaders in the k-12 environment, they have neglected women like themselves, particularly young women, in the academy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors utilized biographical narrative inquiry to allow readers a window into their lives as young women faculty in departments of educational leadership and extended this to advocate for changes in university climates for women.\nFindings: - The authors analyzed their narrative data to develop strategies for young women faculty in educational leadership that include: action-oriented mentoring; the valuing of home and person; living within gender, age, and skin; and celebration of youth and womanhood.\nOriginality/value: - This paper is an emergent approach to understanding and facilitating social justice and diversity in higher education based on four young women professors' attempt to find a creative and feminist outlet for the expression of their experiences in the academy. Little to no research exists outside of informal personal reports on young women's experiences in the academy and, thus, is the impetus for the paper.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Country of ownership change in the premium segment: consequences for brand image	[ "Brand image", "Brand heritage", "Brand origin", "Country of origin effect", "Cars", "Country of ownership", "Newly industrialised country" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Major brand acquisitions involving different countries have become normality in consumer-oriented industries. From 1979 onwards, the USA car company Ford acquired Japan's Mazda, Britain's Aston Martin and Jaguar, and Sweden's Volvo, French cosmetics brand L'Oreal took over Britain's The Body Shop and Japan's Sony bought two American film studios, Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - with the acquired brands being later resold to other firms in other countries.\nLiterature review: Premium brands and product category involvement\nMethod: Context-dependency is central to research on place-brand associations, and therefore we use data from online brand communities. Muniz and O'Guinn (2001) recommend studying such communities for better understanding brand-specific consumer culture and behaviour. According to Kozinets (2002, p. 61) \"online communities are contexts in which consumers often partake in discussions whose goals include attempts to inform and influence fellow consumers about products and brands\". Market-related data in relation to an investigated topic can thus often be found here, but brand communities do not represent the \"ordinary\" consumer. Participants are often are engaged individuals who invest time and effort in discussions relating to the focal brand. Product involvement is usually very high, making it possible to generate rich data. Traceability of member opinions is another reason for choosing brand specific communities. Alternative methods (e.g. interviews) were deemed too risky. We needed data on events taking place several years ago and thus data collected from relevant temporal brand community discussions offered advantages to us.\nFindings and discussion: This part of the article is organised according to the three main themes we identified:\nConclusion: This article has used discussions in different brand forums, a data source that to date has not been used often in international marketing research, to focus on the time of two \"reversed\" changes of COOW in the premium car industry. This industry is strongly contextual concerning place-brand associations; hence, this study has unique qualities. Likely to become more prominent, it is highly relevant to study this new trend of foreign investments flowing in less traditional directions. Our findings in some respects confirm existing research on COO and subparts of such associations (Table II) but also generate novel insights.\nLimitations and directions for further research: The fact that the empirical material in this study stems from Western European and American brand forums is one of its strengths, but certain analytical limitations are also attached to it. One is cultural, meaning there is likely a European-American bias present in the material. Another restriction is that the online nature of the research makes identification, attitude profiling or temporal tracking of individual respondents impossible. We also have no knowledge of whether expressed attitudes are in fact carried out or simply voiced in these communities but not pursued. Overall, generalisations from community comments such as these will be sparse as controllability of data is restricted in several ways.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore how the ownership transfer from a highly industrialised country to less industrialised countries influences consumers' brand perceptions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Three acquisition cases of premium car brands (Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo) are investigated using qualitative data from online brand communities.\nFindings: When country of ownership (COOW) for brands changes, it leads to different effects on consumers' brand perception. Consumers are disoriented as to which cue to apply when evaluating the brand. They also see that brand values, and how these are communicated, are in conflict, as are sustainability images.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper focuses on the perspective of brand community members in Europe and the USA and studies only the car industry and acquisitions by two countries (China and India) using data from the time of ownership transfers. The authors discuss theoretical implications and suggest further research to gain more insights and address limitations.\nPractical implications: Following a transfer of ownership, communication campaigns are required for addressing the original brand's heritage and promoting the new brand owner's image. Managers need to take advantage of loyal brand fans by turning them into brand ambassadors, spreading information to convince consumers that are more sceptical.\nOriginality/value: This study fills the knowledge gap regarding change of COOW to developing countries as new owners, and its consequences for consumer perception. The authors also introduce an innovative type of data collection through brand communities, which is less commonly used in international marketing research.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Prognosis of degradation based on a new dynamic method for remaining useful life prediction	[ "Particle filter", "Prognosis", "Remaining useful life", "Unknown input observer" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The main objective of condition-based maintenance (CBM) is to extend the system's life by determining the optimal time for revision or replacement of equipment before the monitored parameters exceed their corresponding defined threshold. The CBM decision is facilitated by the ability to accurately predict the remaining useful life (RUL). Indeed, the RUL appears to be an adequate tool that aims to simplify the monitoring of the degradation which depicts the health of the system.