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Psychometric evaluation of the "Men's Polarized Gender Thinking Questionnaire (MPGQ)"
|
[
"Gender stereotypes",
"Equality",
"Glass ceilings",
"Sex and gender issues",
"Gender discrimination",
"Employee/employer attitudes",
"Male norm system",
"Gender strategies",
"Male-dominated workplaces"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The purpose of this study was to develop and psychometrically validate a new measure of gender equality at male-dominated workplaces, allowing quantitative analyses of men's beliefs about gender-based inequality at work. Hopefully, this measure can be one tool in revealing more hidden aspects of gendered structures at work. In Sweden, while the social desirability for expressing positive attitudes of gender equality is relatively high, there are yearly reports of wage differences that point to disadvantage of women (Statistics Sweden, 2012). Hence, what is expressed may not always reveal the whole truth. It does not correspond with behavior and attempts to increase equal opportunities at work; instead, it fails to change institutionalized, yet informal, hierarchies between women and men (Terjesen et al., 2009). Broadbridge and Simpson (2011) recently concluded that there is an increasing notion that gender problems in management are seen as solved and a \"thing of the past\". In many ways, despite successful management research during the past 25 years, management research still has to deal with utterances in the form of \"gender denial\" and concealment of gender as a source of both disadvantage and privilege. Hence, Broadbridge and Simpson (2011) urge researchers to challenge this notion by measuring and disseminating gender difference, conceptualizing new and evolving gendered hierarchies and revealing hidden dimensions of gendered power.\nMethod: Participants and procedure\nResults: Sample characteristics\nDiscussion: The construction of a questionnaire measuring men's polarized gender thinking in male-dominated work settings resulted in a 23-item scale. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a model of six latent factors. The width of the items covered in this six-factor solution allows a deepened understanding of how gender inequality at work is shaped and persevered.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a new measure of gender equality at male-dominated workplaces, allowing quantitative analyses of men's beliefs about gender-based inequality at work.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The present paper examines a questionnaire developed from qualitative interviews based on grounded theory methodology and designed to assess men's beliefs about gender inequality. A 23-item version of the Men's Polarized Gender Thinking Questionnaire (MPGQ) was completed by a sample of 220 men from three different male-dominated organizations in Sweden. Recommended psychometric testing procedures were conducted.\nFindings: Confirmatory factor analysis supported a six-factor model of male attitudes to gender-based inequality: different views on success, stereotypical gender roles - different jargons, benevolent sexism, conscious of gender order, conscious of the male norm system and strategies for gender equality at work. The final model showed acceptable fit to data. All six factors were positively intercorrelated.\nPractical implications: It was concluded that the MPGQ provides a useful tool for further studies of men's sometimes polarized views of gender equality in male-dominated workplaces. Hence, MPGQ may allow researchers and practitioners to go deeper in their understanding of persistent and often hidden gender-based inequality at work.\nOriginality/value: Equality plans are difficult to fulfill if people do not know on which subtle mechanisms the concept gender-based inequality is founded. The MPGQ illustrates how they are manifested at a specific workplace. Because of the scarcity of this type of workplace measures, this study may make a contribution of concern to the literature. By measuring these sometimes polarized beliefs, management strategies aiming at decreasing barriers to gender equality at work could become more accurate and efficient.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Off-site storage: an analysis
|
[
"Print media",
"Archives management",
"Information management",
"Academic libraries",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Ever since scrolls were stored in the library at Alexandria, scarce library shelf space has repeatedly been filled to capacity and beyond. The shifting paradigms of information storage - from scrolls and illuminated manuscripts to printed documents, as made possible by Gutenberg - only increase the production of information and create more demand for libraries and shelf-space. Throughout the history of libraries, there has been concern about having adequate space (Block, 2000). The recent information explosion (Ameen, 2005), as witnessed by librarians worldwide, is not only a digital phenomenon; printed information continues to play a major role in academic libraries. Okerson (2005, p. 9) relates information from a study done by Lavoie and Schonfeld, when she says that with, \"the breathtaking fact that half of our printed books are under 30 years old ... there is reason to think that the collections and content we will need to manage will more than double within our lifetimes\". Libraries throughout the USA and across the globe are creating off-site storage facilities as shelves keep overflowing current capacities. Off-site storage is not a geographically unique idea; instead it is a solution that has been implemented by libraries in many states and nations. These off-site facilities, and the policies and practical implications associated with them, are the purview of this article. The consideration of digital materials is beyond the scope of this article, because digital repositories have problems and concerns that are different from those shared by print formats.\nTerms: Because of possible ambiguity or confusion when describing off-site concepts or methods in the wider professional discussion, distinctions are made here:* Cooperative storage - \"is essentially the sharing of a space within a facility\" (O'Connor et al., 2002).* Collaborative storage - \"implies a shared approach to the collection in terms of growth, shape, management, and access\" (O'Connor et al., 2002).* Depository - \"is a shared or cooperative storage facility where the depositing libraries retain ownership of the materials\" (Payne, 2005).* Repository - \"sometimes called a last-copy repository, is a facility serving a regional area or a group of participating libraries where ownership of the materials transfers to the repository\" (Payne, 2005).This article considers off-site storage for print materials. Policies and practical considerations are the main focus of the article, because they contribute to actual library decision making about how or what kind of storage might be used.\nLiterature review: An international conference on repository libraries held in Kuopio, Finland included representatives from more than 40 nations. One result was the proposal of a Universal Repository Library (URL) model (Di Tillio, 2005). Vattulainen, a host and key participant of that conference, discusses five key factors as integral to cooperative repository projects (see: www.nrl.fi/kuopio2/programme.htm) (Vattulainen, 2004):1. Concept of ownership.2. Provision of buildings.3. Management of repositories.4. Relegation decisions.5. User needs.The five points are not comprehensive in the scope of all off-site storage facilities. However, they provide an excellent framework for examining specific facilities, such as the PASCAL case study below.Global examples of off-site storage are relevant to this discussion, such as the collaborative academic storage project in Scotland (Nicholson, 2005), as well as a German cooperative library storage system (Kempf, 2005) that dissociates from the automated Scandinavian (Mathisen, 2005) or Anglo-Saxon models and focuses instead on locally built space that enlarges and continues an existing facility (Kempf, 2005). In Japan many university libraries are at their maximum shelving capacity and \"many books are kept in corrugated boxes without any means to get access to them\" (Hosono, 2006). Coping strategies include \"repositories of overflow materials at off-campus sites\" (Hosono, 2006). There are many solutions, as there are many goals. There is even suggestion of a global goal that would provide a repository of print materials involving a network of geographically distributed facilities to store materials. The concept of a Universal Repository Library, suggests that users rely on local facilities and support from across the globe to provide 24-hour digital delivery using a multilingual virtual union catalog. Information via URL would be provided free or for nominal support charges to reduce the disparity of information rich and poor across the globe (Di Tillio, 2005). This global network is yet a distant goal. However, with an increasing number of dedicated off-site storage facilities constructed and being planned, such a future network may be evolving even if it is currently emerging as individual facilities that are the product of local and regional needs.Leading research institutions in the USA, such as the Library of Congress, Government Printing Office, Center for Research Libraries, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and many others - including some from abroad - gathered in 2003 as part of a national strategic discussion. During this Chicago group meeting, sessions were held about \"Preserving America's Printed Resources: the Role of Repositories, Depositories, and Libraries of Record.\" A summary statement released by that group states in part:A national print management effort must be visionary and comprehensive in scope, inclusive of research libraries of all sizes and types, and economically sustainable. It must be collaborative in nature, should favor distributed activities over centralized ones, and must enlist the voluntary participation of an international array of libraries and organizations. It must also be accountable to the research community and be transparent in its terms and operations. Finally, the national effort must be based upon both standards and trust, and must involve the equitable sharing of investment and benefits (Center for Research Libraries, 2006).This comprehensive view in the USA is not isolated from, or completely integrated with, a larger global plan for print resources. For example, an international news archiving project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities is designed to test collection and preservation of international newspapers (Reilly, 2005). The comprehensive national effort is indicative of both the problem and the serious consideration being given to solutions. Questions of governance, whether on a regional, national, or global level are all concerned with:* ownership of materials in off-site storage facilities;* responsibility for care of those materials; and* questions of access for information seekers today and in the future.These philosophical concerns for off-site storage of materials are also practical concerns that are being considered and implemented by local problem-solvers in many places (Austin and Seaman, 2002). Larger group efforts, such as the Center for Research Libraries, also bring evidence that cooperative attitudes and collaborative arrangements are paramount to successfully solving both the philosophical and practical concerns of off-site storage.\nRelated concerns: Much has been written about local approaches to off-site storage as problem-solving schemes, so many well-framed questions focus on local or regional situations. Varied collection management concerns are affected by a wide scale shift to off-site storage. A question posed by many academics in this digital era is \"why invest in housing and servicing an activity which information communication systems will probably make either totally or partially redundant in the not too distant future?\" (McCarthy, 2005, p. 90). Asked in another way, \"what is it we will have sitting in remote storage, sitting there on a 'what if' basis costing so much per annum to house, preserve, and service?\" (McCarthy, 2005, p. 90). These questions, and attempts to answer them, are not simple or static. Today's information management complexities, whether for immediate access or remote storage and preservation, produce philosophical questions that must be answered with practical solutions that work in daily operational environments. Examples of varied off site storage solutions may be found by visiting the sites found at Indiana University Libraries listing of off-site storage facilities at: www.libraries.iub.edu/index.php?pageId=3998 (Indiana University at Bloomington Libraries, 2006). The increasing number of off-site storage facilities demonstrates the surge in local efforts to address shelving, storage, and preservation while continuing to provide materials for research.Another important concern to academic librarians is the potential future loss of control over material selection. Again, it is McCarthy who asks: \"How will collection management thinking evolve during this phase? Might it be driven by the depository managers and their services rather than by the subject librarians?\" (McCarthy, 2005, p. 95). Librarians safeguard scholarly content in a digital era, knowing that preservation is essential to access of printed information by future scholars. Off-site storage is a relocation of existing owned materials, not a destruction or replacement of them.Costs of off-site storage are measured when considering physical facilities, transportation of materials for storage or access, and in terms of human inputs for selection and processing. Examination of each library's off-site storage options, from a financial perspective, is necessary so that valid comparisons of on-campus, local off-site, regional off-site, or other cost effective solutions may be weighed and considered (Cooper, 1989). A cost of information storage - whether in an off-site facility or in a local library collection - is in the resources expended to successfully maintain existing knowledge. The hope is that this knowledge will not soon be replaced by expensive digitization projects. Repositories can create financial savings. The per book storage cost in an off-site location is less than the book cost or construction cost at an on-campus location (Nitecki and Kendrick, 2001; Vargas, 2005). These savings may be significant amounts, so a financial argument becomes a key to influence decision making.In the USA the Harvard model is a widely accepted design for off-site storage construction. In her discussion of the Harvard Depository model, Graham (2001) suggests:Like the ancient river Meander, the path of progress is seldom linear. The Depository facility was designed and constructed in response to the critical need for additional secure, economical, and environmentally sound library storage.Many groups have been developing off-site storage models on smaller individual, consortial, or regional levels. These groups - Harvard, California, and others - have created the models of both physical design (Harvard) and conceptual planning and policy making (California). It is within this subset of smaller groups that PASCAL (Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries) serves as a shared collaborative off-site storage facility. Although PASCAL was designed and constructed in the 1990s, a fairly unique aspect that it brings to off-site storage is the blending of depository and repository approaches. While PASCAL has typical depository services such as accessioning, conservation, environmentally-controlled storage, fulfillment of materials requested, and a reading room for patron access; it also functions as a \"de facto\" repository (Payne, 2005) because of a no-duplicates policy that allows members to withdraw potential duplicates from their own collections and be assured that a copy of last resort will be available through PASCAL.\nPASCAL case study: PASCAL (Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries) is a high-density storage facility following the model established by Harvard in the late 1980s. As a point of clarification, though the name PASCAL suggests the facility is for academic libraries, not all Colorado academic libraries are current participants. Current participants include the University of Colorado at Boulder (Norlin Library) with more than 70 percent of holdings, University of Colorado at Denver (Auraria Library) with 8 percent of holdings, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (Denison Library) with 8 percent of holdings, University of Denver (Penrose Library) with 10-11 percent of holdings, and the University of Denver College of Law (Westminster Library) with 2 percent of holdings (PASCAL web site) (see Figure 1). Researchers at libraries that are not PASCAL members may retrieve materials from the storage site through the Prospector union catalog (an online catalog for 23 library systems in Colorado and Wyoming).Participants contribute proportionally to the costs of PASCAL by the number of volumes that they send to the storage facility (Forsman, personal interview, January 6, 2006). The University of Colorado at Boulder currently pays 75-80 percent of the operating costs. Seaman (2003) estimated that PASCAL storage cost the institution 25C/ per volume, as opposed to $2.50 per volume costs for storage in Boulder. These figures do not include transportation costs. Participating libraries are currently reviewing the pricing model to determine whether that model should be revised to account for retrieval costs (Forsman, personal interview, January 6, 2006). PASCAL's operating agreement allows the addition of other academic library participants.Participant guidelines encourage participating libraries to care for damaged volumes before they are sent to PASCAL. Materials should be dusted or vacuumed prior to being sent. Materials should be in good condition, or they should be wrapped in acid-free paper or enclosed in storage bags. PASCAL encourages a uniform method of indicating item location in the online public access catalog when materials are transferred to PASCAL. At present some institutions change item status to \"transit;\" others change status to \"PASCAL\" (PASCAL Processing Guidelines, 2005; Kelty, personal interview, January 20, 2006).Materials are shelved by size in cardboard trays, with each cardboard tray only holding materials from one institution. Materials from different institutions are not interfiled in boxes. Storage includes a full complement of format types including monographs, bound periodicals, government documents (both bound and loose leaf), VHS, phonograph discs (LP records), maps, 16 mm film, and oversized books (Kelty, personal interview, January 20, 2006).The building's climate control system maintains year round temperatures averaging 55 degrees and 35 percent relative humidity (PASCAL, 2006). The existing facility consists of four rows of shelves that are 188 feet in length and 30 feet high with space for 1.6 million volumes in 9600 square feet (Fry, 2000; Kelty, personal interview, January 20, 2006). Shelving is adjustable to accommodate varied sizes of materials. PASCAL is a closed-stacks facility. However, materials may be retrieved through requests from participating libraries, or researchers may make an appointment to come to the facility to use materials onsite.The existing facility is approaching capacity with holdings of nearly 1.1 million volumes. In 2007 construction is scheduled, at an estimated cost of $6 million, to begin a second storage bay that will have a potential capacity of 2.4 million volumes (Forsman, personal interview, January 6, 2006). Colorado State University is considering off-site storage options, including the possibility of becoming a PASCAL partner with the opening of the new storage bay (Jaramillo, personal interview, January 30, 2006).\nConcerns: The following discussion addresses how Vattulainen's five key factors apply to PASCAL.Ownership\n",
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"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to offrer a reflective look at PASCAL (Preservation and Access Service Center for Colorado Academic Libraries) in the larger context of off-site storage facilities and practices\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The article includes an analysis based on five key points of cooperative repository projects that were made by Vattulainen. The five points are applied to this case study of PASCAL, a shared collaborative off-site storage facility.\nFindings: - Concerns are discussed in the five key areas: Concept of ownership, Provision of buildings, Management of repositories, Relegation decisions and User needs,\nOriginality/value: - This article contributes a case study to the discussion of collaborative off-site storage, with implications for both the immediate region and for larger networked systems that may exist in the future.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Risk assessment
|
[
"Risk assessment",
"Insurance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nRisk assessment: Dress up your superstitions with new names, the future is a cliff edge in the dark.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - This short poem seeks to encapsulate a cynical view of the value of risk assessment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The poem was written at the time of the collapse of the banks, despite their elaborate risk assessments. It juxtaposes modern belief in risk assessment with other historical and fallible means of prediction. The poem is a triolet, a medieval French form comprising one eight-line stanza with a regular rhyming scheme and repetition of lines. It is concise, with nursery rhyme simplicity, and a refrain that sinks into the conscious.\nFindings: - The images of runes, the tarot, and astrology counterbalance the scientific language and basis of risk assessment and the hard-nosed, factual business of insurance.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The poem reminds us that the greatest risk is the one that is impossible to foresee.\nOriginality/value: - The poem is unique in its use of a medieval French form to examine a modern phenomenon.\n",
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What makes the difference? Employee social media brand engagement
|
[
"Brand engagement",
"Social media",
"Business-to-business"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Brand engagement and brand equity: Brand equity, often referred to simply as the \"value of a brand\", or, as Keller (2012) views it, a customer's awareness of a brand's features and associations, is a critical indicator of the success of a firm's marketing strategy. Effective marketing strategies are those that successfully increase brand equity, and it follows that this impacts the overall value of a firm (Dutordoir et al., 2015; Hsu and Lawrence, 2016; Rahman et al., 2018; Vomberg et al., 2015; Voss and Mohan, 2016). A key driver of brand equity, in turn, is brand engagement, a concept that has gained much attention in the recent marketing literature (Schivinski et al., 2016; Baldus et al., 2015; Brodie et al., 2011; Brodie et al., 2013; Graffigna and Gambetti, 2015; Hollebeek et al., 2014). Brand engagement has been conceptualized as the extent to which stakeholders involve or commit themselves emotionally to or with the known identity of an organization in terms of what products and services it offers, as well as the essence of what the organization stands for in terms of service and other emotional, non-tangible stakeholder concerns (Pitt et al., 2017; Kumar and Pansari, 2016; Sprott et al., 2009).\n2. Social media and brand engagement: According to Berthon et al. (2012), Web 2.0 has had two main consequences of importance to marketers: First, it has given rise to what has been termed \"social media\", and second, it has allowed the phenomenon that has been termed \"user generated content\" (content created by individuals such as customers and employees, rather than firms or organizations) to flourish. These authors contend that Web 2.0 technologies have caused three effects:\n3. Automated text analysis: insights from linguistic psychology: Content analysis is a systematic and objective research method that describes and quantifies inferences from text (Weber, 1994). It is a common term used for a range of techniques for gathering and analyzing text of various formats. Not surprisingly, social media has caused massive volumes of textual data to be produced. The sheer volume and velocity of data produced today, and as a result are available to marketing researchers, makes manual content analysis futile at best, and mostly, impossible to conduct. As Humphreys and Wang (2017, p. 1274) point out, \"Researchers, consumers, and marketers swim in a sea of language, and more and more of that language is recorded in the form of text.\" Fortunately, the recent past has not only seen a significant rise in the amount of unstructured textual data available to researchers, but also a noteworthy increase in the number and sophistication of tools available to perform textual content analysis using computers. These range from software that relies on supplied- or user-created dictionaries, such as WordStat (Pitt et al., 2007) and DICTION (Short and Palmer, 2003, 2008; Paschen et al., 2017), to packages that produce graphic output that users then need to interpret, such as Leximancer (Campbell et al., 2011), and more recently, artificial intelligence systems such as IBM's Watson (Pitt et al., 2018; Treen et al., 2018; Kietzmann et al., 2018).\n4. A study of online employee brand engagement: methodology: The overall objective of the research described in this paper was to determine whether there were significant differences between the words used by employees who rated their employer brands highly, and those of employees who rated their employer brands as low. More specifically, the study investigates to what extent employees who rate their employer brands highly differ significantly on the LIWC dimensions of analytical thinking, clout, authenticity and tone, from those who rate their employer brands as low.\n5. The results: To explore the differences between employees who rate their employer brands highly and those who rate them low on Glassdoor, we ran a series of one-way ANOVAs on the total word count used in the reviews as well as the key LIWC dimensions of Analytic, Clout, Authenticity, and Tone. These are presented and discussed in more detail below.\n6. Discussion: Social media is the online equivalent of conversations social human beings encounter every day; this is a powerful source of facilitating evaluations for job seekers in relation to their work environment, brand perception and firm authenticity. B2B marketers, specifically, industrial marketing scholars and practitioners, can potentially gather valuable information from customers and job seekers by establishing a communication link through their employees (Keinanen and Kuivalainen, 2015). The aim of this study was to shed light on sources of employment branding, namely, social media, and how they impact key human capital outcomes. Our key objective was to study what B2B employees say about their employer brands on social media as a valuable source of marketing intelligence for B2B marketing scholars and practitioners. The results show that employees who rate their employer brands low use significantly more words in their online reviews of these brands. They are also significantly less analytic in their reviews, probably because they tell more personal stories, and write with significantly more clout, because while they may focus more on personal stories, they also focus more on others rather than themselves (Bonnin and Rodriguez, forthcoming). In contrast, employees who rate their employer brands highly write with significantly more authenticity, which suggests that they might be honest and humble in their reviews. Finally, and not surprisingly, employees who rate their employer brands highly exhibit a significantly higher tone and display far more positive emotion in their reviews.\n7. Implications, limitations and future research: 7.1 Managerial implications\n8. Conclusion: Brand engagement drives brand equity, and brand equity is not only a significant indicator of marketing effectiveness, it is also a fundamental driver of firm value. Understanding brand engagement nowadays needs special attention by brand management to what stakeholders are saying in social media, for social media has for many stakeholders become the primary platform on which they can engage with the brand. This is true for B2C and B2B firms alike and is as relevant to other stakeholders such as investors, suppliers and employees as it is to customers. As noted, according to Lamberton and Stephen (2016) social media facilitates individual expression for an organization's stakeholders. As a result, social media has also become a significant source of market intelligence for all those with an interest in brand engagement. Are there differences between those who rate their employer brands highly and those who rate them low? This research demonstrates that there are several significant differences and armed with powerful automated text analysis tools, practitioners and scholars alike can tap a rich source of data to better understand and manage these differences, and better understand and manage brand engagement.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore, using the employee lens of business-to-business firms, word use through brand engagement and social media interaction to understand the difference between employees who rate their employer brands highly on social media and those who don't.\nDesign/methodology/approach: We conducted a textual content analysis of posts published on the social media job evaluation site glassdoor.com. LIWC software package was used to analyze 30 of the top 200 business-to-business brands listed on Brandwatch using four variables, namely, analytical thinking, clout, authenticity and emotional tone.\nFindings: The results show that employees who rate their employer's brand low use significantly more words, are significantly less analytic and write with significantly more clout because they focus more on others than themselves. Employees who rate their employer's brand highly, write with significantly more authenticity, exhibit a significantly higher tone and display far more positive emotions in their reviews.\nPractical implications: Brand managers should treat social media data disseminated by individual stakeholders, like the variables used in this study (tone, word count, frequency), as a valuable tool for brand insight on their industry, competition and their own brand equity, now and especially over time.\nOriginality/value: This study provides acknowledgement that social media is a significant source of marketing intelligence that may improve brand equity by better understanding and managing brand engagement.\n",
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Reaffirming the importance of managerial discretion in corporate governance: a comment on Andersen (2017)
|
[
"Corporate governance",
"Organizational performance",
"Managerial discretion",
"Institutional antecedents"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Corporate governance refers to the ways in which the suppliers of finance direct and control their investment to receive a financial return (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997). Corporate governance research is underpinned by agency theory (Jensen and Meckling, 1976), which address the potential conflicts between shareholders or their representatives, and the management team, mainly the upper echelons. Owners rely on internal and external governance mechanisms to safeguard their return on investments (Dalton et al., 2007). Internal mechanisms mainly compromise ownership concentration, board of directors, and incentive payment; and external mechanisms include a set of policies, customs, processes, laws and institutions to govern the behaviour of corporations (Mostovicz et al., 2011). Managerial discretion stems for the freedom in the decision-making of top executives, which mainly emerges from four dimensions: individual, organisation, industry and institutional environment (Haj Youssef and Christodoulou, 2018). As such, the interconnectedness of these two concepts is inevitable as corporate governance mechanisms need to assess how much leeway or discretion should be given to top management team, as it is a crucial factor in determining firms' outcomes.\nThe concept of managerial discretion: Managerial discretion refers to the latitude in executives' decision-making (Hambrick and Finkelstein, 1987). It explicitly emerges as a conceptual link between theories that are predominantly deterministic (e.g. population ecology, Hannan and Freeman, 1977; neo-institutionalism, DiMaggio and Powell, 1983) and those that are mostly managerial (e.g.upper echelons, Hambrick and Mason, 1984). Discretion exists to the extent to which constraints to decision-making are relatively absent and alternatives are available from which executives can choose. Thus, it is a function of the individual executive (e.g. the locus of control), the organisation (e.g. resource availability) and the external environment (e.g. institutional factors, industry regulations) characteristics or any combination thereof. These internal and external factors constitute a powerful range of possible limitations or catalysts for executive actions.\nComments on the conceptualisation of managerial discretion: Andersen (2017) argued that managerial discretion as defined by Hambrick and Finkelstein (1987) is determined by three factors: the task environment, the internal organisation and managers' (executives') own attributes. This is the first misleading conceptualisation when assuming that the environment is only the immediate domain in which firms operate, in other words, the industry. Hambrick in Finkelstein (1987, p. 379) wrote: \"discretion is a function of the degree to which the environment allows a variety and change.\" The environment here is not just the task environment or the industry, recent studies (Crossland and Hambrick, 2007, 2011; Haj Youssef and Christodoulou, 2018) empirically showed how national-level institutions, the macro-environment, affect the degree of discretion accorded to CEOs.\nComments on the measurement of managerial discretion: While discussing the different measurements of managerial discretion relying solely on somehow old literature and studies that only tested the proxies of managerial discretion, Andersen (2017) argues that it is impossible to directly measure managerial discretion and that no attempt has been taken to do that. This is again another misleading argument, as it is clearly evident that no references have been used in studies that did measure managerial discretion directly. In empirical studies carried out so far, scholars have looked at theorised antecedents of discretion such as organisational-level antecedents, including sales, size, R&D intensity, company structure, advertising intensity, volatility and firms' strategic orientation (Boyd and Salamin, 2001; Finkelstein and Boyd, 1998; Hadani et al., 2015; Kim, 2013; Li and Tang, 2010; Quigley and Hambrick, 2012; Rajagopalan, 1997; Roth and O'Donnell, 1996). Others have used industry (or task environment)-level variables, including regulatory conditions, market growth, product differentiability, attentional homogeneity, industry capital intensity, demand instability, etc. (Magnan and St-Onge, 1997; Haleblian and Finkelstein, 1993; Datta and Rajagopalan, 1998; Finkelstein, 2009; Hambrick and Quigley, 2014; Keegan and Kabanoff, 2008; Peteraf and Reed, 2007). Another cluster of researchers used individual executives' characteristics, measuring variables such as locus of control, perception, commitment to the status quo, tenure, age, education and risk-taking behaviour (McClelland et al., 2010; Miller et al., 1982; Roth, 1992). These measures represent an indirect approach of assessing the degree of managerial discretion within a certain context. These studies have preserved/treated discretion as a \"black box,\" whereby it was associated with the various individual, organisational and/or industry-specific variables.\nComments on the importance of managerial discretion in corporate governance: Corporate governance refers to the ways in which suppliers of finance assure receiving a return on their investment (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997). Corporate governance research is underpinned by Berle and Means' (1932) concept of the separation of ownership and control and agency theory (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). In Berle and Means (1932) classic book, The Modern Corporation and Private Property, they wrote that a modern corporation would ultimately outgrow its founder's managerial and financial capabilities. As a result, the management of the companies has to be delegated to professional managers. The result of the separation of ownership and control is the agent relationship between the firm's owner and the delegated managers (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). The key problems of the agency relationship are: the managers, as agents of the owners (principals), can engage in decision-making and behaviour that may be inconsistent with maximizing shareholder wealth (Coase, 1937; Fama and Jensen, 1983) and there are \"agency costs\" involved in making the manager work in the shareholders' interest instead of their own (Jensen and Meckling, 1976).\nDiscussion and implications: Agency theory (Bosse and Phillips, 2016) and transaction cost theory (Williamson, 1981, 1991, 2010) assume managers as opportunistic agents. The main aim of such theories is to find ways in which they can control the opportunistic behaviour of managers. In this perspective, the concept of managerial discretion is mainly observed as a grey area whereby there is greater possibilities for managers to get engaged in opportunistic behaviour without fully attending to the needs and expectations of shareholders. Findings show that when managers particularly executives are given more discretion, they are more likely to use it for their own benefit and engage in opportunistic behaviour as opposed to using it in the interest of their firms. For instance, studies have shown how managers with greater discretion become greedy (Haynes et al., 2017), and may engage in unjustified selling of assets (Lang et al., 1995), risky unrelated diversification as a method of strategic growth (Tosi and Gomez-Mejia, 1989), overpricing the portion of abnormal accruals (Xie, 2001) and boosting bonus pool allocation (Bailey et al., 2011).\nConclusion: In this paper, we attempted to achieve one objective to show the importance of managerial discretion and that the question of whether executives matter remains an important research domain within the strategic management, corporate governance, strategic decision-making, etc. disciplines. While appreciating the reasoning adopted in Andersen (2017), there are several misleading concepts presented in his paper and that there is a limited review of the main literature on managerial discretion. We showed that clearly there are several empirical works conducted to operationalise and demonstrate the construct of managerial discretion from different dimensions, and that this construct has been tested for reliability, validity as per the recent work of Crossland and Chen (2013) and Haj Youssef and Christodoulou (2017a, 2017b). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the concept of managerial discretion is not based on three dimensions only, but there is a fourth dimension which relates to the institutional environment. Not to forget that there is a very limited review of the existing literature in managerial discretion, and Andersen (2017) did not include main findings of this research stream. Finally, based on our theoretical discussion, we believe corporate governance and managerial discretion are behaviourally attached. We hope greater attention will now focus on understanding the different mechanisms in which these constructs interact.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to refute the work of Andersen (2017) by suggesting a different theoretical view and to argue that the concept of managerial discretion is one of the core dimensions that cannot be discarded when studying corporate governance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper uses theoretical frameworks from recent literature, definitions and empirical studies on the concept of managerial discretion and corporate governance.\nFindings: Several studies have empirically tested and measured the concept of managerial discretion, some have provided validity and reliability of the concept and others have showed the direct impact of discretion on firm performance.\nPractical implications: Research on managerial discretion provides owners and board of directors a clear advice on how much discretion can be granted to top executives by taking into consideration the different dimensions of the external and internal environment.\nOriginality/value: This paper concludes that corporate governance research will not improve if it abandons the concept of managerial discretion.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Designing complex socio-technical process systems - the airport example
|
[
"Airport passenger facilitation/flow",
"Space-sensitive process model",
"Contextual factors",
"Configurable reference model",
"BPMN",
"Business Process Management",
"Process configuration",
"Process merging"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: 1.1 Complex socio-technical systems\n2. Method and knowledge base: The application domain of this study is: airport passenger facilitation processes in Australia. The methodology is firmly based in design science, defined by Johannesson and Perjons (2014) as \"the scientific study and creation of artefacts as they are developed and used by people with the goal of solving practical problems of general interest\". Their method framework has been adapted for developing an airport reference model shown in Figure 1.\n3. Results: Results are discussed here for each reference modelling step from the previous section. Section 3.1 describes the process models for individual cases, Section 3.2 describes the merged process model, and Section 3.3 describes process configurability via contextual factors, questions and facts. These sections fulfil the third activity of \"Design and Development\" in the Design Science method framework of Johannesson and Perjons (2014), while Section 3.4 demonstrates the prototype of the reference model, thereby fulfilling the fourth activity.\n4. Findings: using the reference model for airport process design: Development of this reference model with its contextual factors has provided insights into similarities across airports (Section 4.1), differences between them (Section 4.2), and how this knowledge can be leveraged to serve contextual needs (Section 4.3).\n5. Conclusion and outlook: This work involved the development of a configurable reference model as a tool for informing process design decisions by providing concise and highly relevant insight into existing practices. It has been demonstrated using AC studies, where configurable reference modelling has not been applied to date. During design and development, a comprehensive set of current practices in airport passenger facilitation was captured, first as process models for five airports individually, and then as a consolidation via process merging. Differences in process between the airports were characterised by contextual requirements to design a questionnaire for filtering relevant process information in this merged model, thus providing configurability. The results revealed insights from the consolidated practices of multiple airports that would not be possible from just one airport, thereby significantly enriching decision support.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: A configurable reference model can be used to assist in the development and management of business processes in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a process design in such environments via configurable process reference modelling, using airports as an example.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Existing reference modelling methods around process modelling, merging and configuration are extended to include contextual and spatial factors using the design science methodology. The approach is empirically based on a set of business process management notation (BPMN) models for international passenger departures, consolidated from five Australian airport case studies via document analysis, interviews and observation.\nFindings: The use of contextual factors and operational scenarios, structured using the proposed approach, facilitated efficient cross-organisational comparison for configuring processes to suit the needs of a target organisation. The resulting configurable model integrates the perspectives of organisational stakeholder groups with that of the customer in a transparent and unambiguous graphical representation. It is a reusable tool with low data collection needs for each use.\nResearch limitations/implications: Future research should include: version management; how to keep the model current; configurability via modelling objects other than gateways; and cross-discipline application (e.g. as a foundation for quantitative decision-making models).\nOriginality/value: This is the first reported application of configurable reference modelling to airport passenger facilitation. Methodological contributions include the addition of space-sensitive process elements and notation to BPMN; guidelines for systematically deriving contextual factors associated with process variants across similar organisations; and overall normative guidelines for inductively developing a configurable process reference model.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Navigating the paradoxes of organizational diversity management: Expert strategies from workplaces in Israel
|
[
"Diversity",
"Diversity management",
"Diversity managers",
"Paradox",
"Change interventions",
"Manifold strategy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Diversity management (DM) can be traced back to the 1960s, a time when multiple global shifts occurred including equal rights activism, technological changes, increased global competition, and minorities entering the labor market. The resulting tensions from increased workplace diversity created the need for organizations to promote more diversity-friendly operational cultures. A research paper by Nadiv and Kuna (2020) provides a new perspective on understanding the challenges of implementing DM initiatives in the workplace. The paper seeks to explain the limited success achieved by DM initiatives in the context of organizational paradoxes, and addresses two research questions: firstly, which organizational challenges impact diversity promotion and management, and secondly, how diversity managers deal with these challenges. Data for the study were collected through detailed interviews with diversity managers from large companies located in Israel.\nChallenges of diversity management in the workplace: While diversity is a global issue, workplace diversity efforts are especially challenging in Israel where various socio-political tensions exist, including the Palestine conflict, intra-Jewish ethnicity, and immigration. Diversity initiatives seek to alter core organizational components by reaching across the domains of human resources, organizational culture and structures, and social dynamics. However previous studies evidence that DM initiatives have low levels of success in achieving their aim of increasing diversity in the workplace. The topic of mixed results being achieved by DM interventions has attracted much discussion, yet previous studies have not deeply explored the reasons behind these poor outcomes. DM is complex and challenging to implement due to the inherent opposing forces and competing demands that can undermine its success. Adopting a paradox mindset, in which one acknowledges and embraces tensions, is therefore a pragmatic approach for DM practitioners to facilitate their DM implementation.\nAnalyzing the interview results: Interview participants were questioned on DM processes, day-to-day challenges, and anecdotal evidence of DM successes and failures, prompted by questions such as \"What do you see as the major challenges in your role?\" and \"Describe in detail a process of DM implementation.\" The results indicate that:\nInsights for managers: Exploring practitioners' unique perspective of DM processes facilitates a new level of understanding of the varied outcomes of DM initiatives, and of how more consistent results may be achieved. The paper identified a number of significant managerial insights, including that:\nCommentary: The review is based on \"Diversity management as navigation through organizational paradoxes\" by Nadiv, R. and Kuna, S. (2020), published in \"Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.\" This research paper concerns itself with understanding the paradoxes faced by diversity managers when attempting to successfully implement organizational diversity-enhancing initiatives. Three major paradoxes that confront diversity managers were identified: the need for change vs. the desire to maintain the status-quo, bureaucratic control vs. flexible procedures, and long-term business gains vs. short-term losses. Diversity managers have the choice to adopt an either/or strategy or a manifold strategy to deal with these paradoxes. It was found that both strategies were initially used interchangeably, but as a diversity manager's experience grew they employed the manifold strategy to effectively manage workplace tensions.\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: This research paper concerns itself with understanding the paradoxes faced by diversity managers when attempting to successfully implement organizational diversity-enhancing initiatives. Three major paradoxes that confront diversity managers were identified: the need for change vs. the desire to maintain the status-quo, bureaucratic control vs. flexible procedures, and long-term business gains vs. short term losses. Diversity managers have the choice to adopt an either/or strategy or a manifold strategy to deal with these paradoxes. It was found that both strategies were initially used interchangeably, but as a diversity manager's experience grew they employed the manifold strategy to effectively manage workplace tensions.\nOriginality/value: The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A warranty based bilateral multi-issue negotiation approach
|
[
"Genetic algorithm",
"Automated negotiation",
"MTBF",
"Multi-issue negotiation",
"Warranty attractiveness index",
"Warranty cost"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With increasing competition, number of products are entering in the market. For the product to be competitive, manufacturers need to make their product more attractive. Warranty is one of the tools which can be used by a manufacturer to attract the customers but this needs to be achieved along with a competitive selling price. In a number of cases, the product is a sub assembly and it is supplied to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) who is the customer. In such cases the decision regarding selling price is influenced heavily by the customer. The manufacturer of the product faces the following challenges:\n2. Literature review: Negotiation is the act of reaching an agreement on number of parameters between the buyer and the supplier. The negotiation process is carried out in an iterative manner until the parties involved will reach to an outcome on different issues. Negotiation is either carried out between two parties or multi parties. The way in which issues are negotiated is specified by agenda. In negotiation, the issues are either negotiated all at one time or discussed sequentially. In the first case, it is called as exogenous agenda and in other it is called as endogenous agenda (Fatima et al., 2003). For effective negotiation, it is necessary that each party should concede in order to reduce difference between them and to converge to an agreement with objective to maximize the payoffs of parties involved in it (Choi et al., 2001).\n3. WAI: During the design stage, manufacturer has to take the warranty-related decisions. In order to achieve customer's satisfaction, manufacturer needs to make the warranty more attractive than competitors. The attractiveness of the warranty depends on the parameters like cost of the component, type of warranty policy and duration for which it is given and support given in the event of failure of the items. To make the warranty more attractive than competitors, manufacturer needs to capture the attractiveness in quantitative terms. Ambad and Kulkarni (2015) proposed a WAI in order to capture the attractiveness of warranty in quantitative manner.\n4. Automated negotiation model: An automated negotiation model is formulated considering the negotiation protocol and negotiation strategy. The warranty-based automated negotiation process is carried out in two iterations. The details about which are summarized in the following sub-sections.\n5. Problem formulation: The negotiation process is started with Iteration 1 in which the problem is formulated following Stage 1 and 2 as discussed in the previous section. In this case, the OEM decides the target OAI. First of all, the OEM calculates current OAI based on inputs from the manufacturer. These have been calculated for 29 critical components. These components were selected based on their contribution to warranty costs and failure rate of the engine under study.\n6. Negotiation methodology: The negotiation process is carried out in two iterations as explained in the previous section. In the first iteration, once the OEM provides the requirements in terms of the target values for the objectives to the manufacturer, the basic solution considering the target values is obtained. The results of the optimization are shown in Table III. The result shows that the target selling price (SP\n7. Conclusion and future scope: In this paper a bilateral automated warranty-based negotiation model is developed. The model is illustrated using a real life example of an automobile engine manufacturer. Negotiation methodology is demonstrated using different cases for negotiation. The proposed negotiation methodology explained in this paper will help the manufacturer in optimizing the decision variables while achieving the targeted profit. The manufacturer and customer may change their target goals and give the preferences as per their priorities. The approach is really useful at the design stage where decision regarding the warranty-related parameters is a critical task for the designer. As the approach also considers competitor's warranty strategy, the results obtained using this approach are also helpful to decide the competitive strategy while achieving the targeted goals set by the manufacturer.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a warranty-based bilateral automated multi-issue negotiation approach.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A methodology for bilateral automated negotiation process is developed considering the targets such as warranty attractiveness, warranty cost, mean time between failures, spare parts cost to the end user over the useful life of the life. The negotiation methodology is explained using different cases of negotiation. The optimization for each negotiation step is carried out using genetic algorithm with elitism strategy.\nFindings: The result after optimization indicates that the desired target values are achieved and manufacturer obtained desired profit margin.\nPractical implications: Application of automated negotiation model is illustrated using a real life case of an automobile engine manufacturer. The proposed approach helps the manufacturer of any product to develop a methodology for carrying out the negotiation process. The approach also results into taking warranty-related decisions at the design stage.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes in proposing a generalized methodology for warranty-based negotiation in which the negotiation is carried out between the manufacturer and the customer.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Informal economies and scholastic epistemocentrism: a reflexive rethinking
|
[
"Practice",
"Reflexivity",
"Informal economy",
"Pierre Bourdieu"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The \"informal economy\" is a topical issue in many academic disciplines (e.g. Cling et al., 2014; Polese and Morris, 2015; Danielsson, 2016). In some fields, this marks a recent development. The disciplines of international relations (IR) and international political economy (IPE), for instance, were long hesitant to take on informal economies as objects of study (Peterson, 2010, p. 244). One vital catalyst behind the upsurge in academic interest was the acknowledgement of \"informalisation\" as a globally persistent process (Williams, 2014, p. 737). This interest displays itself, among other things, in debates about how to define informal economic activities. However, studies of informal employment and business practices (performed by self-employed micro-businesses or larger companies) do largely concur on a definition of informality as referring to income-generating and monetarised activities that due to non-registration, tax avoidance and failure to adhere to formal regulations occur outside the official purview of the state (Williams and Round, 2008)[1].\nA scholastic point of view: The fundamental cornerstone of Pierre Bourdieu's work is the notion of epistemic reflexivity. To go beyond immediate and preconceived knowledge and to lay the foundation for a more autonomous research object, the researcher needs to perform a double epistemological \"break\" and \"objectivate the objectivating subject\" (Bourdieu, 1990/1980; Bourdieu et al., 1991, pp. 13-55; Bourdieu, 2004). Each break concerns the objectivation of the epistemological and social conditions of possibility of the object and the subject of knowledge (Bourdieu, 1990/1980, p. 25; Bourdieu, 2000, p. 120; Bourdieu, 2004, p. 93). For Bourdieu, then, reflexivity and a sociology of (scientific) knowledge are not philosophical or meta-theoretical concerns but basic methodological postures of a sociology meant to address \"the practices of knowledge at the same time as it produce[s] knowledge of social practice\" (Calhoun, 2002, p. 17).\nTwo fallacies in the scholarly literature on informal economic practices: This part discusses the three established explanatory perspectives on informal economic practices. Each approach emphasises either the role of external, macro-level processes or the role of micro-level social factors and processes[2]. An analysis of the theoretical and meta-theoretical underpinnings of these perspectives reveals a scholastic epistemocentrism in terms of how the explanatory principle forms around either an objectivist or a subjectivist viewpoint. As a result, neither perspective is capable of explaining first informal economic practices as social phenomena with distinct practical logic(s), and second, the difference between theoretical and practical knowledge of informality. In the following, this is discussed in relation to two \"fallacies\" that link to an objectivist and a subjectivist account of practices, respectively: a theoreticist fallacy and an interactionist fallacy.\nThinking everyday informal economic practice from a reflexive posture: This part discusses in conceptual terms how rethinking of informality through Bourdieu's reflexive sociology enables an understanding of everyday informal economic practices that avoids the theoreticist and interactionist fallacies. For Bourdieu, an analysis of social practices requires a transcendence of the objective-subjective division. This does not imply a \"third way\" that ignores the specificities of each vision. Rather, the Bourdieusian sociology sees practices as the product of a dialectic relationship between the objective and the subjective dimensions of social life. Practices emerge out of the meeting between socially recognised and objectivated structures and agents' experiences and readings of the world that render certain dispositional orientations. In other words, the social structures that condition practices live a \"double life\" (Bourdieu and Wacquant, 1992, p. 7). On the one hand, social structures are produced by agents' systems of perception and classification that guide them in their everyday life. On the other hand, social structures are not reducible to the representations that agents have of their practices and of the reality in which they find themselves. Socially recognised structural relations and resource configurations that exist beyond the individual shape representations and practices (Bourdieu, 1989a, pp. 14-15). Moreover, the account of practices developed by the researcher as a reconstruction of agents' practical knowledge should include a theorisation of the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge (Bourdieu, 1989b, pp. 383-384). Although this gap is unsurmountable, it can be reflexively theorised. Importantly, the rethinking offered here seeks by no means to cover all aspects of Bourdieu's sizeable oeuvre. Rather, I will focus the discussion around further examples of the established objectivist and subjectivist approaches and detail how a Bourdieu-inspired reconceptualisation would rephrase these and what this means, in research practice, for how to study informal economies.\nConclusion: By revealing a scholastic epistemocentrism inherent to three established approaches to informal economic practices, this paper has contributed with a Bourdieu-inspired rethinking of informal economies that theorise practices as the products of a dialectic relationship between the objective and subjective dimensions of social life. By conceptualising informal economic practices as forming a partially autonomous social sphere characterised by capital configurations and power relations that connect as well as distinguish agents, the rethinking problematises the established perspectives. As a partially autonomous sphere, informal economic practices are neither immune to nor directly shaped by external macro-level processes and structural constraints. This also means that similarities in material conditions cannot be directly assumed as making certain agents or groups of agents prone to engage in informal economic practices. In addition, as the product of agents' shared understandings as well as their position-relative possibilities and constraints, informal economic practices are not necessarily dependent on social networks. Recognised and symbolised forms of capital render shared understandings of what are the possible/impossible and advantageous/disadvantageous ways of acting. In this way, symbolic capital forms the basis of structural effects from afar, that is, field-specific effects that beyond networks and interpersonal ties shape agents' practices.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine three explanatory perspectives in the academic literature on informal economies that seek to account for agents' engagement in informal economic practices.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper draws on Pierre Bourdieu's reflexive sociology to interrogate the existing perspectives and to provide a conceptual rethinking of informal economies and informal economic practices.\nFindings: The paper reveals an inherent scholastic epistemocentrism in the established perspectives. By privileging either an objectivist or a subjectivist viewpoint, these accounts do not examine the practical knowledge and logic that constitute agents' knowledgeable engagement in informal economic practices. By making use of Bourdieu's thinking tools of \"field\", \"capital\" and \"the habitus\", the paper offers a conceptual rethinking of informal economic practices as the product of a dialectic relationship between socially objectivated structures and subjective representations and experiences.\nOriginality/value: The paper introduces a reflexive rethinking of informality that draws on but also develops an emergent literature on informal economic practices as relational and context bound.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
State policy directives and middle-tier translation in a Swedish example
|
[
"Curriculum",
"Decentralization",
"Middle management",
"Governance",
"Implementation",
"Local authorities"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: In recent decades, decentralisation and deregulation movements have been observable in many education systems around the world (Addi-Raccah, 2015; Hargreaves and Shirley, 2009; Seashore Louis, 2013). Such changes affect local education authorities (LEAs) and other middle-tier intermediaries because responsibilities previously located at the state level are transferred to LEAs and school districts, or to principals in local schools. The current body of literature addressing LEAs and middle-level management shows that the middle tier can make a difference in school improvement. For instance, LEAs can play an important role in school reformation (Campbell and Murillo, 2005), policy operation (Spillane, 1996) and improving teacher practices and student achievement (Chapman and Hadfield, 2010; Lee et al., 2012), not the least in disadvantaged school districts (Leithwood, 2010). Yet, a need exists to broaden the understanding of the role of LEAs in this transformed educational landscape. In support for such a claim, Anderson (2013, p. 556) emphasised that we still need to \"problematize, not take for granted, the form, purpose, and influence of these mediating layers of the school system on the quality and improvement of schools, and on the implementation of government policies that are intended to regulate and support education in schools\".\nTheoretical perspectives: Roughly speaking, two broader traditions or perspectives exist for understanding school governance and how local actors interpret and operationalise the content of state policy. The first and most common perspective tends to emphasise formal governance and direct political control as an important way for state agencies to influence local school actors. Alternatively, a deeper appreciation of the relationship between social organisations (such as schools) and their surrounding institutions may reveal additional avenues for controlling and impinging on local players and organisations. Over the years, pioneering work on neo-institutional theory (e.g. Berger and Luckmann, 1966; DiMaggio and Powell, 1983) has been refined and today constitutes an influential framework for describing and exploring the life of educational organisations (Rowan, 2006; Spillane and Burch, 2006). From such a perspective, very deregulated and decentralised systems can be stabilised, influenced and even controlled (in a broader sense) by factors other than regulations and mandatory directives. Regarding this matter, Scott (2001, 2008) argued that the regulatory aspect is only one of three larger aspects that affect the social lives of organisations. The other two aspects are the normative and the cultural-cognitive aspects.\nMethodology: Data analysis\nResults: As declared, this analysis is structured using two overlapping stages of the Lgr11 implementation process. The first stage centres on a period during which the National Agency started to direct LEAs on how to organise the local implementation, which was before and so on after the launch of the curriculum reform in the autumn of 2011. The second stage, which emphasised LEAs' local translations, also followed the period up to September 2012. This presentation on the results is followed by a section on a discussion of the empirical and theoretical implications of this paper. The purpose of this discussion is to broaden the understanding of the position and role of LEAs and of the interplay between different layers that shape educational policy in decentralised and deregulated school systems.\nDiscussion: The current study revealed empirical findings that need to be considered and further discussed. To start with, in the decentralised Swedish education system, the National Agency's communications primarily directed LEAs by expressing normative and cultural-cognitive recommendations. As shown, regulative directives were few and broadly formulated, offering fewer details about what LEAs at the central municipal level were obligated to do in organising local implementations. Though, worth underlining is the fact that regulative elements played a central role in other parts of the curriculum reform, such as for the content of the new curriculum (syllabuses for the different teaching subjects, a new marking system and so on). Against this background, LEAs started to explore their middle-tier role in developing an organisation to implement the new policy directives. For instance, directives for local key persons and ideas about networking and platforms for school improvement led to the establishment of a temporary project organisation led by a management group operating between local school politicians and principals in the local schools. Thus, in accordance with the previous findings presented in the introduction, LEAs in the present study initially played a key role and showed the potential to make a difference in policy implementation and educational reform. However, when LEAs attempted to convey their middle-level translations by acting as brokers, major problems arose. This issue became particularly clear in translations of normative and cultural-cognitive ideas, leading to loose coupling and transformation.\nConclusions: This paper examined how the National Agency in Sweden directed the organising of a nationwide curriculum reform, and how LEAs in one local municipality translated and responded to the programmes communicated. Through a theoretical point for departure in the work of Scott (2001, 2008) and using the lens of neo-institutionalism, the overall results show that the National Agency directed LEAs to use regulative, cultural-cognitive and - not the least - normative policy advice. The findings demonstrate that the lack of detailed regulative directives, such as on divisions of labour, decision making, mandates for LEAs and local improvement roles, reduced the potential of LEAs to become influential players that support the progress of the curriculum reform. Analysed using the theoretical categories of assimilation, loose coupling and transformation as elaborated on by Andersson (2011) and others, this paper also argues that LEAs must accomplish middle-tier translations through features of loose coupling and - particularly - transformation to become a catalyst for school system improvement. In accordance with previous findings, LEAs need system support to constitute such a platform, which fosters school improvement programmes between different levels of the school system.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the Swedish National Agency for Education's launch of the nationwide Lgr11 curriculum reform and how local education authorities (LEAs) in one municipality translated and responded to the National Agency's directives.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper presents empirical data from a qualitative study of documents and interviews using the analytical perspective from Scott (2001, 2008) to explore regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive aspects of the National Agency's communications. To analyse the local translations made by LEAs at the central municipal level, analytical categories of assimilation, loose coupling and transformation were used.\nFindings: The overall results show that the National Agency primarily communicated its policy instructions to LEAs using normative and cultural-cognitive arguments and directives. The lack of sharper regulative directives, such as for division of labour, decision making, mandates and developmental roles, reduced the potential for LEAs to become influential actors in organising local implementation. An analysis using the assistance of assimilation categories, loose coupling and transformation of the paper also shows that LEAs need system support to accomplish more innovative middle-tier translations through elements of loose coupling and transformation - to become catalysts for school system improvement.\nResearch limitations/implications: The research is designed to understand actions and interpretations within specific institutional, organisational and social settings.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to former findings by offering a novel perspective for understanding policy translation and the role of middle-tier intermediaries in decentralised education systems.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Leading to customer loyalty: a daily test of the service-profit chain
|
[
"Transformational leadership",
"Employee engagement",
"Diary study",
"Service-profit chain"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Due to the growth in the service sector, marketing researchers are recognizing a paradigmatic shift from the exchange of tangible goods toward a service-based model of exchanges in which the customer plays a pivotal role (Lovelock and Gummesson, 2004). With consumers becoming more sophisticated in their evaluations of their service consumption experiences in addition to increased competition among providers, companies are forced to focus greater attention on the quality of the service provided to customers, making front-line employees of central importance for the customer experience. An employee's attitude and actions during the service provision can leave an impression on the customer, contributing to their level of satisfaction, loyalty and, ultimately, financial performance for the firm (Rust and Zahorik, 1993). Therefore, from the customer's perspective, the perception of service quality greatly depends on the employee-customer interaction. Unfortunately, many firms fail to see the important link between front-line employees and customers.\nLiterature review: One of the prominent frameworks explaining the link between a company's employees, customers and their connection to overall firm performance is the service-profit chain (Heskett et al., 1994) which suggests that satisfied employees, achieved internally through various human resource management practices, can deliver high-quality service, creating satisfied customers; satisfied customers would subsequently become loyal to the firm, leading to improved business performance through outcomes such as repurchase and advocacy.\nMethods: Participants and procedure\nResults: Table I presents means, standard deviations and correlations among the study variables.\nDiscussion: The purpose of this study was to test a dynamic version of the service-profit chain using a daily diary approach. Rather than focusing on relatively static predictors such as human resource practices and static conceptualizations of employee attitudes, this study examined whether day-level perceptions of transformational leadership behaviors had a positive effect on daily job satisfaction, whether daily job satisfaction had a positive effect on employees' daily engagement levels and whether this level of daily engagement had a positive effect on customer attitudes and behaviors during that particular service consumption experience.\nPotential limitations: There are a number of limitations that need to be addressed. The use of multiple data sources minimizes the potential for of common method variance. Nonetheless, it is possible that specific relationships (e.g. transformational leadership predicting job satisfaction and subsequently predicting engagement) are affected. However, the use of diary data, which minimizes the effects of recall bias (Scollon et al., 2003), further minimizes the potential for relationships to be affected by extraneous variables.\nImplications for future research: Although a within-person approach was taken in this study, without a manipulation one cannot speak to the true causality of the relationship. Therefore, future research should look at manipulating the behaviors of the leader to determine if, indeed, the behaviors of the leader cause job satisfaction and engagement levels in employees to change.\nManagerial implications: The findings in this study offer important implications for service-oriented organizations. First, from the current study context, restaurant servers are faced with a variable environment during a shift as servers encounter many different types of customers. Therefore, measuring these constructs on a daily basis makes sense to gain better insight into the effect of both leader and employee behaviors. Motivation has been cited as an important element in predicting the quality of an employee's performance. Based on the results of this study, encouraging managers to pay closer attention to motivating employees to guarantee future service competitiveness for the firm is important. Leaders should promote strategies that aim to achieve daily re-enforcements of behavior, not relying solely on general strategies. In other words, transformational leadership behaviors should be applied in time proximity to the task that needs to be performed in order to be successful.\nConclusion: To conclude, the present study examined how a leader's day-level transformational leadership behaviors affect an employee's level of satisfaction and engagement, and consequently, how this affected relevant customer outcomes during that workday. Our data supported the notion that employees who saw their supervisors as displaying transformational leadership behaviors were more engaged with their job. In turn, employee engagement predicted customer outcomes (i.e. perceptions of service quality, satisfaction and loyalty). Importantly, these relationships were tested using daily data, thereby providing evidence for the dynamic nature of the observed relationships. Thus, we were able to examine the fluctuations in attitudes in employees from one workday to another, demonstrating that engagement level and leadership behaviors are not stable in this particular context, rather they represent transient states and must be managed accordingly. Finally, this research used dyadic data to examine the proposed linkages, as it is preferable to the alternative, giving a true sense of the effect that employee engagement has on various customer outcomes. Our results have implications for both research and practice - suggesting the need to incorporate daily behaviors in tests of the service-profit chain and suggesting that leaders' daily behaviors have an effect on customer outcomes.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore a dynamic version of the service-profit chain. The paper examines the relationship between daily leadership behaviors, daily job satisfaction and daily employee engagement on customer outcomes in a service-based context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using multi-level, dyadic data from employees and customers, the paper used a diary (within-person) approach to investigate the proposed relationships on a daily basis. Data from employees (n = 29) collected over five days were matched specifically to customer data (n = 592) during the same time period.\nFindings: The findings suggest that daily transformational leadership behaviors positively affect daily job satisfaction and employee engagement, which subsequently affect beneficial customer outcomes (i.e. perceptions of quality, satisfaction and loyalty).\nResearch limitations/implications: The relationship between employee attitudes and performance may have been underestimated in the past due to the way the relationship has been studied and that the inclusion of additional predictors better defines this relationship. Methodologically, the use of a daily diary study suggests that it may be much more advantageous to study the theorized relationship in its transient form (i.e. daily, weekly, etc.) versus as stable and enduring attitudes as leaders' behaviors and employees' level of engagement will change from day to day in most service-based contexts due to its dynamic nature.\nPractical implications: The results equip organizations with a clearer picture in delivering high-quality service and its associated beneficial customer outcomes (i.e. perceptions of quality, satisfaction and loyalty). Such insight may be used to influence leadership training that aims to create and maintain an engaged and productive workforce, ultimately providing increased bottom-line performance for the organization.\nOriginality/value: By including additional linkages into a model that aids in predicting important customer outcomes allows us to better understand the relationship. In addition, by studying the relationships from a transient perspective, it provides important information to service organizations that operate in extremely dynamic environments.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Cultural configurations and entrepreneurial realisation
|
[
"Entrepreneurial intention",
"Leadership",
"FsQCA"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In developed countries, entrepreneurship has become a pillar of national governmental policies and decision makers need to increase the number of individuals that actually develop and implement opportunities (Jong, 2013). This emphasises the importance of the stream of research on entrepreneurship which investigates an individual's ability to discover or create new opportunities, exploit them, and then go on to implement them (Shane, 2003). The literature has emphasised the important role of context, that is, the circumstances, conditions, situations, or environments, which lead to a better understanding of an entrepreneurship process. Context may enable or constrain entrepreneurship (e.g. Welter, 2011). The extent to which culture and national environments influence entrepreneurial action is a relevant research topic and many authors have investigated its effects (e.g. Hayton George, and Zahra, 2002; McClelland, 1961; Tan, 2002). Galanakis and Giourka (2017) also highlighted the complexity of personal and contextual factors that are deployed during the entrepreneurial realisation, that is, the diversity of conditions that are necessary on each stage of the entrepreneurial realisation. Furthermore, these authors emphasised the importance of perceptions and attitudes to enable individuals to overcome the barriers of the transition from one stage of the entrepreneurial process to another.\nBackground: The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) study defines leadership as the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute to the success of their organisations (House et al., 2004). GLOBE study considers that members of different societies have different expectations of their leaders, which are influenced by national culture. Leaders tend to behave according to what is expected and accepted (Collinson, 2006), and the role of culture has been established as an important topic in business research (e.g. Hofstede, 2001). Entrepreneurship literature has established that the level of entrepreneurship varies between countries and suggests that the more the cultural values embrace uncertainty and risk taking, the more likely is a country to show high levels of entrepreneurial behaviour (e.g. Hayton and Cacciotti, 2013).\nResearch design: Data and sample\nResults: The analysis of necessary conditions, presented in Table II, indicates that none of the conditions is considered necessary for the outcomes of interest (all consistency values are below the 0.90 threshold). Nevertheless, the values obtained for each condition show that SPL, ~UAP, and ICP may be more relevant to achieve EI and TEA. Regarding ~EI and ~TEA, the highest consistency scores correspond to ~ SPL and ~ ICP. In spite of not being necessary alone, a combination of antecedent conditions, that is, a complex antecedent condition, may be sufficient to support the outcomes.\nDiscussion: In this study, it is recognised that several combinations may cause the outcome of interest, and both theory and method are asymmetric in focus. The results of the configurational analyses indicate that neither the presence nor the absence of a simple antecedent condition (CL, SPL, UAP, or ICP) is necessary or sufficient to have consistently higher EI and TEA values (see Tables II and III). Thus, the first tenet (T1) is supported. Nevertheless, the analysis reveals three models (configurations) that indicate high scores of EI and two models that indicate high scores of TEA. These results indicate that there are complex antecedent conditions which are sufficient to identify countries with high scores of EI and TEA, giving support to the second tenet (T2). Moreover, the findings suggest that there is more than one path leading to the focal outcomes, which implies equifinality and supports the third tenet (T3), that is, none of the complex antecedent conditions is necessary to achieve a high score on the focal outcomes. Furthermore, all the models for EI and TEA (presented in Table III) combine CLTs and cultural practices, and an analysis of each configuration of antecedent conditions sheds light on the alignment of CTLs with cultural practices that is required to facilitate entrepreneurial behaviour (EI and TEA).\nConclusion: This study advances research into the association of culture and entrepreneurship, and develops testable models using a configurational analysis, thus confirming the suitability of asymmetric configuration analysis for entrepreneurial research. The results expand an understanding of entrepreneurship processes by showcasing the different complex antecedent conditions for EI and TEA. The integration of leadership theory into comparative entrepreneurship research has received little attention from scholars and the use of CLTs has only recently been discussed in the literature. This study advances this stream of research by identifying configurations of CLTs and cultural practices that lead to EI and TEA, thereby distinguishing between the complex antecedent conditions that are required for each phase of the entrepreneurship process.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to better understand the connection between culture and entrepreneurship in proposing and testing complex configurations of culturally endorsed implicit leadership theories (CLTs) and cultural practices that lead to entrepreneurial behaviour by studying entrepreneurial intentions (EI) and early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) separately.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using data from Globe Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) studies, a sample of 44 countries, and a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, several models for EI and TEA were developed.\nFindings: The main findings provide a way of distinguishing between complex antecedent conditions that are required for each stage of the entrepreneurial realisation. The results empirically show that there is no ideal context - the path to stimulate entrepreneurship that works best for one country does not necessarily works the same for other countries. There are multiple paths to achieve the desired outcome.\nResearch limitations/implications: The data from the GLOBE study were not completely up to date, the effect of which was minimised by considering data from GEM that respects temporal ordering. Nevertheless, data from GEM suggest that there is a degree of stability in the data over time. Future research could replicate this study with a larger selection of countries and with new data, collected in a different way. Additionally, the inclusion of CLTs proposed in this study opens new opportunities for future research, by providing a new angle to look at the entrepreneurial realisation process.\nPractical implications: This study advances research into the association of culture and entrepreneurship, and develops testable models using a configurational approach, thus confirming the suitability of asymmetric configuration analysis for entrepreneurial research. The results expand an understanding of the entrepreneurial process by showcasing the different complex antecedent conditions for EI and TEA. Depending on a country's cultural profile, policy-makers should invest in the dimensions that enable their society to align with the model that best suits their own culture. The obtained models offer a framework for evaluating new interventions that aim to develop entrepreneurial behaviour in a specific country.\nOriginality/value: Different configurations showcase that there are alternative paths to achieving high levels of EI and TEA. The differences among the possible configurations for each stage of the entrepreneurial realisation are uncovered. Country profiles are identified, quantified, and then compared providing guidance for policy-makers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
International manufacturing network: past, present, and future
|
[
"Network",
"International manufacturing network",
"Plant"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Indisputably, business today is becoming international. During the past decades, both international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) have increased explosively, resulting in the globalisation of markets and further leading to the widespread restructuring of manufacturing systems. In order to compete in the fast-evolving global economy, it is imperative for industrial companies to disperse their plants all over the world (Canel and Khumawala, 2001). Therefore, the role of manufacturing companies has accordingly changed from supplying domestic markets with products, via supplying international markets through export, to supplying international markets through local manufacturing.\n2. Past: evolution of literature related to IMN: 2.1. Literature related to globalisation/internationalisation of companies and manufacturing\n3. Research methodology: 3.1. Journal set\n4. Present: the presentation of the IMN-specific literature: From the 107 articles in the base article set, 40 are concerned with plant-level analysis, and 67 are related to network-level analysis. In order to develop further understanding of these articles, we followed the analysis process as mentioned in the previous section, namely identifying research themes and classifying the articles according to the identified themes. As a result, two themes were identified from the 40 articles with reference to the plant-level analysis, whereas the other three were inducted from 67 articles related to the IMN-level analysis.\n5. Future: possible research agenda: For a few decades, IMN has been a topic of interest for researchers, as evidenced by the reviewed literature presented in this paper. While there have been notable research accomplishments in this area, much remains to be done. Herein, a few under-investigated IMN-related topics/issues are identified after carefully examining the existing literature, which can be classified into three groups:\n6. Conclusions: 6.1. Theoretical contributions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine, and present a comprehensive review of, the existing literature on the international manufacturing network (IMN).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The original data set used for reviewing the IMN literature consisted of 107 articles selected from 21 journals: more specifically, 40 articles are concerned with plant-level analysis, and 67 articles are related to IMN-level analysis. The literature is simultaneously reviewed by two researchers. The relevance and contribution of each reviewed paper is discussed and mutually agreed upon.\nFindings: The paper highlights the different concepts related to IMN and traces the evolution of IMN-related research. Based on two levels of analysis (i.e. plant and network), this paper further reviews and discusses the IMN-specific literature in detail to determine the number of IMN articles published across the journals, the dominant methodologies employed, and the research focus reflected in IMN studies. A research trajectory is finally developed to provide an integrated and intuitional view on the development of IMN research.\nOriginality/value: This is the first effort that has been made towards thoroughly investigating the existing literature on IMN, aiming to trace different concepts related to IMN from a historical perspective, to review and discuss the IMN-specific literature in detail, to provide an overview of the evolution trajectory of different existing IMN research themes, and to propose future research directions. Keeping in mind the growing importance of IMN for practitioners as well as the academic community, this study provides a timely overview of existing and emerging IMN research themes.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Shared or different realities: Self-other agreement on constructive and passive leadership and employee outcomes
|
[
"Well-being",
"Work performance",
"Questionnaire",
"Leaders",
"Learning climate",
"Subordinates"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In leadership development, leaders' perceptions of their behaviors are commonly compared with the perceptions of other stakeholders, such as their subordinates, as a strategy to identify leaders' strengths and weaknesses. Research on such initiatives concludes that leaders and subordinates often do not agree on leadership behaviors (Lee and Carpenter, 2018). That is, there is often a discrepancy between how the leader rates his or her leadership and how the employees rate them. Different explanations have been offered for this discrepancy, from the possibility that it reflects different rater-related biases to the discrepancy possibly reflecting the different sources of information that the raters rely on in providing their rating (Fleenor et al., 2010). Regardless of how the discrepancy is explained, it is clear that this type of comparison can contribute to a more nuanced picture of leadership than if only one rating source is used. Multiple rater sources can offer valuable information about not only the level of leadership according to different raters but also the congruence and incongruence between the ratings. Congruence between ratings is often referred to as self-other agreement (SOA) (Fleenor et al., 1996; Ostroff et al., 2005; Yammarino and Atwater, 1993).\nModels of self-other agreement: SOA is suggested to reflect leaders' self-awareness regarding their leadership capabilities (Fleenor et al., 2010) and offer an important component in research aiming to understand leader performance, as well as practical information for leader development. Ratings from leaders and their subordinates can diverge for several reasons. First, agreement in ratings can deal with the level of difficulty in observing certain behaviors. The Realistic Accuracy Model suggests that behaviors that are easy for observers to witness should lead to high leader-observer agreement, but behaviors that are difficult for observers to witness should result in divergent ratings (Funder, 2012). Second, there can be different processes underlying the observations and ratings. The social information processing theory (Salancik and Pfeffer, 1978) suggests that the information available and motivation for different raters are fundamentally different. This implies, for instance, that different subordinates are likely to have dissimilar interactions with, and subsequently make divergent evaluations of, leader behaviors. Thus, subordinates possess varying information about the leader's performance and, subsequently, display weaker rating convergence. From this perspective, leaders are expected to have the most information about their own behaviors (Schwarz and Oyserman, 2001), and subordinates witness only a portion of the leader's full repertoire of behavior, or possibly only the result of leader behavior (Allen et al., 2000). Additionally, different motivational forces may drive leader vs observer ratings. Leaders may be susceptible to self-enhancement bias and, subsequently, inflate their ratings to present themselves in a favorable light (Atwater et al., 1998; Paulhus, 1986). Observers may be vulnerable to other biasing motives because they may intentionally provide inflated ratings of leadership to avoid punishment from leaders, or halo effects, where subordinates evaluate the leader positively based on their general impression of the leader rather than based on specific information about the behaviors they are asked to rate (Nisbett and Wilson, 1977).\nLeader consequences of self-other agreement: In several studies, SOA has been linked to multiple leader outcomes. Overall, agreement between leaders and their subordinates has been positively related to leader outcomes, such as effective decision-making, high commitment, performance and low turnover (Atwater et al., 1998; Atwater and Yammarino, 1992; Bass and Yammarino, 1991; Ostroff et al., 2005; Yammarino and Atwater, 1997). This is particularly true when there is an agreement that the leader is a good leader (Yammarino and Atwater, 1997). Disagreement, on the other hand, has been related to less effective leadership and negative organizational outcomes (Atwater and Yammarino, 1997; Johnson and Ferstl, 1999; Smither et al., 2005).\nEmployee consequences of self-other agreement: SOA affects not only the leader (Yammarino and Atwater, 1997), but may also affect the organizational climate and, more specifically, the employees (Fleenor et al., 2010). However, less studies have investigated the relationship between SOA and employee outcomes as compared to leader outcomes. A 2010 meta-analysis reported only one study (Fleenor et al., 2010), which showed that leaders' and subordinates' agreement on leadership behaviors was positively related to subordinates' job satisfaction and identification with the organization (Szell and Henderson, 1997). Some later studies have confirmed the relationship between SOA and job satisfaction and added that overestimation (i.e. leaders rating their leadership higher than subordinates do) was related to poorer job satisfaction among subordinates (Amundsen and Martinsen, 2014; Erben et al., 2016; Moshavi et al., 2003). In addition, agreement has been related to lower turnover intention among subordinates (Sim, 2018), whereas leaders' overestimation was related to higher turnover intention (Amundsen and Martinsen, 2014).\nThe present study: The study aims to explore the consequences of SOA between leaders and subordinates on constructive and passive leadership behaviors for employee well-being, performance and perception of learning climate. We examine the following research questions:\nMethod: This study employs a cross-sectional questionnaire using baseline data from a leadership development intervention set in a company in the Swedish forest industry. The data was collected in November 2011. The intervention targeted all 101 leaders in the company, including both line managers (i.e. the management level directly above non-managerial workers) and technical engineers responsible for day-to-day supervision of work. The effects of the intervention on production, safety and organizational learning have been presented. References have been withheld for the sake of anonymity.\nProcedure and participants: The company had approximately 800 employees. Leaders and employees were invited to respond to a web-based questionnaire. Respondents were recruited in two steps. First, all leaders were invited to respond to the questionnaire as preparation for the intervention. Second, each leader was asked to invite five subordinates to respond to the questionnaire. The leaders were asked to select subordinates that they felt close to and those they felt less close to. All respondents were provided with a personal web link to the questionnaire in an e-mail. The response period was three weeks, and two reminders were sent out.\nMeasures: Leaders and subordinates rated the full range leadership behaviors using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Avolio and Bass, 2004).\nAnalyses: To examine the consequences of SOA between leaders and their teams on the four leadership behaviors, we employed polynomial regression with response surface analysis (Edwards, 1994). This analysis allows two variables to be related to an outcome while retaining information about the differences between them. This data analytic approach includes aggregating employee ratings of leadership behavior (K=78) to the team level to make group-level inferences about relationships among variables.\nResults: Descriptive statistics and intercorrelations between the study variables are presented in Table I. The intercorrelations between team-rated and leader-rated leadership behaviors were non-significant, such as leader and team-rated TL (r=- 0.00), providing preliminary evidence that perceptual distance might be present in our data.\nDiscussion: We aimed to study the implications of SOA between leaders and subordinates on full range leadership behaviors for employee well-being, work performance and perception of learning climate. In summary, the findings showed that SOA had consequences for employees' well-being, work performance and learning climate in all aspects of full range leadership behaviors, although in different ways.\nImplications: SOA is often used in leadership development as means of giving feedback on leaders' behaviors. The findings of this study highlight the importance of providing evaluation and feedback on all aspects of the full range leadership model. The negative impact of non-constructive leadership has been highlighted before (Schyns and Schilling, 2013). Our finding that there is a negative relationship between employee performance, well-being and learning climate on the one hand and SOA in passive leadership in terms of MBEP, where the leader is inactive until a certain point at which he or she acts punitively, on the other adds support for the importance of adding assessment of such leader behaviors to 360-degree assessment. This could support development of self-awareness among leaders for both constructive and less constructive leadership behaviors. For example, it may make the leader aware that what they may perceive as unfortunate but unavoidable lack of interaction followed by corrective actions, for instance, because they do not regularly meet with employees because of shift work or being at different geographical locations, is perceived as a non-constructive passive leadership style by employees.\nMethodological considerations: The main strength of the study was the use of sophisticated statistical analysis, which facilitated the study of the three-dimensional relationship rather than only the two-dimensional relationship (Edwards, 1994). These analyses made it possible to detect curvilinear relationships and whether it mattered if ratings were in agreement and high or in agreement and low. The main limitation was the use of cross-sectional data, which limits the conclusions that can be drawn from the direction of the relationships. Future studies are thus needed to replicate the findings with a longitudinal data set. Second, we chose not to include a measure of management-by-exception active, which would have been of interest, given that it is an active non-constructive leadership behavior included in the Full Range of Leadership model. However, given the critique of this measure in MLQ that suggests that it does not properly capture the intended construct (Yukl, 1999), we chose to exclude it. Third, some of the MLQ subscales had low reliability, particularly on the leader subscales. Although this is somewhat unexpected given the wide usage of the scale (Judge and Piccolo, 2004), it may be explained by the fact that reliability is dependent on the sample size and number of items included in a scale (Raykov and Marcoulides, 2011). The low number of leaders and few items (four items per subscale) on these particular scales may therefore contribute to the low reliability in our data. Given that low reliability may attenuate relationships between variables (Schmitt, 1996), some relationships in our study may have been underestimated. Also the use of single items for some of the outcomes might be a limitation.\nConclusions: SOA not only affects leader effectiveness, but also has consequences for subordinates in terms of their well-being and performance as well as their perceptions of climate at work. The study adds to the current understanding of the implications of SOA regarding constructive leadership behaviors by showing that SOA regarding passive, non-constructive leadership also impacts employees.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the consequences of self-other agreement (SOA) between leaders and subordinates on constructive and passive leadership behaviors for employee well-being, performance and perception of learning climate.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Questionnaire ratings of 76 leaders and 211 subordinates in a forest industrial company on full-range leadership and subordinate ratings of well-being, work performance and learning climate have been used in this paper. The data were analyzed using polynomial regression with response surface analysis.\nFindings: SOA on constructive leadership (transformational leadership and contingent reward) was related to subordinates' perception of a positive learning climate. SOA on passive leadership (management-by-exception passive) reduced subordinates' performance, while disagreement reduced their well-being.\nPractical implications: It is important to give leaders feedback on their own and their subordinates' ratings of not only constructive leadership behaviors but also passive behaviors.\nOriginality/value: The study demonstrates how SOA on leaders' constructive and passive leadership behaviors impacts employees' well-being, performance and work climate.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Business agglomeration in tourist districts and hotel performance
|
[
"Business performance",
"Clustering",
"Competitive advantage",
"Hotel industry",
"Business agglomeration",
"Tourist districts"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Company performance depends on many factors. Penrose (1958), and Cyert and March (1963) use heterogeneity to analyze firm performance and strategy. Later, Wernerfelt (1984) and Barney (1991) develop a more resource-based view of performance, as opposed to the opportunities and threats model of Porter (1980). In this sense, numerous studies highlight a company's own resources (productive, human and technological resources, the brand, etc.) as the main profitability generating factor (Rumelt, 1991; Short et al., 2007). It is also worth remembering the contributions made by industrial economy, according to which, business profitability is also affected by resources alien to the organizations themselves, such as the characteristic resources of an industrial sector (Porter, 1980), of a country or a region (Porter, 1990) or of an industrial district (Marshall, 1890/1920; Becattini, 1990).\n2. Literature review and formulation of hypotheses: 2.1 From industrial district to tourist district\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Analysis method\n4. Results: Table IV summarizes the results of the different regression models suggested for the two dependent variables. As can be seen in Model 3 - the most complete of the three - there is an R2 of 0.190 for the dependent variable \"operating income/no. of rooms\" and 0.205 for the dependent variable \"operating profit/no. of rooms\", that is to say, they explain 19.0 and 20.5 per cent of the variance corresponding to the dependent variable, respectively. On the whole, the model is significant, and so are nearly all the coefficients of independent variables.\n5. Discussion, conclusions and implications: The present paper examines the extent to which location impacts on the profitability of vacation hotels along the Spanish Mediterranean and Canary coastlines. Two territorial analysis levels are taken into account: the tourist municipality or destination and the autonomous region.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The present paper aims to analyze how the performance of hotels located on the Spanish Mediterranean coast (peninsular and Balearic) and Canary coast is affected by the degree of business agglomeration in tourist districts. If agglomeration affects hotels positively, then the externalities generated in tourist districts will be relevant when locating an establishment. Otherwise, the reason why hotels group together geographically would be more related to the suitability of beaches as a tourist destination. The study also analyzes the impact that regions or autonomous communities have on hotel performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The hypotheses are tested by multiple linear regression in which hotel profitability acts as the dependent variable which can be explained by independent variables such as the greater or lesser agglomeration of tourist companies at the destination and the autonomous region where the hotel is located.\nFindings: The results show that hotels situated at destinations with a higher degree of agglomeration are less profitable, probably due to the greater rivalry that exists among nearby competitors. However, in accordance with the theory of tourist districts, one could expect hotels located at destinations with a higher degree of agglomeration to be more profitable because of the greater externalities generated within the district. In this sense, it is possible that hotel location decisions were based more on the natural advantage model, where firms look for specialized inputs like beach or climate, than on production externalities models.\nResearch limitations/implications: It was necessary to work with secondary information sources which contain no data about RevPar (revenue per available room) or GopPar (gross operating profit per available room), the hotel profitability measures most often used in research studies.\nPractical implications: The paper could be useful for hotel companies, when they are deciding on a location, and for public administrations.\nOriginality/value: The present paper is original for several reasons. First, it is one of the first studies which applies the theory of industrial districts to the tourism sector, a line of research which is still in its early stages of development. Furthermore, the ISTAT methodology is applied for the first time to the identification of Spanish tourist districts. Also, various studies relate the degree of agglomeration to hotel profitability, but none so far have used the degree of company agglomeration within a tourist district, linking it to profitability.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Reducing temptation to switch mobile data service providers over time: The role of dedication vs constraint
|
[
"Switching barriers",
"Brand equity",
"Customer loyalty",
"Relationship length",
"Alternative attractiveness",
"Dedication-constraint-temptation model",
"Mobile data service"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The invention of mobile phones has ushered in a new era of information and communication technology (ICT), changing people's lives in a substantial way (Tseng et al., 2017). The ever-escalating competition in the ICT service market is the result of rapid technology evolution that accelerates the pace of innovation (Xu et al., 2014). To survive in the technologically fast-paced, competitive business environment, mobile communication companies keep rolling out cutting-edge technologies. This is exemplified by successive mobile communication systems, such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, in which each new generation is an incremental upgrade to its predecessor (Xu et al., 2010, 2014). For example, compared to its previous technology platforms, the current 5G technology supports new services, such as virtual reality, ultra-HD video, self-driving, and smart homes. These developments have revolutionized the way mobile services are being offered and assessed. Apart from voice services, mobile communication companies now also offer a variety of data services, ranging from instrumental-oriented services such as navigation service to hedonic-oriented services such as music and video streaming as well as mobile gaming (Kim and Han, 2011; Ofori et al., 2018).\n2. Theoretical background and model development: 2.1 Customer loyalty and the underlying theories\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Data analysis: This study used the PLS-SEM method and the statistical software SmartPLS 3 to assess the research model (Ringle et al., 2015). The rationale for using a variance-based SEM approach, instead of covariance-based SEM, is that it is better suited for situations which require a predictive (rather than confirmative), highly complex, and incremental model (Becker et al., 2013; Hair et al., 2011; Hair, Hollingsworth, Randolph and Chong, 2017). In addition, SmartPLS 3 software offers a nonparametric approach to test the differences in the path coefficients across two groups of respondents via PLS-based multi-group analysis (MGA) (Hair, Hult, Ringle and Sarstedt, 2017). In line with Yang (2015), this study classified the length of relationship into two groups: shorter-term (less than three years; n=138) and longer-term relationships (three years or more; n=193). To analyze the research model, we employed a two-step approach recommended by Anderson and Gerbing (1988). The first step involves the analysis of the measurement model, while the second step tests the structural relationships among the latent variables. Finally, we conducted the measurement invariance test and MGA.\n5. Discussion: Technology advancement has disrupted the competitive landscape of mobile communication industry by prompting customers to switch from one MDS provider to another. To protect customer base against the competition, MDS providers must employ the most effective way to diminish the attractiveness of their competitors' offer across different relationship lengths. This study developed and empirically tested the DCTM of customer loyalty in the context of Malaysian MDS market. The results are consistent with previous studies which showed that alternative attractiveness - the temptation-based mechanism - is negatively related to customer loyalty (e.g. Kim, Wong, Chang and Park, 2016; Ghazali et al., 2016). Likewise, C-BBE - the dedication-based mechanism - was found to affect customers' perceptions of alternative attractiveness negatively and their loyalty indirectly through alternative attractiveness in both relationship groups (shorter- vs longer-term). These results are somewhat congruent with the findings of some earlier studies (e.g. Allaway et al., 2011; Xu et al., 2014), which revealed the direct effect of C-BBE on customer loyalty. However, the current study has extended prior research findings by uncovering the mediating role of alternative attractiveness in the relationship between C-BBE and customer loyalty.\n6. Limitations and future research: This study concludes by addressing some limitations, and by providing directions for future research endeavors. First, the data were collected in one ICT industry in a single cultural context. While this might increase internal validity, caution must be taken when extrapolating the findings to other contexts. Further testing of the research model in other ICT services (e.g. cloud computing) or in a different cultural environment (e.g. USA) may afford greater generalizability of the findings. Second, as customers' perceptions of alternative attractiveness are influenced by external factors (e.g. competitors' price and advertising) (Polo and Sese, 2009), this study focuses on identifying the antecedents of C-BBE and switching barriers that firms can control. Future research may identify the antecedents of alternative attractiveness and investigate how organizational agility can reduce the attractiveness of alternatives through the interaction with C-BBE and switching barriers. Organizational agility, representing a firm's capability to cope with the changes of competitors' tactics and respond efficiently and effectively to them, is a critical feature for success in the highly competitive marketplace (Felipe et al., 2016).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a dedication-constraint-temptation (DCT) model to study the factors influencing customers' loyalty to mobile data service (MDS) providers. The DCT model explicitly explores the important yet overlooked role of alternative attractiveness (the temptation-based mechanism) as a mediator and the boundary condition of their interrelationships (e.g. relationship length). The model also integrates new and established antecedents of customer-based brand equity (C-BBE) (the dedication-based mechanism) and switching barriers (the constraint-based mechanism).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The proposed model is tested using partial least squares-structural equation modeling with a sample of 331 MDS users.\nFindings: The results indicate that C-BBE has an indirect effect on customer loyalty (via alternative attractiveness) in both relationship groups (shorter- vs longer-term). However, the indirect effect of switching barriers on customer loyalty only exists in longer established relationships. The results from multi-group analysis reveal that the effect of switching barriers on alternative attractiveness significantly differs across groups. In addition, customer value anticipation and procedural switching costs appear to be the most salient antecedents of C-BBE and switching barriers for both groups.\nOriginality/value: This study makes an incremental contribution by incorporating the temptation-based mechanism as a mediator and relationship length as a moderator into the dedication-constraint model. This study also extends the information systems and brand management literatures by demonstrating the strategic importance of customer value anticipation in the information and communication technology brand equity-building.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Effects of organizational values and employee contact on e-recruiting
|
[
"Recruitment",
"Work values",
"Human resource management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Organizations are increasingly using electronic recruiting (e-recruiting) to attract job seekers because it reduces recruiting costs, saves time, and reaches a wide array of potential applicants (Stone and Dulebohn, 2013). Research showed that 100 percent of large US organizations now use web-based systems to recruit individuals (Smith, 2015). Although traditional recruiting is an effective means for attracting applicants, new technologies have emerged focusing on digital communication channels (the internet and digital networks) which has changed the way organizations communicate with potential applicants. Although e-recruiting and traditional recruiting differ in terms of communication channels and media richness, there are benefits of each at different stages of recruitment (Badger et al., 2014; Baum and Kabst, 2014). The focus of this study is on the initial communication via an organization's website and the factors that enhance the effectiveness of e-recruiting in attracting diverse job seekers.\nTheoretical background: Given that one goal of this study was to explain how an e-recruiting method affects applicant attraction to organizations and job application intentions based on cultural values, we have adapted The Model of the Influence of Cultural Values on Job Application Intentions and Behaviors (Stone et al., 2008), which is an application of Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (1991), to study these relations (see Figure 1). The model suggests that individuals develop attitudes toward an organization based on whether the attributes (e.g. organizational values) are perceived as favorable or unfavorable. It should be noted that this model is based on the premise that applicant cultural values influence their beliefs about the consequences of applying for jobs with an organization, their attitudes, their subjective norms, and ultimately their job application intentions and behaviors.\nMethod: Participants\nResults: Three questions were used as checks on the study's manipulations. Question 1 checked the website display of the organization's achievement orientation which was perceived as expected (No=8, Yes=115, kh2=154.30, p<0.000). Question 2 asked if the primary organizational values on the website were relationships and results indicated that participants perceived this manipulation correctly (No=5, Yes=106, kh2=100.74, p<0.000). Question 3 checked the employee contact condition. Results revealed that participants perceived this manipulation as intended (No contact condition: No=112, Yes=6, and Contact Condition: No=3, Yes=113, kh2=199.52, p<0.000).\nDiscussion: The results of the present study found support for several hypotheses. The data revealed that organizational attraction depends on the congruence between job seekers' individualism values and organizational achievement values displayed on websites. However, the results did not support the interaction between individuals' collectivism values and organizational relationship values displayed on websites influencing attraction. Supplemental analyses revealed that those with collectivistic values were attracted to organizations that displayed either achievement or relationship values on their websites. Interestingly, this may be due to horizontal or vertical collectivism values (Triandis and Gelfand, 1998) and should be explored in future research.\nConclusion: Research shows that the majority of large organizations now use e-recruiting, and we believe that studies are needed to examine factors related to effectiveness. Results of this study revealed that attraction to organizations may depend on the congruence between job seekers' cultural values and organizational website characteristics; for example, individualistic values and organizational achievement values displayed on websites. Also, individuals high in collectivistic values were more attracted to organizations when they had an opportunity to contact an employee (in an e-recruiting context) than when they were low in collectivism. We believe these results have important implications for designing e-recruiting systems, and fostering future theory and research on e-recruiting. It is our hope that these findings will enable organizations to increase the effectiveness of e-recruiting.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the degree to which job seekers' cultural values moderate the relations between organizational values displayed on an e-recruiting websites and organizational attraction by adapting a Cultural Vales Model of Recruitment. The authors also assessed the moderating relation of collectivism on the relation between an opportunity to contact an employee in the organization and attraction.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study used a 2 x 2 design and data from 235 students who were seeking jobs.\nFindings: Individualism moderated the relation between website achievement values and organizational attraction. Individuals' collectivism values moderated the relation between the opportunity to contact an employee and attraction.\nPractical implications: Organizations that display achievement values on websites may attract individuals with highly value individualism. This may inadvertently limit diversity. Findings also suggest that providing an opportunity to contact an employee is likely to attract individuals with high rather than low levels of collectivism.\nSocial implications: Content displayed on e-recruiting websites may inadvertently limit diversity in organizations.\nOriginality/value: This was the first study to examine the effects of the congruence of individual cultural values with organizational values, and the opportunity to contact an employee on attraction in an e-recruiting context.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Barriers to finance experienced by female owner/managers of marginal farms in India
|
[
"Female marginal farmers",
"Owner/managers",
"Formal finance",
"India",
"Sex and gender issues",
"Women",
"Agriculture",
"Financing"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The role and contribution of women to economic growth in both industrially developed and developing countries have been extensively investigated in recent years (see, for example, Sarri and Trihopoulou, 2005; Minniti and Langowitz, 2007; Roomi et al., 2009). In the UK, Carter et al. (2006) have estimated that women owned and managed business contributed approximately PS70 billion per annum to the Gross National Product (GDP). Similarly, female owner/managers make a significant contribution to GDP in industrially developing nations and economies in transition, but their impact is not fully acknowledged or formally recognised (Novaczek and Stuart, 2006; Hussain et al., 2006; Mordi et al., 2010). In common with most developed and developing nations, India has become aware of the importance of women to the economy in general and the agriculture sector in particular, as domestic food generation is given increased priority (Chung et al., 1997).Agriculture is a key sector of the Indian economy and, although its contribution to the GDP of the country has declined from 44.5 per cent in 1970-1971 to 16.10 per cent in 2009 (CIA, 2011), 62 per cent of India's population still depend upon it for their livelihood. Moreover, agriculture accounts for 68 per cent of the total rural employment. Indian rural women have high stakes in the agriculture sector and in 2011 approximately 38 per cent of cultivators and agricultural workforce were female, as compared to 33 per cent in 2001 and 20 per cent in 1991 (Census of India, 2011). It should be noted, however, that the vast majority of female workers involved in the agriculture sector lack skills and survive on low income (GOI, 2010).In India, just over 60 per cent of agricultural activities are undertaken by female farmers (Kashyap, 2008; Chavan, 2007). Therefore, this segment of the population plays an important role in both farming and food production (Bose, 2005; Goetz and Gupta, 1996). They carry out home duties, child rearing and farming responsibilities in addition to managing their farms (Shiva, 1991; Sen, 2001). The State of Punjab is viewed as the most dynamic and progressive state of India because of its successful agrarian sector. Punjab is located on the Northwest border of India, occupies 1.5 per cent of its geographical area and it accounts for 2.29 per cent of the total population. In terms of demographics, 62.51 per cent of the Punjab population lives in rural surroundings and 37.49 per cent is urban locations; 20.36 per cent of the female population depends upon agriculture and allied sectors for their livelihood (Census of India, 2011). However, they only receive a small proportion of the cumulative amount of loans disbursed by financial institutions to rural areas (Kashyap, 2008). Women in rural areas appear to encounter more barriers in accessing agricultural credit and related services than their male counterparts, which negatively impacts on agricultural productivity in this country (Ahmed and Hussain, 2004; Achamyelesh, 2000; Habib, 1996).A great deal has been written on the macro development of the Indian economy and the importance of agriculture to its future growth (Manikandan, 1990; Sood, 1994; Chopra, 1998; Sidhu, 2001; Sharma, 2003; Pederson, 2004). There exists, however, a marked paucity of empirically rigorous studies on the micro-dynamics of the entrepreneurial process in the agriculture sector, with a focus on issues of gender, finance and growth (Dutta, 2003; Tokar, 2004; Chandrasekhar, 2004; Sharma, 2005). Specifically, access to finance for females owner/managers of marginal farms in India remains an under researched topic and the role of financial institutions in this context is yet to be investigated (Harris-White and Janakarajan, 2004; Holvoet, 2005; Karmaker, 2008). This exploratory research study aims to bridge the knowledge gap, through a survey of 23 female and 25 male owner/managers of marginal farms in Punjab, India. A complementary survey involving 15 bank managers in the same region was also undertaken. Both surveys focus on the barriers to access external finance experienced by female owner/managers in the Indian Punjab.The structure of this article is as follows: the next section provides a critical review of the body of knowledge relating to financial issues in general, and those affecting female owner/managers' of farms in particular; this is followed by an outline of the research sample and methodology employed in this study. The next section presents the findings and analyses of barriers to access finance as affecting female owner/managers of marginal farms in the Indian Punjab. The final section offers concluding remarks and highlights the implications of this study to relevant stakeholders.\nAccess to finance by female owner/managers in India: Literature review\nResearch sample and methodology: The research study upon which this article is based was conducted in the Indian state of Punjab. The purpose of this research was to investigate access to formal finance by female owner/managers of marginal farms as well as the barriers and challenges faced by them. The challenges faced by women farmers are attributable to various factors, such as their personal or individual characteristics (lack of education, confidence, etc.), gender and family factors (gender discrimination, lack of support from the family or spouse, lack of recognition from the community) and market-based challenges (economic conditions and institutional factors).To address these issues, primary research data was obtained from two semi-structured surveys. The first was administered amongst the marginal farmer community (23 female and 25 male respondents) and the second focussed upon 15 bank managers from commercial banks and cooperative societies located in the five main districts (Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ropar, Jalandhar and Patiala) of the Punjab region of India. Previous research has established that farming in India is a male dominated occupation. For this reason, we have intentionally selected 25 male respondents from the proportionally larger male farmer population. The proportion of female respondents in the sample is also consistent with their representation in the wider population of marginal farmers. Respondents were selected by using a snowball-sampling technique, which relied upon the authors' networks, local knowledge and relevant language skills. To access respondents working in banks and cooperative societies, a formal request was made to their Bank Headquarters in order to seek approval and contact details.The semi-structured questionnaire designed specifically for this research sought to collect data relating to demographic characteristics, background as well as loan usage, perceptions, motivation and challenges faced by marginal farmers. The semi-structured approach facilitated the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data relating to access and sources of finance as well as perceived and actual barriers experienced by respondents. The average interview lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. Upon completion of analysis, a summary of research findings were shared with the respondents of both research samples.\nFindings and analysis: The analysis of the marginal farming sample suggests that a significant proportion of females were engaged in farming and most them fell within the 22-50 years age group (see Table I). In total, 95 per cent lived within extended family settings, 10 per cent considered themselves to be the head of their family and 73 per cent were widowed. Responses indicate that there was under reporting of the work and influence of females in the farming community of India. Although \"bread winners\" in the family were reported to be males, during interviews some men acknowledged female participation in all aspects of work. Interestingly, females in farming families emerged as important decision makers. Nevertheless, it appears that it was the male who negotiated deals with external agents, including raising finance for farming purposes. Traditionally, in female households, children also participated in all aspects of farming and the head of the family dealt with external matters where cultural norms and practices were not stringently followed.A comparison between respondents would suggest that males in charge of households of similar size to females exhibited significantly higher earnings (on average 66 per cent) than female households (typically 32 per cent). Differences in earnings were attributed to factors such as landholding succession, male social dominance and ability to network externally. Furthermore, detailed examination of qualitative data relating to education, savings, bank accounts and prior borrowing records suggested that female respondents were significantly disadvantaged in all such aspects. A female respondent captured the essence of these differences:Females are not prepared through mentoring or traditional education to become head of the household or bread earner ... we have no education, networks and communication to negotiate crop prices or to deal with banks [...].Education and family structures\nConclusions and implications: From the research findings a number of issues can be identified which indicate that women's role is essential for successful functioning of marginal farmers. Several researchers (Sinha, 2005; Bruni et al., 2004; Ganesan et al., 2002) suggest agricultural policy should provide recognition and develop strategies to improve access to finance for females. In addition, appropriate structural, functional and institutional measures should be initiated to empower women, build their capacities and improve their access to inputs such as land, credit and agricultural technology.Equally concerning for women, is the antipathy with which they are viewed by finance providers, where the pervasive views of women were of general hopelessness, lack of trust and confidence when approaching banks. Furthermore, the findings suggest that bank managers lack the requisite education and information to deal with female farmers; with the absence of collateral and past credit history, it becomes difficult for banks to assess the creditworthiness of their customers. On the other hand, lack of familiarity about banks' recent policies, lack of education, saving habits, personal bank accounts, and limited ownership rights are the major hindrances for female farmers in accessing bank finance. Consequently, female farmers are excluded from the formal credit system, and are left at the mercy of informal lenders; who often exploit women through charging higher interest rates and unfavourable terms and conditions.Although UK and Indian experiences of research are not directly comparable, the general conclusions are consistent with earlier findings (Hussain and Martin, 2005; Janjuha and Woods, 2002; Janjuha-Jivraj, 2004) which examined gender issues within small businesses in the UK, which suggested that the limited female involvement in business was due to gender discrimination and the lack of support from families to be involved in self-employment, in spite of their skills, qualifications and abilities. In this context, there are similarities between UK and Indian females' access to finance.The research findings suggest that the temporary migration overseas of the male heads of the household, for work or other reasons, leads to sudden and unplanned transfer of responsibility from male to female. This creates a need for women to engage with banks and form a relationship, a task previously performed by male partners. However, banks have not recognised the change amongst their customer base, consequently, they neither have the capacity, knowledge or capability to understand the specific needs of women farmers; hence, more often than not banks will reject their request for a loan. To realise the full potential of women in agriculture, government, policy makers and financial institutions need to recognise the emerging female customer base if the goal of promoting agricultural and rural development is to be achieved.The development of a sustainable and competitive farming sector in India is contingent upon the use of modern technology and innovative practices to achieve higher yield. To improve productivity of female farmers there is a need to have appropriate and effective government policy to promote and support women. There is a greater need for education and information to enable lending mangers to understand the needs of female farmers, especially in the absence of collateral.The results of this research study could prove useful for farming in the Indian economy, which is attempting to innovate and compete amongst mature economies. A growing and thriving agricultural sector is essential to maintain competitiveness of a modern economy. Therefore, there is a need to have a comprehensive review of government and financial institutions' policies to improve access to finance for female farmers and in particular marginal farmers in India. An efficient and progressive farming sector will have a direct and positive impact on the Indian economy, and on food security in particular. Understanding the role farming serves and barriers to access for female farmers can facilitate positive outcome through improving access to finance and introduction of new technology to increase the yield of small farmers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to examine barriers to finance experienced by female owner/managers of marginal farms in the Punjab region of India.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The article is based on the preliminary results of a survey conducted with 48 marginal farmers and 15 bank managers in Punjab, India.\nFindings: - Emergent results show that the relationship of female owner/mangers with their banks was affected by gender prejudices inherent in the male dominated banking sector in India. Loan rejection rates for female owner/managers were significantly greater than those of their male counterparts. The incidence of bank managers requiring collateral/referral letters was considerably higher for female owner/managers than for equivalent male applicants.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The research sample explored in this study is small and drawn exclusively from the Punjab region of India and it might not be representative of the wider population of farmers in India.\nPractical implications: - To enhance the competitiveness of the agricultural sector in India, policy makers and associated government agencies should develop support initiatives aimed specifically at marginal farmers in general and female owner/managers in particular.\nSocial implications: - Even though the research sample is small the results of the study could have implications for policy makers, bank managers and regional development agencies in India as well as other developing countries.\nOriginality/value: - The results of this research contribute to better awareness and understanding of barriers to finance experienced by female owner/managers of marginal farms in Punjab, India.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Service characteristics' impact on key service quality relationships: a meta-analysis
|
[
"Measurement",
"Meta-analysis",
"Financial performance",
"Service characteristics",
"Customer orientation",
"Service quality"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this issue.\nIntroduction: Over the past three decades, service quality (SQ) has been studied and debated in detail in the literature. Since the seminal article by Parasuraman et al. (1985), research examining antecedents and outcomes of SQ has been prolific. Much of this research has examined the impact of SQ on a host of key outcomes such as loyalty, satisfaction, purchase intentions and firm profitability (Choi et al., 2004; Dagger and Sweeney, 2007; Dean, 2007; Webster, 1993). Other research has looked at drivers of SQ such as employee expertise, firm orientation and physical environment (Brady and Cronin, 2001a, 2001b; Grewal et al., 2007; Walsh and Beatty, 2007).\nConceptual model: Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework for our study. Given that the purpose of our investigation is to understand the nuances of the SQ construct, we concentrated our examination on SQ relationships that have been frequently studied within the marketing literature. In doing so, we identified three antecedents and nine outcomes[1]; Table I provides an overview of these constructs including definitions, representative items and studies.\nMethodology: Review and coding procedure\nResults: Overall results\nDiscussion: Overall, our results shed light on several factors that produce nuances in the relationships between SQ and its correlates. Our research advances the meta-analysis by Carrillat et al. (2009) by examining antecedents of SQ as well as an additional outcome of SQ, financial performance. Further, the present research investigates key moderators to better understand when SQ matters most. Our overall findings can be understood on the basis of contingency theory. From a strategy perspective, this theory holds that the combinations of certain environmental and organizational variables warrant differing strategies, and that the proper arrangements of these strategic elements can lead to more favorable performance outcomes (Hambrick, 1983; Homburg et al., 2002; Zeithaml et al., 1988). Service firms differ in a variety of ways, which means that the relationships between SQ and its correlates are likely to be contingent upon each organization's design, structure and usage of various service components. We examined some of these components as moderators in our analysis. Our results indicate that the relationships between SQ and its correlates are in fact contingent upon a variety of factors that managers should take into consideration when trying to achieve positive SQ perceptions. We discuss specific, interesting findings regarding the impact of our moderators on SQ relationships in the following sections.\nLimitations and future research: Meta-analysis provides a meaningful way to comprehensively understand the current state of knowledge within a literature, but it has its limitations. Researchers can only examine what has been empirically investigated within a topical area. Given this limitation, we were unable to test our complete SQ model using meta-analysis in combination with structural equation modeling (SEM) because we could not construct a full correlation matrix among all constructs. Furthermore, we were unable to explore interactions among our SQ correlates.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive examination of the nuances of service quality (SQ) relationships using meta-analytic techniques.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data set comprises 108 empirical studies with 222 independent samples. The authors use a multivariate generalized least squares approach to examining the impact of key moderators on SQ relationships.\nFindings: This research confirms previously established relationships between SQ and its correlates and contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of those relationships by providing empirical evidence that SQ is context-dependent. This research shows that a service's level of inseparability, customization, standardization and technical complexity impacts key SQ relationships.\nResearch limitations/implications: This research finds that SQ is context-dependent. The antecedents examined were more significant for transactional exchanges, while the consequences of SQ were stronger for relational exchanges. Future research should explore this difference and investigate other correlates that could impact transactional versus relational exchanges. The present research is limited in that it could only examine correlates of SQ that have been frequently studied in the literature.\nPractical implications: This research helps managers understand how the characteristics of their organizations impact the role SQ has on key outcomes. Firms desiring to maximize the impact of SQ must first consider the characteristics of their organizations to understand what combination of attributes is most beneficial. For example, this research found that SQ is a significant driver of financial performance when the service is customized, high-tech or relational. Managers in these types of organizations can impact their bottom line by focusing on perceived SQ.\nOriginality/value: This meta-analysis is the first to include both the antecedents and outcomes of SQ. The current research offers a comprehensive examination of various service characteristics and their impact on SQ relationships.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Successful leadership practices of head teachers for school improvement: Some evidence from Pakistan