\n2. Proposed method based on the RUL estimation: 2.1 Prognostic main approaches\n3. Illustrative application: The battery is the linchpin of battery electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). The main obstacle for automotive manufacturers is that the life time of the existing batteries is shorter than that of the cars. Improving the battery life is certainly the key to the durability of the whole electric cars.\n4. Conclusions: Manufacturers are seeking tools to supervise and prognosticate non-repairable systems such as the battery life, as batteries are the core energy sources in HEVs. The developed particle filter application results generated relevant and more accurate prediction of RUL compared to the classical particle filter and ARIMA model due to the three sources of information (residuals, physical model of degradation and measurement data). The results of prediction have also shown that the developed particle filter was more faithful to the real degradation data.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to create a new method of prognosis based on remaining useful life (RUL) prediction for degradation assessment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In the present paper the authors describe a new method of prognosis to improve the accuracy of forecasting the system state. This framework of forecasting integrates the model-based information and the hybrid approach, which employs the structured residuals in the first part and the particle filter in the second part.\nFindings: The performance of the suggested fusion framework is employed to predict the RUL of battery pack in hybrid electric vehicle. The results show that the proposed method is plausible due to the good prediction of RUL, and can be effectively applied to many systems for prognosis.\nOriginality/value: In this study the authors illustrate how the suggested method can provide an accurate prediction of the RUL over conventional data-driven methods without physical model and classical particle filter with a single damage model.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How does humble leadership promote follower creativity? The roles of psychological capital and growth need strength	[ "Psychological capital", "Follower creativity", "Growth need strength", "Humble leader behaviours" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The turbulent environment and fast-paced technological advances have rendered individual creativity crucial to organizational success and sustainability (Binyamin and Carmeli, 2010). Creativity refers to the development of practical and new solutions to workplace challenges (Amabile, 1988). Driven by the assumption that individual creativity is beneficial for organizations, scholars have devoted considerable attention to identifying its antecedents. Leadership has been identified as a key situational factor that may substantially influence follower creativity (Gilmore et al., 2013). Transformational leader behaviors have been studied extensively over the years (Carmeli and Paulus, 2015). Most recently, researchers have begun to explore broader theories of leadership, such as empowering, servant, shared, and authentic leader behaviors. Noticeably missing from research attention has been humble leader behaviors. Owing to the environmental turbulence and unpredictability, it becomes more difficult for any leaders to \"figure it all out at the top,\" (Senge, 1990, p. 7). Scholars argue that leaders should move beyond \"great man\" or the hero myth perspectives on leadership (Murrell, 1997), and display their humanness by being transparent about their limitations in experience and knowledge (Weick, 2001). Although leadership researchers have increasingly focused on the importance of humility in the context of leadership in the past decade (Owens and Hekman, 2012), little research is conducted to examine the effect of humble leader behaviors on important organizational outcomes, such as follower creativity (Ou et al., 2014; Owens et al., 2013). Addressing this research gap, the first purpose of our research is to examine the role of humble leader behaviors in promoting follower creativity. We argue that the research may have an important theoretical implication for leadership and creativity literature, because humility, as a bottom-up approach, may offer a new lens through which to view and understand the leadership process (Morris et al., 2005). Additionally, in order to attain a comprehensive picture of humble leader behaviors' effect, the present study also seeks to uncover the underlying mediating mechanism and boundary conditions associated with such an effect.\nTheory and hypotheses: Humble leader behaviors and follower creativity\nMethod: Sample and procedures\nResults: Test of the measurement model\nDiscussion: The study explores when and why humble leader behaviors have a positive effect on follower creativity. Our findings show that humble leader behaviors positively influence follower creativity, PsyCap mediates this influence, and growth need strength moderates both the direct effects of humble leader behaviors on PsyCap and the indirect effect of humble leader behaviors on creativity via PsyCap.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a moderated mediation model to examine the roles that psychological capital (PsyCap) and growth need strength may play in the relationship between humble leader behaviors and follower creativity.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected from a three-wave survey study with a sample of 165 matched leader-follower questionnaires in China. Multiple regression analyses, moderated regression analysis and bootstrapping analysis were used to test the hypotheses.\nFindings: The results show that humble leader behaviors positively influence follower creativity, PsyCap mediates this influence and growth need strength not only moderates the relationship between humble leader behaviors and PsyCap, but also amplifies the indirect relationship between humble leader behaviors and follower creativity via PsyCap.\nResearch limitations/implications: Common method bias may still exit, although the measures of research variables were gathered from different sources and with time separation. Additionally, this study is conducted in a single cultural context, which may raise the question about the generalizability of our findings to other cultural contexts.\nOriginality/value: The primary contribution is building and examining a conceptual model that focuses on the potential effect of humble leader behaviors on follower creativity. Additionally, by confirming the mediating role of PsyCap, the research further uncovers why followers under humble leader behaviors are more likely to engage in creativity, and the moderating role of growth need strength found in this study also offers additional insight into that followers may differ in the degree to which they are receptive to leader effect.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]

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