|
[
"Successful leadership",
"Leadership practices",
"Principals",
"School improvement",
"Secondary schools",
"Empowerment",
"Pakistan"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The highest quality of education at all levels is, undoubtedly, a goal aspired to in all countries. The achievement of such is dependent on many factors including numerous personnel within each education system. In particular, leaders in educational institutions assume essential roles in achieving the measure of quality to which all aspire. Research on effective and successful schools, for example, has shown the importance of effective leadership. Hughes and Ubben (1989) have emphasised Edmonds' observation that \"there may be some bad schools here and there with good head teachers but I have never seen an effective school that had a bad head teacher\".Importance of school leadership for school effectiveness and school improvement has been the subject of research throughout the countries. Different countries and education systems have introduced educational reforms from time to time and emphasised on the importance of leadership for school effectiveness and improvement. Researchers and practitioners from the international field of school effectiveness and improvement have constantly highlighted the important role of school leadership for school improvement (Gurr et al., 2005; Hargreaves et al., 1998; Van Velzen et al., 1985; West et al., 2000). Different researchers have identified strong leadership as one of the most important factors of effective and successful schools (Bell et al., 2003; Dinham, 2005; Fullan, 2001; Mortimore, 1993; Townsend, 2007). Day et al. (2006) found the quality of school leadership as one of the major factors which affected teachers' commitment and their motivation to remain at or leave a school. Hopkins (2001) and Sammons (1999) argued that quality of leadership positively enhances teaching and learning. Wallace (2002) stated that school leadership has a significant impact upon school effectiveness and school improvement.Similarly, there is a plethora of research that indicates the significant effect of school leadership on students' outcomes (Bishop, 2004; Leithwood et al., 2006; Leithwood et al., 2004; Marzano et al., 2005; Mulford, 2003; Mulford and Silins, 2003). Leithwood and Jantzi (2000) argued that effective leaders employed an indirect but powerful influence on school effectiveness and students' achievement. Caldwell (1998) demonstrated that head teachers played a key strategic and empowering role in linking structural aspect of reform to teaching learning process and students' outcomes. Ainley et al. (2005, p. 12) also noted that principals play a key role in establishing cultures that are professionally stimulating for teachers which increase theirs sense of efficacy and beliefs that have the capacity to make a difference to students' learning. Looking into literature, an agreement seems among researchers that leadership is one of the significant factors for school effectiveness and successful schools are associated with the activities of effective leadership.Despite the importance of leadership for school effectiveness and school improvement, a key question always remains in the mind of researchers that what are effective leadership and what type of leadership contributes more effectively towards school improvement (Leithwood and Riehl, 2003). The researchers studied this phenomenon from different angles and presented different models and approaches of leadership for school effectiveness and improvement (Bush and Glover, 2003). In the early, the emphasis of school leadership research was focused on the activities of individuals (Bridges, 1982) and successful leadership practices were associated with these individuals (Leithwood, 2005). But with the increase of educational reforms like site-based management, career ladders for teachers and mentor teacher programmes, the focus of school leadership research has been changed and researchers started to focus not only on the leadership activities of school heads, but also on the leadership employed by other stakeholders of school community (Weiss and Cambone, 1994).In view of the above literature review, it is evident that effective and successful schools are associated with the activities of effective leadership of head teachers. It is needed to identify the successful and effective leadership practices of head teachers in different context. The researcher, therefore, intended to identify the leadership practices of head teachers of successful schools at secondary level in Pakistan. The primary aim of this study is to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of successful leadership practices in schools through literature review and evidence obtained by this study. To achieve the objective of the study \"to identify the successful leadership practices of head teachers of secondary schools in Pakistan\", following core research questions were formulated which are addressed in this study:RQ1. What type of leadership practices are employed by the head teachers of successful schools Pakistan?RQ2. Is there any similarity among leadership practices of head teachers of these schools?RQ3. Is there any difference between the opinions of head teachers and their subordinates regarding theirs leadership practices?\nMethod and procedure: Selection of sample for survey\nDiscussion of results: Demographical feature of participants\nConclusions and recommendations: The main purpose of this study was to identify the leadership practices of successful schools at secondary level in Pakistan. Findings of the study revealed that the head teachers of successful schools empowered teachers and gave responsibilities to others to move school forward. Their leadership practices pointed towards an emerging model of leadership that was less concerned with individual capabilities, skills and talents and more preoccupied with creating collective responsibility for leadership action and activity. The focus was less upon the characteristics of the leader and more upon creating shared contexts for learning and developing leadership capacity. A link was made between distributed and democratic leadership practices and school improvement in the majority of the schools. Their emphasis was upon the development and establishment of relationship among teachers, students, parents and other personnel of school community. Similarly, professional development of staff as well as leaders was also the paramount in these successful schools. Gurr et al. (2003) also found that head of the institution impacts indirectly on students' outcomes by working with and through others and using a range of interventions in terms of individual and school capacity building, as well as teaching and learning. The extent of organizational learning was found to be linked to the leadership practices of successful heads that included the provision of individual support, development of a trusting culture, shared decision making and distributed leadership, development of shared goals and vision, and high expectations of students (Leithwood and Hallinger, 2002; Mulford et al. 2004; Mulford et al., 2007; Mulford and Silins, 2003; Silins and Mulford, 2002b).Keeping in view the results and conclusions, following recommendations are made by the researcher:* Head of the institution must share authority and distribute leadership activities to their subordinates and involve other personnel of school community in the process of decision making and school improvement.* The leadership activities should be distributed to those who have, or can develop, the knowledge or expertise required to carry out the leadership tasks expected of them. The initiatives of those to whom leadership is distributed must be coordinated in some planned way.* Different committees should be organized to perform different functions of schools. In these committees senior and experienced teachers and community representatives should be included.* Public participation must be ensured in the process of school improvement. Parents of students and community representative should be involved in different school activities.* An atmosphere of trust, collegiality and cooperation must be created in schools.* Further research should be conducted on a national level sample so as to make proper decisions before policy formulation and execution in the field.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The main purpose of this study is to identify the successful leadership practices of head teachers for school improvement at secondary level in Pakistan.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study was descriptive (survey type) in nature. It was conducted on a sample of 351 secondary school head teachers, 702 elementary and secondary school teachers working in the government secondary schools of Punjab province. Data were collected using a mixed-methods research design that included: review of related literature, documents indicating school achievements and student attainment, questionnaires and in-depth semi-structured interviews with different stakeholders including the head teachers, teachers, parents and students. The validity and reliability of the instruments was ensured through experts' opinions and pilot testing in mid-2007; the overall reliability was established at 0.923 alpha level.\nFindings: - The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the head teachers of successful schools developed a common and shared school vision and promoted a culture of collaboration, support and trust. They empowered others to lead and distributed leadership responsibilities throughout the school; involved different stakeholders in the process of decision making; developed and maintained good relationships among different personnel of school community. They emphasised the professional development of teachers as well as themselves, and involved parents and community in the process of school improvement.\nPractical implications: - The findings of this article may be useful for other countries of almost similar socio-economic status, to improve quality of teaching and learning at secondary level.\nOriginality/value: - The paper shows that policy makers, administrators, managers and head teachers at secondary school level may improve school performance by adopting effective strategies for school improvement in Pakistan.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Development of a web-based mobile airline ticketing model with usability features
|
[
"Electronic commerce",
"Internet",
"Airlines",
"Mobile communication systems",
"Customer satisfaction"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introductions: The US airline industry lost 15 billion in 2002 and 2003 and is expected to lose another five billion in 2005 (Will, 2004). Most organizations in the airline industry have attempted to respond to the financial turmoil through drastic evolution. Since the tragedy in September 2001, the network or legacy carriers have sought ways to improve business values and minimize losses by cutting jobs, eliminating routes, decreasing infrastructure, streamlining production costs, improving customer services, and creating a profitable market (Will, 2004). One of the most effective solutions for increasing business values, attracting more customers, and increasing customer satisfaction is to provide internet-based low-fare air travel tickets (Marks, 2004), i.e. to sell low-fair air travel tickets and expedite boarding processes through company web sites. Currently, many airlines are utilizing their own web sites to market and sell their products to current and potential customers. Some airlines also offer discounts to customers who purchase their tickets online (Hanke and Teo, 2003). Through the expanded use of the internet-based ticketing, airlines are able to reduce labor costs and in some cases eliminate commissions altogether so as to improve profit margins.To sustain a significant competitive advantage, innovation and product differentiation are critical for organizations. The next opportunity for airlines to reach new markets, maintain low distribution costs, and enhance customer values and satisfaction can be achieved through the use of mobile technologies, including using mobile devices to purchase online air tickets (Hanke and Teo, 2003). However, unlike electronic commerce (e-commerce) participants, users of mobile commerce (m-commerce) usually find themselves in an unfamiliar and unpredictable environment (Perry et al., 2001); and therefore, developing a user-friendly interface can reduce the constraints put by the unpredictability of the mobile environment.The adoption of mobile ticketing (m-ticketing) will enhance the flexibility and effectiveness of using electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) due to its inheriting mobility by using mobile devices. However, the adoption of m-ticketing in the air travel industry is still slow and has not been widely implemented. In the US, the United Airlines is the only airline company that currently provides m-ticketing. The development of m-commerce environment with user-friendly features is important to accelerate the adoption of m-commerce in the air travel industry. Motivated by the apparent lack of literatures in the area of m-ticketing, the current research aims at studying web-based features that are crucial to the success of mobile air ticketing commerce. Specifically, the objectives of the current study are to:* analyze the existing air travel ticketing web site features and transaction flows and develop a web-based mobile air travel ticketing model to provide foundations to study air travel ticketing usability features necessary in m-commerce;* develop user-friendly features of air travel ticketing that are important for mobile customers;* analyze web site features and web site versatility for air travel ticketing; and* classify air travel ticketing features in terms of their adoption patterns.The current paper is organized as follows: Section 2 consists of the literature review. Section 3 develops a web-based mobile airline ticketing (W-MAT) commerce model. Section 4 presents the methodology by mapping m-commerce flows in the W-MAT model into mobile air ticketing features, and identifies 36 user-friendly features for mobile air travel ticketing. The existing airline ticketing web sites in e-commerce for 27 airline companies and online air travel agencies are examined. Section 5 presents findings, and Section 6 presents discussions and conclusions.\n2 Literature reviews: 2.1 M-commerce\n3 A web-based mobile airline ticketing model for m-commerce: Shih and Shim (2002) developed an m-commerce framework that focused on the inside of business scenarios to utilize m-commerce. The current research develops a web-based model for mobile air travel ticketing that sprung from Shih and Shim's (2002) framework and focuses on the usability features of the web sites through which transactions are conducted. A secure electronic payment system with many payment alternatives developed by O'Brien (2004) is also integrated into the web-based mobile air travel ticketing model to enhance the features for payment transactions by adding in a payment server. Figure 1 shows a model for purchasing airline tickets using mobile devices that would be facilitated through the use of m-commerce technology, namely the W-MAT model.Figure 1 shows information transactions for an air ticket purchasing via a mobile device such as a cell phone, a handheld computer, a PDA, or a palmtop computer. The mobile customer uses a wireless operating system specific to the mobile device and wireless web browser. The communication between a client and a server is based on wireless network and wireless application protocols. On the airline ticketing server site, the wireless web server is used and wireless web development is based on wireless markup language. There are eight transaction flows (Flows F1-F8) involved in order to complete the m-commerce information transactions:1. Flow F1 (send request). A mobile customer enters data and specifies the requests. The request is sent via a mobile device to the client browser.2. Flow F2 (access account). The customer uses a wireless device to log onto m-commerce sites of major airlines or air ticket agencies that are available. The airlines and airline agencies recognize the customer.3. Flow F3 (search flight information). The travel agency transfers the mobile customer's request to multiple airlines databases.4. Flow F4 (retrieve flight information). Airlines that have matching flights to the customers' requirements send back the information to the customer via online travel agency's user interface. After evaluating the various flight options and their respective fares, the customer enters a personal identification number (PIN), and his/her credit card information (if not already on file), and selects his/her flight. The data is sent via encrypted signal to the respective airline to ensure that the seat remains available during the transaction process.5. Flow F5 (submit payment). When the customer accepts the proposed itinerary and the fare, payment information is sent to the credit card processing company. The encrypted signal is simultaneously transmitted to the credit card company to ensure that sufficient funds are available and no account discrepancies are present.6. Flow F6 (check payment). The credit card processing company credits the payment to the online travel agency's account.7. Flow F7 (purchase confirmed). Upon positive indication from the payment company (such as credit card company), the airline travel ticket server accepts the customer's travel request and issues a confirmation number. The confirmation number, m-ticket and a mobile receipt (m-receipt) are sent to the customer via client browser. An m-receipt is also sent to the payment server (e.g. credit card company). The customer can also get an mobile boarding (m-boarding) pass with bar codes through a wireless device.8. Flow F8 (complete purchase). When the purchase is completed, the mobile customer can check schedule and gate information for the booked flights. More links to other web sites such as weather information and destination maps.In Figure 1, Flow F1 is the most crucial user interface medium through which mobile customers interact with the service providers and vendors. Flow F2 is an order-fulfillment process related to the specialized membership information for mobile customers and redeems coupons provided by m-commerce companies. Flows F3 and F4 are also critical since they demonstrate the strength of supply chain management in the m-ticketing process. Flows F5-F7 determine the supplier-customer management and the electronic fund transfer (EFT) capability of the web-based m-ticketing. Flow F8 deals with additional partnership information.\n4 Methodology: 4.1 Features of web-based airline ticketing m-commerce\n5 Findings: Table II presents some unanimous basic attributes among web sites of airline companies and agencies. However, there are several features that are used to help differentiate each web site as well. Further analyses are conducted and the findings based on the features gathered from top ten airline companies' and 17 online air travel agencies' web sites are tallied. Specifically, first, the numbers of web sites that provide each feature are tallied to find the most widely used features. Second, the numbers of features that various web sites provide are tallied to analyze the versatility of those web sites.5.1 Web site features\n6 Discussions and conclusions: The current research developed a web-based mobile air travel ticketing commerce model by considering the usability features and studied the existing m-commerce environment. The breakdown of the m-ticketing information transaction flows from the W-MAT model can allow airline companies and air travel agencies to determine what features need to be concentrated on differentiate themselves from their competitors. The findings from the current research indicate that developing user-friendly m-commerce features is crucial to the success of m-commerce. There are three major findings in the current study.First, it is not the number of features but the usefulness of the features that is critical to the success of m-commerce. Seventeen features are most widely used features that were available at 75 percent or over of the web sites, while nine air ticketing web features were available at 20 percent or less than of the web sites. All of the 27 web sites studied in the current research have at least 15 features. However, some air travel ticketing web sites streamlined the features better than others so that the users can get the information they want faster than they could have done on other web sites.Second, the air ticketing feature adoption pyramid developed in the current research reflects the availability of air travel ticketing features. An airline company or online air travel agency might consider adding more features (such as least adopted features) to distinguish its web site from those of the competitors, and enhance the user-friendliness for mobile air travel ticketing interfaces' design, thereby possibly gaining in popularity. For example, the \"redeemable coupons (Feature F2c)\", which is available at only eight web sites, may become more prevalent once e-ticketing and m-ticketing become more popular. The \"dropdown menu for the city code (Feature F1b)\" would allow users to increase the search process speed and save time. However, this feature (F1b) has been implemented by only ten web sites.Third, in the airline ticketing feature adoption pyramid, out of these 17 most adopted features, approximately half are there to increase the search process speed and fail-safe users' data entry. This is particularly important to determine the success of m-commerce. Unlike e-commerce devices, m-commerce devices have many limitations such as limited size, display window, processing power, and bandwidth (Tarasewich, 2003; Lee and Benbasat, 2003). Moreover, understanding socio-psychological aspects of m-commerce customers is essential to the success of m-commerce (Palen and Salzman, 2002; Lee and Benbasat, 2003). To coincide with the speed and the ubiquity of m-commerce, the customers of m-commerce are almost always on the go; and therefore, they usually have less time and patience than those of e-commerce. They also have less attention span and many other activities compete for their attention resources. Therefore, the ideal m-commerce user interface design must be able to not only attract new customers but also beat the distractions that are competing for the user's attention (Chun and Wei, 2004).However, the most important consideration on m-ticketing features is still the user-friendliness of the interface. Given the limitations such as the limited size and display screen of mobile devices, careful consideration must first be given to choose features that work effectively in the mobile environment, and link these features together effectively. One limitation of the current research is that the airline ticketing feature adoption pyramid developed is based on the quantitative analysis of existing air travel e-ticketing. The most (least) adopted features simply mean the most (least) frequently available features. Although these developed features are available at online air ticketing web sites, the high availability of certain features does not necessarily translate to the effectiveness or usefulness of the web designs. Our study also indicated that there were quite a few highly useful features not adopted widely by the company web sites. Therefore, further studies are needed on the usefulness of newly developed and not widely adopted features specific to mobile devices in e-ticketing, and for further validation of these features in air travel m-ticketing environment, either field or simulated experiments may be the next step.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Development of mobile commerce (m-commerce) environments that have user-friendly features is important to accelerate the adoption of m-commerce. The current research studies web-based features that are crucial to the success of mobile air ticketing commerce.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - There are two phases involved. In the first phase, the current research develops a web-based mobile airline ticketing (W-MAT) model to study usability features necessary to perform mobile air ticketing commerce. Thirty-six features are mapped and identified based on the W-MAT model. In the second phase, the air ticketing web sites for 27 most popular airline companies and online air travel agencies are examined to analyze their existing implementation patterns on these 36 features. The pattern analysis is based on web site features analysis and web site versatility analysis.\nFindings: - The analysis of web site features resulted in the development of an adoption feature pyramid that classified the 36 features into three categories. The analysis of web site versatility was based on multivariate cluster analysis that classified these 27 web sites into four groups.\nPractical implications: - The findings on web site features and web site versatility analyses in the current research are beneficial to future m-commerce airline companies and air travel agencies, mobile device developers, and air ticketing m-commerce interface designers.\nOriginality/value: - The study concludes that the W-MAT model-based air ticketing features with usability emphasis are crucial to develop efficient mobile air ticketing web sites; and thereby, accelerating the adoption of m-commerce for the air travel industry in the near future.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Separate but together: Mediterranean identity in three countries
|
[
"Qualitative research",
"Contextual factors",
"Cross-cultural",
"Culture",
"Mediterranean identity",
"Values and attitudes"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Culture has many facets and is often associated with a particular country or country grouping. Well-established traditions exist that focus on the traits, customs and characteristics associated with a particular nation (Minkov and Hofstede, 2014). For example, French culture has been studied in terms of its rich historical roots, as well as its more contemporary evolution (Mead and Metraux, 2001). Italian culture has been examined broadly, not only through its art and language but also in terms of its current affairs, politics, ideology and economics (Laroche et al., 1998), and differences between Northern and Southern Italy (Moe, 2002). Spain has attracted similar academic investigation (Smith, 2002).\nConceptual background: Culture is the main determinant of consumers' attitudes, behaviors and lifestyles (Craig and Douglas, 2006). Its visible manifestations, such as food, dress and other cultural artifacts, are easily identified, but its core remains very abstract and complex. Leung et al. (2005) view culture as a multi-layered construct existing at different levels, i.e. global, national, organizational and group, with the individual at the innermost layer. However, the multiple layers do not explicitly allow for elements of culture that cut across them. Indeed, culture is a combination of values and beliefs that affect behavioral aspects, which are also modified by individual life experiences within the different cultures.\nMethod: As culture exists in a particular time and space continuum, the Mediterranean Sea provides a unique context that spawned and nurtured diverse cultures over the millennia. Contemporary cultures share some of the common roots that date back centuries as well as the ongoing influence of proximity to the Sea. One way to appreciate the elements of Mediterranean culture is to consider how it differs from others within the same country. To understand this relationship more fully, interviews were conducted with 39 individuals from Italy, Spain and France. These countries share a number of contextual factors that collectively help to shape values and behaviors. The ecological context is conceptualized as proximity to the Mediterranean Sea with its associated climate.\nResults: As culture is a notion of layered identity, its creation and development rely upon a sense of belonging, a common history reflected in the national virtues, common language, folklore and official symbols (e.g. national anthem, currency, flag), known as ethno-symbolism (Smith, 2009). Generally speaking, the respondents displayed a dichotomous identity: political/institutional vs cultural/psychological. As shown in Figure 1, there are two main branches:\nDiscussion: The European-wide and the country-specific levels of analysis underscore that the concepts of identity and otherness, community and relationship, universalism and multiculturalism need to be critically reconsidered. The identity of the Mediterranean area seems to be defined by a hybrid of ancient legacies, an in-between the old and the new and a slow pace of modernization (Cassano, 2001). This identity exists together with attenuating economic and geographic dualisms. This seems to contrast with the spread of a consumerism without culture, which has further accelerated the socio-cultural disintegration and the renowned dualism with Americanization or Anglo-Saxon culture (Cova, 2005).\nTheoretical and marketing implications: By helping to shape product- and service-related information, culture ultimately influences the meaning and importance that consumers attach to salient attributes, consumption consequences and linkages within their established consumer value hierarchy (Kim et al., 2000). Cultural influences help to determine societal norms and roles, as well as individual needs, motives and values (Botschen and Hemetsberger, 1998). In turn, these influence the importance placed on specific consumer value hierarchy dimensions (Tse et al., 1988). Differences in the salience of appeals exist between individualist and collectivist societies in relation to the influence of consensus information on product evaluation (Aaker and Maheswaran, 1997), information content in advertising (Hong et al., 1987), emotional appeals in advertising (Aaker and Williams, 1998) and the accessibility or diagnosticity of persuasion appeals (Aaker, 2000). The importance of the individual relative to the group identifies cultural categories of time, space, nature and person as the fundamental coordinates of meaning that organize the phenomenal world.\nLimitations and future research: The three countries examined are representative of a major part of the northern Mediterranean area, especially in terms of values. More broadly, the Mediterranean is composed of different countries, such as Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel and Turkey. However, in such an exploratory phase, more varied countries would have created greater variance and made it more difficult to identify common elements. Selecting proximate countries all of which are OECD nations and share a common religious heritage, limits the variation on two of the contextual factors identified in the eco-cultural model, level of affluence and religion. The addition of non-European Mediterranean countries would likely uncover additional facets of Mediterranean identity, particularly by including respondents from countries with different religious and political ideologies. Potential differences between European Mediterranean and non-European Mediterranean countries would help deepen our understanding of the influence of the physical context (e.g. proximity to the Sea) as well as the political, economic and religious context.\nConclusion: The recognition of a distinct Mediterranean culture that transcends political boundaries reshapes the globalization vs regionalism debate. Localism (abundantly evident in Mediterranean culture) and globalism are not mutually exclusive. Instead, localism infuses everything, from language to cuisine and even thought. All fields of knowledge and circumstances of social life are full of culturally transmitted artifacts belonging to ancient, classical and modern traditions, which are mostly expressed in the categories of texts and icons, as well as in organized spaces. The ways in which tradition is transmitted can help provide an understanding of the extended social consequences of the diffusion of Mediterranean thinking (Marshall, 2005).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The present study aims to understand how a culture associated with proximity to the Mediterranean Sea transcends political boundaries fostering common values and beliefs across three countries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Italy, Spain and France to assess similarities and differences between respondents. The qualitative data were augmented with the literature pertaining to Mediterranean identity, culture and the influence of contextual factors on its development.\nFindings: The three geographically proximate countries all border on the Mediterranean Sea. The interviews revealed common cultural elements that transcend political boundaries suggesting that the common context fosters similar cultural elements. At the same time, there are important cultural elements that are uniquely associated with each country.\nResearch limitations/implications: The geographic composition of the sample limits the generality of the results. By design, it focuses on three countries to limit other sources of variation such as affluence and religion. A sample across additional countries would have provided greater confidence in the results, although the selected countries are representative of a large portion of the Mediterranean area, especially in terms of values. Inclusion of respondents from countries with different levels of wealth, religious and political ideologies would likely uncover additional facets of Mediterranean identity.\nPractical implications: A key implication relates to the extent that similar values and beliefs appear to cut across political boundaries suggesting the existence of transnational segments. It also suggests the importance of considering contextual factors when developing an understanding of consumer behavior.\nOriginality/value: The paper provides insights into the concept of Mediterranean identity, through an examination of the literature and respondents' perceptions and attitudes about the sense of belonging and attachment to Europe, their country of birth and about being Mediterranean. The notion of a Mediterranean culture has been examined conceptually, but not empirically. This study begins the process of establishing the degree to which Mediterranean identity and the extent to which it exists across multiple countries.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Six Sigma, organizational learning and innovation: An integration and empirical examination
|
[
"Six Sigma",
"Organization learning",
"Innovation",
"Organizational culture",
"Structural equation modeling",
"India"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Numerous researchers have avowed that the Six Sigma strategy is a potentially useful tool for fostering learning and escalating a company's competitive advantage. Fast changing markets require the progress of technological innovation, and shorter product lifecycles always challenge the competitive advantage (Baker and Sinkula, 1999; Prajogo and Sohal, 2003; Tidd et al., 1997). As pointed out by Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) and Bontis et al. (2002), the learning ability can stimulate organizational innovation capability and maintain a competitive advantage in tumultuous environments. Deming (1986) states that learning encourages innovation activities, and \"quality\" is the principal determinant of success in competitive environments. As a result, enterprises can sustain a competitive advantage by continually reproducing of Six Sigma. In addition, above quantitative studies only focused on three types of firms. Some studies indicate a relationship between organizational learning and innovation (Baker and Sinkula, 1999; Hung et al., 2009). As a result, both Six Sigma and organizational learning can independently and effectively encourage innovation. Nonetheless, no previous empirical studies investigate whether organizational learning mediates Six Sigma and innovation performance moderated by type of organization.The rationale of this study is to scrutinize four things:1. Determining the relationships between Six Sigma, organizational type, organizational learning, and innovation performance.2. Investigating if organizational learning advance innovation performance play a mediating role between Six Sigma and innovation performance.3. Probing the moderating effects of organizational types between Six Sigma and organizational learning.4. Testing a proposed model to explain the relationships among Six Sigma, organizational type, organizational learning, and innovation performance through an empirical examination.\n2 Theoretical frame work: 2.1 Six Sigma\n3 Research methodology: 3.1 Sample\n4 Implications and contributions: * Our findings reveal that Six Sigma exerts a complete mediating effect on organizational innovation through organization learning. Hence, when assessing and formulating measures for promoting organizational innovation, organizations should consider the mediator variable of organizational learning to avoid misjudgment and achieve better performance.* The results in our research has established a positive relationship between Six Sigma and organizational learning. Six Sigma role structure, Six Sigma structured improvement procedure and Six Sigma focus on metric, is found to be positively related to organizational learning. This provides empirical evidence for views put forth by Hakan and Pia (2002), Leopoldo et al. (2009) and Rodney and Hazlett (2010).* With respect to the first research question of whether Six Sigma practices, in general, support the organization innovation, our findings in indicate that Six Sigma focus on role structure and Six Sigma focus on metrics positively impacts on the administrative and technical innovation. In other words the use of improvement specialists developed through Six Sigma training and certification programs and ranked based on their expertise does positively contribute to administrative and organizational innovativeness. Similar views were expressed by Caroline and Raghu (2009) where they stated that innovation requires the coordinated efforts of many skilled actors. It is also found that quantitative metrics used to measure process performance and product quality performance, and to set improvement goals also positively effects organizational innovativeness thus supporting views expressed by Dobni (2008) and Desouza et al. (2009).* A surprising finding, however was Six Sigma structured improvement procedure is negatively related to organization innovativeness. In other words standardized procedure in planning and conducting improvement projects, appropriate QM tools and techniques as prescribed in each step of the structured procedure, etc. is negatively related to organizational innovativeness. This provides a numerical evidence proposed for qualitative paper by Sanders (2007) on quality-creativity paradox. An argument by Goh (2002) that Six Sigma is increasingly being touted as the route to organizational and business excellence, but it must be noted that it is hardly a formula for creativity, breakthrough or entrepreneurship is a relevant point to be considered in support of our research. Our result suggests the need for more intensive research to explore in more depth the relationship between Six Sigma structured improvement procedure, and the administrative and the technical innovation to identify the existence of potentially mediating variables in order to understand what we call Six Sigma-Innovation Paradox.* A literature review has shown that there have been few studies on the role of organization type as a moderator. Different organization types when implementing Six Sigma have different cultures, which we believe may in turn influence organizational learning. To capture this we have considered three different types of organizations, public limited companies, private limited companies and private SME. Our study finds no evidence of organization type exerting moderating effect on the impact of Six Sigma on organizational learning. In other words, organization type will not change the relationship between Six Sigma and organizational learning in other words whatever the type of organization Six Sigma will promote organizational learning. Although the hypothesis is not supported by this study, the relationship between organization type and organizational learning merits further exploration.* On the other hand, cultural context is a critical factor not only on Six Sigma, but also organizational learning, and organization innovation for investigating their relationships. However, the contextual' influence of a specific culture is not considered in the paper. Thus, authors might incorporate cultural context factor into the future study.* Organizational learning and organizational innovativeness commitment to learning, shared vision and open-mindedness all show positive correlation with both administration and technical innovation. Thus, confirming with studies of Liaoa et al. (2008). This implies that high organizational learning can foster organizational innovation.* In summary, when promoting organizational innovation, care must be taken to avoid Six Sigma structured improvement procedure not to negatively administrative and technical innovation, and efforts should be made to encourage innovative practices even while following structured quality improvement practices. Also encouragement for acquisition of new knowledge and exploring new ideas and approaches should be adequately rewarded.\n5 Conclusion: This research examines the relationships between Six Sigma, organizational learning and organizational innovation and the impact of Six Sigma on organizational learning and organizational behavior. Our findings reveal that Six Sigma exerts a complete mediating effect on organizational innovation through organization learning. Six Sigma role structure, Six Sigma structured improvement methodology and focus on metrics enhances commitment to learning, shared vision and open-mindedness thereby promoting organizational learning. On the other hand, Six Sigma focus on role structure and metrics have positive effect on both administrative and technical innovations. Thus, this paper suggest that when assessing and formulating measures like Six Sigma for promoting organizational innovation, organizations should consider the mediator variable of organizational learning to avoid misjudgment and achieve better performance. On the other hand, this study finds no evidence of organization type exerting moderating effect on the impact of Six Sigma on organizational learning. However, the relationship between organization type and organizational learning could merit further exploration on this research issue. The contributions of this study lie in offering new directions of exploration and widening the scope of Six Sigma, organizational learning and innovation.\n6 Managerial Implications: Our study proposes considering that Six Sigma promotes organizational learning and organizational innovativeness because organizational learning and innovativeness jointly to promote organizational entrepreneurship and to increase competitive advantages. First, organizations must innovate as a necessary requisite to obtaining high performance levels. Understanding and managing the organizational innovativeness process becomes a vital capability that organizations must learn. Second, when implementing Six Sigma in organizations, organizational learning processes must be carried out to provide firms with a series of mechanisms through which to achieve advantages that the competitors find difficult to imitate, generating higher performance.We empirically reflect the need to strengthen different strategic Six Sigma factors/capabilities to achieve an adequate level of both organizational learning and thus improve organizational innovation. More specifically, Six Sigma role structure or in other words use of certified Six Sigma experts encourages organizational learning and Innovations. This specifically effects organizational commitment to learning, shared vision and open-mindedness. Similar results were obtained on Six sigma structured improvement procedure and Six Sigma focus on metrics on all three dimensions of organizational learning.Our study proves that Six Sigma role structure and focus on metrics positively effects organizational innovations. However, Six Sigma focus on structured improvement methodology negatively effects administrative and technical innovation. This proves organizations' managers have an important job to do, creating the conditions that facilitate the development of these strategic factors/capabilities for improving innovation. First, they must encourage the organization's members to achieve high levels of commitment to learning, since this development will enable them to take more initiative, to broaden and deepen their sense of responsibility for their work and to learn and innovate faster. They must work to foster a climate in which the principles of personal mastery are practiced. Nothing is more important to an individual committed to his own growth than a supportive environment. This environment can be provided by continually encouraging personal vision.Second, they must encourage shared vision and open-mindedness as a style of management when implementing Six Sigma. Only so will consciousness and acceptance of the Six Sigma proposals and mission grow, creating a shared vision, open-mindedness and enabling the formulation of organizational strategies and structures that enable the organizations to confront the challenges of the knowledge society.Third, an Six Sigma organizational commitment to organizational learning, shared vision and open-mindedness would be naive and foolish if organizational leaders lacked the capability of building a shared vision. The leader must prepare the organization and shape the mental models. Without an effective awareness of the changes needed and a deep, genuine commitment by top management, moving toward this vision would be impossible. The firm's strong and weak points must be analyzed and its environment examined in order to question the organizations future and develop the strategy to reach it.Four, the leader will play an important role in linking the Six Sigma, organizational learning and innovations. One must be ready to seize the opportunity for organizational innovativeness and organizational learning, and opportunity usually favors ready minds. Leaders can do a lot to prepare the organization's minds. They can create a context that legitimates innovative behavior and allocates resources to innovation and learning, a context whose structure/culture nurtures the development and implementation of both capabilities. Five, an organization that is inward-looking and unable to tackle changes proactively in the environment, due to Six Sigma implementation, would not survive, despite the sophisticated knowledge and technology it possesses. The managers' proactivity perception of the environment will determine the organization's innovation and learning behaviour. Thus, management must know and manage practically the strategic factors/capabilities that affect OI/OL and that lead to improvements in organizational performance. The essence of Six Sigma organizations is their ability not only to make themselves competitive but also to maintain their competitive position through innovation and learning. An organization that promotes entrepreneurship will learn and innovate, encouraged by the presence of key preexisting internal/external attributes that enable it to change, renew and reinvent itself.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Six Sigma, organizational learning and innovation performance. Also, whether organizational learning advance innovation performance by playing a mediating role between Six Sigma and innovation performance, probing the moderating effects of organizational types between six sigma and organizational learning, and also testing a proposed model to explain the relationships among Six Sigma, organizational type organizational learning, and innovation performance through an empirical examination in the Indian industry context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Correlations are used to analyze the degree of relationship between constructs and to further understand the direct and indirect effects, as well as the moderating and mediating effects among the constructs in model, structural equation modeling is conducted using AMOS 6.0 on data collected from Indian industries.\nFindings: - This study proves the positive relationship between Six Sigma and organizational learning. It also confirms that Six Sigma role structure and Six Sigma focus on metrics contributes positively to organizational innovation, however, Six Sigma structured improvement procedure was found to be negatively related to organizational innovation, thus contributing to Six Sigma-Innovation Paradox. This study also rejects moderating effects of organizational type between Six Sigma and organizational learning.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Cultural context is a critical factor not only on Six Sigma, but also organizational learning, and organization innovation for investigating hence future study should consider this aspect. This research suggests the need for more intensive research to explore in more depth the relationship between Six Sigma structured improvement procedure, and the administrative and the technical innovation to identify the existence of potentially mediating variables in order to understand what is named the Six Sigma-Innovation Paradox.\nPractical implications: - The findings are useful for business managers in developing countries such as India, who want to enhance business performance through implementing Six Sigma practices that support their firm's product and services innovation efforts.\nOriginality/value: - The study has contributed to establishing an empirical research between Six Sigma, organizational learning and organizational innovations that facilitates more quality management research in developing countries. It has contributed to clarifying the disputed relationship between Six Sigma practices and the firm's learning and innovativeness, and shows empirical evidence in India to confirm that the Six Sigma practices deployed by a firm has a positive impact on its organizational learning. Six Sigma focuses on role structure and metrics contributed positively to innovation, however the Six Sigma effect of procedure on organizational innovation is negatively related, thus opening new areas of Six Sigma-Innovation Paradox.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
"If it is dreamable it is doable": the role of desired job flexibility in imagining the future
|
[
"Gender",
"Career goals",
"Dynamic professional future",
"Job flexibility"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The nature of labor markets is rapidly changing, and the emerging career paths are multidirectional, dynamic, and fluid. The fixed-term work contract has been considered the most disadvantaged condition facing employees in the new career domain, because it is usually connected with great instability, few benefits, poor future employment prospects, and little or no workplace protection (Nota et al., 2014). For this reason, as Lodovici and Semenza (2012) noted, temporary workers may easily feel afraid of future unemployment and become pessimistic about the possibility of planning for their future. But how do temporary workers represent their professional future? What are the differences between permanent vs temporary workers? Surprisingly, little research has been focussed on this topic. Future orientation, defined as the image that individuals have of their future, as consciously represented and self-reported, provides the grounds for setting goals, planning, exploring options, and making commitments that guide the person's behavior and developmental course (Seginer, 2005, 2008). Future orientation of temporary workers is mainly described in a negative way, and associated with negative constructs such as job insecurity (i.e. Keim et al., 2014). This is in line with most of definitions about flexibility that describe it as a characteristic of poor quality jobs; however, as Kelliher and Anderson (2008) argued, this assumption is based on so-called flexibility of employees (demanded flexibility) rather than flexibility for employees (offered flexibility) (Alis et al., 2006). For decades the flexibility debate was dominated by employer concerns, rather than by workforce needs. Demanded flexibility refers to working practices which are employer friendly and sought by employers, primarily to pursue profit (Fleetwood, 2007). Offered flexibility, or employee-friendly flexibility, refers to practices such as remote working (from home, other company premises, etc.), and reduced or different work shifts (either agreed, non-standard, or discretion over working hours on a day-by-day basis), which provide employees with the opportunity to choose the best way to carry out their work tasks (Kelliher and Anderson, 2008). Accordingly, we expected that this kind of flexibility might be perceived as attractive, at least by some groups of employees. Temporary arrangements may be a source of flexibility and, for this reason, they are preferred by a part of workers, as confirmed by several studies carried out in different countries and sectors (Gustafsson et al., 2003; Remery et al., 2002). Some empirical findings suggest that this contractual condition is not related to negative outcomes for all the employees involved (De Cuyper and De Witte, 2007; Kinnunen et al., 2011). Recent studies (i.e. Bernhard-Oettel et al., 2013) indicate that employees' orientation toward temporary jobs, defined as volition (De Cuyper and De Witte, 2008), is crucial to predict the effects of contract employment on work experience and well-being. In other words, when the condition of the fixed-term employee is in line with personal career goals, it is not perceived as a negative situation. As previously stated, the empirical evidence suggests the presence of inter-individual differences in attitudes toward job flexibility (e.g. Van den Berg and Van der Velde, 2005).\nGoal setting and self-regulation of action: Most models of self-regulation include goal setting as an integral component of the self-regulation process, especially because goals are able to enhance motivation (Zimmerman, 2000). However, the effect of goals on motivation is not automatic, goals will be motivating when they are considered self-relevant (valence) and achievable (expectancy). In line with the three-component approach to future orientation (Seginer, 2008), the present study is interested in exploring the relationship between motivational and cognitive components of future orientation. The motivational component includes three variables that describe individuals' drive to invest in domain specific future thinking: the value of expected behavior outcomes (valence), the subjective appraisal of their attainability (expectance) (Carver and Scheier, 2001; Eccles and Wigfield, 1995), and internal control over the fulfillment of personal hopes, plans, and goals (Rotter, 1966; Weiner, 1985). In our study, the desired goals of job flexibility refer to valence and probable outcomes of job flexibility refer to expectancy. In our study we were interested in exploring how desired goals of job flexibility and probable outcomes of job flexibility affect dynamic professional future. As previously stated, flexible working is not only a demand of the labor market but may also present a free choice to employees who prefer a job that allows freedom, independence, and discretion to schedule work, make decisions, and perform tasks. Employees with this orientation often choose temporary jobs so they may try out different work roles and organizations (Marler et al., 2002; Tan and Tan, 2002). In terms of action planning, it may be argued that the choice of fixed-term contract could derive from a general need for flexibility and autonomy (valence) that is cognitively elaborated into a specific career goal considered attainable (expectancy). Moving toward a prospective approach to the study of career development, we expected that the personal value of the goals and expectancies of achievement might influence the perception of the professional future.\nThe sense of control of the expected outcome in permanent- vs fixed-term employees: Theories derived from the expectancy-value motivational tradition (e.g. Atkinson, 1964; Bandura, 1977; Scheier and Carver, 1985) assume that motivation is determined by the meaning and relevance attributed to a specific goal, and whether the goal setter expects to succeed. The sense of control of the expected outcome is central to many approaches to self-regulation (Bandura, 2001; Zimmerman, 2000) because a person's control belief inspires the individual to invest in motivational resources or to control his or her strivings to achieve the expected result (Schmitz and Skinner, 1993). Mirowsky and Ross' (2007) research supported the presence of a personal control beliefs-performance cycle, meaning that personal control beliefs foster individual commitment to the goal, and in turn increase the likelihood of a successful outcome. Consequently, the goal attainment enhances the individual's confidence about his or her ability to control desired outcomes in the future. These beliefs influence the next goal-directed pursuit. As Shane et al. (2012) noted, while traditional causal attribution theories focus on events that have already occurred (Russell and McAuley, 1986; Weiner, 1985), the present focus on the relationship between personal control beliefs and goals has led to the adoption of a prospective approach essentially connected to goal pursuit. Personal control beliefs, here defined as mastery, refer to the extent to which people see themselves as being in control of the forces that importantly affect their lives (Pearlin and Schooler, 1978), hence the perceived ability to significantly alter events (Burger, 1989). Mastery represents a dimension of self-concept strongly related to self-esteem: indeed these personality characteristics are claimed to be a main defense against stressful consequences, but they still represent quite distinct views of the self (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984). The present study is interested in exploring the effect of job mastery on the goal-setting process in the work domain. Specifically, we hypothesized a crucial role of job mastery in the process that translates the desired goals of flexibility in probable outcomes:\nThe role of gender: The differences between female and male in constructing future orientation (Seginer, 2009), career aspirations and goals (Watts et al., 2015), are well known. Gender role socialization and differences in the structure of occupational opportunity make more likely for women to face with specific barriers such as sex discrimination and multiple-role conflict (Swanson et al., 1996). In this sense, flexibility may be a facilitator for women's career. Rigidly structured work-family interactions may be associated to a negative spillover in terms of time, energy, and behavior, while flexibility in work arrangements, which enables individuals to integrate and overlap work and family responsibilities in time and space, is instrumental in achieving a healthy balance between work and other non-labor-market obligations (Hill et al., 2001). In line with this consideration, it is possible to expect that women will desire more job flexibility than men. However, given that the women career development is often hindered by contextual barriers (Swanson et al., 1996: Swanson and Woitke, 1997), personal resources, such as mastery, become crucial to translate desired job flexibility into probable job flexibility and, consequently, in a perception of a dynamic professional future.\nMethod: Sample and procedure\nMeasures: Participants completed a questionnaire including the following sections and scales:\nStrategy of analysis: Our hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro for SPSS 18.0 developed by Hayes (2013). The model 11 of this macro allows users to test a moderated mediation and to investigate the conditional effect of the selected moderator at different levels of an additional variable. Therefore, it tests whether a specified variable moderates the interaction effect between the predictor and the moderator on the criterion variable.\nResults: Descriptive results\nGender differences within permanent and fixed-term employees: The scores of men and women were compared within permanent and fixed-term employees on all the study variables (Table III). Strong gender differences were observed among permanent employees: men reported higher scores than women for desired flexibility t(404)=2.96, p=0.003; probable flexibility t(404)=2.75, p=0.006; job mastery t(404)=2.97, p=0.003; and dynamic professional future t(404)=2.99, p=0.003. Further, Cohen's effect size value for these analysis (d=0.30) suggested a small to moderate practical significance (Cohen, 1988).\nTesting the model: In Table IV, estimates of all the path coefficients, as well as indirect effects and the 95 percent bias-corrected bootstrapped confidence intervals for the path estimates are presented. Since zero is comprised in the 95 percent confidence interval, our results showed that the direct effect of desired flexibility (assumed as an independent variable) on dynamic professional future (assumed as criterion variable) was significant. In line with H1, this result indicated that desired goals of job flexibility increased the perception of a dynamic professional future. In addition, desired flexibility had a significant impact on probable flexibility, and probable flexibility had a significant effect on dynamic professional future. This finding confirmed the presence of a mediational effect of probable flexibility in the relationship between desired flexibility and dynamic professional future, as postulated by H2.\nFlexibility and job mastery: a gender comparison: In order to delve deeper into the gender differences concerning the interaction effect reported in Figure 2, separate moderated regression analyses were performed within fixed-term employees.\nDiscussion: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between employees desired goal of job flexibility and the perception of a dynamic professional future in permanent vs temporary employees. In addition to the main effects, we examined the mediating role of probable outcomes of job flexibility in this relationship. Whereas great attention has been paid to the impact of expectations on future and career planning, less attention has been paid to the specific expectations related to the new features and flexibility of the labor market. Thus our study, following this direction, considered flexibility for employees. This way the relationship between expectations of flexibility (desired flexibility) and perception of the future indicated by the obtained results calls into question the instrumentality and motivation toward career also in the presence of actual changes in the labor market.\nStudy limitations: The study presented some limitations. First, the data derived from the self-report questionnaires increased the chances of common method variance effects. Second, concerning sampling, as respondents participated on a voluntary basis, the results cannot be considered representative of the universe of permanent- and fixed-term employees. In addition, desire and probable goal of flexibility showed values of reliability lower than 0.70, which is traditionally used as rule of thumb (Nunnally and Bernstein., 1994). However, slighter values were found for dimensions with a low number of items and were similar to those obtained by other studies (e.g. Sarchielli et al., 2010). Moreover, another limit concerns the cross-sectional design of the study, which prevents us from establishing the direction of the hypothesized causal relations or reversed causal hypothesis.\nPractical implications: Our findings encourage the application of goal setting and future orientation approach to explain development of career and to present a framework for building interventions. The interventions in this area should respond to the new needs and requirements related to the management of a boundary-less career that is characterized by high flexibility and also takes gender into account.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare how the dimension of attitudes toward future that consists in perception of dynamic future may be affected by desirable goals (desired job flexibility) and probable events (probable job flexibility) in a group of permanent vs temporary employees. Moreover the aim is to explore the gender differences in respect to variables studied.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data were collected using self-report questionnaires on a sample of 710 employees, of which 63 percent women, 57.2 percent permanent employees, and 42.8 percent fixed-term employees.\nFindings: The results showed that probable job flexibility mediated the relationship between desired job flexibility and the perception of a dynamic professional future. In addition, the type of contract moderated the interaction effect of job mastery on the relationship between desired and probable flexibility. Job mastery, however, has a direct effect on probable flexibility only on women in fixed-term employment.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study presented some limitations: the data derived from the self-report questionnaires, respondents participated on a voluntary basis, and the research design was cross-sectional.\nPractical implications: The results of this study could be used to influence guidance practitioners' decisions on the role of antecedents of future orientation (desired flexibility, probable flexibility, and job mastery) in designing programs and interventions for career management that also take gender into account.\nOriginality/value: Overall, these results provided some insight into the relationship between specific guidance actions and goal-oriented career planning.\n",
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Researching the socio-cultural context: putting social representations theory into action
|
[
"Marketing",
"Research",
"Marketing theory",
"Postmodernism"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A shift in marketing research has occurred from explaining differences between countries to the identification of trans-national similarities (Sheth and Parvatiyar, 2001). Similarities across countries allow standardized marketing and economies of scale. At the same time, individualization and migration have led to heterogeneous societies, making it increasingly important to study heterogeneity within countries.Comparing phenomena and examining differences and similarities in behavior and response patterns across countries is vital in international marketing (Craig and Douglas, 2001). Research within this field treats the matter by comparing contexts, seeking to establish equivalence of concepts and research instruments. This procedure follows a world view in which culture matters (\"emic\" versus \"etic\" way of thinking) (Luna and Gupta, 2001). The lack of familiarity with cultures and environmental aspects is a major issue, which reduces the comparability of phenomena. A conceptual framework that delivers rich cultural analysis is \"ethnoconsumerism\" (Venkatesh, 1995). It regards consumer behavior from the point of view of the subjects of the study, i.e. as a social or cultural group. In this respect, ethnoconsumerism differs from traditional comparative or cross-cultural approaches. It enables a deep understanding of how knowledge is constructed from a culture's point of view. Compared to other comparative studies, it does not make assumptions on the data-level but focuses on phenomena at a sociocultural level. In other words, individuals are perceived \"as products of their cultures and ... as their cultures change, so do they\" (Venkatesh, 1995, p. 30). Studying individuals as part of a culture, a social group and also equipped with individual characteristics enables a holistic view of them as consumers.It appears necessary to understand what the representatives of a certain culture think of objects and products; which values they associate with these, which norms they follow, and in general how they view the world. The theory of social representations allows for studying these issues on a social and cultural level. By looking at how individuals group together through shared beliefs, emotions, lifestyles, and consumption practices, it is able to deal with the fuzziness and heterogeneity of today's markets and postmodern consumer cultures (Elliott, 1999). Individuals who share a common vision of life are networks of societal micro groups (Cova, 1997; Cova and Cova, 2002; Featherstone, 1991). The theory of social representations views perceptions, ideas, and representations as processed collectively and as social creations (Elliott, 1999; Forgas, 1981).This paper introduces social representation theory which contributes to the conceptual and methodological advancement of international marketing research. The contributions that are looked at in this paper relate to first, views of groups (group versus individual level) and second, tools and techniques to study the complex and fragmented structures of postmodern societies (Craig and Douglas, 2001; Jovchelovitch, 2001; Philogene, 2001). To facilitate access to the social representations approach for international marketing researchers, the methodological section includes an empirical example dealing with the perception and use of mobile phone services.\nLooking beyond the confines of international marketing research: The beginning of this section outlines what social representation theory is. The following section focuses on the newness of social representations, i.e. to stress the social and cultural context as important influences on the elaboration of objects and situations, particularly in times of changes. Subsequently the contribution of social representation theory to international marketing research is discussed, followed by a section on innovative research methods. International marketing research is linked to social representation strategies and a typology of possible alternative avenues is outlined. Eventually, some practical applications of social representation theory are presented.The theory of social representations\nMethodology: To facilitate marketing researchers' access to the social representations approach, this section includes an empirical example dealing with the perception and use of m (mobile)-commerce based phone services. M-commerce means electronic commerce made through mobile devices (M-commerce, 2005) and reflects a technological change that occurs both within a society and internationally.Studies found that mobile devices were among the most quickly adopted consumer products (Rupp and Smith, 2002). There is already a high penetration of mobile phones across Europe (for details see, e.g. Hayward, 2000). Mainly because of different standards, the USA has lagged behind Europe in terms of both the penetration of mobile phones and the early adoption of m-commerce opportunities. Whereas in Europe text messaging and WAP technology were developed rather early, the USA is further ahead in the development of internet-based technology applicable to the wireless environment (Hayward, 2000). The key advantage of m-commerce over e-commerce is the location function (Yeo and Huang, 2003). Main applications for consumers are: gaming and entertainment, information, billing (mobile payment mechanisms), safety and tracking (Hayward, 2000; Yeo and Huang, 2003), although the latter has reaped criticism (Dye, 2005).Traditional research focused on consumer adoption by using the technology acceptance model (Bruner et al., 2005) or tried to identify factors that affect the likelihood of transacting business by means of mobile phones (Magura, 2003). An international study utilized focus-group discussions to gain insight into values and limitations of m-commerce services (Jarvenpaa et al., 2003). Yet none of these studies focused on the view that groups with a common social context have of technological innovations and most used methods that primarily addressed individual characteristics of consumers.Goal and assumptions\nDiscussion: Culture is sometimes regarded as a complex phenomenon, perhaps too complex to be captured by only a few dimensions (Steenkamp, 2001). Traditional methodologies in international marketing research usually follow a positivistic and rather \"etic\" (or \"imposed etic\") view of cultural phenomena. The proposed theory of social representations views reality as epistemologically socially constructed, and helps to develop an \"emic\"-view on phenomena. It overcomes the positivist limitation that assumes homogenous meanings of goods within taxonomic market segments (Elliott, 1999). By means of the social representation approach it is possible to observe how social groups make sense of new elements by adding them to the existing meaning system (anchoring). Furthermore, it is possible to identify the rules and conventions that determine behavioral patterns (objectification) (Harre 1998). The current empirical study began from a social constructionist perspective, allowing the social context to shape consumers' perceptions of product innovations meaningfully. This view further emphasizes the importance of research on a micro cultural level.Because market segments are no longer helpful in predicting consumer behavior from a postmodern perspective, selecting appropriate samples arose as an issue. In this paper, it was proposed that selecting natural rather than nominal sample groups helps in overcoming this limitation. Collective memory and shared history as well as cultivation form groups' consumption practices. Significant sampling criteria were gained by focusing on group discussions, such as the label \"future generation,\" which was identified as a common way for young consumers to identify themselves.The social representations approach makes available a variety of methodologies for overcoming limitations often imposed by traditional survey methods, such as construction bias and individual-level focus. By definition, social representations reflect the group level and \"allow\" different instruments to reveal the group's metasystem. Of the available methods, this study applied the technique of free associations to understand the concept and function of the proposed m-commerce services. The results reflect deep-seated differences among socio-cultural groups.Several conceptual, functional and emotional aspects of m-commerce services were identified. The concept of time revealed insights into the respondents' societal configurations. People, who want to save time, and who think that consuming requires time, have different concepts of time, thus forming natural market segments. The mobile phone as functional commodity is not essential. It is its value to symbolize one's time resources and reflecting one's position within a society (Featherstone, 1991). All of the m-commerce services were found to be not really necessary, but at the same time, helpful in daily life. Bruner et al. (2005) found that while perceived usefulness (utilitarian aspect) contributed to consumer acceptance of Internet devices, what contributed more was the \"fun\" attribute (hedonic aspect). In the case of m-commerce services, considering the utilitarian value went along with positive expressions. Material goods are communicators and their original use is increasingly difficult to interpret. Mobile phones signify pleasure or freedom, which thus determines people's significance within specific social groups (Featherstone, 1991).Emotional ties are reflected in the study's results: young respondents in the focus-groups mentioned a feeling of \"connectedness\" that is fostered by mobile phones. Older respondents and those opposing mobile phones argued that personal ties would disintegrate and personal contact would be lost. The loss of personal contact and the fear that emotions could be replaced by technology, etc. were important themes that derived from the functional analysis of associations. M-commerce services add to the various forms - \"disorders\" - of freedom that consumers already experience and they could decrease in value for consumers. To be successful, m-commerce services need to assure the various groups that they enable social ties rather than destroy them.Based on the theory of social representations (Bauer and Gaskell, 1999), seven different strategies (Table I) form a typology of possible research avenues to international marketing research. In the same vein, yet more recently, Stewart and Lacassagne (2005) confirmed the usefulness of social representations to identify cultural differences. This paper contributes to conceptual and methodological advancement by including the concept of ethnoconsumerism (Venkatesh, 1995) and following Wagner et al. (1999, p. 101), who proposes to \"take into account the complexity of the phenomenon under investigation and pay attention to the context and the diversity of voices\".Suggestions for expanding the current study into the area of international marketing research are provided. In order to find out how new products are integrated into the existing social and cognitive opinion system, collective associative network, assisted by similarity analysis, is proposed. This technique is applied to analyze the configuration of social representations, particularly linkages with product innovations and the connecting socio-economic environment. Respondents link existing dimensions and socioeconomic concepts by drawing connecting lines. For the purposes of analysis, the number of connected word pairs are counted and put into graphs of similarity (Verges, 1987, 1996; Verges and Bastounis, 2001).Research on a more global level does not necessarily mean carrying out the same procedure applied in a particular cultural setting. The richness of data must not be forfeited for universalisation of phenomena. Splitting goals of research into description, comparison, and generalization, Venkatesh (1995) warns of the danger of losing the richness of data by moving from description to generalization, i.e. from a focus on understanding to a focus on universalizing. Comparative research without losing quality is possible by using a single cultural setting and making comparisons with other cultures on the basis of secondary data. Recent studies on various cultures (Asian, such as Japan, Korea, India and China; and emerging eastern European markets) suggest, as Venkatesh (1995, p. 42) put it:... that there are deep-seated differences in the way consumer trends are unfolding, and, therefore, that superficial similarities may hide real cultural differences.Useful comparisons with other cultures ideally employ triangulation and, for example, as suggested by Venkatesh (1995), textual information instead of applying uni-cultural concepts to cross-cultural settings.Taken as a whole, this paper aims at contributing to the development of sound methodologies in international marketing. The results of the empirical study, such as the identified, collectively constructed themes of time, emotional connectedness, and different functions of material goods, served as an illustration of the proposed approach and confirmed its usability and contribution to international marketing research. Yet some limitations remain. A translation problem prevails when dealing with specific words from cross-cultural research. The similarity of concepts must be considered when translating free associations in the course of international research. Also, the variety of methods is limited in this paper. Corresponding to the need of fragmented consumer cultures for projective techniques, visual approaches such as pictorial instruments or ethnographical tools should be applied in future research.\n",
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{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims at contributing to the conceptual and methodological advancement of international marketing research.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The theory of social representations is utilized to study what the representatives of a certain culture think of objects and products; which values they associate with these, which norms they follow, and in general how they view the world.\nFindings: - Triangulation was employed to facilitate researchers' access to the social representations approach. Six focus group discussions were conducted combined with a free association instrument answered by a sample of 250 respondents. The empirical study began from a social constructionist perspective. Findings showed that several conceptual and functional aspects of a technological innovation (m-commerce services) are idiosyncratic to particular groups, reflecting the group's societal affiliation and position.\nResearch implications/limitations: - A translation problem prevails when dealing with specific words from cross-cultural research and the similarity of concepts must be considered when translating free associations in the course of international research. Other methodologies were only conceptually presented but not empirically used. Visual approaches such as pictorial instruments or ethnographical tools should be applied in future research.\nOriginality/value: - The results provide a solid basis for international marketing research and suggestions for expanding the current study into international marketing research are provided.\n",
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Leading learning organizations through transformational change: Making the case for blended learning
|
[
"Transformational change",
"Blended learning",
"School administrators",
"Leading change",
"American education system",
"Decision-making tool"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction and background: There are two conditions that threaten to derail the American education system as we know it: the poor state of the US economy in America and the less than effective structure of the American education system. Researchers and practitioners are searching to identify tools and strategies that can help to restore confidence in the soundness of the US education system. One such tool is that of blended learning delivery formats. This writing presents a description of the problem, an abridged review of related literature, a discussion of the possibilities for blended learning in academic organizations, and the associated transformational change implications. It is presented as a decision-making tool for administrators to consider including blended learning formats in their strategies to address the effects of the questionable outlook of the US economy and the outdated structure of the US education system.\nProblem statement: The purpose of the educational system is to prepare individuals to make a contribution to the world and their communities while also creating desirable lives for themselves and their families. The world of work has changed. Education has not. We are now in the Information Age. However, the US education system is operating under a system that was set up for the Industrial Age (Kortesoja, 2012). There is a disparity between the expectation of the ability of the American education system in preparing students to compete in the global economy and the actual preparedness level of these students. Although many scholars and practitioners agree in theory that transformational change, either forced or planned, appears to be in America's future, the true level of preparedness and readiness for this change is marginal to not readily known (Barber et al., 2013; Christenson et al., 2008; Smith, 2010, Kober and Rentner, 2011).\nAbridged literature review: There have been and continue to be myriad approaches and strategies to attempt to address the needs of today's learners in the USA. Increasingly, these attempts have been aimed at addressing the needs created by the challenging economic conditions that many organizations, municipalities, and individuals are faced with today. In particular, online learning has been promising in efficiency, because it addresses access and time challenges that learners have often been faced with in traditional settings (Rothwell et al., 2006).\nDiscussion: To begin to move a larger number of organizations toward blending learning solutions, a change process must ensue. As administrators begin to consider strategies to initiate change in their learning organizations, it is important to become informed about change and to begin to establish relationships with experts on the subject of leading change. An examination of organizational change strategies, discussion about the inevitability of the change, and an exploration of key approaches and models to leading change, follows.\nRecommendations for leading the change to blended formats: School administrators often operate within bureaucratic organizations that include state and federal officials and regulations, locally elected officials, community and business interest groups, parent and teacher interest groups, as well as student organizations and groups, and all of the political and social involvements and concerns that go with these. Attempting to implement transformative change within this context can be difficult at best and similar to navigating a minefield at worst. Only after arriving at a cohesive and agreed-upon purpose and vision can the organization or system move ahead with a chance for success.\nConclusions: Many educational providers in the US are not at a current state of readiness to adopt blended learning formats of instruction or expand their offerings to include more blended learning. However, most are at a state of awareness that change is forthcoming and planned change is advisable. Although some learning organizations are examining ways to offset the economic and systematic challenges faced by learners in the US today, most are in need of transformative change. Introducing blended learning delivery systems into the existing structure or further expanding blended learning formats within organizations that currently employ this structure on a marginal basis is worth the effort and will help cut expenses as well as enhance student learning. With some assistance, this writer believes that many, if not most learners, faculty, administrators, and other decision makers would be willing to examine whether blended learning systems can make a significant difference in meeting their goals.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: There are two conditions that threaten to derail the American education system as we know it: the poor state of the US economy in America and the less than effective structure of the American education system. Researchers and practitioners are searching to identify tools and strategies that can help to restore confidence in the soundness of the US education system. One such strategy is blended learning delivery formats. The purpose of this paper is to examine implications of and recommend blended learning strategies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This writing presents a description of the problem, an abridged review of related literature, a discussion of the possibilities for blended learning in academic organizations, and the associated transformational change implications. It is presented as a decision-making tool for administrators to consider including blended learning formats in their strategies to address the effects of the questionable outlook of the US economy and the outdated structure of the US education system.\nFindings: The writing concludes with recommendations for leading the change to blended learning formats in learning organizations.\nOriginality/value: The information in the paper is presented as a decision-making tool for educational administrators in considering blended learning strategies for their organizations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Lean higher education: successes, challenges, and realizing potential
|
[
"Leadership",
"Lean higher education"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nThe case for Lean higher education (LHE): External pressures for change are forcing higher education to consider new modes of operation. Public opinion generally regards institutions of higher education as inefficient, expensive, and labor intensive. Economic challenges have reduced public funding to higher education. Declines in the number of traditional aged college bound students and a more crowded marketplace (including the growth in online and for-profit) has increased competitiveness for students. In response, the application of Lean principles and practices to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of college and university processes (Womack and Jones, 2003), or LHE (Balzer, 2010), offers the potential for realizing dramatic improvements in the way higher education and its supporting services are delivered:\nStarting down the path of LHE: assessing and improving institutional readiness: The success of any significant organizational change effort, including LHE, will hinge on whether the university is adequately prepared to implement system-wide change. Best practices in organizational change outside higher education as well as within higher education should be considered. Two factors related to institutional readiness are workplace climate and leadership practices.\nLeadership awareness, understanding, and support for LHE: Leadership awareness, understanding, and support for LHE can help senior leaders in higher education implement LHE initiatives and address sources of resistance. For example, leaders must be committed, and make that commitment public, to the core principle that LHE is about meeting the needs of those served by the institution and not viewed as solely an approach to cost saving (although cost savings is usually an outcome of LHE as waste is removed and flow is improved) (Harrington, 1987). By doing so, they will alleviate concerns that are likely to arise among faculty and staff about potential job losses, perceived loss of power among middle managers, and perceived loss of autonomy among employees who prefer to do things their own way (Harrington, 1987; Kenney, 2011).\nStrategic planning, Lean leadership, and getting help for LHE: Lean must guide strategy:\nConclusion: We present several recommendations for implementing LHE. The specific recommendations have not been formally evaluated, although the principles have been supported via the cases described. As more institutions embrace LHE, more formal evaluations of the impact of these projects on the beneficiaries, employees, and institution will offer greater guidance to LHE practitioners, including a more complete evaluation of our structured, step-by-step approach for implementing institution-wide Lean initiatives in HE.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence from the experiences and the literature on organizational change and transformation to implement and sustain Lean higher education (LHE) initiatives designed to benefit the university, its employees, and the individuals it serves.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors present organizational development literature and examples of success and challenges to better support the effective application of LHE.\nFindings: The authors address the importance of and techniques for first, assessing and improving institutional readiness; second, enhancing leadership awareness, understanding, and support for LHE; third, strategic planning, Lean leadership, and getting help for LHE; and fourth, facilitating an institution-wide transition to LHE.\nOriginality/value: A structured, step-by-step approach offers practical guidance for implementing institution-wide Lean initiatives in HE.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Factors that contribute towards improving learning effectiveness using a specific learning management system (LMS) at the Military Academy (MA): A demonstration
|
[
"Learning processes",
"Virtual learning environment",
"Electronic resources"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Advanced knowledge cannot be gained from ghosts and spirits, inferred from phenomena, or projected from the measures of Heaven, but must be gained from men for it is the knowledge of the enemy's true situation (Sun Tzu).\nIntroduction: Background to the problem\nTheoretical background (literature review): First learning effectiveness model\nProposed framework: The proposed framework to measure learning effectiveness is a combination of the Piccoli model and the tenets of constructivist learning as measuring elements. The Piccoli model provided the boundaries of the framework (that is, which actors are involved) whilst constructivism provided the specific elements to measure. It is important to note that the effectiveness measurement in this study was limited to the human dimension (preferences antecedent), and effectiveness dimension (self-efficacy and satisfaction antecedents). The next section will explore an e-learning implementation as demonstration of how existing technology can be used to aid teachers and learners in improving e-learning effectiveness. It is proposed that the model implementation be cyclic in nature as feedback for improvement is vital for good course design.\nIllustration: case study: LMS implementation\nDiscussion and conclusion: The demonstration of a survey tool in Moodle showed a possible method to determine preferences and measure the extent to which it was achieved in an online course. This can be used as a feedback system for the course but is reliant on the educator to find practical ways to implement suggestions. It is also helpful as a quick reference tool to the educator to determine problem areas. This, in combination with other tangible measurements like student performance and course statistics, can be used as key performance indicators of course success or effectiveness. The tool provides summary representations of the survey results, which are easy to interpret. For quality assurance to be effectively implemented a thorough analysis of available course data is required.Modern course data can become vast for tertiary institutions and requires extensive human and technological resources to store and manage this data. User requirements for presentation of this data differ at different levels in the institution and complex relations can exist between data sets. Data representation falls within the data warehousing field and is also applicable to the educational environment. Implementations of data warehouses are aimed at data presentation for management decision-making. This approach to decision-making that is based on in-time information ensures a high degree of pro-activity. In online courses this approach can be especially useful to avert learner failure.This study endeavoured to explore the factors that contribute towards improving learning effectiveness specifically in the e-learning environment. A model was proposed with the teacher, learner and design dimensions in the constructivist approach. The study was therefore limited to a tertiary educational institution that embraces the tenets of constructivism and blended learning. Additionally, Moodle was used as demonstration technology of a measure to assess some of the factors of effectiveness in the constructivist paradigm. Future research should focus on institutionalising the constructivist approach with practical guidelines for teachers and designers at other tertiary institutions. Research should also be conducted to measure the maturity of the constructivist and blended learning approaches at the Military Academy.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that contribute towards learning effectiveness in e-learning courses. A review of previous studies was carried out to determine those factors that are most applicable to a tertiary teaching environment and to propose a model to assess effectiveness in online courses. The virtual learning environment (VLE) was defined to establish the boundaries for measurement. Constructivism was explored as a teaching approach in tertiary online courses. This model provided the input for a demonstration of an online course measurement and feedback tool using Moodle. A current student group was used to demonstrate the tool's use and recommendations were made from the findings. Areas for improvement were discussed and recommendations made for future studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In this study a literature analysis approach was followed to establish theoretical bases for the practical application of the theory. The objective of the study was to demonstrate a model to measure the effectiveness of an LMS in aiding learner success as the most important success indicator of an e-learning system.\nFindings: - The demonstration of a survey tool in Moodle showed a possible method to determine preferences and measure the extent to which it was achieved in an online course. This study endeavoured to explore the factors that contribute towards improving learning effectiveness specifically in the e-learning environment. A model was proposed with the teacher, learner and design dimensions in the constructivist approach.\nOriginality/value: - This study sets out to answer the following questions: What is learning effectiveness and what factors influence learning effectiveness in e-learning? What factors are significant in measuring e-learning effectiveness at the Military Academy? And what general high-level framework can be used to develop a measurement instrument for future positivistic studies?\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Understanding the impact of financial incentives on NFC mobile payment adoption: An experimental analysis
|
[
"Perceived risk",
"Intention",
"Financial incentives",
"NFC mobile payment"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: As consumers have become increasingly connected via smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices in recent years, mobile payment has emerged across the world as a new and innovative means for payment and has begun to replace the old-fashioned credit card (Apanasevic et al., 2016; Hedman et al., 2017; Ramadan and Aita, 2018; Shin, 2010). Mobile payment refers to the payment for goods, services and bills with a mobile device, such as mobile phone, smartphone or personal digital assistant using wireless and other communication technologies (Dahlberg et al., 2008).\n2. Review of literature: 2.1 NFC mobile payment and its benefits\n3. Method: 3.1 Subjects\n4. Results: Table IV summarizes the means of four latent variables by nine experimental conditions. Subjects in the control group reported the lowest intention to adopt NFC mobile payment (4.208), the highest perceived risk (4.396) and the lowest perceived ease of use (5.371) among all experimental groups.\n5. Discussion and implications: The study investigated whether the availability of financial incentives is effective, what the most cost-effective financial incentive strategy is, and how financial incentives influence consumers' intention to adopt NFC mobile payment. Through a 2x2x2 factorial experimental design, financial incentives were either not offered or offered, and if offered were varied by type (cash back vs discount), amount (5 vs 10 percent), and promotion period (one vs three months). This study is amongst the first to explore the effects of offering financial incentives on increasing NFC mobile payment adoption by testing these three attributes of financial incentives.\n6. Limitations and future research: While some significant results were found in this study, the design is not without its limitations and care must be taken in the interpretation of the conclusions. First, the study sample was limited to the 18 to 35 age group. This could have affected the effect of financial incentives as younger generations are prone to be early adopters of innovative technologies. It is also likely young adults may not need much in terms of time or amount of reward to be incentivized to adopt new technology, whereas older individuals may be more sensitive to the type, amount or duration due to being more financially sophisticated because of accumulated life experiences. Second, the overall and group condition sample sizes are quite small which limits the generalization of the conclusions that were made in this study.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of financial incentives on consumers' intention to adopt near field communication (NFC) mobile payment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An online experiment was conducted crossing two levels of incentive types (cash back and discount), two levels of incentive amounts (5 and 10 percent), and two levels of incentive promotion periods (one and three months). A total of eight treatment conditions plus one control group comprised the 2x2x2 factorial design. A sample of 463 subjects with no prior experience with NFC mobile payment was recruited using a Qualtrics panel.\nFindings: This study found that: the availability of financial incentives had a positive effect on intention to adopt NFC mobile payment; financial incentives indirectly affected intention through perceived risk; and while different types, amounts or promotion periods did not seem to matter for those in the low perceived risk group, the main effect of promotion period and the interaction effect between amount and promotion period were significant for those in the high perceived risk group.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study sample was limited from 18 to 35 age group, which could have affected the varied effect of the different attributes of incentives that were examined.\nOriginality/value: This study is the first to give some empirical evidence about the impact of financial incentives on NFC mobile payment adoption. The results provide insight to providers as well as retailers offering the incentive payment option.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Testing a path model for antecedents of accountability
|
[
"Feedback",
"Management accountability"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Accountability has been one focus of the feedback literature in the past years (London et al., 1997; Walker and Smither, 1999). Accountability is generally defined as accepting and meeting one's personal responsibilities, being and feeling obligated to another individual as well as oneself, and having to justify one's actions to others (London, 2003). In this study accountability focuses on the extent to which feedback recipients perceive they are responsible for utilizing feedback information for development. It is believed that when managers are accountable for the feedback they are given they will feel obligated to use it to improve performance. Nowhere is perceived accountability more important than in upward feedback, a process that has not been shown to lead to overwhelmingly favorable results in terms of attitudes as well as performance improvement (e.g. Atwater et al., 2000). Upward feedback refers to the process of subordinates anonymously evaluating their supervisor's performance on various behavioral dimensions. This is a process that has been growing in popularity for the purposes of individual and organizational development (London and Beatty, 1993). Upward feedback is one part of the larger process of 360 degree or multi-rater feedback.\nMethod: Participants\nResults: Descriptive statistics for the study variables can be found in Table I. The internal consistency analysis revealed high internal consistency reliabilities of 0.86 and above. Path analysis was used to test the proposed model. Path analysis uses ordinary least squares regression to test the tenability of proposed causal relationships. Each proposed path is analyzed by a linear regression equation. One regression analysis is needed for each endogenous variable in the path model (Grimm and Yarnold, 1998). Therefore, two regression equations were performed to test the model. In these regression equations each dependent variable is regressed on the hypothesized independent variables. Path coefficients (standardized regression weights) provide an index of the direct relationship between two variables. In Figure 2, the path coefficients (standardized beta weights) are represented in parentheses for each path. The unstandardized regression weight is represented outside the parentheses. Indirect effects can be calculated by multiplying the appropriate path coefficients. The total effect of one variable on another is the sum of the direct effects and the indirect effects. It is important to note that path analysis allows researchers to investigate theoretical propositions about cause and effect without manipulating variables. In regression-based path analysis it is not the intention to discover causes but to educate the reader on theoretical considerations (Pedhazer, 1997).In regression-based path analysis the path coefficients indicate the direct effect of a variable hypothesized as a cause of a variable indicated as an effect. The \"causal\" in causal modeling refers to assumptions of the model rather than the result.There is a positive significant relationship between LMX and accountability (B=0.35), supporting H1. As predicted by H2, there is also a significant positive relationship between subordinate feedback environment and accountability (B=0.61). The relative size of these path coefficients indicates the relationship between the subordinate feedback environment and accountability is greater than the relationship between LMX and accountability. The two variables together account for 30 percent of the variance in accountability. The relationship between accountability and self-development initiative is also significant (B=0.69), supporting H3. However, the direct relationship between feedback environment and self-development initiative (H2a) is not significant.The original and recomputed correlations are presented in Table II. Given the assumptions of path analysis, the observed correlation should be reproducible from the path statistics. The paths for LMX and subordinate feedback environment as antecedents of accountability reproduce the original correlations very well. The reproduced correlations are within Billings and Wroten's (1978) rule of thumb of 0.05 of the original correlations. The remaining reproduced correlations do not meet this criterion.\nDiscussion: The objective of the upward feedback process is to provide managers with feedback that can help improve their leadership behaviors (Reilly et al., 1996). Upward feedback is based on the notion that subordinates are familiar with the specific strengths and weaknesses of their supervisors because they are in constant contact with them. However, if managers do not feel accountable for the feedback they receive from their subordinates, very little developmental change will be realized. Although accountability is recognized as important in the feedback process, there has been little research investigating the construct. The current study assessed the antecedents and consequences of manager accountability for informal upward feedback.In H1 we expected a positive relationship between LMX and accountability such that if there were a favorable relationship between supervisors and subordinates, it would lead to greater supervisor accountability for the upward feedback provided. The data supported this hypothesis. These results indicate that when supervisors and subordinates have a good relationship, the supervisors may feel more accountable for using the feedback provided by their subordinates. This is consistent with the LMX literature, in that LMX tends to be related to positive communication patterns (Graen and Scandura, 1987). LMX is a social exchange relationship based in part on reciprocity and supervisors who are being supported by subordinates in high LMX relationships, should reciprocate and be willing to develop based on the feedback provided by subordinates. London et al. (1997) suggested that subordinates may influence a supervisor's accountability by emphasizing the interdependence the two share for positive interpersonal relationships. The researchers suggested a supervisor's feelings of accountability for using upward feedback may be facilitated by subordinates discussing the reasons for providing the feedback and what goals the two may set together for learning. London (2003) suggested that the role managers have in development is largely dependent on the relationship they have with their subordinates.In H2, we expected a positive relationship between the feedback environment and accountability. Results supported this prediction and demonstrated that a non-threatening feedback environment leads to greater perceptions of accountability for the feedback provided. Individuals need to engage in continuous learning in order keep up with organizational changes and ensure they are contributing to organizational effectiveness. Organizations that promote supportive environments should have employees that feel responsible for using upward feedback. London and Smither (1999) suggested that environmental support can inspire self-development. Learning and development become part of the job requirements. Thus, we also hypothesized that there would be a significant direct effect of the feedback environment on self-development initiative: this was not supported by the data. The data indicate that a positive feedback environment is not enough for managers to feel compelled to take an initiative toward self-development: they must also feel accountable for the feedback provided. Results from a mediated regression analysis support this.A mediated regression analysis (Baron and Kenny, 1986) demonstrated that accountability fully mediates the relationship between subordinate feedback environment and self-development initiative (see Table III). The mediator function is a third variable that represents the process through which the focal independent variable is able to influence the dependent variable of interest. A variable may function as a mediator to the extent that it accounts for the relationship between the predictor and the criterion (Baron and Kenny, 1986). Baron and Kenny's (1986) three-step regression procedure was used to assess the mediating role of accountability for upward feedback.The mediated regression analysis was conducted in three steps. In the first step, the mediator (accountability) was regressed on independent variable (feedback environment). In the second step, the dependent variable (self-development initiative) was regressed on the independent variable (feedback environment). In the final step, the dependent variable (self-development initiative) was regressed on the independent variable (feedback environment) and the mediator (accountability) together. If the three regression equations are significant and the beta weight for the FES is lower in step 3 than in step 2, partial mediation is present. If FES has a lower and non-significant beta weight in step 3 than in step 2, then full mediation is present. Table III indicates that supervisor accountability is a full mediator and drives the relationship between the feedback environment and supervisor self-development. Accountability fully mediates the relationship between the feedback environment because the beta weight at step 3 (0.07) is smaller than the beta weight at step 2 (0.42), and not significant.In H3 we expected that there would be a positive relationship between accountability and development such that managers who feel accountable for the feedback provided by subordinates would be motivated to use the feedback to self-develop. This third hypothesis was supported by the data. Accountability is important to subsequent motivation to improve one's performance through self-development (London, 2003).This study found that LMX and a favorable feedback environment can improve a manager's feelings of accountability for using subordinate feedback to improve his/her performance. Although several studies have shown that upward feedback can improve performance (Reilly et al., 1996; Walker and Smither, 1999), little is known about the mechanism through which this might occur. One such mechanism may be ratee's feelings of accountability. Accountability is particularly important in upward feedback because there are few formal mechanisms to facilitate a manager's use of upward feedback. Thus, we need to enhance manager's sensitivity to feedback and their appreciation of the value of feedback through accountability forces and mechanisms, which will then lead to self-development initiative.In sum, the proposed path model was partially supported by the data. A strength of this study is that data was collected from both the supervisor (subordinate feedback environment, accountability and self-development initiative) and subordinate (LMX). Due to the relatively small sample size, however, we did not test alternative models and leave this to future research.This research takes an initial step toward defining how the context of feedback (the feedback environment) relates to feedback accountability and managerial development initiative. This study, however, is not free from limitations. The feedback used in this study was not formal upward feedback. The researchers did not measure how much upward feedback managers actually received. Further, although the hypotheses were supported, the path model did not entirely reproduce the original correlations. Future research should examine the impact of other variables such as self-efficacy, feedback seeking and satisfaction on accountability and self-development.Future research should also examine upward feedback in a multicultural context. Little research has been conducted on multi-source feedback in international organizations. Organizations in the USA assume that these multi-source interventions provide recipients with valuable information that can guide their development and performance improvement (Leslie et al., 1998). The important act of accepting another's feedback may be influenced by cultural differences. The constructs of power distance and individualism/collectivism might impact the utility of upward feedback differently in different cultures. In collectivist cultures people are expected to show loyalty to the workgroup in exchange for a sense of belonging. In these cultures group accountability is the norm and competition for rewards is frowned upon. In individualistic cultures employees typically look after their own immediate interests and are expected to be self-reliant and show initiative for their own careers. We might expect that individualists will feel more accountable to use upward feedback than collectivists will (Leslie et al., 1998). A further complication is power distance, the extent to which people accept inequality and power differentials between people. People in high power distance cultures (China, Japan, etc.) are more accepting of power differentials and thus may be less likely to feel accountable for upward feedback (Brutus et al., 2001). The real test of upward feedback is to see if it facilitates favorable results in the cultures beyond the USA. Future research is needed in these areas.Organizations that empower self-development expect that individuals will recognize their developmental needs and take responsibility for their own learning (London, 2003). This can be accomplished if frequent informal feedback is provided to employees in a supportive feedback environment and via a high LMX relationship between manager and subordinates. The current study was unique in that it examined manager's perceptions of accountability for using upward feedback. Managers who utilize upward feedback for self-development are role models for subordinates and others, potentially contributions to a favorable feedback environment.Future research should further investigate the antecedents of accountability for using feedback from managers as well as subordinates ratees.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this research paper was to examine the construct of accountability and its impact leadership development initiative in an upward feedback framework. Previous research has suggested that accountability may be an important moderator of the relationship between upward feedback and self-development. However, there has been little research examining the construct of accountability and this study sought to modify that.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Within the context of upward feedback the present study examined the impact of two contextual antecedents of accountability (LMX and feedback environment) and self-development initiative as an outcome of accountability in a path model framework. Survey methodology was used to assess the constructs of interest and the results were analyzed with regression-based path modeling.\nFindings: - The results indicate the path model was partially supported by the data: the feedback environment and LMX were related to accountability and accountability was related to self-development initiative.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Limitations of this study include the self-report methodology and relatively small sample size.\nOriginality/value: - The current study was unique in that it examined manager's perceptions of accountability for using upward feedback. Managers who utilize upward feedback for self-development are role models for subordinates and others, potentially contributions to a favorable feedback environment.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Empowering the elderly population through ICT-based activities: An empirical study of older adults in Korea
|
[
"Behaviour change",
"Self-efficacy",
"Information seeking behaviour",
"IT capability"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The elderly have traditionally been excluded from the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). They are frequently described as technophobic. This characterization has fostered a stereotype of the elderly as the age group with the lowest rates of computer and internet usage (Neves and Amaro, 2012; Saunders, 2004). However, the emergence of smartphones has helped the elderly to rapidly change their attitudes toward ICT and the internet (Boontarig et al., 2012). The use of the internet by the elderly has increased rapidly across the world in the last several years. In Korea, internet use among old adults (above 60 years old) increased from 30 percent in 2011 to 71.6 percent by 2013, with half of the elderly users participating in social networking services (SNS), such as Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc. (Korea Internet Security Agency, 2013).\nLiterature review: Empowerment\nMethodology: Target population\nResults: Overview\nConclusion: The major finding of this study concerns the development of a measure that assesses three factors of empowerment in older adults, i.e., sense of meaning, competence/self-determination, and collective empowerment. This study represents an initial step in establishing the measure, and therefore, further work is needed to establish its psychometric properties, particularly its external validity. The application of this measure is potentially broad when modifications are made based on older people's empowerment settings. This measure can be utilized with older adults in other countries, as well as in other programs outside of ICT and levels of care (e.g. exercise programs, assisted living facilities, etc.).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on elderly people who have adopted Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and participated in ICT-based activities, and explore variables associated with their individual and collective empowerment by using data collected by a questionnaire survey.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A set of 14 questions was developed to measure older adults' perceived psychological empowerment. A factor analysis was conducted to condense 14 individual variables into several large categories. Finally, a set of multiple regression analyses was employed to identify variables associated with the elderly's individual and collective empowerment.\nFindings: Three factors, including a sense of meaning; competence/self-determination; and collective empowerment were extracted from the 14 questions. Multiple regression models revealed that elderly empowerment is not a matter of social skills, ICT skills, or complementary skills, but is more likely to result from their being interested in ICT and ICT-based activities. Learning activities in ICT-based activities and participation frequency were found to be predictors of both meaning and competence/self-determination dimensions.\nResearch limitations/implications: The major finding of this study concerns the development of a measure that assesses three factors of empowerment in older adults, i.e., sense of meaning, competence/self-determination, and collective empowerment. This study represents an initial step in establishing the measure, and therefore, further work is needed to establish its psychometric properties, particularly external validity.\nOriginality/value: This study is one of the first studies to focus on older people's empowerment construct and its relation to ICT-based activities.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Accessible tourism: the golden key in the future for the specialized travel agencies
|
[
"Accessible tourism",
"Specialized travel agencies",
"Disabled people"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: context for accessible tourism: In the recent years, together with giving a different meaning to the concept of \"being disabled\", disabled people are seen as a community who have the same equal rights with the other individuals in the society and who struggles to become integrated with the society in accordance with these rights, not as passive and needy indigent individuals (Ministry of Family and Social Policies of Turkey (T.C. Aile ve Sosyal Politikalar Bakanligi), 2014). However, in spite of the present legal regulations, the disabled population in the world which is now more than 785 million - that is nearly 15 per cent of the world's population - (World Health Organization (WHO), 2011), come across with various obstacles about travel and tourism. When accessible tourism is considered as a right that the individuals have, it appears as a necessity that the governments should carry out the necessary applications with respect to serving accessible tourism. Nonetheless, the precondition for the individuals to be able to use the right they have depends on the consciousness about this subject and the coordination between the government and private sector. Tourism activities today are indispensable necessities for the individuals. At the same time, this has a similar significance for both developed and developing countries. So as to meet the expectations from these important activities, regulations that can appeal to various tourist types and that can meet the necessities of the tourists should be made (Mesci et al., 2014).\nSpecialized travel agencies vs regular travel agencies: The fastest and the most comprehensive developments in science and technology in the history of mankind have brought together the structural changes in economic, political, social and judicial elements. Also these changes and developments are experienced in tourism. Within the context of these changes, some tendencies which are assumed to be affecting the present structure in the long term have arisen. The fact that the travel motives which belong to the consumers slip towards special fields of interest is among those trends (Tanrisevdi and Cavus, 2003). A tailor-made type of tourism which is composed of personal touristic products has been in progress instead of traditional travel agencies' serving generally in mass tourism which is confronted as sea, sand and sun (3s). The development of special interest has been investigated in the context of specialization in recreation by Little (1976) and Bryan (1977) in the 1970s. Special interest tourists maintain the passion during holiday while they sustain their own fields of interest as a hobby in the home environment (cited by Trauer, 2006). As the tourists who participate in special interest tourism are the potential customers that can spare time, money and labour so as to reach primarily the passions of their own fields of interest (Kucukaslan, 2006), they are the target market for a specialized travel agency that considers maintaining its activities in tourism sector. Specialized agencies should adapt themselves to the changes in order to have the competitive advantage and, they should follow and investigate all the activities of the sector, determine the market tendency and meet the demands in a proper way.\nYet, focus is accessible tourism: In modern life in which human rights and travel freedom are supported, it is an inevitable event that businesses operating in tourism industry should think of disabled people in today's conditions. Disabled individuals have equal rights like other individuals in physical environment, transportation, information and communication areas (World Tourism Organization, 2013). Being devoid of this right is against the principle of equality. The lack of basic equipments that disabled people, who are taking part in the demand side of tourism, need has prevented disabled people from making use of tourism mobility (APGEM, 2012). World tourism sector has faced with a tourism demand having expectation of better accessibility features in transportation, accommodation, travel, tours, beaches, restaurants and tour buses. Disabled people and their families have desired to prefer touristic products having these features. For example; in the study that Small et al. (2012) have conducted with the people who have visual impairment, they have indicated that the quality of tourist experience is connected with the factors like information accessibility, direction finding experience, travelling with a guide dog and attitudes of others.\nWhat should the specialized travel agencies do for accessible tourism in the future?: World Tourism Organization (2014) has indicated that the number of international tourist arrivals reached to 1,087 million in 2013 and has estimated that this number will reach to 1.8 billion in 2030. Turkey takes its place in the top ten among the top tourism destinations in the world. In 2013, Turkey attracted 37.8 million tourists, ranking as the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world. Indeed, for Turkey, by creating required opportunities for this segment that is already a potential market in tourism sector, developing policies, performing incentive regulations for businesses that may have source problems, it is possible to support individuals having special needs to travel more, to ensure that Turkey will take its place on the top of the tourism destinations and to be a preferable country for those having special needs. At this point, it is necessary to make the required regulations for accessible tourism understandable with reference to the approach of \"Tourism for all\":\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the comprehension of the importance of \"Accessible Tourism\" for the specialized travel agencies by proposing suggestions and key factors to improve the supply of accessible tourism offers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper adopts specialized travel agencies on the accessible tourism perspective of disabled tourist flows. Also, this paper describes the circumstances, social, politic, economic consequences and key decisions that thereby Turkey would be recognized, preferring, establishing on the intention of purchased and suggested positive word of mouth among people.\nFindings: According to European Commission (EU) (2013) more than half of the individuals with disabilities in the EU made approximately 170 million day trips and a similar number of overnight trips within the EU during the 12 months between mid-2012 and mid-2013. Despite the developments in tourism, lack of product/service appropriate to the travel rights of the individuals with accessibility needs is one of the obstacles should be overcome. Accessible tourism is one of the keys for the survival of the specialized travel agencies in the future. Providing appropriate product/service by targeting the individuals with accessibility needs together with a correct approach and strategy, the specialized travel agencies will be able to have a competitive advantage and continue their activities. Also this market segment will create having sustainable activity and a golden opportunity for the specialized travel agencies in the future.\nOriginality/value: Little research has been done on accessible tourism, future development and on the impact that disabled tourists have on tourism. The paper presents suggestions on what the specialized travel agencies should do with regards to making Turkey be preferred in the future by the individuals having accessibility needs.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Just being there matters: Investigating the role of sense of presence in Like behaviors from the perspective of symbolic interactionism
|
[
"Perceived value",
"Symbolic interactionism",
"User engagement",
"Social network site",
"Like behaviour",
"Sense of presence"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With the rapid development of Web 2.0 technologies, social network service (SNS) has been well integrated in many individuals' daily routines (Lin and Lu, 2015; Yin et al., 2018; Zhan et al., 2016). SNS can be viewed as a personal page that allows users to build and maintain social connections by collecting and sharing information with other users (Kim, 2018; Kwon and Wen, 2010). Due to the increasing popularity of SNSs such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn in recent years, SNS is thought to greatly reform social communication and information distribution approaches around the world (Cheikh-Ammar and Barki, 2014) and has been found to significantly influence users' work (Cao et al., 2016) and life (Zhan et al., 2016).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 User behaviors in social network sites (SNS)\n3. Research model and hypotheses: Figure 1 illustrates the research model which seeks to examine how a sense of presence affects SNS users' Like intention both directly and indirectly through multi-dimensional value perceptions (e.g. cognitive, hedonic and social value). We will explain the underlying mechanisms for each hypothesis as follows.\n4. Methods: 4.1 Data collection\n5. Results: Partial least square (PLS) was used to test the measurement model and structural model. PLS has been widely applied in Information Systems research, especially in the early stage of theory development. PLS is more appropriate for exploratory studies and formative constructs (Hair and Sarstedt, 2011), which is the case in our study as social value is taken as a formative second-order construct. Therefore, PLS, SmartPLS in particular, was used as the analytic tool in this study. Following the two-stage approach, measurement model and structural model will be reported, respectively (Hair et al., 1998).\n6. Discussion: 6.1 Key findings\n7. Conclusion: Like behavior has become a popular interaction approach in SNS, while the research on this issue is still rare. Recognizing the fundamental distinctions between post behavior and Like behavior, this study reconceptualizes Like behavior as a shallow engagement behavior, proposes a concept of sense of presence to capture the shallow engagement nature, and empirically investigates its impacts on Like intention by drawing upon the theory of symbolic interactionism. This study advances the theoretical understanding on Like behavior and provides some practical suggestions to SNS service providers accordingly. Future researchers are encouraged to advance the theories on shallow engagement behavior by taking this study as a foundation.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Although user behaviors in social network service (SNS) have been well studied in prior literature, most of these studies focus on those behaviors with relatively deep user engagement such as information disclosure, while the underlying mechanisms that explain users' shallow engagement behaviors (e.g. Like behavior) have been rarely discussed. To fill this research gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a research model to identify the antecedents of Like behavior.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study identifies the distinctions between post behavior and Like behavior and develops a research model of Like behavior by emphasizing the role of sense of presence from the perspective of symbolic interactionism. The model is tested through a survey with 479 users of WeChat (a popular SNS tool in China). Structural equation modeling, SmartPLS in particular, is used for data analysis.\nFindings: Three value perceptions, namely cognitive value, hedonic value and social value, are found to be positively associated with Like intention, and sense of presence is found to affect Like intention both directly and indirectly via the three value perceptions.\nResearch limitations/implications: The research model is tested based on a specific SNS in China, so whether the conclusions can be applied to other research contexts should be further examined in future research. This study identifies the distinctions between post behavior and Like behavior and suggests to view the Like behavior from the perspective of symbolic interactionism.\nPractical implications: The paper outlines ways to effectively promote SNS users' Like behaviors by enhancing the functions related to three value perceptions, especially by enriching the ways that facilitate interpersonal interactions.\nOriginality/value: This paper is one of the first to distinguish Like behavior from post behavior in SNS, propose and empirically test a research model of Like behavior. In particular, this paper strengthens the important role of sense of presence from the perspective of symbolic interactionism which has rarely been investigated in prior studies.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Relationship and networking strategy tools: characterizing the IMP toolbox
|
[
"IMP toolbox",
"Managing in networks",
"Relationship and networking strategy tools",
"Strategizing in networks",
"Strategy-as-Practice"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: It is not uncommon to distinguish human beings from other creatures by their ability to use and fashion tools to achieve their purposes. Not surprisingly, managers have often looked for tools to help them, whether to plan for the future, increase efficiency, improve quality or enhance communication (Clark, 1997; Knott, 2008). Over the past decades, strategy tools have become a staple of management. The term \"strategy tools\" covers a set of concepts, models, techniques, frameworks and methodologies that structure or influence strategic activity (Rigby, 2001; Jarzabkowski et al., 2009). Strategy tools are often based on academic research and introduced into practice through management education, consultants, popular business literature and strategy literature (Whittington et al., 2003).\n2. Strategizing within the IMP approach: the role of strategy tools: Attending to relationship and networking strategy tools is not a straightforward exercise for two reasons. First, strategy issues are often implicit in IMP research since IMP researchers tend to steer clear of normative approaches and do not necessarily signal the \"strategic content\" of their work (Brennan and Turnbull, 2002). Second, there is no common conceptualization or agreement about how to understand strategy from an IMP perspective or what interactive strategy constitutes (Zolkiewski et al., 2007). Nevertheless, IMP researchers can agree that there is a plurality of managerial concepts, dispersed but possible to attend to, within the IMP approach to interactive strategy.\n3. Methodology: Given that strategy is quite implicit in IMP research and that relationship and networking strategy tools would lend themselves less towards tightly expressed models, but more towards concepts or frameworks that capture the essence of IMP thinking, we opted for an inductive approach for extracting relationship and networking strategy tools. This section describes the choices made to select the literature contributions for this study and how we have operationalized the manual qualitative content analysis approach.\n4. Findings: 4.1. Variety of relationship and networking strategy tools\n5. Analysis and discussion: Presenting the same data as Table III but making use of the pie chart technique, which portray frequency data using sections of a circle to represent 100 per cent of a frequency distribution of the subject being graphed, the values are more readily understood in a graphical form and are therefore particularly informative (Cooper and Schindler, 2008). To ensure that the pie charts are not misleading, each pie chart in Figure 3 accounts for 100 per cent of the 49 tools reviewed, showing how the IMP toolbox is positioned along each of the six dimensions. In this section, we analyze these patterns and offer our explanations.\n6. Conclusion and implications: Based on the literature review, the contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we have compiled a wide variety of relationship and networking strategy tools that essentially constitutes an IMP strategizing toolbox, previously dispersed in the IMP strategizing literature and therefore difficult to attend to for both researchers and practitioners. Second, we have developed a conceptual framework with a vocabulary that shapes up a dialogue around relationship and networking strategy tools in the IMP literature. In the next sub-sections, we offer our concluding remarks and outline important research and managerial implications arising out of this paper.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the relationship and networking strategy tools in the IMP literature. It proposes six dimensions for characterizing such tools: approach to tool development, level (and layer) of analysis, perspective of interaction, activities of network strategizing, external or internal orientation and use for \"strategizing on\" vs \"strategizing in\" relationships and networks.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper uses a manual qualitative content analysis approach and an inductive approach, well suited for extracting relationship and networking strategy tools due to their implicit and dispersed nature.\nFindings: The paper presents an IMP toolbox comprising a wide variety of relationship and networking strategy tools emphasizing interconnectedness, interdependence and limited managerial autonomy, as well as an analysis of how identified tools are positioned along each of the six proposed dimensions.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper contributes a conceptual framework with a vocabulary to content analyze and discuss relationship and networking strategy tools in IMP research.\nPractical implications: The IMP toolbox may be a useful point of departure for managers who feel a need for developing and using a mix of tools for strategizing in business relationships and networks.\nOriginality/value: The paper instills a strategy tool lens in the IMP literature and foregrounds strategizing concepts and techniques that were previously difficult to attend to for both researchers and practitioners.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Costs of hospitalization for chronic kidney disease in Guangzhou, China
|
[
"Health insurance",
"Hospitalization",
"Guangzhou",
"Chronic kidney disease",
"Cost of illness"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: As a global public health problem, chronic kidney disease (CKD) was ranked among the top 25 leading cause of death globally (Lozano et al., 2012). In China, the overall prevalence of CKD was 10.8 percent, and it was estimated that 119.5m Chinese were patients with CKD (Zhang et al., 2012). A study from Southern China suggested that 12.1 percent adults 20 years or older had at least one indicator of kidney damage, indicating the presence of kidney damage with an awareness of only 9.6 percent (Chen et al., 2009). The high prevalence and low awareness of CKD suggested that critical information regarding CKD was needed for healthcare planning and financing, especially under the pressure of the rapid growth of the elderly population in China.\nResearch methods: Data source\nTheoretical framework: The Andersen's behavioral model (Andersen, 1995) was adopted as the theoretical framework to identify the predictors of hospitalization costs for patients with CKD. Individual characteristics were chosen based on: predisposing factors - existing conditions with predispose individuals to use or not use services (age, gender); enabling factors - conditions that facilitate or impede the use of services (type of insurance); and need factors - conditions that healthcare providers recognize as requiring medical treatment (e.g. comorbidities, dialysis therapies, severity of disease, hospital levels and length of stay (LOS)) (Andersen, 1995).\nCost estimation: The claims databases contained information on the direct medical costs of inpatients with CKD from the payers' perspective, including the total amount paid by the insurers and the patients. The total direct hospitalization costs were categorized as laboratory and diagnostic costs, non-medication treatment costs, medication costs, bed fees and the costs of other services, including special caring fees and air-conditioning, based on the classification of costs used in the health insurance claims database. Laboratory and diagnostic costs referred to the costs of physical examinations and biochemical tests. Medication costs were grouped into traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine costs. Non-medication treatment costs referred to the costs for any other treatments except for medication, which included blood transfusions, surgery fees, anesthesia charges and costs for medical consumables. Bed fees were the accommodation costs during hospitalization.\nStatistical analysis: Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation (SD)) were calculated for demographic information and costs. Since the medical costs data usually have a skewed distribution, a series of non-parametric tests, the Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Friedman's two-way non-parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, was used to investigate the differences in patient characteristics associated with inpatient costs by insurance types. To identify the predictors of total inpatient costs, the extension of generalized linear model - the extended estimating equations (EEE) approach (Basu and Rathouz, 2005) - was performed in this study. All statistical calculations were performed using Stata version 12.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA).\nResults: Patient characteristics\nDiscussion: In this observational study, the authors found that the average hospitalization costs of patients with CKD were CNY15,517.7 ($2,458.2). The mean total inpatient costs for CKD patients with UEBMI scheme (CNY15,582.0) were higher than those for patients with the URBMI scheme (CNY14,917.0). The type of insurance, age, comorbidities (diabetes), dialysis therapies, severity of disease (kidney transplantation, ICU admission, referral from other hospitals), LOS and hospital levels were significantly associated with hospitalization costs of CKD. This was the first study to compare the differences in hospitalization costs of patients with CKD between two different urban insurance schemes in China.\nInfluential factors of hospitalization costs: The following section will discuss the four influential factors of hospitalization costs.\nConclusion: The costs of hospitalization for CKD were high and differed by types of insurance in China. The findings of this study could provide economic evidence for understanding the burden of CKD and evaluating different treatment of CKD (dialysis therapy) in China. Such useful information could also be used by policy makers in health insurance program evaluation and health resources allocation.\nLimitations: There were some limitations in this study. First, this study only examined the hospitalization costs. The costs of outpatient services and indirect costs were not analyzed. Thus, the authors likely underestimated the total medical costs of CKD in China. Second, clinical severity factors such as glomerular filtration rate, an important predictor of costs, were omitted from the analysis due to data unavailability. But the authors employed three severity proxies to measure the CKD severity in this study. Third, the study population was limited to urban enrolees under two insurance schemes in one city of China, which cannot represent the whole Chinese population. Further studies considering the whole Chinese population, outpatient expenditures and indirect costs are necessary to have a more comprehensive evaluation of CKD costs in China.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem which imposes a significant financial burden not only on patients but also on the healthcare systems, especially under the pressure of the rapid growth of the elderly population in China. The purpose of this paper is to examine the hospitalization costs of patients with CKD between two urban health insurance schemes and investigate the factors that were associated with their inpatient costs in Guangzhou, China.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This was a prevalence-based, observational study using data derived from two insurance claims databases during the period from January 2010 to December 2012 in the largest city, Guangzhou in Southern China. The authors identified 5,803 hospitalizations under two urban health insurance schemes. An extension of generalized linear model - the extended estimating equations approach - was performed to identify the main drivers of total inpatient costs.\nFindings: Among 5,803 inpatients with CKD, the mean age was 60.6. The average length of stay (LOS) was 14.4 days. The average hospitalization costs per inpatient were CNY15,517.7. The mean inpatient costs for patients with Urban Employee-based Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) scheme (CNY15,582.0) were higher than those under Urban Resident-based Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) scheme (CNY14,917.0). However, the percentage of out-of-pocket expenses for the UEBMI patients (19.8 percent) was only half of that for the URBMI patients (44.5 percent). Insurance type, age, comorbidities, dialysis therapies, severity of disease, LOS and hospital levels were significantly associated with hospitalization costs.\nOriginality/value: The costs of hospitalization for CKD were high and differed by types of insurance schemes. This was the first study to compare the differences in hospitalization costs of patients with CKD under two different urban insurance schemes in China. The findings of this study could provide economic evidence for understanding the burden of CKD and evaluating different treatment of CKD (dialysis therapy) in China. Such useful information could also be used by policy makers in health insurance program evaluation and health resources allocation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Innovation in the main Brazilian business sectors: characteristics, types and comparison of innovation
|
[
"Innovation",
"Emerging economies",
"Process innovation",
"Innovation in main Brazilian business sector",
"Types of innovation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Innovation is crucial for sustainable development and is a source of competitive advantage for organizations in the current context of globalization and market competition (Thomas et al., 2012). Baregheh et al. (2009) argue that owing to the increasing dynamism of markets, organizations now have greater interest in innovation, its processes and its management, and keeping in view this organizational context, they innovate to respond to changes in demands and lifestyles of consumers, to capitalize on the opportunities offered by technologies and changing markets.\n2. Theoretical framework: Innovation can be defined as \"the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organizational method in business practices, workplace organization or external relations\" (OECD, 2005, p. 46). In addition to this definition, Tidd et al. (2005) define innovation as a process that seeks to develop the practical use of a previously conceived invention, thus representing the diffusion and the effectiveness of an idea. It is noteworthy in this manner, the difference between invention and innovation, as not every invention becomes innovation, keeping in view that such innovation is only truly effective if it 0is implemented and the market accepts it. The next section reviews the types of innovation and its typology.\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Methodological aspects\n4. Results analysis: 4.1 Banking sector\n5. Conclusions: The main objective of this article is to analyze the innovation process of organizations representing the main sectors of the Brazilian economic activity. This research complies with the proposed objective as it characterizes the innovation process of the investigated companies and presents a comparative analysis regarding the sectoral standard for innovation.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the innovation process of organizations representing the main sectors of Brazilian economic activity.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The literature review focuses on analyzing the innovation process characteristics regarding the innovation types. The authors carried out interviews with executives and managers in charge of innovation at the leading large companies in the respective sectors analyzed. The data analysis of this qualitative research was structured in three steps. The first step is the analysis of data collected for encoding, the second step, the summarization of the common points presented by the companies in each sector and, finally, the interpretation of these data, aided by triangulation from secondary data that support the analysis of the collected primary data.\nFindings: The main contribution of this study is to characterize the innovation process of organizations representing the main sectors of the Brazilian economy, with a classification regarding the sectoral innovation standard.\nPractical implications: The authors' intent is that the paper can contribute with a comparative analysis among companies of the same sector and, subsequently, among companies of the different surveyed sectors. Thus, the characterization aims to present the companies' innovation process and the comparative analysis aims to verify the innovation sectoral patterns. In addition, as implications for management practice, some strategies for better knowledge management in the organization are suggested for each type of innovation.\nOriginality/value: The main theoretical contribution focuses on the development of a conceptual model that structures the analyzed variables of the constructs \"innovation process\" and \"innovation sectoral patterns\", allowing not only the characterization but also the comparative analysis of the representative organizations present in the sample.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Supporting group collaboration in Wiki by increasing the awareness of task conflict
|
[
"Design",
"Wiki",
"Comparative study",
"Group collaboration",
"Online collaboration"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Wiki, as a kind of open system, allows users to collaboratively contribute content. In many organizations, a wiki system is extensively used as a knowledge management tool to achieve various group goals, such as management of business metadata, building artifact and decision making (Koushik et al., 2009; Malone et al., 2010; Huner et al., 2011; Grace, 2009). The feasibility of using wiki system to support collaborative work and harvest the wisdom of crowds has widely been demonstrated. For example, wiki can increase collaboration activities among users (Notari, 2006), facilitate knowledge creation and sharing (Moskaliuk et al., 2012; Raman et al., 2005), provide dynamic repositories that allow users to learn by constructing knowledge based on their own experience in a self-directing way and develop a sense of community (Reinhold, 2006; Pusey and Meiselwitz, 2009).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Awareness of task conflict\n3. Research hypotheses: We select Robey's model (Robey et al., 1993) as the basis of our research framework because it is a representative conflict model which reflects group process. It has also been well explored in the literature. The differences between our research model and Robey's model are concluded into three major perspectives. Firstly, we mainly focus on wiki contexts which have not been explored by Robey's model yet (Barki and Hartwick, 1994); we targets at task conflict, while Robey's model is for general case; the \"conflict\" construct in Robey's model is replaced by \"conflict awareness\" in our model, and accordingly, research hypotheses have also been modified to adapt our research scenario.\n4. Design of visual feedback about task conflict: The new design in this study is based on three assumptions. First, by providing paragraph-based revision history, a user can focus on the specific part of the content and reduce the time and effort to locate relevant revisions from a huge list of revisions. Second, by providing a complete edit history of the content, the user can know exactly the evolution of opinions and corresponding editors to communicate with. Third, by providing word-based content authorship, the user can quickly identify whether others have modified the content he contributed. Furthermore, he can also know his influence in the community and thus be motivated to contribute.\n5. Research method: A controlled experiment is chosen in this study. This is mainly because this strategy can let researchers be more focused on the research theme, rather than being interrupted by irrelevant factors. The procedure of the experiment is described as follows:\n6. Analysis and results: After the wiki-based online discussion, 322 questionnaires were sent out. There were 21 invalid responses since 13 students temporarily quitted due to personal issues, and eight students in the control group made a wrong selection indicating that they noticed the conflict from the new design. A total of 301 valid questionnaires were finally received (151 from the control group and 150 from experimental group). These 301 questionnaires were all valid because the filling was controlled by a software program which did not allow missing selection. The demographic data for 301 students is shown in Table III. It can be seen that participants' demographic data is almost equally distributed across control and experimental groups.\n7. Conclusion and discussion: 7.1 Discussion about results\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Wiki forms a new model of virtual collaboration. The original wiki is designed to hide content authorship information. Such design may hinder users from being aware of task conflict, resulting in low-efficient conflict management and decreased group performance. This study aims at increasing users' awareness of task conflict to facilitate wiki-based collaboration.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A visual feedback dialog box is designed to increase users' awareness of task conflict. A survey-based comparative study is conducted by using original wiki and modified wiki (the new design). A total of 301 participants are invited. Structural equation model (SEM) is used to analyze survey data.\nFindings: Most users are willing to solve conflict issues, and the dialog box can increase users' awareness of task conflict. Conflict awareness can promote user's participation, gain better conflict resolution and improve group performance. The dialog box can enhance the influence of conflict awareness on user participation and conflict resolution, but reduce the influence of conflict awareness on group performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: Only undergraduate students are invited, some typical variables are not included. The design needs improvement.\nOriginality/value: A new wiki tool is designed. The influence of conflict awareness is explored while previous studies largely ignore this variable.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A proposed model for effective negotiation skill development
|
[
"Training",
"Learning",
"Skill development",
"Negotiation skills"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Many negotiation writers (e.g. Thompson, 2012; Shell, 1999; Watkins, 2002) claim that everyone is a negotiator and everyone negotiates something almost every day, be it in their personal or professional lives. Fells (2010, p. 3) defines negotiation as \"a process where two [or more] parties with differences which they need to resolve are trying to reach an agreement through exploring for options and exchanging offers.\" Organizations today are faced with globalization, workforce diversity, customer-focused strategies, intense competition, and flatter organizational structures. These organizations have a vested interest in developing employees' skills to negotiate effectively and structure deals optimally (Brett et al., 1999; Kim et al., 2005; Stevens and Gist, 1997). Negotiation skills are often a vital component to both employee and organizational success (Grennan, 2014; Bendersky and McGinn, 2010; Lax and Sebenius, 1986). Weingart et al. (1990, p. 7) go as far as to say that negotiation research has drawn significant attention \"because the topic has direct relevance to the development of managerial skills.\"\nDeveloping the model: Negotiation skills can be somewhat difficult to define (Patton, 2009). How do organizations recognize which negotiation skill sets will get them the outcome they want? What characterizes or exemplifies a great negotiator? Which skills are needed for distributive, integrative, and adaptable negotiation contexts, and what methods are best for developing those skills? What characteristics of people and of situations will facilitate (or inhibit) the development of great negotiators? These questions will be addressed in this paper as we outline our model. The model we set forth in Figure 1 represents what we believe to be a more focused framework by which employees acquire and exhibit negotiation skills and behaviors. The model recognizes that certain negotiation skills are more conducive to particular types of negotiations, which in turn are more effective in obtaining particular negotiation outcomes. Additionally, we address person and situational factors that can impact the employee's negotiation skill set acquisition.\nConclusion: Effective negotiation is vital to the success of organizations. This necessity exists in the broad spectrum of organizations, including government, private sector, and not-for-profit organizations. Because of the stakes - both distributive and integrative - involved in negotiations, organizations have a vested interest in developing effective negotiators. Our goal has been to develop an initial model that details critical components to negotiation skill acquisition in employees. Despite the great emphasis placed on employees to be effective negotiators, there is not a holistic model that explains how effective negotiators emerge, nor is there a critical mass of research on negotiation skill development in the same tradition as there is research on leadership skill development. The practice of negotiation is often taught as a one-size-fits-all approach, whereby popular tactics of \"give and take\" and advice to be \"tough on the issues and soft on the people\" is the prescription for any negotiation, regardless of the context or desired outcomes. Furthermore, not only are the tactics generalized, but the method for teaching negotiation is often generalized and standardized regardless of the skills being developed. Our model aims to set forth a \"prototype\" of best practices of the skills needed to be developed and the best method and best individual for developing those skills based on the type of negotiation one engages.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Previous research on negotiation skills has focused mostly on the negotiation itself and tactics used when bargaining, while little research has examined the process by which people become effective negotiators. The purpose of this paper is to develop an initial model from an intra-organizational perspective to outline the factors that contribute to the development of negotiation skills and behaviors by employees.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This conceptual paper relies on prior research and existing theory to focus on the types of developmental and learning experiences and processes that lead to the acquisition of three specific types of key negotiation skills and behaviors.\nFindings: Distributive, integrative, and adaptable negotiation skills are developed most effectively via different learning and development activities, respectively. Additionally, unique individual difference and situational variables could contribute to particular negotiation behaviors, either directly or via an interaction with developmental experiences.\nPractical implications: The paper proposes a model for future testing in which results can provide support for tailored/customized training and development of employee negotiation skills. Providing the correct people with the correct tools in the correct manner is always desirable by practitioners.\nOriginality/value: This proposed holistic model provides new insights, structure, and suggestions for more research on factors that lead to negotiation skill development and exhibition of effective negotiation behaviors. This paper goes beyond description of negotiation tactics and addresses the various negotiation contexts and the unique skills needed for each. Most importantly, the paper addresses how those skills are uniquely and most effectively developed.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Trust and reputation models comparison
|
[
"Trust",
"Modelling",
"Distributed databases",
"Computer networks"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction and motivation: Trust and reputation management has arisen in the last few years as an innovative strategy in order to deal with the lack of centralised entities in purely and highly distributed environments providing reliable information regarding the actual behaviour of every member in the system (Josang et al., 2007; Sabater and Sierra, 2005).In fact, several trust and/or reputation management proposals have been developed, applying a wide variety of different mechanisms, techniques or approaches, constituting thus a research field which has captured the attention of a number of scientific groups in both industry and academia.Nevertheless, although there are a great number of different proposals, as far as we know there are only a few works where no new approach is presented, but a comparison among the most representative ones is carried out, describing their main characteristics and analysing their strengths and weaknesses.Therefore, this paper presents some of the most relevant trust and reputation models found in the literature. An implementation of those models has been done and included in a generic trust and reputation models simulator, called TRMSim-WSN (Gomez and Martinez, 2009a). This framework has allowed us to test those models and provide some results regarding their accuracy as well as their resilience against certain security threats specifically applicable to those systems.The rest of the paper is organized as follows: the next section presents a short survey of some of the most relevant and innovative current trust and/or reputation models for distributed systems. In the following section we will describe in detail the selected approaches to be compared. Such comparison will be actually held in the penultimate section, describing the experiment settings and analysing the outcomes achieved. The final section concludes this work and presents some future research lines.\nRelated work: Nowadays, trust and reputation management is widely considered and accepted as an efficient solution for several environments where there is a lack of information about the entities composing a system and interacting among them (Marsh, 1994; Gomez and Martinez, 2009b; Mui, 2002). By using these mechanisms, an entity is able to decide which other entity to have an interaction with, according to the global reputation given to the latter, the direct trust given by the former, or a combination of both.In this sense, on the one hand some works related to the analysis of trust and reputation systems have been carried out (Sun and Yang, 2007; Lam and Riedl, 2004; Gomez and Martinez, 2009c; Marti and Garcia-Molina, 2006). And even some others related to simulation tools for those systems (Moloney, 2005; Gomez and Martinez, 2009a).On the other hand, many researchers have focused their efforts in providing new trust and/or reputation models in the last decades. We have surveyed the related literature and have realised that most of those authors just concentrate on describing their approaches. Some of them present a number of experiments in order to prove the accuracy of their proposals under certain conditions or circumstances (Chen et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2007; Kamvar et al., 2003; Gomez and Martinez, 2010; Gui et al., 2007; Gui et al., 2008; Xiong and Liu, 2004). And only a few ones additionally present a comparison of their models with some other works (Chen et al., 2007; Zhou and Hwang, 2007). There are even a number of them that do not carry out any set of experiments (Azzedin et al., 2007; Abdul-Rahman and Hailes, 2000).Nevertheless, we have not found any paper where an implementation of several trust and/or reputation models as well as an exhaustive comparison amongst them is provided, without presenting a new proposed model (see Table I). Therefore, to our best knowledge, this is one of the first posing such a work.\nCompared trust and reputation models: In this section we will describe every trust and reputation model we have selected to be implemented and compared. Some of them have been mainly chosen because of their novelty or goodness, and other ones because of their relevance and importance in this research field. As shown in Table I, apart from our previous novel work, BTRM-WSN, the other three models constitute an important reference for other researchers within this specific field.BTRM-WSN (Gomez and Martinez, 2010) is a bio-inspired trust and reputation model for wireless sensor networks, whose novelty is the accurate application of an ant colony system (Dorigo et al., 2006) in order to help a node to find the most trustworthy sensor providing a certain service, and to reach such sensor through the most reputable path. To do so, ants are sent and spread throughout the network and, while they are exploring it, they also leave some pheromone traces that in turn will help forthcoming ants to follow the appropriate route.Therefore, in this model every sensor stores a pheromone trace value for each one of its neighbours. These pheromone traces t[?][0,1], will determine the probability of ants choosing a certain path, and can be seen as the amount of trust given by a sensor to another one. Additionally, the heuristic values e[?][0,1] are defined as the inverse of the distance between every pair of sensors. Both elements together, pheromone traces and heuristic values, take part in the transition rule which decides the next sensor an ant will move forward.Once the launched ants (or a subset of them) return to the source (i.e. the sensor applying BTRM-WSN to find the most trustworthy service provider), it is necessary to evaluate the quality of every found path. The metric used to assess such adequacy, Q(Sk), takes into account the average pheromone of the path found by ant k, the length of such path as well as the percentage of ants that have selected the same solution as ant k. Hence, the path with highest quality (which means the shortest one with highest pheromone traces) is selected.Furthermore, every time an ant crosses a sensor, it modifies the pheromone trace associated to the link connecting the sensors it is travelling through so that links with lower pheromone traces and higher heuristic values receive a greater reinforcement, while those with high pheromone traces and low heuristic values have a lower increase. ph[?][0,1] is a parameter used to adjust and control this pheromone local updating. Additionally, each edge of the best path found receives an extra pheromone reinforcement which is directly proportional to the quality of the best path, the heuristic value, the previous pheromone trace, and the value of a controlling parameter r[?][0,1].Finally, once the most trustworthy service provider has been selected and the transaction has been performed, according to the satisfaction of the client with the received service, a punishment or reward step takes place. This punishment or reward is done again in terms of pheromone evaporation or contribution, respectively, along the path leading to the selected service provider.Ants' ability to find alternative paths when the current one is no longer promising makes BTRM-WSN especially resilient against topology changes in the network as well as against nodes behavioural oscillations.EigenTrust\nComparison: Framework for comparison: TRMSim-WSN\nPractical implications: As a consequence of the performed experiments, we can also find the following analysis, which describes how each one of the selected trust and/or reputation models manages each one of the steps described previously and shown in Figure 1.Thus, Table III exposes such analysis, where it can be observed, for instance, that the only model applying a probabilistic entity selection is EigenTrust.Moreover, BTRM-WSN is the only model from the studied ones that actually has a differentiated step of punishing or rewarding an entity performing a transaction.The fourth step is essentially the same for every model. The difference lies in how the satisfaction assessment is carried out. That satisfaction value could come as a fuzzy set, a value from a continuous interval, a linguistic label, just a binary value, etc.Usually the gathering information step is the one who will mostly determine the overhead introduced by each model, so more efforts need to be concentrated on this phase if a lightweight trust and/or reputation model is desired.Therefore, the decision about which trust and reputation model to apply for a specific scenario should be taken on an exhaustive analysis of the intrinsic properties of such scenario, as well as its design requirements or its feasible threats.Thus for instance, if we are facing a system close to the definition made in experiment 1 (static networks), any of the proposed models would be convenient for dealing with malicious users, being EigenTrust, however, the less recommendable.On the other hand, if the topology of the network is highly dynamic (with many nodes leaving and entering the community quite often), then the most suitable trust and reputation mechanism would be PowerTrust.Nevertheless, if it is the behavioural patterns of the members within the network which are very dynamic (with many nodes swapping from benevolent to malicious and vice versa), then our suggestion would be to deploy BTRM-WSN, provided that the percentage of malicious users is less than or equal to 60 per cent.Finally, if the malicious entities present in the system (or a subset of them), collude amongst them in order to achieve a higher profit in terms of (fake) recommendations, then using either EigenTrust or PowerTrust would be a wise decision.\nConclusions and future work: In this paper we have shown the comparison between some of the most relevant and innovative trust and/or reputation models for distributed networks.All the studied models (BTRM-WSM, EigenTrust, PeerTrust and PowerTrust) show a reasonably good performance under almost any circumstances (dynamic networks, oscillating behaviour, collusion ...). Nevertheless, some of them proved to be more suitable for certain situations and more resilient to some specific threats. For instance, all the tested models, except for EigenTrust, are immune to the networks size and they always get quite satisfactory results when those networks are static, i.e. their topology remains invariable over time.Nodes oscillating behaviours are those which have been dealt more efficiently by all the studied models, obtaining quite good outcomes under almost any circumstances. EigenTrust and PowerTrust are the approaches that better manage those networks where a collusion is formed, although if the percentage of malicious nodes is too high, the models performance worsens.Regarding the path length, in BTRM-WSN it depends on the percentage of malicious nodes (except for the case of collusion, where it remains nearly constant) and it is independent from the network size. In the rest of the models this parameter depends exclusively on the network size and it is totally independent from the percentage of malicious nodes in the system.In summary, the importance has been demonstrated of analysing the specific and intrinsic features of the network where a trust and/or reputation model is to be applied, as well as the feasible security threats that could be found on it. This study and analysis will provide us with the information required to choose the more suitable model for a given network.As a future work, we are planning to develop a controller for each implemented model in order to dynamically and automatically adjust their parameters according to the situation, circumstances and environment. Furthermore, we would like to include additional trust and reputation models in our simulator TRMSim-WSN, and to implement more security threats.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to analyse and describe several trust and reputation models for distributed and heterogeneous networks and compare some of them in order to provide an evaluation amongst some of the most relevant works in this field.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors have developed a trust and reputation models simulator for wireless sensor networks, called TRMSim-WSN, and implemented several trust models for distributed networks in order to test their accuracy as well as their resilience against a set of specific security threats that can be applied in these particular systems, as the paper will show.\nFindings: - The analysis of the outcomes obtained from the experiments revealed that while some models have a reasonably good performance against certain security threats, none of them behaves as would be desired under any circumstances.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Ongoing work is focused on the implementation of several trust and reputation models in the simulator TRMSim-WSN, in order to have a wider range of possibilities for comparison. Furthermore, the authors are planning to include additional security threats that allow the testing of those models under new undesirable situations.\nPractical implications: - The experiments show that when deciding which trust and/or reputation model is more suitable or adequate to be applied, it is crucial to study and analyse the specific features of the distributed network where such model is to be deployed, as well as the possible security threats that can spoil its accuracy.\nOriginality/value: - As far as is known, this is one of the few works in the field of trust and reputation in distributed systems where no new model is presented, but a comparison and analysis of some of the current most representative ones is carried out.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The use of uncertain scenarios in disaster risk reduction: a systematic review
|
[
"Disaster",
"Scenario analysis",
"Uncertainty",
"Climate change",
"Emergency"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The main features of the managerial measures in prevention and elimination of the negative effects of natural and technological disasters are that a disaster occurs and develops unexpectedly, suddenly (Altay and Green, 2006). Due to inherent unpredictable of disasters, it is difficult to exactly forecast them. Here is the place that futures studies come. Planning and management measures in disastrous conditions are closely related to the advanced scenario analysis and strategic forecasting of alternative directions of their development (Hallegatte, 2009).\n2. Methodology: The present study was a systematic review of articles and other publications relating to uncertainty scenario planning and scenario analysis in disaster and emergencies planning. The review was carried out according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines (Moher et al., 2009) (Figure 1).\n3. Results: The initial search with selected keywords between electronic databases resulted in a total of 981 articles. The duplicate documents were eliminated at next step. In this step, 171 articles were eliminated and total articles decreased to 810 articles. Then, titles of gathered articles were reviewed to find the articles that were related to scenario planning and scenario analysis in disaster management and planning through systematic screening. In this step, 133 articles were selected. After that, abstracts of selected articles were reviewed, and only 50 articles were suitable and selected to full review and 83 articles were eliminated. In the next phase, all of 50 articles were completely read by two authors separately, and 10 articles that have inclusion criteria and developed uncertainty scenarios in disaster management and planning were selected. The process of search and selection of gathered articles based on PRISMA guidelines shows in Figure 2.\n4. Discussion and conclusion: In this review, we found that researchers in disaster planning tend to generate four scenarios based on two key uncertainties. According to Amer's arguments, most of the scientists in scenario planning recommended three to four scenarios in any project (Amer et al., 2013). Developing a lot of scenarios can confuse users. Beside that, development of one or two scenarios generated less alternative futures (Moss et al., 2010; Durance and Godet, 2010). In some cases, scenario planners developed more than four scenarios due to methodological constraints (Chermack, 2011). CIA is a popular technique in disaster scenario development. CIA created to analysis complex interaction relationships between various key factors in futures studies in which conventional methods like Delphi cannot find them (Banuls and Turoff, 2011; Banuls et al., 2010). CIA is a suitable tool for taking a set of binary future events and discovering the potential causal impacts that the expectation or occurrence of each event may have on the others in the set (Alizadeh et al., 2016). Because of the ability of CIA to analyze complex systems with various causal relationships, CIA is one of the most commonly used techniques for developing and analyzing scenarios (Muskat, et al., 2013).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: In recent years, futures study methods, especially scenario analysis, are used to plan for disaster and emergency management. Scenario method is suitable for public level policy making. Scenarios generated alternative descriptive futures in all of the development field such as disaster studies. This paper aims to systematically review the articles that generated scenarios in disaster management to attain gaps, challenges and opportunities related to use of scenario analysis in disasters.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This is a systematic review that was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The keywords that searched included \"disaster,\" \"emergency,\" \"crisis,\" \"disruptive event,\" \"futures study,\" \"foresight,\" \"scenario,\" \"community-based scenario planning,\" \"participatory scenario planning,\" \"scenario planning\" and \"scenario analysis.\" The Google Scholar, ISI Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched.\nFindings: A total of 981 article gathered after initial search between electronic databases. At final step, only ten articles included in the study. The selected articles compared according to many aspects. Most of the scenarios that developed in disaster management and planning concentrated on climate change and flooding related hazards. Many of studies developed three or four scenarios that it seems the number is suitable for disaster planning.\nOriginality/value: The paper serves as an original guideline for disaster planning.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Improving access to information for everyone at all times: the case of Inspire in the UK
|
[
"Information services",
"United Kingdom",
"Resource sharing",
"User studies"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nWhat is Inspire?: Inspire provides a service for learners and researchers at all stages of their lives and careers to improve their access to information and library collections across all types of libraries by means of proactive co-operation and joint working. This service is delivered through public libraries, libraries in higher and further education, government, health, cultural and research organizations (Figure 1).Inspire is underpinned by the support of The British Library, the National Library of Wales, the National Library of Scotland and the Library and Information Services Council, Northern Ireland, the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) and the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) and The Combined Regions (TCR). It is managed by a steering group representing these interests, the Inspire Management Board (IMB).\nBackground: Inspire was created in 2003 to support the political imperatives of the time: the need to create a \"knowledge society\" and the desire to develop a culture of lifelong learning and widening participation in tertiary education.Learning was, and is, seen as necessarily an ongoing process and whilst libraries offer natural gateways to learning (whether formal or informal), no single library can fulfil the needs of all learners and researchers. Inspire was created to bring libraries from different sectors together so that information could be accessed wherever it was to be found.Because of its funding programme, Inspire focuses on libraries and learning organizations in England, but it also has links with parallel developments in Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland and especially with Northern Ireland.\nObjectives: Inspire's objective is to ensure that all learners can have access to the most appropriate learning materials for their needs - irrespective of the status of the learner or the location of the materials.To achieve this Inspire set out to sign up all publicly funded libraries plus any others that were willing to take part. In addition to provide a guide for both librarians and for learners to map libraries with collections and materials relevant to their needs.\nHow does Inspire work?: Management of Inspire:\nInspire support for staff development: Although Inspire's principle objective is to support library users, the regional and sub regional Inspire groups also perform a valuable function in the area of staff development. At the most basic level, local and regional meetings, both formal and informal, help staff to develop a knowledge of other libraries and to get to know other library staff in their area: both of which are valuable in assisting librarians to advise users about visits to other libraries. In many cases the Inspire groups set up regular meetings to support staff development. For example, as reported in the March 2010 Inspire e-newsletter, a recent meeting in the West Midlands focussed on specialist collections through the ages and \"local speakers from the health, public and cathedral sectors shared information on their collections. This was followed by a session on how the group could share their expertise and resources through locally held workshops\".\nInspire today: In 2010, the principal objectives of Inspire remain the same as they were in 2003, but operational priorities have been reworked and extended. The focus is now on wider support for collaborative programmes and projects with similar aims, whether they are led by Inspire or others; direct links with the home nations including representation on the Inspire Management Board; plus support for networking and dialogue across library sectors, that leads to collaborative activities and shared services.The Inspire directors and other members of the IMB give their time freely to continue to support a service which has as much relevance now as it did in 2003.\nValue of Inspire today: Supporting learning and research\nSo what can Inspire offer in these difficult times?: Inspire's unique network of links across sectors provides ideal scope for sharing staff, resources, support services, premises, training and even the possibility of joint customer membership. These are all opportunities which Inspire with its pre-existing groups can sustain, support and facilitate.The value of sharing services has been widely recognised and whilst each sector will start within their own grouping, there is no reason why similar services in different sectors cannot cooperate, whether for sharing remote book storage and associated transport services, joint procurement of stock, cataloguing or even the joint provision of a frontline service. The new Worcester Library and History Centre, currently being developed by Worcester County Council and Worcester University, provides a timely example of how far sharing can go[11].\nThe way forward: In this period of financial stringency, the benefits of working collaboratively, of sharing - access, back office functions such as cataloguing, staff training etc are all clearly apparent and Inspire is well placed to support these developments.There are, however, contra-indications that augur against the apparently healthy outlook for increased collaboration. As funding constraints tighten, in the academic sector at least, the need to compete may overcome the desire to collaborate; the concern that staff should be focussed on the needs of institutional members to the exclusion of others, apart from those able to pay for the privilege, may close doors that once were open.It is to be hoped that the value of collaboration to individual organizations will be greater than that of competition and that sharing, services, resources, and perhaps even staff, will be the way forward for all to assist in riding out the storm of coming financial cutbacks.For more information about Inspire, or to subscribe to the monthly Inspire e-newsletter, please contact Sally Curry sally.curry@newcastle.ac.uk\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to describe Inspire, a service that promotes cross-sectoral resource sharing in the UK.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The service is described and its many benefits identified, especially at a time of significant cuts in public services.\nFindings: - The paper finds that Inspire provides a valuable resource-sharing service in England as well as having connections to Wales, Scotland and Ireland.\nOriginality/value: - This is the first article to fully describe and give an up-to-date picture of this valuable service.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
New Zealand District Health Board Mental Health Service Profile
|
[
"Health services",
"Mental health services",
"Quality",
"Performance management",
"New Zealand"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: DHBs are responsible for improving, promoting and protecting the health and independence of their populations. To do this they assess the health and disability support needs of the people they serve, and manage their resources appropriately by investing in services either provided directly by them or by contract with other agencies. The Minister, advised by the Ministry of Health, enters into annual agreements with DHBs for service provision, based on population health assessments.Mental health is a priority for the New Zealand Government, which has increased ring-fenced funding to this sector by 127 per cent (inflation-adjusted) in the past eight years (Mental Health Commission, 2003). This major investment of new funds has been the subject of annual agreement discussions so far as mental health is concerned, with a focus on such matters as the appropriate share of new funds for each Board and evidence of the development of more services with the new money, etc. Although a great deal of data is routinely collected about mental health services, it has not been converted into information reports for use in service management or quality improvement. Gradually, as the focus for annual agreement discussions alters from accounting for expenditure to examination of value for money, the Profile will be a valuable tool for the Ministry and Boards to inform their discussions.The background, theory and development of the Ministry of Health Mental Health Directorate DHB Mental Health Service Profile (Profile) is discussed and example pages from the Profile are included. The Profile is based on several key mental health service quality indicators, including:* access rates;* discharge rates;* informal discharge rates;* Mental Health Act use rates;* acute admission rates;* clients admitted three or more times in a year; and* length of stay.For each local result a comparison is given that shows the minimum, medium, and maximum rates of the 21 DHBs. The Profile provides a basis for improved objective comparative understanding of DHB mental health service performance.\nBackground: The differing goals, values and philosophies of clients, families/whanau (extended Maori family), clinicians and funders are often hard to reconcile when planning and managing mental health services. There has been a significant amount of research completed on best practice treatments for mental illness, but little progress has been made on effectiveness assessments of mental health service delivery for non-financial performance measures. Currently, measures typically involve little more than numerical counts and statistical surveys, and they largely revolve around financial measures of the organisation (Newberry and Barnett, 2000). Only limited evidence exists to guide the organisation of mental health services (Anderson and Lyons, 2001), and this will not improve until objective information is used to inform decision-making. The Profile has its foundations in Moving Forward: The National Mental Health Plan for More and Better Services (Ministry of Health, 1997) and also the National Mental Health Sector Standard (Standards New Zealand, 2001): in particular, Standard 12.26(g) - \"The continuous quality improvement process contributes to service improvements\" includes \"[B]enchmarking quality performance against similar services nationally and/or internationally\".There is significant literature supporting the timely use of quality reporting as being effective in improving service quality (e.g. Royal Women's Hospital, 2000; Kaplan and Norton, 2001; Lagoe and Noetscher, 2000; Schimmel, 1996; Larose, 2003).The Profile does not set targets for each indicator but uses relative performance on key indicators to encourage Ministry of Health and DHB managers to use objective information to inform decision-making within the sector to improve performance.Profile description\nProfile examples: For each District Health Board (DHB) a service profile has been compiled using data mostly extracted from MHINC (the Mental Health Information National Collection) for a specified timeframe indicated at the top of each profile. A data dictionary has been developed for the profile.The Electronic Service Profile spreadsheet is comprised of three work sheets:1. the summary service profile - providing a report and graphical display of a group of selected indicators;2. the main report - providing detailed reports of the larger set of funding and service indicators; and3. the supporting data file - showing the full set of calculated data.The Profile for the selected DHB compares the DHB with the minimum medium and maximum range of the indicators for all DHBs. The demonitors for the calculations are colour-coded, as are the summary statistics. An example of the summary page is shown in Figure 1, while Figure 2 shows an example of a page from the full profile.\nDiscussion: The Profile will evolve over time with quality indicators being added and or deleted as experience indicates. The Profile will be able to demonstrate that certain levels of performance can be reached and utilises the adage that \"if it can be done, someone will be doing it\". It will be a powerful tool to help improve performance across the sector. The Profile will inform key stakeholders, promote discussion and help to drive improved performance.The Profile will be of greater value when the broadly defined client groups are further differentiated by case mix and a start has been made. One broad division among adult clients is between those who have a long-term requirement for mental health services and those whose condition is appropriately treated in a shorter term. To understand how well the needs of long-term clients are being met, a project entitled Knowing the People Planning (2003) is currently being piloted in five DHBs. KPP is based on the premise that the number of people requiring long-term contact (longer than two years) with mental health services is relatively small (0.5 per cent) of the adult population. A set of quality indicators that together amount to a comprehensive service response for the long-term client has been agreed by all stakeholders. The experience of all long-term clients in a locality is measured against these indicators to assess service affectivity. Using a census rather that a sample means that the outcomes are measured down to each individual client and the results of any action to address un-met needs can be assessed at the individual level.A combination of the DHB mental health service profile and knowledge of the long-term client group will provide an excellent information platform for the further development of quality mental health services for other client groups.\nConclusion: Having key DHB mental health quality information in one place and being able to compare individual DHB performance with minimum, medium and maximum values for all DHBs is a significant step to improving information use and understanding DHB service and quality issues. The DHB Profile overcomes the problem of setting arbitrary benchmarks by using the range of current practice across the sector. The Profile demonstrates that certain levels of performance can be achieved and, given a better understanding of the long-term client group resulting from the use of the Knowing the People Planning (KPP) methodology, is potentially a very powerful tool for encouraging improved service delivery. Improved data quality is also likely to be a spin-off from the use of the Profile in the sector. The feedback received from DHBs to date has been positive. A major incentive for the sector to take the Profile seriously will be the extent to which it is used by the Ministry of Health in annual agreement and ongoing discussions with the Boards.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to describe the New Zealand Ministry of Health District Health Board (DHB) Mental Health Service Profile, which for the first time compares performance on a number of quality indicators for the populations of 21 DHBs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The background, theory and development of the Ministry of Health Mental Health Directorate DHB Mental Health Service Profile (Profile) is discussed and example pages from the Profile are included\nFindings: - The DHB Profile overcomes the problem of setting arbitrary benchmarks by using the range of current practice across the sector. The profile demonstrates that certain levels of performance can be achieved and, given a better understanding of the long-term client group, is potentially a very powerful tool for encouraging improved service delivery. Improved data quality is also likely to be a spin-off from the use of the Profile in the sector.\nOriginality/value: - Having key DHB mental health quality information in one place and being able to compare individual DHB performance with minimum, medium and maximum values for all DHBs are a significant step to improving information use and understanding DHB service and quality issues.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
How to optimize learning from internships: The potential impact of an entrepreneurial approach
|
[
"Assessment",
"Learning",
"Feedback",
"Entrepreneurial learning",
"Internship"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: In academic terms, graduates are, by definition, high achievers. But this does not guarantee a smooth transition from university to the workplace. For many, it is a time of great uncertainty, as they consider important decisions about future career pathways.\nInternships and learning: some key issues: One option is to undertake a professional internship to gain crucial experience of a work environment. This ideal opportunity to apply knowledge gained in class within a work context can help students determine appropriate career options and develop their professional identity.\nIs an entrepreneurial approach suitable?: The limitations of current assessment practices might also be addressed by taking an entrepreneurial approach to learning. Plenty evidence exists to illustrate the effectiveness of education methods founded on experience and an orientation towards action. On the downside, some assessment methodologies for entrepreneurial learning are still being developed and their use for evaluation of internships is still in its infancy. Course developers might use formative assessment in the shape of feedback as a means of measuring whether certain actions have proved effective.\nAligning theory with practice and development of a professional identity: Problems in reconciling theory with practice were common among these students. The largely practical orientation of internships is perhaps a major reason for their difficulty.\nImportance of reflection and relevant assessment: Reflection is a key component of learning and knowledge acquisition within any context. Internships are no different. But the goalposts shift somewhat compared to a university environment. The main reason for this is the removal of educators from the equation. Reflection becomes more student-driven as a result.\nComment: The review is based on: \"An entrepreneurial learning approach to assessment of internships,\" by Ramsgaard and Ostergaard (2017), published in Education + Training. An action-based entrepreneurial approach can help students better align theory and practice when on an internship. This approach can further benefit learning by facilitating important reflection and student development of a professional identity within the organization hosting the internship.\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: Use of an entrepreneurial learning approach can help graduates on internship placements to better apply theoretical knowledge to practice. They are also able to enhance their ability to engage in meaningful reflection, more accurately assess their experience of the program, and develop a professional identity.\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"
}
] |
Women's career interruptions: an integrative review
|
[
"Women",
"Career development",
"Integrative review",
"Career decision",
"Career interruption",
"Mind mapping"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Research shows that women, when compared with men, are taking a frayed and nonlinear career path in which career interruptions are expected to happen at certain points of their life (Arthur and Rousseau, 1996; Beck, 1997; Elley-Brown et al., 2018; Mainiero and Sullivan, 2006). Career interruptions refer to taking a break from previous employment. The decision of not working for a while has potential negative consequences such as disconnection from professional associations, threatened self-identity and human capital depreciation (e.g. potential wage penalty). However, most career women, especially working mothers, still choose to pause their career at certain points because of a shift of career focus or family reasons. When career women decide to reenter the workplace, it begins a re-socialization process in which they will experience the world of work in a new way (Ladge and Greenberg, 2015).\nResearch purpose and questions: The purpose of this review is three-fold:\nResearch method: This article adopted the integrative literature review approach proposed by Torraco (2005, 2016). According to Torraco (2005), with the aid of this method, a researcher \"reviews, critiques, and synthesizes representative literature on a topic in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated\" (p. 356). For this research, an integrative review method was chosen because it was aligned with the purpose of this research and enabled the authors to achieve the three-fold objectives.\nEmpirical findings about women's career interruptions: In this section, key findings will be presented in five broad categories: career attitudes and trajectories, wage penalties, organizational/industrial culture and strategies, government policies and family practice.\nGovernment policies: Among reviewed articles, eight focus on government-initiated family policies, which have far-reaching impact on individuals' career decisions. Family policies differ country by country because of historical, economic, cultural and societal differences. From the sociological perspective, Yu (2006) noted that broader differences in social and economic structures across countries would influence women's employment decisions.\nCurrent career theories and models: A number of career theories/models have been developed over the years and five were frequently cited in the 64 articles we reviewed. They are: boundaryless career theory, women's life course model, Kaleidoscope Career Model, patchwork career theory and Mother's Reentry into the Workforce Conceptual Framework. Boundaryless career theory highlighted the blurred line between work and life in contemporary society (Arthur and Rousseau, 1996). This theory is widely used to explain the labor market background of opting out choices (Grant-Vallone and Ensher, 2011; McKie et al., 2013). The women's life course model, proposed by Beck (1997), reveals five stages women go through: socialization (interacting with the external world), encountering paradox (facing demands of being both homemaker and bread-earner), reaching the breaking point (mental crisis), transcendence (achieving honesty and peace) and re-creation (re-creating true self). This model shows how women are caught in between traditions and modern values, which leads to their breaking point. Mainiero and Sullivan (2005)'s KCM outlined three parameters - challenge, balance and authenticity - all of which influence individuals' decisions about work and life. Patchwork career theory, though originally used to explore men's career characteristics, apply to both men and women who work with several selected jobs and creatively interweave work and life (Blossfeld et al., 2006). Unlike the abovementioned four models that focus on women's life course, the Mother's Reentry into the Workforce Conceptual Framework (the MoRe Conceptual Framework), constructed by Ericksen et al. (2008), focuses specifically on mothers' reentry experiences. This model highlights multiple forces driving women back to work, such as financial, environmental and self-image. Nevertheless, as the driving forces come to the forefront, restraining forces such as family demands, support systems and education level, also come into play to influence women's career decisions.\nA new proposal: career decision tree model: Based on the analysis of career interruption research in the past two decades, a new conceptual model has been constructed to illustrate the complexity of career decisions. The new model responds to the call in the literature for systematic thinking about individuals' career decision making processes especially considering that women's career attitudes and decisions can be affected by a myriad of factors such as organizational culture, legislation, policy and other economic and cultural elements (McKie et al., 2013). Therefore, the contextual impact on women's employment decisions can no longer be ignored (Yu, 2006). To obtain an accurate understanding of women's career interruptions, a wide range of factors must be carefully investigated.\nLimitations and agenda for future research: Limitations\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this integrative literature review was three-fold: to explore the phenomenon of women's career interruptions as revealed by publications in the past two decades, to propose a new career decision tree model (CDTM) and to outline an agenda for future research.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors adopted the integrative literature review approach proposed by Torraco (2005, 2016) and used a mind mapping application called MindMeister to synthesize 64 identified articles.\nFindings: The proposed CDTM can assist those who are interested in exploring individuals' career decisions to think systematically about career influencers at different levels.\nOriginality/value: The CDTM is significantly different from existing career models and theories in that it explains women's career interruptions in a context-sensitive manner. This model can assist human resource development professionals in analyzing the influencers of women's career decisions and tackling individual problems level by level.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The use and non-use of the government financial report by Maltese Members of Parliament
|
[
"Decision making",
"Financial information",
"Information overload",
"Governmental reporting",
"Qualitative characteristics"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Accounting plays various roles in society (Burchell et al., 1980; Walker, 2016). Research has illustrated time and again that accounting and financial reporting are political and legitimating tools. Particularly in the public sector, accounting cannot be represented or regarded as a neutral technology (Jones, 1992; Ellwood and Newberry, 2007). International accounting standard setters claim that the objectives of government financial reports (GFRs) are to provide accountability and to help decision making (IPSASB, 2014). Christensen and Skaerbaek (2007) perceive accountability and decision making as overlapping, since those interested in accountability would be interested in the decision-making processes of agents entrusted with resources. Saliterer and Korac (2013) examine the use of performance information for internal management and external accountability as two separate objectives of Austrian local governments. Research on information overload across various disciplines establishes a positive correlation between the quality of decisions with the amount of information received. This positive relationship continues up to a certain point, after which, the quality of the decision making rapidly declines (Chewning and Harrell, 1990). This paper focusses on decision usefulness of financial reports because of the way that this role can be affected by information overload. While other studies have found evidence of information overload (e.g. Ezzamel et al., 2005, 2007), this paper specifically applies information overload theory, and in the process assesses its value as a theoretical framework that explains the causes of the use and non-use of financial information for decision making by politicians.\n2. Information overload: 2.1 The theoretical framework\n3. Research methodology: A mixed-methods approach was taken to surface data for this research, using documentary research and both qualitative and quantitative research tools. Before providing the methodological detail, a brief description of the Financial Report of the Government of Malta is given to better contextualise the object of the study.\n4. The users and non-users of the GFR - the person dimension: The first part of the findings and analysis elaborate on the person dimension. First, an attempt is made to classify the 45 respondents into users and non-users of the GFR. The final result is that 24 (53.3 per cent) respondents are deemed to be users and 21 (46.7 per cent) are not. The classification was determined in two stages.\n5. The characteristics of the information itself: An important characteristic of information is its usefulness. The 24 MPs classified as users of the GFR were asked to grade each section of the GFR as to its level of usefulness, using a five-point Likert scale, with 1 being not useful at all and 5 being extremely useful. After taking into account the mean scores of all sections, the mean score for the GFR as a whole is 3.9866 (refer to Table IV).\n6. Use of the GFR - tasks and processes and organisational design: Van Helden (2016) points out that usefulness (information characteristic) is different from actual use (tasks and processes). In order to assess actual use, the 24 users were referred to each of the 14 sections of the GFR and asked whether they read or skip that particular section. From the results (177 read and 159 skipped) we can estimate that the average MP reads/uses 53 per cent of the information presented in the GFR.\n7. Information for decision making - the GAP: Information overload theory is being referred to in this study to try to understand why a gap exists between financial information and decision making. Is the information provided by the GFR used for decision making? The non-users obviously do not use the GFR for decision-making data, while only 75 per cent of the users claimed to use the GFR data for their decision making. This leads us to question whether the actual level of use is as identified by the quantitative analysis. It also leads us to probe further and try to identify the other sources of information used for decision-making by MPs.\n8. Information overload and Maltese MPs: It is generally accepted that the more information available, the better informed will be the decisions taken, leading to improved performance. But this only happens up to a certain point, beyond which, information will not be integrated in the decision-making process, resulting in information overload (O'Reilly, 1980, cited in Eppler and Mengis, 2004, p. 326).\n9. Conclusion: Previous studies investigated the use of budgetary and performance data at local and regional levels of government. This study focusses exclusively on the use of the GFR by politicians at central government level, and confirms the academic scepticism about the use of the financial report for decision making. This study is different from prior research (e.g. Ezzamel et al., 2005, 2007) because the context is politically stable, and reference is being made to the use (and non-use) of a financial report that has not changed its format or basis of preparation over time. This study presents an environment that is fundamentally different from previous studies, but it does not appear to affect the level of use (non-use) of accounting information for decision making. This is contrary to established literature (Burchell et al., 1980; Hopwood, 1983), but may be a conclusion that is only applicable for the accounting information as presented in the GFR. It would be interesting to see what the results would be if this research is repeated in other countries, as it would determine whether the GFR could somehow be used for decision making in a different context. In the Maltese context, the GFR may have other purposes, such as accountability, but it does not fulfil the role of decision making utility for politicians.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the use and non-use of the Government Financial Report by Maltese Members of Parliament (MPs). It refers to information overload theory to analyse the gap between financial reports and their relevance for decision making.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A mix of qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire) research tools are applied, with the Maltese MPs being the research participants. This method is acclaimed to be comprehensive, but this study highlights certain disadvantages when applied in the political arena.\nFindings: The characteristics of the information itself could be the main cause of information overload, resulting in the non-use of the financial report for decision making. Politicians refer to financial data for their decision making, but not to the data presented in the financial report. Irrespective of the politician's professional background, the data in the financial report is perceived as incomplete and outdated.\nPractical implications: The cause of information overload and its effects are important considerations for preparers of financial information and accounting standard setters, if they wish that their production is relevant for decision makers.\nOriginality/value: There is an increase in research concerning politicians' use of budgetary and performance information, at local and regional levels of government. This study investigates exclusively the use of the financial report by politicians at central level, in a politically stable environment.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Cost-reduction and quality improvement using DMAIC in the SMEs
|
[
"Six Sigma",
"SME",
"DMAIC",
"FMEA",
"Cost reduction"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The growth of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has been significant around the world during the past three decades. Some researchers have claimed that the backbone of modern economy of any nation is strengthened due to the growth of the SMEs (Paul et al., 2017). SMEs have been generating plenty of jobs and contributing to the development of the regions by utilizing locally available raw materials (Kandiland Aziz, 2018). The growth of SMEs is getting accelerated through the generation of the revenue by supplying goods and offering services to the large-sized organizations. In this context, in order to fulfill customer requirements, modern large-sized organizations expectthe SMEs to supply high-quality goods and offer prompt services quickly at reduced cost (Kaushik et al., 2012; Antony et al., 2005). SMEs at times face certain situations of dearth which makes it difficult for them to fulfill the expectations of the large-sized organizations. This is particularly true in the case of SMEs that are operating with in adequate manpower, resources and infrastructure (Sinthavalai, 2006). SMEs are unable to supply goods with adequate quality and quantity, in a regular manner to the large-sized organizations. The reasons for the prevalence of these insufficient situations are attributed to many factors like the lack of knowledge, non-availability of skilled manpower, incompatible culture and the shortage of money (Machado et al., 2018; Pinedo-Cuenca et al., 2012). SMEs are making negligible profits, are trying to cut costs and are failing to supply high-quality parts. Amidst this situation, many governments around the world have been deploying policies and initiatives for facilitating the growth of SMEs (Flynn, 2018). Management of the SMEs is unable to apply all the continuous quality improvement initiatives happening around the world. By the time these developments were observed, the world has been witnessing the adoption of the Six Sigma concept for achieving continuous quality improvement. Researchers have been advocating that the Six Sigma initiatives will make a company bottom line healthy, by not only improving quality but also by reducing the cost. These conditions indicate that SMEs need to apply the Six Sigma concepts to achieve continuous quality improvement and cost reduction. Although many studies on implementing Six Sigma in large-sized organizations are available in the literature arena (Garza-Reyes et al., 2014), not much evidence (Antony et al., 2005; Kaushik et al., 2012) exists to indicate that it has been successfully implemented in the SMEs.\n2. Literature survey: While considering the scope of the research from the literature arena, the research papers reporting the Six Sigma implementation in the SMEs, through DMAIC phases, for the purpose of reducing cost and improving quality, were surveyed and reviewed. Information and knowledge gathered by conducting this literature review are presented in the following paragraphs.\n3. Case study: The case study reported here was carried out in an SME, which is situated in Coimbatore, a city of India. In order to maintain anonymity, this SME will hereafter be referred to as PQR. In PQR, guide wheels used in bobbin transport system are manufactured. In PQR, 36 employees are working. It was observed that no systematic quality improvement initiatives were being followed in PQR. Amidst this deficient situation, the DMAIC phases were applied in PQR with the objective of reducing the cost of manufacturing and improving the quality of the guide wheel. The details of carrying out these activities in the PQR are described in this section.\n4. Results and discussion: The results of changing the material of the outer layer of the guide wheel were analyzed from two viewpoints: in the first viewpoint, the effective cost reduction obtained through the use of the substitute material on the outer layer of the guide wheel were analyzed. The second viewpoint was made from the quality improvement achieved, which was determined by calculating the sigma level, achieved before and after implementing the solution.\n5. Conclusion: During the past three decades, the dominant role played by SMEs in various societies has been significantly reported in the literature arena. The role of SMEs is increasingly becoming important, as large-sized organizations are outsourcing many of their activities to the SMEs. In order to enable large-sized organizations to produce high-quality products and offer high-quality services in an economical manner, the SMEs need to apply appropriate techniques and strategies to achieve cost reduction and continuous quality improvement in their operations. In order to achieve these imperatives, during the past three decades, the large-sized organizations have been applying Six Sigma concept. While applying Six Sigma concept, large-sized organizations spent high amount of money while developing one of the main aspects of the Six Sigma namely, the belt-based training practices with infrastructure. This kind of high investment is not affordable to the SMEs. Considering this situation, the researchers have been advocating the application of only DMAIC phases alone in achieving the cost reduction and quality improvement in SMEs. In the context of applying DMAIC phases alone, it is required to examine whether such an approach facilitates the SMEs in achieving cost reduction and quality improvement. In accordance with this appraisal, the case study presented in this paper was carried out. While carrying out this case study, DMAIC phases were applied by using simple tools to achieve cost reduction and quality improvement in the production of guide wheel in the PQR. The experiences of conducting this case study have revealed that, without making belt-based infrastructure, SMEs can apply DMAIC phases for achieving quality level improvement and cost reduction.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to achieve cost reduction and quality improvement in SME by implementing define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) stages of Six Sigma.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The application of DMAIC stages of Six Sigma was carried out in an SME. The cause of the wear out of the guide wheel was discerned in the define stage. In the measure stage, details from the field gathered and sigma level was determined. Using the paired comparison test and FMEA, various causes of the wear out of wheel was analyzed. The alternate material as a solution obtained was compared with present material in the improvement stage. The alternate material was implemented and ensured with proper documents, process change sheet and adoption.\nFindings: With the application of easy to use tools a cost reduction of INR10,98,096 per annum and the quality improved from 2.9 to 4.4 sigma.\nOriginality/value: Easy tools were attempted in DMAIC model vs multiple and complex tools usage in large-sized organizations, which was not that much wide spread in SMEs. The study was carried out by changing the raw material of the outer layer of the guide wheel, by applying DMAIC model. A better grade rubber was used for solving the higher wear of the outer layer of the guide wheel. Significant cost reduction and quality improvement can be obtained in SMES by DMAIC model which leads to better brand image.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Making sense of contemporary disasters: a liquid development perspective
|
[
"Globalisation",
"Disaster case study",
"Environmental migration",
"Liquid development",
"Zygmunt Bauman"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Research on vulnerabilities is a principal theme of sociology and global environmental change. This paper aims to extend social perspectives on vulnerability and the contemporary environment (like, e.g. Hogan and Marandola, 2012) through analysis of the insecurities and risks related to climate-induced disaster. It is projected that climate change will result in displacement of individuals who are forced to leave their homes due to environmental changes, such as sea level rise and drought (Myers, 1997). Forecasts suggest that over 150 million people will be considered environmental migrants by mid twenty-first century (Foresight, 2011; Myers, 1995). Cases of environmental migration are not new, e.g. the forced migration of victims of Hurricane Katrina and the recent Syrian refugee crisis, exacerbated by a violent uprising in 2011 that Fountain (2015) suggests has its roots in a drought worsened by climate change from 2006 to 2009. However, environmental migration resulting from the impacts of climate change has been largely overlooked in the literature, in particular where it relates to the Pacific Island Nations. Upadhyay et al. (2015) argue that climate change adds to the complexity and challenges of migration, yet the relationship is poorly understood. While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2013) has been warning about this plight for a long time, little progress has been made and a social account and policy is needed. However, there remains a lacuna of understanding why certain impacts may arise and their long-term factors that requires wider theoretical discussion (Upadhyay et al., 2015).\n2. Background on the Pacific Island context: Climate change refers to the warming of the Earth's atmosphere and its effects include an increase in sea levels (IPCC, 2007, 2013). The IPCC's 5th Assessment Report (2013) indicates that sea level rise is happening more quickly than expected and, with continued high emissions, predicts a global rise of 52-98 cm by 2100. This will cause more floods, storm surges, ecosystem change, greater erosion, and increased water salinization (Church et al., 2010). Sea level rise will also cause mass movement of environmental migrants fleeing flood-prone nations, such as Bangladesh and the low-lying islands in the Pacific nations, including Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Myers (1995, 1997) predicts the environmental migrant issue will rank as one of the largest global human crises of our times and expects there will be 150 million environmental migrants (including from sea level rise) worldwide by 2050. Others predict 136-210 million people will be living in floodplain areas by 2060, which further exacerbates the threat of environmental migration (Foresight, 2011). In this paper, we do not contest the notions or predictions of climate change, but rather look at how it has come to be exacerbated through industrialisation.\n3. Bauman's liquid metaphor: Modernity, first discussed by eighteenth century enlightenment philosophers (Habermas and Ben-Habib, 1981), refers to a period characterised by change, innovation and energy (Best and Kellner, 1991). A number of scholars have theorized the concept of modernity, including Marx, Webber, Powell and Edwards (2003), who argue neo-liberalism is a key feature of late-modernity's risk society and, more recently, Doogan (2009). This paper adopts Bauman's (2000, 2012a) understanding of modernity to conceptualise liquidity because it extends this analysis further, beyond the boundaries of capitalist or agency relationships. He argues that modernity, first arising in the industrial revolution, was introduced to conquer the problems of uncertainty, shifting human integration and social injustice (Bauman, 2011). However, contrary to expectations, the consequences of the introduced change, innovation and energy create isolation and uncertainty, breach justice and equality, widen the social gap and prioritise globalisation (Bauman, 2001).\n4. Conceptualising development: While Bauman is drawn upon in the conceptualisation of liquidity and the current state of society, the nuances of development explored in the paper in light of contemporary disaster are informed through several ideologies and processes. Our articulation of development is far from inclusive of all theories, yet it provides evidence of the changing nature of control, which is largely vested in private entities and conditioned to the modern capitalist society. Capitalism, according to Boltanski and Chiapello (1999/2007, p. 10) is a \"dominant ideology\", powered by the driving force of the ideals of efficiency and profit maximisation. This dominant ideology or paradigm has governed our lives with the promise of prosperity, but this model of development and growth comes with consequences (Dash, 2014) and side effects (Beck, 1994). Contemporary side effects include global financial capitalism and moral and sustainability challenges. These mask the fact that endless economic expansion is an illusion (Dash, 2014).\n5. Liquid development and its creation of disaster: Using Bauman's theory of liquidity and notions of development as already discussed in Section 4, we evolve a new concept which we call liquid development. Liquid development reveals a dominant phenomenon of contemporary society, encompassing situations where economic growth and development, driven by elite members of society, including MNCs, are prioritised over other social and environmental needs. Poor governance or settings where the government is economically focussed create an environment predisposed to social inequality, where the vulnerable suffer and environmental resources are abused. These globalised scenarios do not comply with Bauman's theory that \"no one is in control\", but rather indicate that the liquid state, conditioned to the ideologies of capitalism, has shifted control from the state to be wielded by the elites. Liquidity remains, however, as a result of changing regulation, economic markets and market leaders. As development, understood in terms of neo-liberalism, greed and the actual outcomes of sustainability, is at the core of many global situations, we refer to its liquid state as being elite-controlled, to differentiate it from Bauman's concept of liquid modernity.\n6. The developing environmental migration disaster: In this section we use the theory of liquid development extracted and explained thus far as a framework for analysis of the Pacific Islands case. In doing so, we reveal grave consequences of forward-looking disaster where entire nations will be submerged by the ingress of water, taking with it nature, culture, tradition and livelihoods. The contribution of this analysis is to practically apply the theory developed above to the future. It also has the benefit of increasing awareness of the situation facing the Pacific Islands' citizens. The Pacific Island context comprises the projected case of consequences due to climate change-induced sea level rise, as outlined in Section 2, and is less documented in the literature than the prior mentioned cases. Without change, the conditions of liquid development will continue to fuel economic growth and global climate change and Pacific Islands' environmental migrants will suffer similar fate to those victims of Ok Tedi, Bhopal and the BP Spill.\n7. Taking back control?: Under the lens of liquid development we have provided evidence of a shift in control - where social democracy as enacted by the state once stood, economic democracy has evolved. Dash (2014) supports this, arguing that we are in an era of economic democracy, and unable to solve problems of development, the environment and social peace. Liquid development, thus, defines the era where control is not Main Street, but held by the elites. This transfer has conditioned a phase where the majority of citizens are not represented. In taking back control, actual sustainable development relies on the (re-)engagement with society and the environment (Giddings et al., 2002). It requires returning control to the hands of the majority and the resumption of true political and social democracy.\n8. Conclusion: The current challenges of Bauman's concept of liquid modernity and the contemporary state of interregnum has been explored in this paper. Bauman's theory of liquid modernity suggests that no one is in control in a globalising society (Bauman, 1998). In this state we find the divorce of power and politics, individualisation of members of society and diminishing of ethics and morals (Bauman, 2012a). This paper has provided additional evidence that, in fact, economic growth and elites, e.g. MNCs and other dominating institutions, are in control and exert this control over more vulnerable society. Drawing on notions of development, namely, neo-liberalism, greed and sustainable development, and recent disaster case studies, we established an understanding of liquid development and its consequences, and emphasised the role that development plays in progressing liquid modernity. This analysis showed that organisations have power and control over government, society and the environment and that economic growth - economic democracy - dominates the collective good and sustainability of finite resources. This further provided confirmation that liquid development sets the way for severe disaster, including death, displacement and environmental degradation.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore economic conditions of contemporary society to provide insight into the ways in which the consequences of disaster, including environmental migration, are accentuated.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research draws on Zygmunt Bauman's theory of liquid modernity and notions of development to analyse disaster. From the analysis, a new concept, liquid development, is proposed and critiqued as a contributing factor leading to severe contemporary disaster.\nFindings: Liquid development provides a new way of making sense of the conditions and consequences of economic growth and a business as usual attitude. It further provides a framework to explore the potential disaster of environmental migration in the Pacific Islands arising from liquid development driven climate change-induced sea level rise.\nResearch limitations/implications: Analysing these conditions provides greater understanding of the resulting impact of disaster, creating awareness and informing the need for accountability and social policy. This study aims to contribute to further practical and research enquiry that will challenge liquid developers to reconsider their impact and to accept responsibility for vulnerable members of society as part of their business as usual structure.\nOriginality/value: This paper adds to Bauman's understanding of the consequences of globalisation through the construct of liquid development. It also continues his debate by giving awareness to the global issue of environmental migration.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Variations in job satisfaction in service industries: comparative international analysis
|
[
"Service industries",
"Job satisfaction",
"European union",
"Job/organisation characteristics"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Service research has been dominated by the customer perspective, whereas scarce attention has been paid to the working conditions that are necessary for service-oriented personnel (Edvardsson and Gustavsson, 2003). Value of services gained by the consumers is to a large extent determined by the instantaneous performance of the service employees. Growing recognition of the significance of the customer-employee interaction in the service delivery has resulted in an intensified awareness amongst practitioners and researchers to better appreciate how to attract and retain employees who are committed to the set of values and organisational goals of the company (Gronroos, 1994; King, 2010). Developing strategies to foster job satisfaction and workforce morale helps recruit employees who will maintain a positive and long-term rapport with the employer and who will contribute to the efficient and effective delivery of services, thus to the market success of the service organisation.\n2. Job satisfaction in service industries - literature review: Research on the job satisfaction phenomenon has been conducted for almost 80 years[1], and its antecedents and consequences have been a focus for a variety of disciplines. Traditionally, employee satisfaction has been explored in psychology and sociology, but with the increased recognition that subjective well-being of workers conveys information about objective labour market behaviours, it has become an important issue and a research area in economics (Clark and Oswald, 1996; Sousa-Poza and Sousa-Poza, 2000; Hamermesh, 2001; Levy-Garboua and Montmarquette, 2004; Handel, 2005; Green, 2006).\n3. Data and methods: The data used in this paper come from the fifth edition of the EWCS run in 2010 by European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. The EWCS is a cyclical comparative multi-national survey which offers a source of information about various aspects of work environment and the quality of work life. The main topics covered in the questionnaire are:\n4. Results: The results of the preliminary analysis are reported in Table II, which presents the descriptive statistics and the correlations between all the indicators used.\n5. Discussion: Despite abundant studies on job satisfaction, still much remains unexplored about differences in the levels of service employees' satisfaction in cross-national context. The main objective of the present investigation was to identify individual, organisational and national factors that have differential effects on well-being at work and its antecedents in service industries. The classification analysis revealed the significant international diversity in self-reported satisfaction with work. Other important factors are: occupation, employment contract and earnings level followed by level of education, company size, employment status and type of economic activity (industry). Gender, age, tenure and sector type play less important role in explaining job satisfaction variation in service industries.\n6. Conclusions: Service firms in general and high-contact service firms in particular would benefit from placing greater emphasis on work environment development - high job satisfaction experienced by an employee is the prerequisite for high-quality service encounter experienced by a customer as a general, positive job attitude leads individuals to provide desirable inputs into their work roles. Although job satisfaction in service industries has been a focus for numerous studies, the issue of factors that influence subjective well-being of service employees and its drivers in cross-national context has received relatively little attention from researchers. This investigation thus fills the gap in the empirical literature.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to identify individual, organisational and national factors that have differential effects on job satisfaction and its drivers in service industries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on data from the fifth European Working Condition Survey on ca. 17,000 business economy service employees in 34 countries, multivariate exploratory technique was used, namely classification trees.\nFindings: The study revealed that job satisfaction differs mostly among countries, occupations, employment contracts and earnings levels (whereas gender, tenure, age and sector do not play important role). Service employees rate highly health and safety aspect of their work and job content, the least satisfying dimensions are pay, job security and career prospects.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study is based on secondary source of information and has a major disadvantage which is inherent in its nature - the analysis is limited to available data; thus, it is possible that other factors (not covered in the questionnaire) contribute to variations in job satisfaction and its drivers in service industries.\nPractical implications: Findings add to the understanding of the perception of well-being at work; service organisations could learn the factors that should be modified or emphasised in their human resource practices as well as recruitment strategy to attract and retain engaged and loyal employees who are ready to create and deliver value to customers.\nOriginality/value: Although job satisfaction in service industries has been a focus for numerous studies, the issue of factors that have differential effects on well-being at work and its drivers in cross-national context has received relatively little attention from researchers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Integrating COTS technology in defense systems: A knowledge-based framework for improved performance
|
[
"Conceptual framework",
"Knowledge management",
"Commercial off the shelf",
"Defense acquisition",
"Technology insertion"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: To maintain its position as the global leader in national defense, power projection, and the defense of its allies, the US military has developed many innovations on the leading edge of technology. The proposed defense budget for 2019 is $675bn, with $95bn allocated R&D, the highest amount adjusted for inflation in Pentagon history (Gould, 2018). Three forces threaten the innovative capability of the US military. First is the fiscal reality of exploding national debts not just for the USA but across nearly all developed nations. In the USA the cumulative national debt is $21.3tn, or $65,003 per citizen (US Debt Clock.org, 2018), with public debt loads in most EU countries ranging from $40,000 to $60,000 per capita (Gray, 2017). Second is the shift in market dominance away from the military; increasingly, commercial markets set the pace of innovation much faster than the military's average 8.25 years to field a system from program initiation to initial operating capability (Riposo et al., 2014). Adversaries such as ISIS and Hezbollah have developed unprecedented capabilities by relying on commercial technologies (Hambling, 2017; Blanford, 2016). Third, technology is advancing at a breakneck pace. New developments in autonomous units, light-bending hyper stealth, electromagnetic rail guns, hypersonic missiles, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, big data, lasers, and social media occur increasingly rapidly, generating large costs to maintain a diminishing advantage over the competition.\nTheoretical foundations: A complex phenomenon that exists at multiple economic and social layers requires synthesizing aspects of multiple theories such as those found in knowledge management, information systems, program and project management, systems acquisition, systems engineering, innovation and new product development, supply chain management, and buyer-supplier relationships domains. Because of the great importance of market-knowledge processes to innovation (e.g. Hakimi et al., 2014), knowledge management presents a logical integrator for a COTS theoretical framework. Since an information system design project is a multi-phase process of knowledge creation and reuse (Tran, 2012), and software engineering has been studied through the lens of knowledge management (Hauge et al., 2010), the great and increasing importance of software and IT in DOD and government further support for a knowledge-based approach.\nMethodology: The integration of COTS technology by the US DOD was selected as the context of study because of its size and historical influence, and because of current world events that are driving militaries across the world to leverage COTS technology to innovate in response to changing world social and political pressures. The unit of analysis was any published study of COTS product implementation.\nResults: First, the development of the conceptual model will be discussed, which addresses RQ1 and RQ2. Next, an analysis of the state of the COTS literature will be presented addressing RQ3.\nDiscussion: Military innovation is a harbinger of greater shifts. One shift is the increasing dominance of government spending in the economies of developed nations. The Index of Economic Freedom published by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal estimated local, state and federal government expenditures in the USA to equal 38.1 percent of GDP in 2017, and even greater for most developed nations such as Germany (44.2 percent), France (57 percent), Austria (51.8 percent) and the UK (43 percent). Governments comprise the greatest market for innovation among all industries for most nations, and exert strong influences over pricing and dominant designs in many markets like healthcare, infrastructure and space. Furthermore, militaries and governments traditionally were innovation-makers, contracting to design and build many technologies like semiconductors because there existed limited commercial markets. Another more general economic shift results from the rise of modularity and globalization, and likely will continue with the advent of future technologies such as 3D printing, drone deliveries, and blockchain that make it easier to quickly and reliably mix and match inputs from diverse expert sources. Paradoxically as governments expenditures have risen, militaries and governments have become innovation-takers, contracting to design and integrate. Even systems such as fighter planes that have no commercial market are developed by companies that integrate many commercial components.\nConclusion: From the literature emerged a framework of COTS product usage that elucidates COTS product adoption decisions and informs COTS product implementations. We explored: the antecedents (barriers and facilitators) of COTS adoption; the outcomes of COTS adoption; and the state of the literature surrounding COTS technology integration. Specifically, this research extends the focus on the role of knowledge in innovating via outsourcing to a new context (Rundquist and Halila, 2010). The findings could be further explored for generalizability to other countries' militaries. Theoretically, this research builds on the conceptualization of \"appropriate knowledge\" of market and technology as determinants of successful inter-organizational innovation (cf. Veugelers and Cassiman, 1999; Grant, 1996; Rundquist, 2008).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Militaries face increasing budget pressures, high operations tempos, a blitzing pace of technology, and adversaries that often meet or beat government capabilities using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies. The integration of COTS products into defense systems has been offered to help meet these challenges, yet such integration suffers mixed results. The purpose of this paper is to offer a knowledge-based conceptual framework for understanding COTS technology integration in the defense sector.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A literature review of 62 sources was conducted with the objectives of identifying antecedents (barriers and facilitators) and consequences of COTS adoption.\nFindings: Research implicates the importance of knowledge management to successful COTS integration. COTS appropriateness should be gauged, and it is impacted by 14 enabling and five deterrent factors.\nResearch limitations/implications: The conceptual framework of COTS technology usage enhances understanding of COTS performance. The framework and its propositions should focus, and thus, stimulate increased future research of COTS performance. Limitations common to qualitative methods are disclosed.\nPractical implications: By identifying factors that shape COTS appropriateness, practitioners know the factors to manage to hedge toward successful COTS integration. Managers should be aware of the importance of market knowledge for defense COTS innovation, especially for commercial companies that work as system integrators. COTS integrators need to better manage the lessons learned from COTS integration programs.\nOriginality/value: This research is the first to develop a conceptual framework of COTS product usage and a scale to measure COTS product appropriateness.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Changing perceptions of meritocracy in senior women's careers
|
[
"Women directors",
"Glass ceilings",
"Career development",
"Banking"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Meritocracy is a system of government or organization wherein appointments are made and responsibilities given based on demonstrated talent and ability (merit), rather than wealth, family connections, class privilege, friends, seniority, popularity or other historical determinants of social position or political power (Wikipedia, 2009).The notion that organizations, and individuals' careers within them, function on the basis of meritocratic ideals is fundamental in Western economies (Son Hing et al., 2002). It forms part of the individuals' contract with the organization, whether formal or psychological, that their potential for career progression will be based on their ability and talent demonstrated within their role. However, for women (and other minority groups), this notion is complicated by the under-representation of women in leadership positions within organizations. About 30 years after equality laws in the UK were applied to women's working rights, the percentage of women on the corporate boards of the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 companies is just 12.2 per cent, and just four of the 100 chief executive officers of those companies are female (Sealy et al., 2009a). The UK is not alone in this and research from a number of countries reveals similar or lower figures (Vinnicombe et al., 2008; Mahtani et al., 2009). In order to address this issue, governments from a number of countries (e.g. Norway, Spain, France and Finland) have taken steps to introduce quotas, targets and recommendations regarding the percentages of women on corporate boards in publicly listed organizations (Sealy et al., 2009b). In the UK, the government has set targets for all new public appointments by 2011 to include 50 per cent women; 14 per cent disabled people and 11 per cent people of Black and Ethnic minority background, in line with the country's population. But quotas and targets challenge the very concept of meritocracy. They are contentious and are currently producing some very emotive debates in the public arena. If meritocracy prevails, then how do women make sense of the low figures of women in leadership? Do they believe that other women do not have the ability, talent or experience to warrant those positions? This paper sets out to consider how an elite group of very senior women in banking make sense of the role of meritocracy in relation to the experiences of their own successful careers and their perceived future career prospects.The paper results from a qualitative study investigating why the lack of senior female role models has been cited as an important barrier to women's career progression. It was an exploratory project and involved in-depth qualitative interviews with 33 female directors from across six global investment banks. Whilst no questions were directly asked about the concept of \"meritocracy,\" in the thematic analysis of the interviews, a strong discourse of meritocracy emerged. It was a construct full of contradictions in terms of what the participants wanted to believe and what they experienced. The analysis revealed that women's attachment to the concept of meritocracy as a means of making sense of their own experiences and career progression changed over time, with diminishing allure. It also reveals how the concept is construed on two levels: first, on a symbolic level, demonstrating how the organization defines and rewards success; second, on a personal level, in terms of how it affects an individual's cognitions, emotions and self-belief.The paper begins by introducing the concept of meritocracy, and its various definitions. Next, literature on meritocracy is discussed, drawn from management, sociological and psychological literatures. Following a brief explanation of the research design, findings from the analysis reveal how interviewees discuss their changing construal of meritocracy, over the span of their careers. The paper ends with a discussion and conclusion.1.1 Meritocracy\n2 Method: This paper focuses on the participants' conceptualization of meritocracy within their own careers and how they manage the contradictions between what they see and their own values. The study took place within six global investment banks, based in the City of London, UK. Interviews were arranged with female directors across a range of divisions within the six organizations. The number of senior females in investment banks is relatively small and so the sample was one of convenience. The 33 female directors were a mixture of individuals recommended by the heads of diversity in their organization, personal recommendations and individuals met at relevant networking events, who met the criteria. The criteria were that the women had to be managing director (MD) or senior executive director (ED) level; from a variety of banking divisions, except HR (as a previous study had interviewed the heads of diversity); and been at the bank at least two years. Ten of the women were at ED grade and the remaining 23 were MDs - the highest corporate grade in the banks. They worked in a variety of divisions across the banks, from the trading floor to operations. The average age of the whole group was 41.6 years, with tenure of 10.4 years in their current bank and 15.4 years in banking. For ages, ranges and tenures of the sub-groups, see Table I. All were long-term UK based, although 12 were not UK nationals.Semi-structured interviews were conducted, in person between November 2007 and January 2008. Questions were asked regarding their career path, the number of women at and above their grade; their opinions about any women above them; who was inspirational for them at work (male or female); and where they believed their future career was going. It should be noted that for most of the female directors of this study, there were only one or two women more senior than themselves, in their global organization, and most had only a small handful of other females around them. Figures for the percentage of female MDs across the majority of divisions ranged from 5 to 15 per cent, with the exception of two operations divisions, whose figures were given as 18 and 25 per cent, respectively.The 33 interviews had an average length in time of 70 minutes and 11,700 words, which when transcribed gave an average of 22 pages of transcript per interview. The use of the computer software NVivo 8.0 assisted the coding process and template analysis (King, 2004) was used in the qualitative analysis of the coding. Whilst no questions were directly asked about the concept of \"meritocracy\", a strong discourse on \"merit\" and \"meritocracy\" emerged and these themes were analysed further.The aim of the study is to explore how the senior women represent and describe their understanding and experience of the role of meritocracy, within the context of their own career. In order to protect anonymity, all the names reported in the findings section are pseudonyms.\n3 Findings: Although no questions were asked in the interviews specifically regarding the concept of meritocracy, it was a strong theme that recurred time and again in all the interviews, as something the women wanted to believe in for themselves and their organization. The extremely male-dominated environment of the banks highlighted issues of gender and most were aware of its relevance to any discussion around the topic of fairness or promotion on merit. Only, two out of the 33 women did not see that their sex was relevant, although their transcripts were full of contradictions.Given that the average tenure in their current organization was more than ten years, it soon became apparent that their notions of meritocracy within their organization and in relation to their own career had changed over time. A temporal element thus emerged in their descriptions of how they experienced meritocracy when they first joined the banks, their perceptions now, and what they believe about their future careers. This will be reflected in the organization of this findings section.In addition, what emerged from the discussions around fairness and the belief in the notion of merit and meritocracy, was that it was construed on two levels: first, what it represented or symbolised, as how the organization defines and rewards success; second, how it was experienced on a personal level, the impact or effect that it had on their cognitions, emotions and self-beliefs.3.1 Early career perceptions of meritocracy\n4 Discussion and conclusions: The aim of this paper was to explore how female directors represent and describe the role of meritocracy within the context of their own career progression. Contradictions regarding the definitions of meritocracy within an organizational context emerged both from the literature and then from the analysis of the data. Meritocracy is often associated with equality of opportunity and much of the literature around these issues tends to deal with the inequalities of opportunity.The findings presented above show the changing adherence over time to the role of meritocracy in women's career success. Belief in the meritocracy of the system at the start of their careers caused many of the women to take on behaviours and characteristics of their male colleagues, on the assumption that they would then be judged on the same basis of achievement as their peers. Further into their careers, many of them became aware of the adaptations they or others had made, and how this demonstrated a lack of meritocracy in their organization as well as a favouritism towards the dominant (white male) group. It showed how many felt this challenged their integrity and core values and chose to accept the consequences of not adapting their identities in this way. Looking currently, the interviews showed how aware the women are of the lack of evidence of meritocracy in the promotion systems of their organization, and how this impacted their attitude towards their own careers and beliefs for the future of their further career progression. An emphasis on improving human capital that had certainly assisted these women in being successful and had allowed them to believe in the meritocracy of the organization, was replaced at the very senior levels with a greater emphasis on social capital - which the women subsequently viewed as too political and disingenuous.When women look at their organization, the presence or absence of senior women has a symbolic value in illustrating (or not) the concepts of meritocracy and support for their own career progression. For many of the interviewees, it was clear at their current career point that they felt the organization needed to \"prove\" that women can succeed. As such, there was no clear succession line, and with few or no women in the leadership teams they question the meritocratic processes of the organization. In other words, organizations sent messages about the viability of their careers. These messages will have an impact on the individual's belief about potential career achievements, affecting her general self-efficacy (Chen et al., 2001), which will affect her choices in how to respond to a critical career decision.The findings from this study have resonance with those of Son Hing et al.'s (2002) paper. The women here demonstrated from their lengthy experiences how the criteria of merit and the subjective evaluations of performance were perpetuating the dominant majority at the top. Intuitively, the women were not in favour of any kind of AA, but they understood the need to give preferential assistance to their female colleagues. Likewise, there was some resonance between these findings and those of Cornelius and Skinner (2008) in that women attempted to define success in their own terms, emphasising their values and authenticity. Possibly, due to the restrictive work culture of the investment banks, they did not place much emphasis on the freedom of time, but did aspire to the \"freedom\" to work in ways that were different from the male norm. As a practical implication, banks should be aware that half of their most senior women may have serious reservations about what they see above them in the organization and what they believe is possible for their remaining careers.This paper contributes to the small literature on the concept of meritocracy in the management field, with an emphasis on the experiences of women. It may be of benefit to women to understand more about their emotional responses to their (possible lack of) career progression. Organizations may also benefit from a better understanding of employee's reactions to the organizations \"meritocratic systems\" and any preferential treatment systems, and the perception of possible injustices.As hinted, one of the limitations of this study is that it gives the perspective and experiences of only one sex, and future research may wish to examine the experiences of men. Another limitation is that this gives only the perspective of the \"successful\" women, those who have survived the apparent injustices of the meritocratic system. It would be of interest to seek the views of those who had not been so successful in the organizations or who have left.This study considered how an elite group of senior women in investment banks understood and described their experiences of the role of meritocracy, within the context of their own career. It found that their adherence to the notion of meritocracy diminished over time, as merit appeared to be less defined by human capital and more by social capital. The study also revealed how the concept is construed on two levels: first, on a symbolic level, demonstrating how the organization defines and rewards success. Second, how meritocracy was experienced on a personal level, effecting the individual's cognitions, emotions and self-belief.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The aim of this paper is to explore how an elite group of senior women in banking represent and describe their understanding and experience of the role of meritocracy, within the context of their own career.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 senior female directors from six global investment banks. Template analysis was used in the qualitative analysis of the coding.\nFindings: - The paper found that the women's adherence to the notion of meritocracy diminished over time, as merit appeared to be less defined by human capital (ability and experience) and more by social capital (seen as political behaviour). The paper also reveals how the concept is construed on two levels: first, on a symbolic level, demonstrating how the organization defines and rewards success; second, on a personal level, how it affects the individual's cognitions, emotions and self-belief.\nOriginality/value: - This paper contributes to the small literature on the concept of meritocracy in the management field, with an emphasis on the experiences of successful female directors in global investment banks.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Accounting, female and male gendering, and cultural imperialism
|
[
"Sexuality",
"Gender",
"Governmentality",
"Cultural imperialism",
"Indian indentured labour",
"Sexual contract"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Nomenclature\nIntroduction: Gender inequalities operate in societies in different ways. Various studies have established the nature of gendered inequalities within the accountancy profession. Accounting researchers highlight the experiences of women within male-dominant settings. Such emphasis of accounting studies of gender has highlighted both the exclusion of specific groups of female individuals within accounting firms as well as the exclusionary experiences of female accountants in business organisations within the context of globalisation (Haynes, 2008; Kamla, 2012; Kirkham and Loft, 1993; Kornberger et al., 2010; Wootton and Kemmerer, 2000). Understanding of gender relations within the accountancy profession has been facilitated by theoretical perspectives from organisation and gender theory and liberal feminist thought.\nNotes on gender, sexuality and cultural imperialism during IIL: Imperialism refers to the \"practice, the theory, and the attitudes of a dominating metropolitan centre ruling a distant territory\" (Said, 1993, p. 8). Said distinguishes colonialism as \"the implanting of settlements on distant territory\". In imperialist projects marginalisation of both women and subordinate men are essential components of gender inequalities (Antoinette, 1999; Blunt, 2002; Diptee, 2000; Mohapatra, 1995; Bhattacharya, 1996; Sikata, 2003). The subordination of individuals, both men and women, is firmly embedded in notions of gender identity. Gender identity is not static rather it is firmly embedded in dynamic and intertwined relations of class, cultural, racial and ethnic structures and practices. In Butler's (1990) words: \"gender is an identity tenuously constituted in time\" (p. 140). Conceptions of difference between men and women, and between like-sex individuals to this extent are consequential to the changing location of gender roles. In an imperial context a constructivist notion of gender roles is crucial to the construction of different forms of masculinities and femininities. In contradistinction to an essentialist view that naturalises how one should act, perform and behave, a social constructivist approach espouses a \"shifting terrain of gender relations\" to use Lewis's (2004) phraseology. Furthermore, notions of gender identity and gender roles are \"intimately intertwined with notions of sexuality\" (Rahman and Jackson, 2010, p. 5). The interrelationship between gender identity, gender roles and sexuality is crucial for the theorising of an imperial brand of masculinity and sexuality that marginalises and governs individuals on different levels of social classifications and inequalities. The link between accounting instruments and essentialized identities through such social categories of gender and sexuality in \"colonial governmentality\" (Kalpagam, 2000; Scott, 1995) is crucial for this paper.\nAccounting, gender and sexuality in the colonies: Unfamiliar with the minutiae details in the colonies the Imperial Government in London acknowledged that: \"General reasoning [...] and views from a distance must be liable to modification from local knowledge\" (CO 167/263, 14 May 1846). In the distant colonies the political vocabulary through which the IIL project was to be implemented included: \"cost-saving\" and its variant terms, \"able-bodied men\" and \"sex ratio\" as its central terms. Consequently, accounting instruments were linked to colonial discourses that tended to present images of men and women that were sharply polarised. Accounting was linked to discourses of: able-bodied men, reconstructions of the notion of an able-bodied man, and sex ratio. Accordingly, discussions in the following three sub-sections are devoted to the ways in which government was to be applied to these three issues, respectively.\nConcluding discussion: In this paper imperialism is viewed as an \"idea culturally constructed as being masculine\" (Formes, 1995, p. 636) and gender is located as \"a relational dimension of colonialism\" (Haggis, 1990, p. 13). Government-regulated indenture of labour from the Indian sub-continent to other British colonies in the South Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Caribbean was an imperial masculine initiative in response to colonial governments' social and financial considerations and to their demands for a free labour force. It was a sexual contract that invested in various technologies of government including accounting. An urgent need for cheap labour influenced the intersection of accounting and imperial ideas of gender and sexuality. Using the notion of governmentality (Foucault, 1991) \"as a field of investigation\" (Miller and Rose, 1995) this paper has attempted to demonstrate the manner in which accounting instruments as technologies of government can facilitate government efforts to translate its abstract policies into effect at distant locations (Neu, 2000a, b; Neu and Heincke, 2004; O'Regan, 2010). Imperial/colonial accounting data became implicated and were intertwined with imperial, humanitarian and abolitionist discourses of \"able-bodied men\"; \"disproportionate sex ratio\" and \"cost-saving\". Accounting's ability to commensurate disparate values provided conduits through which these discourses could be mediated.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to complement and extend accounting studies on gender and post-colonialism by examining the interrelationship between accounting, gender and sexuality within an imperial context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Archival materials enable the construction of an accounting knowledge of how ideas of masculinity and sexuality shaped both female and male participation in distant British colonies.\nFindings: By exploring the manner in which accounting may be implicated in micro-practices through which gendered/sexualized relations are produced in societies the paper finds that empire's colonial project on Indian indentured workers, the constitution of their identities, and the translation of abstract policies into practice were facilitated by accounting instruments for management and control.\nOriginality/value: Original research based on archival studies of British colonial documents.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Marketising social protection in Europe: two distinct paths and their impact on social inequalities
|
[
"Social benefits",
"Savings",
"Citizenship",
"Insurance",
"Equal opportunities",
"Europe"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Social protection design has changed enormously in all European countries since the early 1990s. The point of departure for these changes has been, roughly speaking, the emerging demand for more autonomy for citizens (Clasen, 2002; Lessenich, 2008; Schmid, 2005; Schmidt, 2002) and considerations of cost containment (Hills, 2004; Hyde et al., 2003; Mossialos and Le Grand, 1999; Myles, 2002, Sinn, 2000). Both demands are combined in the different kinds of activation policies (Jensen and Pfau-Effinger, 2005) that emphasise individual responsibility on the one hand, and financial sustainability on the other.As a consequence social protection has been partly outsourced into market related, personal schemes, i.e. parts of the formerly public social provision have been shifted to market-based provisions (Barr and Diamond, 2002; Bonoli and Martin, 2007; Frericks et al., 2007; Meyer et al., 2007; Seeleib-Kaiser, 2008). The assumptions behind outsourcing social protection schemes are twofold: first, capital, or fully funded social protection schemes assume (and depend on) (increasingly globalised) economic growth much more than do public social protection schemes. While the latter in one way or another are based on a kind of \"Pay-as-you-go\" (PAYG) logic in accordance with a Musgraveian understanding of social rights as meritoric (i.e. impure public) goods, growth is meant to be supported by outsourcing former social-security contributions to the financial market (Blackburn, 2003; Frericks, 2007; Minns, 2001; Pino and Yermo, 2010; Streeck, 2009). In addition, outsourcing public social protection schemes are based on the logic of externalising collective problems by, for instance, introducing fully funded schemes as a solution or response to demographic challenges (Brown, 2008; Ebbinghaus, 2007; Lessenich, 2008; Minns, 2001).In the analysis of social policy reforms in Europe, country case studies, policy field-studies and institutional change are the subject of interest. Thereby, however, similarities and differences in social policy reforms are not grasped in a conceptual way. I argue by contrast, that we can observe conceptually different, experimental paths of (partially) outsourcing public social protection to the market, i.e. there are two very different general characteristics of outsourcing. In this contribution, I want to, first, show the differences and the characteristics of these paths. Second, I will analyse how the two different paths of partly outsourcing public social protection influence citizens' chances of achieving financial well-being or, to use the European Commission's term, to build up \"adequate\"[1] social protection (EC-Report, 2006; MISSOC, 2011).The two very different concepts of outsourcing social protection have implications for social inequalities, new insecurities and (foreseeable) under-insurance. This is because social protection redesign changes, on the one hand, the obligatory character of social insurance. On the other hand, it changes the social construction of the \"adequately\" protected person which might not match the factual situation of various groups of citizens. In other words, the identified paths of social protection redesign have implications for the social citizen since they change politically instituted and historically developed life-course norms of the social citizen.In the following, I first introduce the conceptual framework and methodological approach (Section 2.1), then I describe the two distinct forms of social protection redesign: \"Life-Course Savings Schemes\" and \"Personal Savings Accounts\" (Section 2.2). In a third step, I analyse the political assumptions behind these policy tracks and their shortcomings (Section 2.3), the kinds of inequalities that result from these changes (Section 2.4), the recalibration measures introduced in both experimental paths to overcome the most obvious shortcomings (Section 2.5), and their implications for the social citizen (Section 2.6), before I round off this contribution with some conclusions (Section 3).\n2 Analysis: 2.1 Conceptual framework and methodology\nConclusions: The two distinct paths I have identified within Europe of the redesign and partial outsourcing and marketising of social protection are set up in contrasting ways. The one offers a very diversified range of single insurance policies - everyone can choose what she or he needs to be sufficiently protected, though this so-called choice of social protection investments is actually essential given the cutbacks in public thematic insurance. The other path offers a unified scheme meant to cover all kinds of periods of leave. This, however, is highly problematic in terms of time gaps (in addition to wage gaps).Both - the fragmentation of social protection investments formerly part of, for instance, public health insurances or public pension insurances (generally including disability benefits), and, the amalgamation of the various kinds of time-outs into one individual savings scheme - are selective and, from the perspective of social citizenship, unsatisfactory. In neither are all the different risks of social citizens covered, nor are all the different reasons for taking leave (leisure, vocational training or care tasks) satisfactorily embedded in the social protection designs, since differences in the individual ability to invest (due to, e.g. care tasks) are widely ignored.The two different policy paths result in a selective mismatch between social protection design with its reformulated instituted life-course norms, and the factual situation of various groups of citizens. The differentiation between the \"insiders\" and \"outsiders\" of welfare systems, thereby, does not adequately account for the upcoming gaps in social protection. Although also related to status, they are more related to life-course trajectories, life-course timing and age, so that the two current policy paths both change intra- and inter-generational differences in social protection.The most important feature of the new mix is precisely the coupling of public and private means, with corresponding forms of governance, to constitute a new content of citizenship. In the future, the quality of these social protection designs will depend on the possibilities for effective redistribution (reformulated in times of the most \"self-responsible\" and \"activated\" citizens) in systems characterised by reduced public schemes, and on the degree of division and marginalisation of citizens. This, again, will depend on the design of \"additional\" social protection schemes. If they follow a strictly labour-market-oriented logic and try to address the importance of all kinds of issues (e.g. gender equality, demographic change) from the perspective of the \"labour-capital conflict\" (Ebbinghaus, 2007) -, i.e. when all non-commodified areas are transformed into commodities to be afterwards de-commodified - social protection systems will fail to address the complexity of societies' welfare needs (Frericks, 2007; Harvey et al., 2008; Lessenich, 2008). This is what we are observing right now in LCSSs as well as PSAs: they are designed after the logic of the \"deferred wage\" (wage- or time-savings schemes such as the TFR in Italy, or the LCSS in The Netherlands). Here, we face a development from formerly public meritocratic goods towards private goods regulated by private law, or consumer protection, which are hardly related anymore to social insurance principles (Ewald, 1986) or to factual and linked life-courses of social citizens. In short, these developments will have to fail - again, from the perspective of social citizenship - if they are not significantly recalibrated. For individualising social protection systems no individual, with \"all areas of life considered\", should be disadvantaged, at least in qualitative terms, compared to the rest, as Blackburn (2008, p. 256) puts it. The critical point then is the extent of inequality - which is currently shifting and increasing.The mention of two related challenges shall round off this contribution, the first of a political nature, the second of a conceptual one. Political considerations determine what to outsource and what to include in the various schemes - supportable, non-deductible or promoted in whatever way. In other words, political considerations determine which private insurances and investments are perceived as a \"luxury\", i.e. not per se necessary additional insurances, and which ones are to be promoted and subsidised by the state as necessary additional insurance. The use of public means (tax deductions, direct supplements) might result in unbalanced (dis)advantages or, in terms of the social protection of social citizens, it might be non-functional.Another challenge concerns the conceptual consideration. In the footnotes, some regulations are indicated that do not clearly fit the distinction between PSAs and LCSSs. When PSAs thematically cross-categories, such as in pension purchase for study periods in France, or Riester-pension entitlements for periods of care-giving, they are not fragmented in the PSA sense, but they are like a part of a generalising LCSS which links together different kinds of leave. On the other hand, other time-savings systems, as mentioned for Germany and Italy, have something in common with the LCSS, but are not general schemes that include all kinds of thematic leave schemes such as parental leave. Calling them hybrid forms can only be a provisional, unsatisfactory solution.Further elaborations on these political and conceptual challenges might use the preliminary insights of this contribution as a starting point. One option for differentiating social rights in times of partial outsourcing and redesign is to ask whether they are savings in the sense of a deferred wage, or rights in the sense of a public meritocratic good. Both could then be analytically captured as entitlements (regulated by private or public law) to benefits and/or entitlements to periods of time-out.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Currently, different experiments in (partially) outsourcing public social protection to the market are observed. This paper seeks to identify two very different paths to outsourcing social protection: fragmentation of social protection on the one hand (in personal savings accounts) and amalgamation of social protection on the other (in life-course savings schemes).\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This study is theoretically based on the combination of three concepts which allow changes in social citizenship to be analyzed by means of social policy change and changes in resource flows. First, on the concept of life-course regimes as put forward by Kohli; second, on the concept of social citizenship as proposed by Marshall; and third, on the concept of flows of resources related to these rights. The theoretical and methodological linkage of these concepts was first applied by Frericks.\nFindings: - These very different concepts of outsourcing social protection have implications for social inequalities, new insecurities and foreseeable under-insurance. This is because, on the one hand, social protection redesign changes the obligatory character of social insurance, and on the other, it changes the social construction of the \"adequately\" protected which may no longer correspond to the factual situation of various groups of citizens.\nOriginality/value: - The outlines of upcoming gaps in social protection, however, cannot adequately be grasped by the differentiation between \"insiders\" and \"outsiders\" of welfare systems. Although these gaps are related to status, they are more the result of life-course trajectories, life-course timing and age, implying that both the two current policy paths change intra- as well as inter-generational differences in social protection. The characteristics of the two policy concepts and their foreseeable implications for social inequalities are analysed.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Safety management system in automotive and energy industries
|
[
"ISO 26000",
"Empowerment",
"Safety culture",
"Corporate social responsibility",
"Occupational safety and health",
"Safety management system"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: To maintain business competitiveness, for many developing countries, some of the key strategies to advance beyond the original equipment manufacturer status include re-branding of firms to fit the required international standards, increasing innovation through research and development of products/services as well as operation and production processes, and the re-profiling of business operations to respond to the changes in business environment (Bonini and Gorner, 2011). Having an effective safety management system (SMS) is part of the strategy in meeting international standards.\n2. Problem background: Several attributes (such as customer trust, corporate image, brand value, quality of work life, quality of product, productivity, human capital, and social responsibility) have been recognized as key to competitive advantage (Papadakis and Amendola, 1997; Sonnemans and Korvers, 2006; Wu and Chen, 2008; Wu and Chang, 2011; Ropret et al., 2012). Therefore, the DIW has initiated several policies to aim at strengthening the industrial development and long-term competitiveness ahead of AEC 2015. One prominent policy is to promote corporate social responsibility from the viewpoint of ISO 26000[2] due to the need to focus on human capital for Thai manufacturers[3]. ISO 26000 focuses on labor practice, occupational safety and health, and working environment as a foundation for human capital development. This represents a key attribute for sustainable development. As a result, integrating this ISO 26000 framework becomes necessary.\n3. Objective: The study aims to identify the common practices and the success factors for an effective SMS based on the two in-depth case examinations. Essentially, the outputs from this study will be applied by the DIW as a future platform for promoting ISO 26000.\n4. Methodology: There are several steps undertaken by the study, which is considered as a case study. For the first step, due to the DIW's cooperation, two leading manufacturers from the automotive and energy industries agreed to participate in this pilot study. The reasons of selecting these two organizations are as follows: they have been the country's manufacturing leaders during the past five years and they have successfully expanded to international markets in Asia and other regions. The two aforementioned industries are important in terms of employment, investment, sale revenues, and international recognition. The automotive industry is one of the country's largest clusters in terms of investment, employment, and sale turnovers. On the other hand, the energy industry is critical as the country seeks to expand investment to neighboring and other countries.\n5. Results: This section focuses on illustrating the findings on the following three subjects: background and information, practices and success factors, and common findings.\n6. Discussion: The follow-up interviews on the common findings with top management from both companies are conducted. For Company A, executive vice president, senior vice president, vice president, general manager, and deputy general manager agreed to participate. For Company B, chief executive officer, executive vice president, senior vice president, and vice president granted the interviews to take place. Therefore, a total of nine executives took part in the discussion. The purposes of these interviews are to confirm the common findings and to seek their opinions in developing the platform for the DIW's future policy in promoting ISO 26000.\n7. Implications: Generally, occupational safety and health are viewed as an integral part of the firm's competitiveness. Quality of work life for a company's workforce is essential to customers (especially international conglomerates) and the general public. The first implication is that merely promoting OHSAS 18001 among local manufacturers may not be sufficient. The focus only on compliance with the standard requirements is no longer adequate. The two case companies have shown that its success depends on long-term commitment by top management. Moreover, the safety culture needs to be created through constant engagements by top management (Guldenmund, 2000; Filho and Andrade, 2010; Kidam and Hurme, 2012).\n8. Conclusion: The study represents a project initiated by the DIW in an attempt to gain more insights into what contributes to the effectiveness of SMS. Two successful companies have participated in this project. They are from the automotive and energy sectors with international partners and operations. Their common practices and success factors include the culture element (e.g. empowerment, behavior, communication, etc.), the system and structure element (e.g. processes, instruction, documentations, records, etc.), and the external element to sustain the SMS. The findings are shared and discussed with a total of nine executives from the two companies. The discussions have led to the proposed safety platform development for the DIW's consideration. This platform consists of three layers--the safety culture, the system and structure, and the external influences. Finally, the study's implications are described for future policies initiated by the DIW.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report the key results and lessons of a study in Thailand. Occupational safety and health is the foundation of ISO 26000, which emphasizes on corporate social responsibility. This study underlines the needs on gradually preparing the industries for market integration.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Two leading companies in automotive and energy industries are selected. The automotive industry is one of Thailand's largest clusters in terms of investment, employment, and sale turnovers. On the other hand, the energy industry is critical as Thailand seeks to import energies from neighboring and other countries. The in-depth analysis aims to identify excellent practices, elements, and success factors commonly shared by the two selected companies. The interviews with the companies' executives follow this identification for the findings' confirmation and possible extension.\nFindings: The findings provide a description of the process of how an integrated safety management system is implemented and reports results such as the following. The two leading companies apparently share many common practices, elements, and success factors. They include safety culture (empowerment, behavior, communication, etc.), system and structure (processes, instruction, documentations, records, etc.), and use of external influences (e.g. safety audits by international partners and customers) to sustain the safety management system.\nOriginality/value: This study should inform executives and managers who are concerned with how to prepare an organization when attempting to adapt to Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems 18000 and subsequently to ISO 26000. Building a strong safety culture should be considered as the foundation, while relying on regulatory compliance and enforcement alone is not adequate.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The impact of intellectual capital on firm performance: a study of Indian firms listed in COSPI
|
[
"India",
"Intellectual capital",
"System GMM",
"Firm performance measures"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The growth of knowledge-based, fast-changing and technologically advanced companies in the world economy has increased the importance of intellectual capital (IC) (Petty and Guthrie, 2000; Canibano et al., 2000). In this cutting-edge economy, tangible and intangible resources are considered potential sources of strategic advantage (Ruta, 2009). The resource-based theory of the firm and tangible and intangible resources are drawing significant interest in the strategic management, economic and accounting literature based on the observed links between intangible resources and performance measure. Thus, a direct impact of IC on firm performance is expected (Pew Tan et al., 2008).\n2. Background: 2.1 Review of the IC measurement and its sub-components\n3. Sample selection and research methodology: 3.1 Database\n4. Empirical results: 4.1 Descriptive statistics\n5. Discussion of the empirical results: The findings and analysis in this paper successfully establish significant relationships of firm market value, productivity, profitability and SG with IC and its components. The hypotheses validation is shown in Table XV.\n6. Conclusion: IC is gradually being accepted as wealth generator toward firm's performance thus creating competitive advantage and sustainability in business. Using 710 firms from Indian service and manufacturing industries for the time period of 2001-2016, this paper aimed to investigate the association between IC, its three components (HC, SC and customer capital) and indicators of firm performance, i.e., productivity, profitability, SG and market value. We used VAIC method as a proxy for IC performance and its component to examine the hypotheses concerning the link between IC and firm performance indicators. It is clearly observed from empirical results that IC is a fundamental cause aimed at enhancing firm productivity, profitability, growth and market value. The results contribute to the literature by signifying that IC has a significant role in Indian firm's value creation. Customer capital and SC were the greatest contributors to firm performance, among the components of VAIC. The dynamic panel data analysis also reveals that CEEt-1 and SCEt-1 positively influenced the firm market value of the current year. This result suggests that investments in the previous year internal and external resources like product, process, and culture and customer relationship are significant to present market value of Indian service and manufacturing sector. Hence, it boosts the long-term association with the investors. These findings are consistent with the conclusion of Bontis et al. (2015) and Nimtrakoon (2015) that IC can boost the performance of the firm. The empirical evidence in the current study seeks to identify IC as an important contributor to firm performance, growth and market value. The positive correlation of previous year firm performance with the present year firm performance further indicates consistency in the firm performance indicators.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of intellectual capital (IC) on financial performance (FP) for Indian companies listed on the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Overall Share Price Index (COSPI).\nDesign/methodology/approach: Hypotheses were developed according to theories and literature review. Secondary data were collected from Indian companies listed on the COSPI between 2001 and 2016, and the value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) of Pulic (2000) was used to measure IC and its components. A dynamic system generalized method of moments (SGMM) estimator was employed to identify the variables that significantly contribute to firm performance.\nFindings: Indian listed firms appear to be performing well and efficiently utilizing their IC. Overall, human capital had a major impact on firm productivity during the study period. Furthermore, the empirical analysis showed that structural capital efficiency and capital employed efficiency were equally important contributors to firm's sales growth and market value. The growing importance of the contribution of IC to value creation was consistently reflected in the FP of these Indian companies.\nPractical implications: This study has robust theoretical grounds and employs a validated methodology. The present study extends knowledge of IC among academicians and managers and highlights its contribution to value creation. The findings may help stakeholders and policymakers in developing countries properly reallocate intellectual resources.\nOriginality/value: This study is the first study to evaluate IC and its relationship with traditional measures of firm performance among Indian listed firms using dynamic SGMM and VAIC models.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Open Data in Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan: nature and scope
|
[
"Barriers",
"Israel",
"Open Data",
"Portal",
"Documentary analysis",
"Georgia",
"Uzbekistan"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Open Data is a recent phenomenon and academic interest in this domain has been fomenting over the past years. Open Data is also called Open Government Data, Open Public Data or Public Sector Information. The main purpose behind the adoption of Open Data policies by the governments is to ensure transparent administration and further citizen participation and engagement. Besides, it has been seen that Open Data initiatives help in generating public value through innovation (Janssen et al., 2012; Zuiderwijk and Janssen, 2013). Initially, Open Data initiatives were spearheaded by the Western democracies like The Netherlands, the USA, Mexico, Brazil, etc. However, of late, there has been a spurt of Open Data initiatives in other parts of the globe as well. Therefore, academic interest has been growing as far as probing the nature and scope of Open Data initiatives in other countries is concerned. For instance, national portals of different countries were investigated recently in some major works (Nugroho et al., 2015; Rothenberg, 2012; Saxena, 2017a, 2017b). In the present study, we have chosen to probe the Open Data portals of three countries (Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan), and we will use the two conceptual models advanced by Kalampokis et al. (2011) and Sieber and Johnson (2015) to fit the countries as per these models in terms of the Open Data initiatives followed by these countries. Besides, the study will underline the major facilitating and hindering factors in accessing and tapping the data sets in these three countries.\n2. Literature review: This section has two parts: in Section 2.1, a brief discussion will be provided regarding the nature and scope of Open Data, and in Section 2.2, related literature shall be scanned to arrive at the research question guiding the present study:\n3. Research method: For the purpose of this study, a qualitative approach is being adopted wherein documentary analysis is being invoked to suit the research aims. Second, this section will underline the key features of the conceptual models advanced by Kalampokis et al. (2011) and Sieber and Johnson (2015). Furthermore, a brief profile of the three countries picked for the present study will be provided and the nature and scope of the Open Data initiatives will also be provided. Finally, this Section will conclude by finding the best match for the three countries in terms of the two models sketched earlier. This would further our understanding of the Open Data initiatives across the three countries.\n4. Main lessons to be deduced from the Open Data initiatives in Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan: Michener and Ritter (2017) have identified three sets of barriers in implementing a proper Open Data initiative: professional (bureaucratic impediments related to the release of data sets available with the government bodies); political (political and legal constraints which hamper the smooth launch of Open Data initiative by countries on account of confidential reasons) and privacy-linked impediments (barriers to releasing data sets on account of the fear of invasion into private space). While these three sets if impediments were identified in the context of Brazil and the UK, we may deduce that similar challenges are also being posed to the Open Data initiatives in Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan. There are structural and functional constraints associated with the Open Data initiative in the three countries and there is a need for a more robust policy to spearhead the initiative in a proper direction. At present, there is a lackadaisical attitude on the part of the government bodies as far as releasing data sets is concerned, and therefore, it is important that steps be taken for ensuring greater user engagement and participation in the Open Data initiative across the three countries. It is important that the Open Data initiative be institutionalized in these countries and a robust infrastructure should be in place for furthering the Open Data initiatives (Lee and Kwak, 2012; Nugroho et al., 2015). At present, none of the countries investigated have options of linking social media with the national portals and it would be worthwhile if such steps are taken in the near future (Bertot et al., 2010). For proper implementation of Open Data initiatives of the three countries, it is important that the human resource management strategies be developed to provide the requisite training to the personnel (Yu, 2011). These countries should set clear targets and benchmarks for attaining the key objectives underlying their Open Data initiative which would go a long way in furthering transparency and accountability of the government besides increasing trust of the citizens in the government.\n5. Conclusion: The present study sought to probe the Open Data initiatives in three prominent countries - Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan. We investigated the national portals of Open Data initiatives across the three countries and attempted to fit the countries in terms of two conceptual models advanced by Sieber and Johnson (2015) and Kalampokis et al. (2011). Conceding that Open Data is an emerging academic field (Wirtz and Birkmeyer, 2015), the present study has been a major contribution in terms of expanding our understanding of Open Data initiatives in non-Western settings. It may be deduced from the investigation of the national Open Data portals of the three countries that institutionalization of a proper Open Data policy is important, and the countries should further participation and engagement of citizens, software and app developers and other relevant stakeholders. Incentives should be provided to the users to use the resources available via the national Open Data portals so that economic value generation may be furthered and innovation may be spearheaded in an adequate direction. Finally, it is important that the Open Data initiatives in the three countries become sustainable in the long term with active citizen participation and engagement in government activities.\n6. Implications and limitations of the study: The present study has several implications for policymakers and practitioners. First, it is important that sufficient time and resources be given for a proper roll-out of the Open Data initiative in the three countries. At present, the commitment levels of the government seem to be low. Therefore, efforts should be undertaken to underline the significance of Open Data initiatives in the three countries and there should be more steps toward providing incentives to the users for tapping and contributing to the Open Data. Second, it is important that the countries lay down a proper infrastructure for supporting the Open Data initiatives in the three countries. Third, efforts should be made to make transitions to the advanced stages proposed in the conceptual models invoked in the study. For instance, efforts should be made to ensure that the Open Data initiatives are improvised to boost the integration of formal with informal data and the same may be channelized to yield productive ends. Finally, it should be appreciated that for ensuring a long-term Open Data initiative, the contribution of all the relevant stakeholders should be encouraged.\n7. Further research directions: There are many avenues for further research. First, further research should be conducted for appreciating the nature and scope of Open Data initiatives in other countries across the globe. For instance, Kassen (2017) investigated the Open Data initiative of Kazakhstan and underlined the challenges in implementation of the initiative. Also, an empirical investigation of the utilization of open data sets among different users was conducted in the Indian context (Saxena and Janssen, 2017). Such single case studies require replication in other contexts. Second, the broader utility of Open Data initiatives should be underlined in future research. For instance, the role of Open Data policy framework in effecting an economic diversification of the GCC region was pointed out in a recent study (Saxena, 2017a, 2017b), and it is important that further studies be conducted to appreciate the utilitarian value of the Open Data initiative for different stakeholders. Finally, further studies may attempt at investigating the role of integrating novel technologies for better utilization of data sets which might be made available on a real-time basis. For instance, it was pointed out that Big Data technologies may be tapped for analyzing open data sets in the context of Oman (Saxena, 2016). Such studies may be furthered as well.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to investigate the nature and scope of Open Data in Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Drawing upon the two Open Data models proposed by Kalampokis et al. (2011) and Sieber and Johnson (2015), this paper seeks to underline the nature and scope of Open Data in Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan.\nFindings: Open Data across the three countries (Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan) is at an early stage of maturity. There is more of data aggregation and this poses a number of challenges as far as access to and usage of these data sets are concerned. Furthermore, in terms of the model proposed by Sieber and Johnson (2015), there is \"data over the wall\" in these countries.\nPractical implications: The study holds practical relevance in the sense that policymakers are encouraged to further the Open Data initiatives in their respective countries. Furthermore, government departments are encouraged to release data sets for use by the public and to generate public value.\nOriginality/value: Whereas extant literature on Open Data veers around economies in the West, academic research in other countries is visibly lacking. Also, no study has been undertaken so far wherein Open Data initiatives in Israel, Georgia and Uzbekistan have been undertaken till date. The present study seeks to plug this gap in a major way.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The performance implications of the UNE 166.000 standardised innovation management system
|
[
"Innovation",
"Results",
"Standardised innovation management system",
"UNE 166.000"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Globalisation, the speed at which customers' needs and technology change and, above all, uncertainty, have been the main challenges faced by companies in recent decades. In this environment, various researchers have argued that innovation is one of the key factors for long-term success (Liu et al., 2009; Ngo and O'cass, 2013; Scott et al., 2017), and that R&D has a positive effect on firm performance (Lome et al., 2016). Therefore, managing innovation is a crucial aspect for companies, who need to design processes, routines, techniques and tools that can serve as a foundation for creativity and knowledge creation.\n2. Literature review: Business innovation has become one of the most important tools for the development of competitive advantage in companies. This is crucial at a time when companies face a variety of changes in the environment that force them to adapt and find new forms of business (Prajogo, 2016). Innovation capability, defined as a firm's ability to generate, accept, and implement new ideas, processes, products, or services, is one of the key resources that drive a firm's success in the marketplace (Ngo and O'cass, 2013; Wang and Dass, 2017).\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Population and sample\n4. Results: To test our hypotheses, SmartPLS has been used with the bootstrap resampling method (Chin, 1998). Figure 1 shows the results of the proposed model. The structural model resulting from the PLS analysis is summarised in Figure 1, where the explained variance of endogenous variables (R2) and the standardized path coefficients (b) are shown. The hypotheses constructed on the basis of the literature review established a positive impact of the general guidelines of an SIMS implementation based in the UNE 166002 standard in all kinds of organisational innovation. They also established a pattern of relationships between administrative and technical innovation and their impact on organisational performance. As can be seen, the hypothesised relationships are significant, and therefore, the hypotheses are supported.\n5. Conclusions: The literature on innovation is broad and has examined innovation from different perspectives, but for the most part it coincides in the potential benefits that a company derives from developing innovations. Yet, managing innovation is not a simple task, especially when there is no single way to innovate. The difference in the activities developed for the diverse types of innovation is very wide. This poses a great challenge to manage them properly. Companies have dissimilar innovation capacities, but they must simultaneously face many aspects, such as new organisational and marketing practices, new products and new process technologies and administrative systems (Garcia and Calantone, 2002; Lin and Chen, 2007). The different types of innovation are strongly linked, producing complementarities and synergies.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effects of implementing a standardised innovation management system (SIMS) in accordance with the Spanish UNE 166.000 standard on technological and administrative innovations and company performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypotheses with a sample of 200 manufacturing companies.\nFindings: The results obtained show that implementing the SIMS promotes all types of innovations and their results. In addition, a positive relationship is found between administrative and technological innovation.\nResearch limitations/implications: The results of this paper show the importance of innovation management systems for the effective development of innovation processes. Despite the limitations that may arise from differences between the measurements and actual implementation, the application of a system of standard-based innovation management encourages the development of different types of innovation.\nPractical implications: The research validates the use of standardisation for the development of innovation as a useful tool for the management of innovation in the company. The UNE 166.000 standard provides a guide for those companies that intend to develop more effectively administrative and technological innovations.\nOriginality/value: This is the first known paper testing the implications of UNE 166.000 SIMS on both organisational innovation and performance in a sample of companies.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Discovering lived experiences through descriptive phenomenology
|
[
"Phenomenology",
"Descriptive phenomenology",
"Festival",
"Event",
"Experience",
"Lived-world",
"Meaning",
"Methodology",
"Philosophy",
"Husserl",
"Giorgi"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: There has been a surge of interest in a phenomenological approach to hospitality and tourism research (Stierand and Dorfler, 2012; Ziakas and Boukas, 2013; Gnoth and Matteucci, 2014; Robinson et al., 2014; Pernecky, 2016). This is not a new interest. Cohen (1979) and Harper (1981) both called for a more phenomenological approach to tourism and leisure research to aid the discovery of a greater meaning. Harper (1981) espoused the benefits of descriptive phenomenology (hereinafter DP) specifically, and that is the focus of this paper. To illustrate a hospitality and tourism experience, the lived experience of the popular music festival-goer is used as the example. Popular and rock music festivals are a global phenomenon. The self-proclaimed largest, ticketed, music festival is Summerfest, Milwaukee, USA, with over 830,000 festival-goers over 11 days (Thompson-Gee, 2017). The largest free festival is Donauinselfest in Vienna, Austria, with 2.8 million attendees (Vienna online, 2017). The participants in the example study experienced the Isle of Wight Festival in the UK, a smaller festival of 65,000. From here on, this case study will be referred to as the \"lived experience festival study\".\nDescriptive phenomenology - the philosophy: Despite various adaptations of phenomenology (van Manen, 1990; Smith, 2010), there are two distinct branches to be considered, the descriptive and the hermeneutic or interpretive. The first branch, DP, which was adopted for the lived experience festival study, was developed from the philosophies of the earlier works of Husserl (1859-1938), a philosopher and a mathematician. Husserl (1965 [1911]) was concerned about ensuring the rigorous nature of a scientific approach, and this is evident in his (and latterly, Giorgi's) descriptive nature of participants' experiences. The second branch, the hermeneutic phenomenological approach, was developed by those who took their lead from Heidegger (1889-1976), a disciple of Husserl. Hermeneutic phenomenology is less objective and more personal (reflexive) on the part of the philosopher (researcher). It is referred to as interpretive phenomenology because it takes an interpretive rather than a descriptive method of analysis (Finlay, 2008, 2009; Reiners, 2012; Matua and Van Der Wal, 2015).\nDescriptive phenomenology - the method: The methodology chosen for the lived experience festival study was based on the phenomenological philosophy of Husserl (1965) and the scientific descriptive phenomenological method in psychology of Giorgi (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2017; Giorgi et al., 2017). Giorgi's methods were developed nearly a century after Husserl's original writings with the aim of developing a rigorous descriptive empirical phenomenology by focussing upon essential structures or essences of phenomena as they appear in consciousness (Giorgi and Gallegos, 2005; Giorgi, 2009). Bringing together a method that was both scientific but also qualitative was appealing to the researcher of the lived experience festival study. These approaches afforded an opportunity to be independent and rigorous at the same time as being open to what the lived descriptions presented as the phenomenon. Phenomenological research is based on a mode of discovery used to clarify what the consciousness receives, not a mode of verification to confirm a theory-laden hypothesis about what is given.\nImplications and conclusions: Theoretical implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore the reasons why descriptive phenomenology (DP) can provide an improved understanding of hospitality, tourism and event experiences. This is achieved through two objectives: first, by revealing the complexities and philosophical depths of DP; second, by providing a practical, stepped method that offers rigour and transparency.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper is based upon a study that explored the lived experience of the popular music festival-goer. It generally discusses the phenomenological philosophies of Husserl (1965 [1911]) and the descriptive phenomenological method in psychology of Giorgi (2009). It identifies not only some of the challenges and criticisms of DP but also the strengths of using a scientific approach to phenomenological research.\nFindings: The philosophical strengths underlying DP afford a deeper understanding of the phenomenon being studied. The lived experience music festival study illustrates that the method of data collection and analysis highlights the intricacy of the philosophical debate and research findings. Although the bracketing, or epoche, method of DP has been criticised, the actual application is far more complex than trying to blank out prior knowledge. The aim is to ensure that it is the participants' experiences that are used to identify the structure that is the phenomenon rather than the personal interpretation of the researcher.\nOriginality/value: It is recognised that researching the lifeworld affords a greater depth of understanding of experiences in people's lives. One of the disappointments has been that one branch of phenomenological research, DP, has been underutilised and at times misunderstood in hospitality, tourism and event research. This paper aims to demonstrate and illustrate why and how DP should be considered in the future research of such experiences.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Developing a structured framework for measuring police efficiency
|
[
"Police efficiency",
"Data envelopment analysis",
"Managerial efficiency",
"Super-efficiency",
"Slack",
"Benchmarking"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Public safety and crime prevention are usually utmost priorities of police and governments. Police administrators often struggle with tight budget and usually demand more resources for effective crime prevention (Gorman and Ruggiero, 2008). However, resources are generally limited, and efficient management requires achieving performance targets using resources at hand. Indeed, there is a growing emphasis on \"managerialism\" and the use of scientific methods for performance measurement in the police. Measuring efficiency is also needed to assess the extent of utilization of resources and needs for improvement along different dimensions of police performance. Efficiency measurement helps the government in determining the right amount of resources to be allocated to each police unit, and set policies for resources allocation and rewarding performance.\n2. Organizational structure of police: The overall hierarchy of the Lahore police is shown in the following list \"Hierarchy of the Lahore police.\" For the capital cities (such as Lahore, which is the capital of province Punjab), the police is headed by Capital City Police Officer (CCPO); for all others, the police is headed by District Police Officer (DPO). CCPO is of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank while DPO is usually equal to Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) rank officer \"Hierarchy of the Lahore police\". Officers of the rank Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) or Superintendent of Police (SP) come from the Federal Services whereas officers at the lower hierarchical levels are deployed by the provincial government.\n3. Measuring police performance using DEA: DEA is a non-parametric technique employed to measure the relative efficiency of comparable units, such as police stations in a city. It is based on the application of linear programming (Avkiran, 2001). DEA calculates efficiency by comparing inputs/outputs of different units. It develops a frontier that envelops the data points (i.e. inputs/outputs) of all units, the points (i.e. units) that lie on the frontier are called technically efficient, while those that lie below the frontier are considered inefficient. Relative efficiency of units is measured by comparing against the efficient units located on the frontier (Banker et al., 1984; Charnes et al., 1978). DEA informs about different types of (in)efficiencies and can identify excess resources used by each of the inefficient units. Furthermore, it can also identify overcapacity or ability to increase outputs for less efficient DMUs, without requiring extra resources. Thus, DEA can provide rich insights into the efficiency measures.\n4. DEA model orientation: In the parlance of DEA, the units whose performance is to be measured are called decision-making units (DMUs). DEA is based on the application of linear programming techniques which measures efficiency by comparing inputs and outputs of different DMUs, develops an efficient frontier, and then compares the performance of each DMU to the frontier (Dabestani et al., 2016). DEA does not set a priori specification such as the normal distribution of data (Min et al., 2008; Aksezer, 2016). Owing to its capability to handle multiple inputs and outputs, DEA is particularly suited for measuring different facets of police efficiency (Akdogan, 2012; Verma and Gavirneni, 2006).\n5. Empirical application: 5.1 Data collection\n6. Suggestions for improvement: The above discussion shows that insights for improving police performance can be gleaned from the results obtained from the application of different DEA models. The first source of insights is efficiency scores from TE, PTE, and SE which show where the main sources of inefficiencies arise from. In this study, it is mainly the SIE that underpins the poor performance. The next analysis was about the extent of under-utilization of resources which revealed that among inputs \"number of investigators\" shows highest amount of slack; and in outputs \"average response time\" has the highest output shortfall. Thus, this analysis highlights the priority for improvement.\n7. Conclusions and future research directions: The key contribution of this paper is in providing a structured framework for a systematic analysis of the sources of inefficiency in police service. The paper informs stepwise how to measure different types of efficiencies and also track the sources of inefficiency. The key steps of this framework can be summarized as follows: first, choose a set of appropriate input and output variables. The discussion provided in this paper can provide rich insights into the merits and demerits of some variables and the process of selecting variables. Second, calculate TE, PTE and SE to get an overview of the scores of efficiency. Third, identify the main source of inefficiency, that is, managerial or SIE. This would help to determine whether inefficiency stems from managerial practices or inappropriate scale of operations. For instance, in this study, the main source of inefficiency turns out to be SIE rather than managerial practices. Fourth, determine the extent of under-utilization of resources, find out slacks and projections for inputs and outputs. This will help to determine variable with a high amount of slack and priorities for improvements. In this study, the number of investigators turned out to have the highest amount of slack in input variables, and average response time as the highest amount of shortfall output. Fifth, augment the information from the first three steps with results from RTS analysis. It will help to differentiate the DMUs that operate at different types of RTS, i.e., CRS, IRS or DRS. Finally, calculate super-efficiency to distinguish super-efficient units from other efficient units, the practices of these super-efficient units provide a reference point in benchmarking.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The growing emphasis on \"managerialism\" in police and the pressure to employ scientific methods of performance measurement warrants the need for a structured framework. The scope of police duties is large as it relates to several preventive and corrective action related to public safety and crime management. A challenge in measuring police performance is to take into consideration a range of variables that can potentially influence performance. The purpose of this paper is to provide a structured framework for measuring different facets of police efficiency, which is especially useful in managerial decision making.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper uses data envelopment analysis and discusses efficiency measurement in terms of the technical, managerial and scale efficiency, resources utilization patterns, returns-to-scale analysis and measurement of super-efficiency. The application of framework is based on the data of the police stations of Lahore, a large metropolitan city in Pakistan.\nFindings: The paper shows the application of different measures of efficiency in making decisions pertaining resources allocation, prioritizing areas for improvement and identifying benchmarks for performance improvement. Different measures of efficiency are presented in the form of a structured framework.\nPractical implications: Managers can use this framework to glean rich insights into different types of efficiency and sources of inefficiency. Further, a discussion of variables provided in this paper can be especially useful in determining trade-offs during the selection of inputs and outputs.\nOriginality/value: The key contribution of this paper is in providing a multifaceted efficiency measurement framework, that is capable of providing rich insights into the sources of inefficiency and helps scientific decision making. To the best of our knowledge, such a multifaceted approach has not been provided in previous publications.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Managing social innovation in for-profit organizations: the case of Intesa Sanpaolo
|
[
"Ambidexterity",
"Banking industry",
"Open innovation",
"Corporate social responsibility",
"Stakeholder engagement",
"Social innovation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Research on social innovation has gained momentum over the last years. Social innovations refer to innovative products or services motivated by the goal of meeting a social need, with the opportunity to create new social relationships or collaborations. They are a major issue for the European Commission (Barroso, 2011), as they are seen as an opportunity not to be missed to connect with the citizens and to promote a better quality of life. In this sense, it is not a coincidence that the Social Innovation Europe Initiative was launched in March 2011. In the field of education, an example of these phenomena are the Second Chance Schools, set up as a European Commission project intended to provide training for young people who lacked the skills necessary to enter the job market or to re-engage in education (Barroso, 2011). In the same field, a US-based example is Teach for America: a non-profit organization created in 1989 as a little start-up with short budget that has now become in a powerful force for education, where country's most exemplar college graduates teach for short to long periods in the neediest public schools in exchange of a little salary.\nLiterature review: Literature on social innovation remains underdeveloped so far and little attention has been paid to understanding its emergence and diffusion as a result of a determined sequence of actions (Cajaiba-Santana, 2013). Research on social innovation is still mainly based on anecdotal evidence (Mulgan, 2006; Murray et al., 2010) and the different backgrounds and perspectives adopted by social innovation scholars have led to a fragmented view, dispersed among diverse scientific fields such us urban and regional development (Moulaert et al., 2005), public policy (Neumeier, 2012; Pot and Vaas, 2008; Guth, 2005), management (Drucker, 1987; Clements and Sense, 2010), social psychology (Mumford, 2002) and social entrepreneurship (Lettice and Parekh, 2010; Mulgan et al., 2007; Short et al., 2009). The latter has gained momentum in the last years and a number of internationally recognized works have been published, such as the book written by Light (2008) titled The Search for Social Entrepreneurship. To date many competing definitions of social entrepreneurship exist. One group of researchers refers to it as not-for-profit organizations in search of new funding strategies (Boschee, 1995; Lasprogata and Cotten, 2003). A second group of researchers sees it as the creation of businesses to serve the poor (Seelos and Mair, 2005), while a third group understands it as a means to solve social problems and make social change (Martin and Osberg, 2007). Above all, it is worth mentioning that the term social entrepreneurship has its roots in the non-profit sector, and as a result they tend to limit their domains to non-profit (Light, 2008).\nMethodology: Considering the exploratory nature of our research and the importance of ensuring an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon from different perspectives, both internal and external to the firm, the most appropriate methodology appeared to be case study research. Indeed case studies allow studying complex phenomena, embedded in their context, collecting detailed and rich data and are longitudinal by default (Easton, 1998; Yin, 2003). A single case study was deemed appropriate to obtain an in-depth account of the managerial and organizational enablers of social innovation in a for-profit organization.\nEmpirical results and discussion: In this section we discuss the organizational and managerial solutions adopted by ISP that improved its ability to create and develop social innovations. In particular, we organize our discussion around the three main findings that represent the enablers for the development of social innovations in a for-profit organization: adopting a strategic CSR with the clear commitment of the top management; separate the activities concerned with the development of social innovations from the rest of the organization, according to the structural ambidexterity concept; applying the principles of open innovation to the development of social innovations.\nConclusions: The paper adds to scholarly research on social innovation by investigating how for-profit organizations create, develop and launch this type of innovations. By looking into the case of ISP, the largest Italian bank which has engaged in successful social innovation projects for years, it points to the existence of three managerial antecedents of a superior ability in social innovation: integrating CSR in its business strategy with a strong commitment from the top management; separating the activities concerned with the development of social innovations from the rest of the organization, following to the structural ambidexterity model; applying the principles of open innovation to the development of social innovations, by involving in particular non-profit organizations as a source of ideas for new social innovation projects and leveraging them to enable adoption of the new products and services.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Social innovations are defined as innovative products or services motivated by the goal of meeting a social need, with the opportunity to create new social relationships or collaborations. Although developing social innovations has been the primary concern of non-profit organizations so far, there are signs of an increasing involvement in this type of innovations of for-profit firms, in an attempt to accomplish their corporate social responsibility strategies. This notwithstanding, there is very limited knowledge on how for-profit organizations can develop a capability to manage social innovation projects. The purpose of this paper is to provide exploratory evidence to fill this gap.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper presents and discusses a case study of a firm that has been involved in social innovation for years. It is Intesa Sanpaolo, a for-profit organization that leads the Italian banking sector.\nFindings: The case study points to the existence of three managerial antecedents of a superior ability in social innovation: integrating CSR in its business strategy with a strong commitment from the top management; separating the activities concerned with the development of social innovations from the rest of the organization, following to the structural ambidexterity model; applying the principles of open innovation to the development of social innovations, by involving in particular non-profit organizations as a source of ideas for new social innovation projects and leveraging them to enable adoption of the new products and services.\nOriginality/value: So far there is very limited knowledge on how for-profit organizations can develop a capability to manage social innovation projects. This paper provides exploratory evidence to fill this gap.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Addressing patients' colorectal cancer needs in preoperative education
|
[
"Education",
"Action research",
"Cancer",
"Preoperative"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Colorectal cancer is now a common disease worldwide, including the UK where it is the third most prevalent cancer (Beech et al., 2011). Surgery to remove the tumour is the definitive treatment amounting to approximately 50,000 patients per annum undergoing colorectal surgery in the National Health Service (NHS). The surgery often involves removal of the diseased part of the bowel followed by either rejoining the bowel together, or formation of an ileostomy or colostomy. This creates significant challenges for patients in reconceptualising and then managing changes to normally private bodily functions at a time when they also confront serious, potentially life-threatening, illness.\nContext: In the NHS hospital for this study site, approximately 500 patients per annum undergo colorectal surgery, mostly for bowel cancer. Preoperative education has been provided for many years, but never evaluated, nor used to identify best practice in a service that has variations in provision. Variations relate to different types of surgery, the wider context of patient care, for example, whether a permanent colostomy or adjuvant chemotherapy is required, and which healthcare professional is working with the patient from a multidisciplinary team. Patients are given verbal information by staff, as well as a detailed education booklet, booklets specifically on ileostomy or colostomy, as appropriate, a 15-minute DVD outlining the process from preparing for admission to recovery, and a DVD on stoma self-management. While it appeared that much information was given, nothing was known about how patients and carers used it or what they particularly valued. If current educational provision was to be better understood and matched with patients' needs, some contextual evaluation of the preoperative education provided in this type of setting was required, particularly the patients' views of their experiences of the education. Dunn et al. (2006) highlight the importance of utilising qualitative research to better understand patients' experiences of colorectal cancer.\nMethods: Action research\nResults: Data were collected from 138 participants: 97 patients; 19 carers and 22 staff (Table I). One patient died during the study and one withdrew.\nDiscussion: This paper places its very specific focus on the educational needs and challenges of meeting those needs in the specific circumstances of the short period between receiving a life-changing diagnosis of colorectal cancer and receiving and managing surgery. In such constrained circumstances it may be surprising that patients seek a relatively large volume and variety of information linked to the mundane details of life and body management, placed under threat by new circumstances. Exploring the education delivered in the context of actual lived experiences of patients, carers and staff provided insights into what patients with colorectal cancer particularly valued and why. This highlighted the priority they gave to regaining a sense of control and how this might be done, reinforced by their responses to changes made throughout the project. They welcomed being informed about their cancer diagnosis and surgery and what it would mean for them personally, reinforcing previous research (Jenkins et al., 2001; Jakobsen et al., 2006; Worster and Holmes, 2008). A diagnosis of cancer brings great uncertainty and anxiety about the future, which education can help to reduce in relation to what they can expect to happen prior to their colorectal surgery, immediately afterwards and during postoperative rehabilitation.\nConclusions: This research has provided multiple insights into patient and carer views and experiences of preoperative education for colorectal cancer surgery. The action research process highlighted specifically how patients reported finding themselves disempowered by a cancer diagnosis and by having to negotiate unfamiliar healthcare services. Patients emphasised the need for educational provision to be fully understandable, comprehensive and client-centred and that important messages needed to be reinforced using a range of media. At a time of many uncertainties for patients, such education needed to encompass the eventualities patients could expect, and be delivered by confident healthcare professionals. The education should enable patients and their carers to internalise this information, apply it to their individual circumstances and prepare for their future needs. Contextual understanding enabled patients to become more proactive and regain control in circumstances particularly disruptive of bodily and other life routines. Establishing confidence and control is important for patient's wellbeing during the preparation for surgery and postoperative rehabilitation. The action research methods supported the embedded production of evidenced, improvements in preoperative patient education.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand and develop ways to enhance patients' experiences of preoperative education received prior to surgery for colorectal cancer.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based in the UK, three-action research cycles were undertaken to evaluate preoperative education, identify changes seen by patients and staff as likely to improve the service and to re-evaluate such changes following implementation. Data in each cycle were collected from: observations of clinic interactions; patient questionnaires; individual semi-structured interviews with multidisciplinary colorectal unit staff; longitudinal semi-structured interviews with patients and carers pre-surgery, two weeks post-surgery and 12 weeks post-surgery; patient and carer focus groups post-surgery; and existing educational material.\nFindings: In total, 138 participants shared their experiences of either giving or receiving preoperative education. Findings were themed into why patients want preoperative education, and patients' views of the educational processes.\nPractical implications: Patients emphasised the need for educational provision to be fully understandable, comprehensive and client-centred using a range of communication processes. Patients emphasised the need for educational provision to be more fully understandable, comprehensive and client-centred and that important messages should be reinforced using a range of media. At a time of many uncertainties for patients' lives, such education needed to encompass the experiences patients could expect, delivered by confident healthcare professionals.\nOriginality/value: Contextualising understanding and facilitating their own actions, enabled patients to regain control in circumstances particularly disruptive of bodily and other life routines. Establishing a sense of control is confirmed as important for patient's wellbeing in preparing for surgery and postoperative rehabilitation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Public awareness and perception of genetically modified/ engineered foods in Trinidad, West Indies
|
[
"Genetic modification",
"Risk management",
"Benefits",
"Labelling",
"Trinidad and Tobago"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Global population exceeded six billion in 2000 and according to the World Health Organization estimates, is expected to reach nine billion in 2050 (IFT, 2000; James, 2001). Biotechnology has offered the needed technology to produce more nutritious foods, higher crop yields (IFIC, 2002), and plants with less reliance on chemical pesticides and herbicides (Bright et al., 1996). As critics of biotechnology generally, and genetic modification more specifically, some would argue that biotechnology is unnatural. The application of biotechnology to food is genetic modification (GM), also known as genetic engineering, genetic manipulation, gene technology, and/or recombinant DNA technology (Blanchfield, 2003). The Food and Drug Administration, USA prefers the use of the term either \"bioengineered\" or \"bioengineering\" as being more acceptable to the public rather than \"genetically modified\" (Rowlands, 2002). Genetic engineering has allowed for the transfer of only one or a few desirable genes in a precise, predictable and controllable manner, permitting scientists to develop crops with specific beneficial traits and crops without undesirable traits (Harlander, 1991; IFIC, 2002). The term \"genetically engineered (modified) food products\" is used as a general designation of foods and food ingredients which contain or consist of genetically modified material or which are produced from, but do not contain, genetically modified material (Bredahl et al., 1998).Many concerns about GM have been aired, some of them genuine, based on hazard analysis and risk assessment while others are speculative and without scientific basis, and are often presented as though they were evidence based (Blanchfield, 2003). It is important to understand that issues in agriculture and food are complex, and decisions may be influenced by environmental, ecological, socioeconomic, moral, legal or political considerations (Harlander, 1991). These considerations have led many countries to change their practices and require a domestic review of GM food products before they are allowed to be imported or sold to local consumers (Phillips, 2001).It has been hypothesised that a number of factors (demographics, education, trust, perception of risks and benefits and knowledge of biotechnology) may influence acceptance of GM foods (Caulder, 1998; Hoban, 1998a; Lusk and Sullivan, 2002), but little consensus has been reached on the influence of these factors (Israel and Hoban, 1992; Frewer et al., 1998; Nestle, 1998). The Attitude Model proposes that consumer attitudes are determined by risk and benefit perceptions which in turn are determined by general attitude and knowledge about GM foods (Verdurme and Viaene, 2003). Any factor, which negatively influences consumer attitudes towards biotechnology will interfere with acceptance, along with any anticipated gains from research (Stenholm and Waggoner, 1992). Empirical results suggest that consumer acceptance of food biotechnology increases considerably when the use of this technology brings tangible benefits for the public (Hossain et al., 2003). However, when the use of this genetic technology confers no additional benefit, public attitudes towards genetically modified foods are driven primarily by their scientific knowledge, perception to risks, views of scientists and associated corporations with biotechnology as well as public trust and confidence in government. Consumer opinions about biotechnology are important for developing effective public policy, such as creating effective food labelling and understanding public-financed education (Lusk and Sullivan, 2002).Like, most West Indian islands, the level of awareness and perception of GM foods by the Trinidadian public is unknown. Hence the objectives of the study were to assess the public awareness and perception of genetically modified (GM) foods in Trinidad, West Indies.\nMethodology: Structured questionnaires comprising of 18 questions were administered between the months of October and November, 2003. The sections of the questionnaire were based on demographics, awareness, willingness to purchase GM foods, perceived risks, perceived benefits, labelling, availability of GM foods, and responsibility for information on (GM) foods. From an internal advertisement at the University of the West Indies, ten willing randomly-selected members of the public pre-tested the questionnaire. The questionnaire was modified for clarity and sequencing of questions. The questionnaire was administered in the presence of an interviewer. Some (15 per cent) respondents preferred the interviewer to read the questions and provide the given options. Demographic data were collected based on sex, age, place of residence and educational level. The respondents (113; males - 41.6 per cent; females - 58.4 per cent) were from St George East, St George West, Central and South of Trinidad, West Indies. The educational status was categorised by the numbers of years spent in education, which were primary (1-5 years; 1.8 per cent), secondary (6-12 years; 50.4 per cent) and tertiary (13-16 years; 47.8 per cent). The ages of respondents ranged from 18 years to 60 years: 21 years and less - 41.6 per cent; 22-33 years - 30.1 per cent; 34-45 years - 16.8 per cent; 46 years > - 11.5 per cent). Results were analysed by Minitab Statistical Software, version 12.2 for Windows (Minitab, 1998, Enterprise State College, PA 16801-3008) and percentages of responses were computed. Chi-square (kh2) was applied to test the relationship of educational level and gender at a 0.05 levels on categorical responses.\nFindings: Awareness\nImplications of the study: The study revealed the need for public information on GM foods, as 31.0 per cent respondents had not heard of the term GM foods. Also, a high percentage of respondents provided no response to some questions in the survey such as when asked whether labelled GM foods should be allowed in Trinidad and Tobago. The Government was perceived as being responsible for giving information on GM foods and thus should support education and public awareness programs. Newspapers, television and schools could serve as media sources for dissemination of information on GM technology. Food labels were viewed as being important primarily for warnings, and information. Increased productivity of crops and availability of foods was perceived as the main benefit of GM foods (43.8 per cent), while other benefits (less than 30.0 per cent) were for improved health and disease control, economics, pest resistance and improved nutrition. The toxic effects of GM foods on health (41.6 per cent) and concerns of allergens (28.3 per cent) were perceived as main risks. Although the sample size was small, the study has provided baseline data on awareness and perceptions of GM foods, which could guide educational efforts and effective public policy decisions. Trinidad and Tobago is in the process of drafting a national biosafety policy which would bring to focus the national priorities related to food safety, health and the environment The ultimate goal is to enable an informed consumer to make rational choices in understanding the benefits and risks of the GM technology and food safety issues as supported by scientific risk assessment.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This study sets out to assess public awareness and perception of genetically modified (GM) foods in Trinidad, West Indies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Respondents (113) were interviewed by structured questionnaire on demographics, awareness, perceived risks, perceived benefits, labelling, availability of GM foods and responsibility for information.\nFindings: - Some respondents (31.0 per cent) had not heard of GM foods. Most (64.6 per cent) respondents were willing (\"very\" or \"somewhat\") to purchase GM foods, if considered healthier than conventionally-produced foods or to purchase GM foods if they were safe (47.8 per cent). Food labels were important for warnings (31.4 per cent), information (30.4 per cent) and advertising (15.3 per cent). Some major perceived risks of GM foods were the toxic effects on health (41.6 per cent) and allergenic effects (28.3 per cent). Some benefits of GM were for increased productivity of crops and food availability (43.8 per cent), improved health and in disease control (27.9 per cent), economics (21 per cent), pest resistance (18.8 per cent) and improved nutrition (16 per cent). Most respondents (41.1 per cent) felt that the Government was responsible for giving information on GM foods. The public was indifferent (p>0.05) as to whether GM foods should be grown in Trinidad and Tobago. The level of education and gender were not (p>0.05) influential factors on responses.\nOriginality/value: - Although the sample size was small, the findings could be used to target effective public education and bio-safety policies.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Does the organizational culture act as a moderator in Indian enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects? An empirical study
|
[
"Manufacturing organizations",
"Moderator",
"SPSS AMOS",
"Enterprise resource planning",
"Organizational culture",
"India"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems gained worldwide popularity as the software application that would promise high profitability, improve businesses' efficiency and productivity as well as streamline their operations (Rafa et al., 2009; Goyal and Randhawa, 2008; Lin et al., 2008; Hawking et al., 2007; Molla and Bhalla, 2006; Hamid, 2005).\n2 Literature review: The organizational CSFs such as long term management support (LTS), setting up of ERP business goals, perceived ERP benefits (PEB), CFT, ERP in-house training (EIT) and BPR were closely connected with the organizational culture (Nah et al., 2007; Shang and Seddon, 2002). The organizational cultural change process must be embraced with the top management support. It is vital that the team members should be cross-functional which enables to share the information and make the project visible throughout the implementation stage which leads to the success and expected implementation benefits. This further incorporates the reengineering of business process methodologies with built-in in-house training force.\n3 Development of research framework: 3.1 Extending resource-based view theory to the ERP context\n4 Research methodology: 4.1 Profile of respondents\n5 Data findings: 5.1 Analysis on moderating effects\n6 Limitations, directions for future research and conclusion: In terms of research limitations, several constraints limit this research's applicability. First, the study is limited to only Indian manufacturing organizations and cannot be generalized. Second, the study is based on the opinion of respondents (questionnaire) only. The questionnaire might have excluded some important factors. Third, the entire set of data analysis is based on three ERP packages namely SAP, ORACLE and RAMCO and cannot be generalized. Finally, the results are limited to COTS and customized ERP packages only.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: There is significant evidence of increasing global implementation failures in enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects; and, for this reason, critical success factors (CSF) on implementation success (IS) are of notable concern to manufacturing organizations. This paper aims to focus on these factors and the role they played toward implementation success of ERP projects in India. Furthermore, this paper will also seek to explore whether the implementation success is moderated (i.e. influenced) by the organizational culture. This will help other manufacturing organizations take appropriate decisions about the ERP implementation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In the proposed model, the authors propose organizational culture as the moderator toward the implementation success of ERP projects in India. A survey methodology is used for the study, and a structured questionnaire was developed to get the information.\nFindings: Through this study, it has been found that the organizational culture acts as a moderator and moderates the relationship between CSF and implementation success of the ERP projects in India.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study offers both academicians and practitioners a model to research, assess, and identify the appropriate CSF such as Setting up ERP business goals and objectives (SEB), Cross-Functional Teams (CFT), Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Projects Tracking (PTG), and Data Analysis and Conversion (DAG) on IS of ERP projects in India and moderated by the organizational culture. The research is targeted on manufacturing organizations in India, and hence it has limitations in terms of scope. However, the results are quite encouraging with very good response (n=223) from the manufacturing organizations. Other manufacturing organizations planning to implement ERP soon will be highly benefited from the results of this study.\nOriginality/value: Unfortunately, few research studies define the issues related to the moderator namely the organizational culture. This paper demonstrates how this moderator played an important role in ERP implementation. The findings will encourage Indian manufacturing organizations to implement ERP when facing challenges of the competitive market for their competitive advantage. For India, this research could be among the first to its nature.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Developing strategies for chicken meat producers against market prices risks in Turkey (Game Theory approach)
|
[
"Poultry",
"Game theory",
"Pricing",
"Turkey"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The demand for chicken meat has recently been increasing in Turkey mainly due to consciousness of consumers of the nutritional and health value of chicken meat (Atay et al., 2004). This factor was also reported as a major variable for consumer's preference of purchasing chicken meat in the UK (McEachern and Willock, 2004) and the USA (Gaol and Spreen, 1994). Some research results indicated that the prices of substitute meats for chicken meat (Morrison et al., 2003), household's income (Jimin et al., 2004, Yildirim and Yalcinkaya, 1999); and tastiness (Hayman, 2004) were variables which affect the level of chicken meat consumption.Total production quantity of chicken meat in Turkey rose from 471,415 tons in 1997 to 936,697 in 2006, which means a yearly average increase of 57,610 tons in the last ten years. Given the data for 1997-2006, the production quantity is expected to exceed one million tons (1,202,870 tons) in 2010. A similar trend is observed in terms of chicken meat consumption quantities. While total chicken meat consumption quantity was 430,850 tons in 1996, this figure reached 962,830 tons in 2005. The per capita chicken meat rose from 6.9 kg in 1996 to 13.2 kg in 2005, which means an average yearly increase of 0.7 kg. However, per capita chicken meat is still low compared to the corresponding figure of approximately 26 kg in European Union countries (Poultry Meat Producers and Breeders Association, 2006). The self-sufficiency of chicken meat is high being 98 percent in 2005. It is reported that over 500.000 people are related to chicken meat sector directly or indirectly and annual turnover has been reached to $ 3 billion (Poultry Meat Producers and Breeders Association, 2006).The prices are determined by supply of and demand for chicken meat and the fluctuations in market prices are generally common, which may constitute serious risks for producers. To alleviate the risks stemming from market price fluctuations, the producer should plan some alternative strategies regarding the selling time of chicken meat.Although a contractual production system is the case for chicken meat in Turkey, the producers cannot affect the prices significantly because they are not well-organized and are obliged to accept the current prices at the time of selling (Miran, 1995).In terms of maximization of their profits and alleviating market price fluctuations, which threaten the sustainability of enterprises, the producers are faced with risks of market prices. To alleviate these risks, they may use the Game Theory approach (Sahin et al., 2008).Game Theory is a decision-making or strategy choice against uncertainties (Friedman, 1986; Camerer, 2003; Rasmusen, 2006). It is a technique used to solve the problems of competitions where a conflict of interest occurs among the decision makers (Fudenberg and Tirole, 1991; Eichberger, 1993; Herath, 2006).Game Theory approaches have been applied to many different fields ranging from the frontier disputes between: the USA and Mexico (Frisvold and Caswell, 2001); Israel and Palestine (Just and Netanyahu, 2000); to conflicts regarding the use of underwater in Mexico (Raquel et al., 2007); and to water disputes among the States in the USA (Supalla et al., 2000).The crises between Turkey and Syria in 1998 was analyzed using Game Theory and the beginning of the crises was defined as Game of Chicken and was explained as Prisoner's Dilemma after the US intervened to the crises (Mumcu and Kahramaner, 2004).Game Theory was applied in perfect competition markets, which are in line with the general structure of agriculture (Sexton, 1994a, b). Brandenburger and Nalebuff (1995) examined some alternative strategies for sellers and buyers of various crops with Game Theory approach. To estimate the price and advertisement strategies of Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola firms, different strategies for each firm were estimated by means of Game Theory approach (Golan and Perloff, 1999). International trade of milk products was analyzed by means of Game Theory approach and utility functions of related countries were determined (Satti, 1998).The economic analyses of rice commerce among the USA, Japan and South Korea were made using Game Theory models (Lee and Kennedy, 2007). In a research conducted in Germany, market competition of dairy farms related to price determination of pasteurized milk and reductions in price was evaluated based on Game Theory models. It was concluded that in case the success of a firm was influenced from the activities of its competitors to a great extent, the results of firms could be optimized using mathematical Game Theory (Muller, 1999). In a research, which examined the decision process in oligopolistic competition markets by means of Game Theory, solutions for firm equilibrium were made and thus firm behaviors were estimated (Caglar, 2002).Game Theory was applied to wheat, barley, maize, chickpea, sesame, cotton and peanut production in the Antalya province of Turkey. The Wald decision criterion was used to determine the highest net income under the worst conditions. It was concluded that the pistachio and cotton were the riskiest crops for the research area (Ozkan and Vurus Akcaoz, 2002). Miran (1995) applied Game Theory to estimate the optimal selling times for some selected storable crops in the Aegean region, Turkey. Game Theory was used to determine the best selling times for some storable field crops, vegetables and fruits as well as beef and milk in Turkey (Sahin, 2008).The major purpose of this study was to make different strategies by means of Game Theory for chicken meat producers to be used against market price risks. In this context, the optimum selling months and the corresponding market prices, which will be received by producers, were determined.\n2. Material and methods: The monthly chicken meat prices received by producers between the years 2000-2007 in Turkey were used as the main material in this study. The data were obtained from the Poultry Meat Producers and Breeders Association (2006).To determine the selling time with the minimum risks Wald and Benefit Game Theory criterions were used. The selling time - which the producers will encounter with the lowest and highest regret values - was used to solve the models. The selection of three criteria of Game Theory was decided taking into consideration that these criteria would sufficiently explain the different behaviors of producers against changeable chicken market prices. It was supposed that selling time would change according to the criteria selected by the producers.We considered it beneficial to give a brief explanation of Wald, Benefit and Regret criteria of Game TheoryThe maximin (Wald) criterion assumes that the producer is pessimistic. In other words, the producer does not want to undertake risks and prefers a minimum production and market price risks. Choosing the worst means that the lower the price is the less the risk will be while the best indicates a guaranteed maximum price level. In Maximin Strategy, the player (producer) chooses the maximum of the worst results (Miran, 2005; Sahin et al., 2008).The benefit criterion presents some more risk solutions that may be suggested for a producer who is moderate risk averter. The player begins the game by choosing the worst payoff for a certain state of the market. The worst payoff is subtracted from the other payoffs to see how much each payoff is better than the first one. The difference is benefit, excess benefit or surplus.In the regret criterion the possible regrets of a decision-maker are minimized. For each strategy of the decision-maker, the regret values of markets are calculated according to good and worse market conditions. The lowest regret values are reached when applying the Maximin criterion to calculated regret values. The highest regret values are reached when applying the Minimax criterion to the calculated regret values.\n3. Results and discussion: 3.1. Wald (Maximin) criterion\n4. Conclusion: The best selling month was June both for the Wald and Benefit criteria while it was August for Minimum regret criterion. It is understood that in the middle months of the year the prices received by individual producers would be higher while their risks would be lower compared with the other months of year. Although the Benefit criterion provides 35.12 percent higher prices received by chicken meat producers compared with the Wald criterion (1.512 $/kg against 1.119 $/kg), the constraints are still available to prefer Benefit criterion to Wald criterion mainly due to the risk perceptions of producers, lack of storage facilities, insufficient organization among the producers and urgent cash needed to meet due debts. An alternative choice for some producers could be to content the prices received from maximum regret criterion, which was 15.91 percent higher than Wald criterion but still considerably lower than the prices received from Benefit criterion. Although this criterion provides a lower price, the producers are more protected against the risk in comparison to Benefit criterion. The results found in this study could be an indicator for the chicken individual producers for a more competitive bargaining power when they make a contract with chicken meat production and marketing firms. These firms could benefit from the results by making short-term efficient selling planning for chicken meat taking into consideration of months when the average prices are high. In this context, advertisement campaigns could be planned according to optimal selling times.Modern storing feasibilities are existent for chicken meat production and marketing firms to make an efficient stock planning. The adjustments in chicken meat stocks would contribute considerably to stabilizing the prices in the market, thus increasing the consumption level at more reasonable prices. Determining the months when the prices are high and risks are low would contribute to a sustainable supply chain and stability in producers' income. The individual producer could benefit from the optimal selling time when competing with other firms as a marketing strategy.The producers could choose the criterions of Game Theory in line with their aims and thus input purchasing; chicken and product diversification especially could be planned in view of optimal selling time. On the other hand, the chicken processing and marketing firms could benefit from optimal selling time indicated by Game Theory criterions, when deciding on the purchasing time and quantity of chicken meat.Optimal selling times could be an indicator for policy makers to decide how much support should be provided according to months for producers, which is significant in terms of predictable and sustainable production.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The major aim of study was to determine the chicken meat producer's optimal selling times.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The method used for this purpose was Wald, Benefit and Regret criterions of Game Theory. The transformed Wald, Benefit and Regret linear programming models were solved to find the optimal solution. The data consisted of monthly chicken meat prices received by producers between 2000-2007, which were obtained from the Poultry Meat Producers and Breeders Association.\nFindings: - The optimal solutions of Wald and Benefit criteria showed that June was the best selling month for chicken meat producers in Turkey. August was found to be the optimal selling month according to the Minimum regret criterion. In light of the Maximum criterion it was concluded that the producers would be at highest regret positions with 98.28 percent in event of selling in November.\nOriginality/value: - The results found in this study could be an indicator for individual chicken producers for a more competitive bargaining power when they make a contract with chicken meat production and marketing firms.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Internationalisation and the internet in UK manufacturing SMEs
|
[
"Internationalisation",
"Internet",
"Customer relations",
"UK manufacturers",
"Small to medium‐sized enterprises",
"United Kingdom",
"International business"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This paper concerns the influence of the internet on the internationalisation process and customer relationship interactions of UK manufacturing small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our research is positioned at the interface of research on international entrepreneurship and the internet. A number of authors in the international entrepreneurship field have contributed to expanding the boundaries of knowledge on the internet and internationalisation in small entrepreneurial firms in recent years (Sinkovics and Bell, 2006). The importance of the internet as a tool to support communication by SMEs in their business networks is widely accepted and has seen growing interest as a subject of investigation in international entrepreneurship research (Loane, 2006; Loane et al., 2007; Sinkovics and Bell, 2006, Mostafa et al. 2006).Researchers in international entrepreneurship have found that the internet may influence the behaviour of SMEs in a number of areas, such as the ability to identify and evaluate international competitors and develop networks of contacts and partners in foreign markets (Loane and Bell, 2006). Multi-country studies have been conducted that indicate that SMEs use the internet extensively for communication and to a lesser extent for marketing and product development purposes, but have limited applications of the internet for online transactions and supply chain management purposes (Loane et al., 2007). In addition, SMEs seem to be employing the internet more strategically to achieve their internationalisation goals by developing their internet presence as a capability that supports their internationalisation strategy (Loane et al. 2004).Studies to date have provided knowledge of how the use of the internet may reduce barriers for SMEs during their internationalisation process (Hamill and Gregory, 1997) and create a platform for using the internet for intelligence gathering and knowledge creation within small and medium-sized firms (Loane, 2006). The internet has been instrumental in enabling small firms to internationalise rapidly and capture the advantages associated with communicating and exchanging information across geographic boundaries (Loane and Bell, 2006). This has enabled many SMEs to internationalise from their initiation and to skip the stages commonly associated with the internationalisation process (Johanson and Vahlne, 1977, 1990). Thus, the internet may be instrumental in creating \"born global\" firms who rise above traditional conceptions of the internationalisation process by virtue of their superior agility and knowledge to compete effectively in global markets (Oviatt and McDougall, 1994; McDougall and Oviatt, 2005; Loane, 2006)SMEs account for a growing level of all business in the Europena Union (EU) (Fariselli et al., 1999) and consequently comprise an important sector of the European economy, from the self-employed through to multinational public limited companies. Since the commercialisation of the internet in the 1980s, it has expanded extensively in terms of technological advancement and has revolutionised the computing world and communication styles (Leiner et al., 2000). Different forms of internet applications and activities such as electronic mail (e-mail), world wide web (WWW), electronic commerce (e-commerce), online chat rooms, online video conferencing and online voice conversations are widely used by individuals and businesses. Most importantly, the nature of the internet means there is no time restriction and it can be accessed from any corner of the globe. The relatively low cost of the internet has made it a popular communication medium for SMEs in forging their international business relationships and in sustaining their business network connections (Hamill and Gregory, 1997; Poon and Swatman, 1999; Avlonitis and Karayanni, 2000; Daniel et al., 2002; Berthon et al., 2003). Research has shown that entrepreneurial small firms create valuable competitive advantages and superior customer value through internet-enabled intelligence gathering and communication methods which further support the spread of their international activities (Quelch and Klein, 1996; Saimee, 1998; Loane, 2006)Changes in technological, economic and social conditions have encouraged SMEs to internationalise more rapidly and effectively via global networks of relationships (Oviatt and McDougall, 1997; Chetty and Campbell-Hunt, 2003; Spence and Crick, 2006; Loane and Bell, 2006). SMEs are dependent on a range of supportive network relationships to foster their internationalisation process and to create valuable sources of market knowledge and personal connections (Johanson and Vahlne, 1990; Poon and Jevons, 1997). Conversely, it has been highlighted that SMEs in high-tech industry sectors face increasing problems with competition from international competitors due to the lower cost of internet development, as well as global trends towards continuous financial deregulation and economic liberalisation (Ruzzier et al., 2006).In short, there is scope to expand the existing literature in the international entrepreneurship and the internet domain to examine the influence of the internet on UK manufacturing SMEs' internationalisation and international customer relationship interactions. Previous research has examined how high-technology and traditional SMEs approach internationalisation (Bell et al., 2004), but there are few studies that have sought to specifically examine the influence of the internet during the internationalisation process of firms with differing levels of technological advancement of their offerings. Thus, this study seeks to address the following research question:RQ1. How do SMEs with different levels of technological advancement of their offering (high, medium, low technology) use the internet to support their internationalisation process and international customer interactions?The paper proceeds with a review of existing literature on these key themes, providing the rationale for the study.\nLiterature review: The internet and manufacturing SMEs\nResearch methodology: Multiple case studies\nFindings: In this section the findings from the case studies (see Table III) are used to answer the research question by illustrating the internet usage and the influence of the internet on the internationalisation process of the high-tech, medium-tech and low-tech SMEs.High-tech UK manufacturing SMEs\nConclusions and managerial implications: This paper set out to examine how SMEs with different levels of technological advancement of their offering (high, medium, low-technology) use the internet to support their internationalisation process and international customer interactions.The findings have demonstrated that the influence of the internet in the internationalisation process and customer interactions of the SMEs differed across three main dimensions: the ways in which the SMEs invested in and used different internet applications for internationalisation and customer relationship support, the SMEs' perceptions of the internet as a tool to support communication with customers and the SMEs' reliance on more personal and interactive forms of contact with international customers.The findings from our study broadly concur with previous research on high-tech/low-tech SMEs' internationalisation process literature (e.g. Loane, 2006; Bell et al., 2004; Oakey, 1991; McNaughton, 1996; Crick and Jones, 2000; Jones and Crick, 2004). This study found that the internet has a far greater impact on high-tech SMEs than their lower-technology counterparts and is more readily used by them to support their internationalisation process through intelligence gathering activities, to coordinate customer relationships and to investigate and expand their connections across a worldwide business network (Loane, 2006) and to develop relationships with new international suppliers. Thus, the level of technological advancement of the SME's offerings, the level of knowledge intensity and the strategic sophistication of the firm have an important bearing on the adoption of internet technologies to build international relationships with intermediaries and customers.The use of the internet by the medium-tech and low-tech manufacturing SMEs in this study illustrated that the internet was most effective for these firms in maintaining existing connections and breaking down cultural barriers with customers or agents in international markets. Less proactive intelligence gathering or strategic use of the internet for business network building was evident in the lower-technology firms. Thus, the growth of more advanced internet usage for medium-tech and low-tech SMEs appears to still be in its infancy and often represents too large an investment for firms in these categories. The low-tech and medium-tech SMEs tended to internationalise through making direct contact with overseas customers. In other words, these companies were reacting to international customers regardless of their initial plans for international markets or the availability of the resources needed. The low-tech SMEs had limited resources that restricted both their technological and internationalisation developments. Firms within the high-tech category had much more active international business activities and depended more on intermediaries to support foreign customers and build their relationships in key markets. They had the ability to invest in both technological, knowledge and relationship resources to support their international customer developments (Kundu and Katz, 2003).Relationship development with international customers and intermediaries was an important key to success for the SMEs in this study. The high-tech SMEs placed more emphasis on support from their business network in capturing new opportunities with customers internationally. Manufacturing SMEs needed to maintain good working relationships with other network actors, not only in terms of establishing long-term relationships, but to survive and prosper within a constantly changing international environment.This research confirms previous findings on the importance of network bonds in supporting an SME's internationalisation process and facilitating knowledge and resource exchange within networks. Thus, the manufacturing SMEs perceived business operations in international markets to be activities within an extended set of relationships. This serves as evidence that manufacturing high and lower-tech SMEs internationalise through a network approach, as confirmed by previous research (Coviello and Munro, 1997; Coviello and McAuley, 1999; Chetty and Campbell-Hunt, 2003).The findings from this study support the view that fundamental business relationships are built on the basis of trust and years of mutual relationship experiences (Wilkinson and Young, 2002). The internet may be used to raise international awareness for SMEs, by promoting their corporate profile. However, there is no guarantee that this will lead to strong international business relationships which are dependent on the ways in which the firm handles the relationship development process and manages its interactions within its network.The internet can increase the speed of communication for SMEs (Hamill and Gregory, 1997); which some companies perceive as a way of improving their business operations. The products and services offered by the manufacturing SMEs often required extensive pre-sales and after-sales service. Although the internet could be used to support customers from a distance, manufacturing SMEs require support from face-to-face communication, discussion and negotiation with international customers whether they are dealing in high-tech or low-tech offerings.As this study explored high, medium and low-tech SMEs across various sectors of UK manufacturing, possible directions for future research include a more precise focus on a particular industrial sector, or an expansion of the geographic focus of the study to other countries or sectors. It is also suggested that future researchers undertake a longitudinal study to explore how manufacturing SMEs react and interact within the dynamic industrial network environment and adapt different internet technologies over a period of time. Thus, a more complete picture could emerge for the long-term development of the internet to support internationalisation and customer relationships in SMEs.The findings of this study raise important issues for manufacturing SMEs, their customers and the government bodies with which they engage about how the influential role of the internet in the internationalisation process of firms engaged in different levels of technological activity may be developed and harnessed. It therefore seems important for future studies to investigate the details of specific internet strategies for internationalising SMEs within each of the high, medium and low tech categories and for bodies involved in supporting SME internationalisation to advocate and actively support the development of internet strategies for supporting international customer relationship and network development.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the influence of the internet on the internationalisation process and international customer relationship interactions of UK manufacturing small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The paper is positioned at the interface of the literature on international entrepreneurship and the internet.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper discusses the findings from multiple case studies of ten UK manufacturing SMEs from a variety of UK sectors, producing high-, medium- and low-tech offerings. In-depth interviews with directors or managers of the SMEs were conducted. Individual and cross-case analysis was carried out using coding frameworks to reduce and analyse the data and capture patterns in the findings.\nFindings: - The findings reveal how the influence of the internet in the internationalisation process and international customer relationship interactions differed in the high-, medium-or low-tech SME categories. The influence of the internet differed across three main dimensions: the way in which the SMEs invested in and used different internet applications for internationalisation and customer relationship support, the SMEs' perceptions of the internet as a tool to support communication with international customers; the SMEs' reliance on more personal and interactive forms of contact with international customers.\nPractical implications: - The results demonstrate that the level of technological advancement of an SME's offerings has an important bearing on how these firms adopt the internet in their internationalisation process and gain advantages in their international customer interactions. The managerial implications of the study are relevant for manufacturing SMEs, their customers and government agencies involved with SMEs.\nOriginality/value: - This research is amongst the first empirical contributions to examine the themes of the internet, internationalisation and international customer interactions in UK manufacturing SMEs and to highlight the importance of the level of technological advancement of an SME's offerings in distinguishing the ways in which the internet is used by entrepreneurial small firms in their internationalisation process.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A toolkit to examine multi-item measures - avoiding pitfalls and flaws
|
[
"Validity",
"Reliability",
"Multi-item measure",
"Toolkit"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: This is a research note that reports on a compilation to examine multi-item measures in questionnaire surveys based on the author's multiple experiences. The compilation is a toolkit that reveals and illustrates conceivable pitfalls and flaws in specific items of multi-item measures that may affect the validity and reliability of measurement instruments.\n2. A toolkit to examine multi-item measures: As illustrated previously, existing theory and previous studies in connection with multi-item measures may be biased by pitfalls and flaws in the wording and sentence structure. It is therefore essential for scholars to critically examine each item of multi-item measures in existing theory and previous studies before using them in their questionnaire surveys.\n3. Implications for research and practice: The reported hands-on toolkit has a few principal implications for both research and practice when it comes to the wording and sentence structure of items in multi-item measures. Figure 10 offers an overview of conceivable pitfalls and flaws that may exist in existing theory and previous studies as well as in measurement practices in business.\n4. Concluding thoughts: The reported toolkit of areas to examine multi-item measures should not be seen as normative, but food for thought as well as a foundation for reflective and critical afterthought. There are no absolute truths or untruths, strict rights or wrongs, in examining multi-item measures, but it is about what is acceptable and unacceptable wording and sentence structures in specific contexts of application in scholarly research and business practices.\n",
"role": "user"
},
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a toolkit to examine the wording and sentence structure in each item of multi-item measures to avoid pitfalls and flaws in questionnaire surveys.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on hands-on scholarly experiences, the toolkit is designed to examine the wording and sentence structure of multi-item measures.\nFindings: The results show a compilation of conceivable pitfalls and flaws in the items of multi-item measures.\nResearch limitations/implications: This research offers scholars insights to enhance the wording and sentence structure in research surveys.\nPractical implications: The findings offer a practitioner-oriented hands-on approach to examine measures in business surveys.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to a foundation to avoid pitfalls and flaws in validity and reliability of multi-item measures.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Eighteen shades of grey? An explorative literature review into the theoretical flavours of organizational change research
|
[
"Literature review",
"Organization theory",
"Organizational change research",
"Theoretical antagonism"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Organizational change appears as an intriguing and almost eroticizing stimulus for business. Almost no organizational problem has captured as much attention as organizational change has, and change management has been appreciated highly as a response. Reflecting the importance that organizational change holds in the current business environment, there is a vast and still growing body of academic research focusing on this topic (Schwarz, 2012). Surprisingly, the stimulus that bears new concepts for organizational change does not seem to originate in a desire for variety in terms of diversifying the contexts, tools, partners, or overall preferences in the area. For a long time already, there has been increasingly vocal criticism regarding the simplicity, the triviality, and the general inertia of change management concepts (Alvesson and Sveningsson, 2008; Rosenzweig, 2007; Grey, 2002; Luhmann, 2000; Sorge and van Witteloostuijn, 2004; Wetzel and Regber, 2013), albeit without much impact. As the contributions of By (2005) and Edmonstone (1995) also show, the common concepts are still beholden to the 50-year old classic approaches to organizations. The temporal dimension of organizational change can still not be envisaged without following Kurt Lewin's (1947) three-step approach. Any inquiry into the social dimension of who is to be involved in change is shaped by the organization development movement of the 1960s (Pasmore and Fagans, 1992), and debate about the contents of change is still driven by Frederick Winslow Taylor's (1911) focus on formal structure. What we know as the most popular change management approaches (Kotter, 1996; Beer and Nohria, 2000; Senge, 1996; Burnes, 2004) represents only very limited variation on these themes, varying slightly in tune with prevalent management fashion (Grey, 2002; Bikhchandani et al., 1992; Abrahamson and Fairchild, 1999). What should be the highly appealing and stimulating topic of organizational change generally seems to thrive on boredom and repetition.\nTheoretical background: organization theory as an exploding space: Before we can dig into the literature on change, we first need to plot the field of OT. For this purpose, we will develop a rough sketch of the current field of organization theory and its development over the past 150 years. We will introduce the formative distinctiveness of OT with three sub-distinctions to help understand the important foundations of OT based on meta-theoretical thinking, especially on Tsoukas and Knudsen (2003), Burrell (2002), and Burrell and Morgan (1979). Furthermore, we want to introduce three additional distinctions which have developed and emerged over time and turned our understanding of organizations almost upside down.\nMethod: To guarantee a reliable source for our findings, we selected and categorised articles in a three-step approach. First, we selected common organization theories from the mentioned range. Second, we selected articles from the recent publication year of 2010 in selected journals, and as third step, we tested the selected OCR articles for their links with the pre-selected theories by means of a reference analysis. We now describe the reasoning behind the selections and categorisations.\nResults: Frequency of theory use\nDiscussion: Reflecting OT usage: struggling with the classic distinction\nConclusion: This paper aims to explore the organization theoretical foundations of recent research on organizational change, it strives to clarify how selective and repetitive the organization theoretical practice of OCR really is. It undertakes an attempt to plot the field of OT in the form of three imprinting contradictions and three changed accesses to the subject of organization as the major foundation for conceptualizing organizational change. With all restrictions of the study in mind, our reference analysis of topical OCR showed three major results:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore, how organization theoretically diverse research on OCR is actually grounded, since insights into the organization theoretical foundations of OCR are completely lacking.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A selection of 85 articles on organizational change was made, published in top tier journals in 2010. The authors conducted a reference analysis based on 18 prominent organization theories and their main contributing authors.\nFindings: The findings show firstly a very strong theoretical selectivity, focusing on cognitive, learning, and neo-institutional theories. Other theories are almost fully neglected. Secondly, this analysis suggests that current OCR struggles hard with transforming the cognitive frames of topical OT into fruitful accesses to the own object. The resulting theory application appears as a dissatisfying escape strategy, performed to cover theoretical antagonisms and to avoid a deeper confrontation with the underlying assumptions of OCR.\nResearch limitations/implications: The authors are fully aware that the depth of their analysis is worth broadening. A more comparable scope in the amount of the theories, journals, articles, and of the covered time span would help to substantiate their results.\nPractical implications: Pragmatic change approaches rely strongly on organizational change research. If OCR itself is not topical in terms of using available theoretical knowledge, pragmatic approaches fail to stand on solid ground. The paper therefore provides a background for the link between failing empirical change projects and the usage of available scientific knowledge.\nOriginality/value: An analysis of the organization theoretical topicality of organizational change research is completely missing. The paper therefore not only contributes to the discovery of a blind spot in organizational studies, it possibly helps to explore the reasons for the high percentage of failing change projects.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Occupant stimulus response workplace productivity and the vexed question of measurement
|
[
"Workplace performance",
"Self‐evaluation",
"Perceived productivity",
"Stimulus response",
"Likert scales",
"Behaviour",
"Buildings",
"Workplace",
"Working conditions"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Work as an organisational construct is the means by which business performance outcomes are planned to be delivered. Work performance can be evaluated using self, peer or supervisory ratings (Bhagat, 1981; Clegg, 1983; Green, 1973; Sundstrom et al., 1980), as productivity (Bateman and Organ, 1983; Ivancevich and Smith, 1981), lateness, absence and turnover (Clegg, 1983), or using other qualitative behaviours at work (Mangoine and Quinn, 1975). Workplace performance refers to the provision of physical workplaces designed to support work performance (Vischer, 2008). Both work and workplace performance evaluation is more complicated in built environments where the work practices favour teams over individuals (Purdey, 2010).Despite considerable research into operationalising work performance beyond quantity and quality (O'Reilly and Chatman, 1986; Staw and Boettger, 1990), workplace performance evaluation has typically focused on identifying and prioritising the discrete workspace features that might affect individual occupant satisfaction or workplace productivity (Brill et al., 1985; Clements-Croome, 2006; Hedge, 1982; Oseland, 1999; Oseland and Bartlett, 1999; Roelofsen, 2002). While the emphasis in performance evaluation has leaned towards occupant behavioural outcomes, confusion still remains as to what workplace productivity actually means, how it can be measured or improved in practice (De Croon et al., 2005; Hedge, 1982; Maher and von Hippel, 2005; Sommer, 1974; Wineman, 1982).Notwithstanding the absence of a single, universally accepted measure for workplace productivity (Mawson, 2002), designers and managers still cite the potential for occupant productivity gain to justify new workspace solutions, or to cover the added costs of environmentally sustainable designs. To these ends the open plan workspace is still favoured for its apparent resource efficiency and operational flexibility. However, the evidence that these kinds of work environments increase wellbeing and productivity remains contradictory at best (De Croon et al., 2005; Knight and Haslam, 2010).In order to compare the performance of different workplace types, surrogate performance measures, such as self-assessed or occupant \"perceived productivity\" (Haynes, 2007; Leaman and Bordass, 2005), are often used in practice. In this context, the occupant's perception is a human computational system designed to draw work performance inferences about the built environment that comprises the workplace. These inferences are based on the environmental information that flows to the occupant and the meanings attached to it. The occupant might infer a logical conclusion based on premises known or assumed to be true and convert it into a work performance response to a question in an evaluation survey (Bekenstein, 2003; Geisler, 2008). Individuals participating in such workplace performance surveys might then rate how they perceive their individual work performance is impacted by built environment conditions, with the linearly aggregated scores communicated as a single, quantifiable performance indicator - gain or loss in workplace productivity (Haynes, 2008).\nAim and method: The aim of this paper is to investigate the reliability of the data collected using self-evaluation measures, the validity of perceived productivity as a standard for workplace performance benchmarking purposes and the appropriateness of Likert-scales as the measurement instrument of choice.A review of the literature was conducted to identify issues and challenges in occupant evaluations of built environment performance. Disparate fields of research were explored briefly to establish what can be learned about workplace performance evaluation from other domains, such as aviation, particularly given the changing nature of office work and the workplace. The appropriateness of the Likert-scale and its associated linear mathematics in this particular application was then examined in some depth. Limited data available from a number of well-regarded workplace performance evaluation methodologies was then analysed to gauge the extent of error in reporting against critical built environment performance variables such as self-assessed or perceived workplace productivity. Conclusions drawn and opportunities for further research based on the findings round out this report.Challenges in workplace performance evaluation\nSummary and conclusions: This review confirms that measuring the impact the built environment has on human performance is a complex area of research. This endeavour is rendered even more challenging by the changing nature of work and the workspace itself. However, despite considerable research into this topic, the evidence of benefits derived from investments in the built environment is contradictory, an outcome exacerbated by a paucity of research into self-evaluation and the lack of agreement on a universal workplace performance measure. Consequently, generic surrogate measures such as self-assessed or perceived productivity tend to be used in practice. Bipolar Likert- scales are also most often used to assess the potential productivity gain or loss, but a more controversial approach would be to use a unipolar scale to evaluate only the decrement in dissatisfaction or productivity outcomes due to workplace features provided. Psychophysics raises a more fundamental question as to the nature of the stimulus - response relationship for these surrogates and whether a power law might be applied. Additional issues of concern include choice of scale type, scale range, respondent time frame and respondent prior survey involvement, and their impact on the reliability and validity of information collected if this particular instrument is used. But with this scale type likely to remain popular as a cost-effective tool for collecting information from an individual respondent, the potential for results to be overstated remains, particularly where arithmetic means are calculated and used in preference to the application of non-linear mathematics. To address the concerns raised regarding validity and reliability of data a brief case has been presented for consideration of a free-modulus approach to magnitude estimation for self-assessed workplace productivity. Looking to the future, research into situation awareness in the aviation sector has been identified as one domain capable of providing guidance for a more effective workplace performance evaluation regime, particularly in team environments characterised by high workload demands, complexity and the sharing of workspace resources.This review has highlighted the need for further research into the validity and reliability of self-assessed workplace productivity, the efficacy of the bipolar Likert-scale, and the nature of the stimulus-response relationship for perceived productivity.If the relationship is found to be non-linear following a power law, is the exponent greater than or less than one? The extent to which a more considered response to the workplace performance question is indicative of objectively measured work performance also deserves further investigation.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper to develop a better understanding of the behavioural challenges in workplace performance evaluation and how the issues raised regarding validity and reliability of Likert scales could be addressed in future occupant surveys.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A review of the literature was conducted to identify some of the more important issues in occupant evaluations of built environment performance. Disparate fields of research were particularly given the changing nature of the workplace and work itself. The appropriateness of the Likert scale was then examined in some depth, with evaluation data presented by this method analysed to gauge the extent of error in reporting self-assessed or perceived workplace productivity.\nFindings: - The review points to significant challenges in obtaining valid and reliable information in occupant self-evaluations of workplace performance using linear Likert scales. When the occupant rating is negative, arithmetic means were found to be significantly lower than geometric means. The converse was found to be true for positive ratings. Magnitude estimation using a free modulus approach has been shown to be potentially free of bias and scale limitations\nResearch limitations/implications: - The survey data available for analysis were limited, but the implications of the findings for the credibility of workplace performance evaluation are significant given the widespread use of linear Likert scales. Researchers are encouraged to pursue the questions raised and test the propositions further.\nPractical implications: - With modern work becoming more complex, information rich, mobile and team oriented, more sophisticated occupant performance evaluation tools and methods are needed to replace simplistic self-assessment questionnaires.\nOriginality/value: - This paper addresses the paucity of research into the validity and reliability of self-assessed measures for workplace productivity. It integrates findings from disparate fields including aviation and cognitive functioning. It presents a stronger behavioural emphasis in evaluation, while encouraging the development of more effective measurement methods.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Strategic research and development: it is more than just getting the next product to market
|
[
"Research and development",
"Operations management",
"New products",
"Strategic planning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In today's business environment the products and services produced by a company are its \"public face\" in as much as they are what customers judge a company on: great products and services equals great company. For example, Apple and its very innovative line of products including the i-Phone. As a result, companies invest a tremendous amount of time and financial resources in developing new products and services. As a result, there is interest in understanding the evolution of these offerings and how these products can be developed more efficiently and cost effectively. There is a strong connection between how companies go about developing products and services in the marketplace and their ultimate success or failure.Two things have changed over the past several years; both the speed and scale of market and technologies changes has increased; second there is a greater understanding of how closely connected are the processes by which products and services are developed and the outcomes from these processes.\nThe strategic importance of product and service development: Figure 1 illustrates why product and service development is viewed as increasingly important from a strategic perspective. From a market perspective, international competition has become increasingly intense. In many markets there are a number of competitors bunched together in terms of their product and service performance. As a result, even small advantages in product and service specifications can have a differentiating impact on competitiveness and ultimately product survival. This has made customers much more sophisticated in exercising their choice and often more demanding in terms of wanting products and services that fit their specific needs. Furthermore, markets are becoming more fragmented. Unless companies choose to follow relatively narrow niche markets, they are faced with developing products and services capable of being adapted in different ways to different markets. To further exacerbate the technical challenges, product and service life cycles have become shorter. Therefore, introducing new products and services in an efficient and effective manner allows companies to take advantage over the competition. Competitors respond by doing the same and the situation escalates.In addition, and as important, set of pressures affect the operations resources which have to develop and deliver new products and services. Perhaps most importantly, rapid technology changes have affected most industries. Primarily, because of the scale and pace of such technological developments, it has become increasingly obvious that effective product and service development places responsibilities on every part of the business. Marketing, purchasing, accounting, operations are all an integral part of the organizations ability to develop products and services effectively and efficiently. Every part of the business is now faced with the question of how they can deploy their particular competencies and skills towards developing innovative, value-adding products and services in an efficient and effective manner.\nStages of development: Describing the way in which organizations develop products and services is as varied as the products and services themselves. Furthermore, what companies specify as a formal product or service development methodology, and what happens in reality, are usually very different things. Nevertheless, in my experience I have found that the ideas below seem to have found wide acceptance amongst product development companies.Figure 2 outlines the development process, as it moves through a series of stages, some of which may be missed out and sometimes the process recycles back through stages. At the beginning of this process, there are stages concerned with collecting ideas and generating product and service concepts, and towards the end of the process, there are stages concerned with specifying the detail of product or service specifications.As the development process moves through these stages, the number of alternative design options reduces until one final design remains. The process often includes decision points which screen out options viewed to be unsatisfactory.The possible design options are then reduced to a very small set of possible R&D outcomes and the engineers move from a state of uncertainty to a state of increasing certainty. One consequence of this is that the ability to change the design set gets increasingly difficult and limited. Making changes at the end of the development process can be considerably more expensive than making them at the beginning of the development process. Therefore adding value early on in the research and development process is critical to success.\nCreating efficiency in research and development and adding value early in the R&D process: In their ongoing desire to become more efficient, many R&D organizations largely focus on reducing administrative inefficiencies such as burdensome approval processes, lack of information, and meetings that are unproductive or unnecessary. Yet they tend to overlook the bigger issue of engineering inefficiencies, which is caused by problems such as shifting design requirements, poor integration of design components, and post-production design changes. Although engineering and R&D inefficiencies consumes substantial time and resources - and has a much bigger impact on the bottom line - it is often ignored because it is more complex and challenging to address. And in some cases, it is not even recognized as a problem.Should companies focus more attention on reducing engineering and R&D inefficiencies and adding more value early in the design process? Or should they accept the status quo and focus their efforts elsewhere?Here is the debate that many business leaders and R&D executives are wrestling with. Should they focus more attention on engineering waste and accelerate engineering value \"The best way to improve engineering efficiency is to avoid unnecessary design changes, minimize rework, and improve coordination between design and manufacturing from the get-go.\" Reduced engineering waste will lower our design costs, accelerate development, and improve our overall competitiveness.Many R&D organizations do not view manageable inefficiency as a waste, but as a value-added activity necessary to get the design right. However, our experience with companies around the world shows that excessive engineering effort is a clear indicator of inefficiency and can be sharply reduced without an adverse effect on design outcomes. For example, poorly defined requirements early in the design cycle can cause excessive low value adding effort in later phases, which ultimately increases costs and slows things down. Other common causes of manageable excessive engineering effort include:1. Lack of integration. R&D organizations are becoming more and more sophisticated in their use of computer-aided tools to design and model product parts. However, disconnects can still occur when individual design efforts are not tied into a requirements management process that ensures the separate components will ultimately work together. Not having the right tools, processes, people or data to achieve the necessary integration can contribute to excessive non-value adding activities.2. Poor synchronization across design groups. Different design teams tend to work at different speeds. Unless work is scheduled and prioritized, some groups inevitably fall behind or find themselves waiting on others. This is particularly challenging when the time comes to test that various components work together - especially if some components are mechanical while others are software or electrical.3. Design by committee. Building consensus around decisions can be a valuable exercise. However, excessive deliberation and lack of clearly delineated decision-making roles is counter-productive and can make it difficult or impossible to meet product development deadlines.4. Lack of cross-functional integration. R&D needs to bring other functions into the development process as early as possible. For example, failure to get the manufacturing organization involved can lead to inadequate tools and shop floor processes. Similarly, failure to involve the after-market service organization can create costly support problems for the company and its customers. The best design in the world is useless if it cannot be built and properly supported.One reason engineering inefficiency is hard to fix is because it is hard to see. The right diagnostic tools can help decision-makers visually analyze engineering data to better determine how much engineering effort is unavoidable, and how much can be eliminated. Tools and techniques from lean manufacturing and Six Sigma can then be applied to help address the root causes of manageable churn and add more engineering value in the early stages of the design cycle.Manufacturing businesses around the world have been operating in a severe cost-cutting environment for more than a year, and the pressure to keep costs down is unlikely to abate any time soon. In fact, for many global manufacturers, cost reduction and limited R&D funding have become a basic business requirement.Of course, most manufacturing companies do not have the luxury of cost-cutting their way to prosperity and growth. At some point, they will need to invest in new products, markets, and growth opportunities. Achieving sustainable growth and innovation in the face of limited R&D funding requires improved capabilities. Sticking with the status quo is simply not an option.Attacking engineering inefficiency to significantly improve high value add R&D efficiency, while, at the same time, improving R&D performance, must be considered. For example, a global specialty chemical manufacturer recently identified 50,000 engineering labor hours that could be better spent developing new products. Similarly, a global automotive manufacturer identified millions of dollars in annual engineering labor that could be used more efficiently and over a dozen of steps eliminated in quality control and routine testing.Identifying and reducing engineering churn can enable a company to redirect wasted resources and effort to activities that create value for the business and improve its overall competitiveness in the marketplace.Automotive, process and industrial products manufacturers share a common characteristic: they all manufacture highly engineered products. For these businesses, the benefit opportunities of attacking waste in engineering are the same as for attacking waste in manufacturing operations - reduced cycle time, increased throughput, higher product quality and lower costs.Unfortunately, the drivers and impact of non-value activities and inefficiencies in engineering tend to be less apparent than in manufacturing operations, where physical scrap, inefficient flows, and poor production quality often are readily visible. The good news is that analytical tools are available to help companies in their efforts to identify and address the damaging effects of engineering \"waste\".The payoff for auto, process and industrial manufacturing companies can be relatively high since engineering costs comprise such a large percentage of their overall cost structure. For example, a global automaker recently identified hundreds of man-months of wasted development time per full vehicle program, which represented millions in excess R&D costs. That is a level of waste and inefficiency that today's manufacturers simply cannot afford if they are to survive in the highly competitive global manufacturing environment.\nMarketing's role in strategic research and development optimization: Marketing plays a critical role in the development, success and optimization of the strategic R&D new product and process development.All businesses face different sets of challenges; challenges in internal operations, in the industry, in the economy, in the marketplace, and growth stages. Starting a new business can be difficult, time-consuming, and risky. Marketing research and strategy development at this stage are as important as raising finance for the business. A growing business, in addition to managing the growth process, must deploy and leverage new technologies while developing strategies to increasing its share of the market. It must juggle the developing of brands, the management of cash flow, and the development of an effective distribution and supply chains. Established businesses must develop new income streams to sustain profitability in a rapidly changing competitive market, consistently define new markets and develop synergistic partnerships.Historically, in the pharmaceutical industry, customer-led R&D has not been practiced so rigorously. Pharmaceutical companies set R&D priorities based on the opportunity for scientific discovery combined with long-term revenue forecasts-notably, not profit forecasts-that promise attractive commercial gains. They seek the customer's input-from physicians, payers and patients-usually only after a product reaches the late-stage pipeline; even then, the feedback influences only launch strategies and market positioning. Moreover, such customer input is heavily focused on physicians, such as the factors that influence their prescriptions. The payer's perspective is largely restricted to reimbursement negotiations. It is rarely an input for setting R&D priorities, and almost never in the early stages of the pipeline-in the labs and clinics. In effect, pharmaceutical companies seldom undertake a rigorous assessment of what payers will be willing to pay for-compared with alternative treatments-before deciding what to research.In the future, pharmaceutical companies will need to listen early in their R&D efforts to the voice of customers - especially payers. While a pharmaceutical company cannot design products tailored to customer specs, it can guide its R&D closer to customer needs. That shift is imperative. As payers consolidate, they are becoming more powerful and cost conscious, demanding hard evidence that their reimbursement dollars are well spent. By identifying which health outcomes payers are more willing to reimburse, pharmaceutical companies can more closely align R&D priorities with market realities. This new approach will be challenging, and even a little frustrating, because payer priorities change over time. But pharmaceutical companies must listen, respond and evolve based on what their customers are saying.At all of these stages, businesses need a guide who understands these issues and can work in partnership with them to develop effective solutions to the challenges.How do you know if you are innovating effectively?\nConclusion: Competitive markets and demanding customers require updated and \"refreshed\" products and services. Even small changes to products and services can have an impact on competitiveness. Markets are also becoming more fragmented, requiring product and service variants developed specifically for custom market needs. Simultaneously, technologies are affording researchers increased opportunities for their exploitation within novel products and services. It is critical to appreciate that the successful development of products and services is inextricably intertwined with efficient and effective and ideally optimized development of processes that produce them. Product and service development success is governed by successful and efficient research and development processes.Although there is no single model that companies utilize in new product development, in fact there are many. Nevertheless, these share some common denominators including: concept generation, concept screening, preliminary design, design evaluations and improvement, prototyping and final design, and developing the efficient and effective operations process to deliver successful outcomes.A visionary research and development, or new product or service development that is not linked early on to excellent operational and governance processes cannot be implemented. Conversely, operational excellence may lower costs, improve quality, and reduce process and lead times; but without a strategic R&D vision and guidance is unlikely to enjoy sustainable success from its operational improvements alone. High performance operating processes in R&D are critical and when combined with pro-active implementation and governance will result in successful and strategic R&D which could serve as a sustaining advantage to companies in the near and long term.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding of a concept that the author refers to as strategic research and development.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The driver for this article came from interviews and discussions with CEOs, vice presidents, and director level engineers and scientists over the past several years who have demonstrated great interest in understanding why their companies' R&D efforts fall short of target so many times.\nFindings: - A visionary research and development, or new product or service development that is not linked early on to excellent operational and governance processes, cannot be successfully implemented. Conversely, operational excellence may lower costs, improve quality, and reduce process and lead times; but without a strategic R&D vision and guidance is unlikely to enjoy sustainable success from its operational improvements alone. High performance operating processes in R&D are critical and when combined with pro-active implementation and governance will result in successful and strategic R&D which could serve as a sustaining advantage of companies in the near term and should secure long term survival.\nOriginality/value: - The paper is insightful in that it makes several suggestions at optimizing research and development efficiency and effectiveness through strategic operational excellence. It is creative in that it links operational excellence and operations management themes with developing new products and services and the work of R&D. This is a very interesting read for high-level executives and senior management involved with research and development and new product development.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A service science approach for improving healthy food experiences
|
[
"Healthy food",
"Value‐in‐use",
"Service design",
"Innovation",
"Service science",
"Experience"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity rates have more than doubled since 1980; 68 percent of the USA and almost half of European adults are overweight or obese (Flegal et al., 2010). These and other developments have moved information about healthy, safe, and nutritious food items to the top of service providers', marketing researchers', and policy makers' agendas. Yet recent figures suggest the limited success of US and EU policies that aim to enhance healthy food education, information, and consumption. Such ineffective communication might explain the high failure rates of innovations related to food (Francis et al., 2008) and the limited success of safe food policies, which often fail to address specific customer segments, related stakeholders, or food producers (Costa and De Jonge, 2006; Trail and Meulenberg, 2002).A key reason for the 80 percent average failure rate for healthy food innovations may be that communications about them reflect the foods' newness, benefits, and risks (Grunert et al., 1997; Tijhuis et al., 2012), rather than accounting for the specific nature of the experiences associated with healthy food education, information, and consumption. Such an experience occurs when a company intentionally uses services (e.g. online games, cooking workshops) as the stage, and goods as support (e.g. aprons, cookbook) to engage individual customers in a way that creates a memorable event (Pine and Gilmore, 1998). Innovating these complex healthy food experiences often involves many stakeholders, including health insurance companies, doctors, industry groups, and governmental organizations. With regard to the societal implications of unhealthy food consumption, they are particularly pronounced for children, whose prior knowledge about healthiness tends to be limited and whose food intake is influenced by various stakeholders (e.g. parents, grandparents, teachers; Calvert, 2008). A sole focus on healthy food also might make children reluctant to consume, because healthy food appears as something they must eat to avoid sickness or negative effects, rather than something they want to eat (Berry and Bendapudi, 2007; McColl-Kennedy et al., 2012; Wansink et al., 2009). Thus, customers' subjective assessments of the value of healthy food depend on their engagement in communication with other stakeholders during the experience (Wansink et al., 2009; Winter Falk et al., 2001). Both food companies and public institutions also increasingly attempt to convey important health-related lessons (e.g. need for physical activity, obesity prevention) and specific values (e.g. highly affective advocates) to children.To advance communication about healthy food innovations though, it may be more important to view food consumption as experiential and emotional (Conner et al., 1999; Korsmeyer, 2005). Framing food consumption as experiential acknowledges that taste is subjective and overall quality assessments are always contextual (Loewenstein et al., 2007). In essence, a healthy food experience relies on subjective interpretations of interrelated encounters with food that improve the consumer's well-being. The development of new food experiences thus demands a more holistic approach than suggested by existing conceptualizations that ignore the influence of contextual aspects on the communication about and delivery of value related to healthy eating processes.Together, the number and variety of stakeholders involved, the experiential nature of healthy food consumption, and the reluctance of consumers to eat healthy food also indicate the need for a holistic view on communication about healthy food experiences, which service providers can use to develop and deliver new consumption experiences. Yet, no research captures this holistic experience. Researchers investigate healthy, safe food innovations and identify several success factors, such as nutrition levels, taste, and quality labels, but they often neglect experiential aspects (Drewnowski, 1997; Grunert et al., 1997), even as more recent research reveals that experiences comprises both functional/objective and experiential/subjective benefits (Belei et al., 2013; Costa and Jongen, 2006; Pine and Gilmore, 1998). Furthermore, food consumption has implications beyond the individual consumer, especially considering the rising costs of health care for society at large (Zimmet et al., 2001). For children especially, food choices may affect their health care demands in the long run, which remain difficult for policy makers, health care providers, and insurers to predict. We propose that food choice is driven by both the core food item and the augmented experience offer surrounding that item (e.g. packaging, context; Storey and Easingwood, 1998). Consumption and its assessment thus depend heavily on individual perceptions and interactions with others, especially if the consumer possesses limited prior knowledge (e.g. children) and is strongly influenced by food gatekeepers (e.g. parents) (Calvert, 2008; Cullen et al., 2001).However, existing research often studies food attribute cues in laboratories, without considering real-world product cues and environments (Pennings et al., 2005). Our investigation of healthy food experiences involves different stakeholders across different service systems (e.g. children, parents, teachers in schools, sports clubs, families). The value-in-use perspective from the service-dominant logic also moves beyond a product focus to consider a wide set of experience determinants (Vargo and Lusch, 2008). Despite its advantages, the premises of this approach remain relatively abstract and difficult to apply, with uncertain links to other theories. Its applicability for improving healthy food experiences also remains unproven (Lusch and Vargo, 2006). We advance existing literature by defining key elements for developing new communications related to healthy food experience.To investigate these healthy food experiences, we propose using a service science perspective, defined as \"the study of service systems, aiming to create a basis for systematic service innovation\" (Maglio and Spohrer, 2008, p. 18), in which the service systems entail value co-creation configurations of people, technology, and value propositions (connecting internal and external service systems and shared information). The service-dominant logic offers a philosophical foundation for service science, such that the service system is its basic theoretical construct, and service design represents a toolbox for investigating service systems (Mager, 2009; Maglio and Spohrer, 2008; Patricio et al., 2008). Therefore, service science aims to offer a comprehensive, experience-centric view of service innovation that incorporates different stakeholders of the service system (Ostrom et al., 2010). This study will be summarized in a conceptual framework with key elements (enabler, principles, challenges, and outcomes) of service-science based new service developments. We encourage service and innovation scholars to validate this framework of principles beyond the setting of healthy food experiences. Specifically:* What defines a healthy food experience taking a value-in-use perspective?* What are the key elements for developing new communication about healthy food experiences?* What are the key elements of service-science based new service developments?We thus view a healthy food experience as an augmented service offering that includes both the healthy food item and its accompanying service experiences, from which the customer and stakeholders across service systems extract functional and hedonic benefits. With this approach, we make several key contributions. First, we contribute to food innovation literature by adopting an experience perspective, which views healthy food innovations as augmented offerings that include accompanying service experiences, such as communication about the core product. We also consider the behavioral habits of customers, who often trade off functional and hedonic attributes in their healthy food consumption processes, and we suggest ways to communicate these attributes in a real-life decision context. Our empirical study follows a typical service science approach to innovation, in which customers' co-creation caters to needs related to the experiential consumption of healthy food, interactions with other stakeholders, and affective and cognitive decision-making criteria.Second, we extend the application of the service-dominant logic by conceptualizing and validating the healthy food experience as a value-in-use offering. Growing research on healthy food experiences tends to be conceptual and abstract; we emphasize the experiential, multilayered nature of healthy food and demonstrate the need for a holistic approach to the experience of its consumption. In addition, we account for customers' active role in determining value and thus empirically explore the core premises of the service-dominant logic, service science, and services marketing, to offer recommendations for a holistic view of healthy food experiences.Third, this study contributes to growing literature on service science by examining key principles and contingency factors that influence the success of experience-centric service innovations. Communication about healthy food is an experiential offer, with a series of customer touch points and roles captured by service design tools in a holistic service science approach. To advance literature on service science, we establish a framework with principles, enablers, challenges, and outcomes that accounts for the nature of experiences and their innovation process. Research and practice in marketing, innovation, and services should benefit from this empirically grounded identification of success criteria for implementing an experiential offer.In the next section, we review relevant literature on (healthy) food, marketing, innovation, and service design to develop an experiential perspective on innovations that can support communication about healthy food experiences. Then we present our research methodology, involving in-depth analysis of a real-life case to develop a virtual platform to inform children about healthy food. We present and discuss our results, which provide empirical evidence of which factors are most critical for innovating healthy food communication. Finally, we conclude with theoretical and managerial implications.\nLiterature and conceptual development: To improve communication about healthy food experiences, we suggest a value-in-use approach. Emphasis is placed on the experiential nature of food as an augmented service offering, which we address using multiple stakeholders' perspectives, in accordance with a service science approach.Defining a healthy food experience\nMethodology: Our exploratory investigation aims to acquire a more fundamental understanding of ways to develop new means of communicating about healthy food experiences. From a service science perspective, healthcare in general, and healthy food in particular, is a new, under researched phenomenon (Ostrom et al., 2010), making qualitative research a suitable method. We employ a case study approach to investigate this phenomenon in its real-life context and develop theoretical insights (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007; Yin, 2008). In line with a grounded theory approach, we elicited the results from the case study data and matched them with our literature review using recursive cycling across qualitative data, emerging theory, and extant literature (Dul and Hak, 2007; Glaser and Strauss, 1967).Research setting\nResults: The findings emerging from our analysis reflected three main insights that sequentially built on one another. First, we extracted from the empirical data distinct factors that stress the central nature of communication for healthy food experiences and confronted them with extant literature. Second, we adopted a value-in-use perspective to theoretically validate our view on healthy food experiences and demonstrate how communication influences its value-in-use. Third, we established a conceptual framework, with the project principles, enablers, challenges, and outcomes of improving the healthy food experience through better communication.Factors determining communication for healthy food experiences\nImplications and conclusions: Our study explores innovation from a holistic service science perspective that addresses how to improve communication to increase the success of experience-centric service innovations. To advance our understanding of this area, we reviewed extant literature on health, food, services marketing, innovation, and service design and confronted the status quo with real-life insights from a case. Our results first show that communication is central to determining healthy food experiences and, more specifically, the simultaneity of their hedonic and functional benefits, the influence of stakeholders, and knowledge requirements. Second, our case study offers evidence of the theoretical foundations of healthy food experience as value-in-use and the role of communication in these value perceptions. Finally, we identify principles, enablers, challenges, and outcomes for developing new means to communicate about healthy food experiences. The findings advance research in several ways.Theoretical implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Insufficient attention to the specific nature of healthy food experiences might limit the success of related innovations. The purpose of this article is to adopt a value-in-use perspective to conceptualize healthy food consumption as experiential and emotional, rather than the mere intake of nutrition, and to examine the development of healthy food communication with a service science approach.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - With a service science approach, this study proposes a virtual healthy food platform for children. The key data come from internal project documents, workshops with children and other stakeholders (e.g. parents, teachers), and interviews with project team members.\nFindings: - The simultaneity of functional and hedonic benefits, implications for multiple stakeholders, social norms, and need for expertise characterize healthy food experiences. The proposed framework accounts for enablers, principles, outcomes, and challenges affecting the development of communication integral to healthy food experiences, using project data and tools as illustrations.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This study contributes to growing literature on service science by introducing key principles and contingency factors that influence the success of experience-centric service innovations. Quantitative research should validate the established framework and investigate the elements' relative usefulness for developing healthy food communication.\nPractical implications: - The service science approach involves multiple stakeholders, empathic data collection, and visual tools to develop an entertaining platform to help children learn about healthy food.\nOriginality/value: - This research conceptualizes and validates healthy food experiences as value-in-use offerings. The proposed service science approach accounts for the interactions among stakeholders, the holistic nature, and specificities of a real-life decision context for improving healthy food experiences.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Medical tourism trends in the United Kingdom 2000-2016: Global economic crisis, migration and UK expats under consideration
|
[
"Medical tourism",
"Outbound",
"The United Kingdom",
"British expats",
"Diaspora populations",
"Inbound"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Medical tourism has become a multi-billion pound industry that has seen substantial growth over the past fifteen years (Horsfall and Lunt, 2015). Marketed as a form of patient or \"consumer\" mobility in which individuals travel outside their country of residence for the consumption of health-care services, medical tourists are often conceptualised as \"customers in search of value\", usually paying out-of-pocket for their treatment (Lunt et al., 2014a, 2014b; Keckley and Underwood, 2008). The past fifteen years has seen the popularity of consumer-led mobility (or medical tourism) increase substantially. While there is little agreement on the size of the medical tourism market, a conservative estimate suggests that globally, at least five million people travel to another country and pay out-of-pocket for medical treatment each year (Horsfall and Lunt, 2015).\n2. Data and methods: To carry out this study, we use data drawn for the IPS for the period 2000-2016 and conducted by the UK Office of National Statistics (ONS). The IPS is a continuous survey which began in 1961 and provides detailed information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK. The ONS publishes data regularly on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis which are used widely across and outside UK Government. The survey data are collected through face-to-face interviews (at all major UK airports and sea routes, at Eurostar terminals and on Eurotunnel shuttle trains) to a random sample of passengers entering or leaving the UK. That is, around 90 per cent of passengers entering or leaving the UK are eligible for sampling. The IPS is a multi-purpose survey that provides data on three main areas, namely, balance of payments, international migration to and from the UK (the IPS sample size for this purpose is around 700,000-800,000 interviews per year) and overseas travel and tourism estimates (the IPS sample size for this purpose is approximately 250,000 interviews per year, which allows reliable estimates to be produced for different groups of passengers despite the low proportion of international travellers interviewed). The key variables and concepts included in the IPS are number and purpose of visits (e.g. holiday, business, visiting friends or relatives, study, personal shopping, medical treatment, and transit), date of arrival/departure, number of people travelling, number of previous visits, mode of transport (e.g. air, sea, the Channel Tunnel), the UK region to stay, expenditure in and outside the UK, date of interview and a set of sociodemographic characteristics of travellers (e.g. age, gender, nationality and country and place of residence). Further information on methodology, variables, definition, sampling, collection of data and weightings are available at: www.ons.gov.uk/surveys/informationforhouseholdsandindividuals/householdandindividualsurveys/internationalpassengersurvey.\n3. Results: Figure 1 shows the number of visits to the UK by overseas residents and visits abroad by UK residents looking for medical treatment for the period 2000-2016. Overall, we find two different periods - 2000-2006 and 2007-2016 - wherein the evolution in the number of outbound and inbound medical tourists follows a differentiated pattern. The tipping point is the year 2007, i.e. the start of the global economic crisis. For the period 2000-2006 (pre-crisis), we observe that there is a significant number of UK residents who travelled abroad to receive medical treatment (outbound). The number of visits abroad for medical treatment at the beginning of that period was approximately 13,250 and increased to 76,780 visits in 2006. This gives us a mean annual growth rate of around 34 per cent for the period 2000-2006. In the same period, there was also an increase in the number of visits to the UK by overseas residents travelling for medical treatment (inbound). In 2000, these overseas residents made around 34,500 visits to the UK, whereas in 2006 this figure rose to 66,450 visits. That is, the mean annual growth rate during that period was 11.6 per cent and lower than that was calculated for outbound tourists. As for the period 2007-2016 (post-crisis), we find a more stable trend for inbound travellers but with significant falls in the years 2009 (-11,577 travellers) and 2014 (-6,545 travellers).\n4. Conclusions: This study has analysed the trends in medical tourism into and out of the UK in the time-period 2000-2016 using the IPS. This, robust, independent and transparent data source allows a genuine exploration of these trends, free of the bombast often attached to industry-generated sources. The headline findings are that over this time-period both inbound and outbound medical tourism involving the UK has increased. This is important and the fact that reliable, impartial and transparent data confirms this is noteworthy. For those who have followed the industry for some time, numbers reported are not usually to be trusted (Connell, 2013). The pattern has been one of modest and steady increase for inbound medical tourism compared to a more erratic and rapid period of growth in terms of outbound medical tourism. The explanations for this are likely to be numerous, ranging from the increasing accessibility and reputation of destinations to the normalisation of medical tourism as a process, and the rising pressures facing health systems in coping with the demands of a changing population (Lunt et al., 2015 for a useful summary).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the inbound and outbound medical tourism in the UK to determine if the UK can be considered as a net exporter of health services as well as the impact of the 2007 global economic crisis, diaspora populations and the number of UK expats on medical tourism figures.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using microdata drawn from the International Passenger Survey (2000-2016), the authors estimate the flows, number of nights and expenditure of tourists looking for medical treatment who complete international visits of less than 12 months' duration to and from the UK. The authors also analyse the main destinations of UK residents, the country of origin of overseas residents and the particular case of British expats.\nFindings: The results show the upward trend of inbound and outbound patients, the strong seasonality in outbound patients, and the significant increase in the levels of expenditure of overseas residents since 2005. Poland, France, Hungary and India are the chosen countries by UK residents to be treated, whereas Irish Republic, Spain, France, Gibraltar and the United Arab Emirates are the main countries providing inbound health patients. However, the processes of migration explain full or partly the inbound and outbound flows found for some countries.\nOriginality/value: This study offers a critical insight into inbound and outbound medical flows, demonstrating both the scope for and limitations to market development in this area.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Up for sale: consumer medical information
|
[
"Data security",
"Privacy",
"Marketing strategy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: With the advent of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), consumers were assured that numerous safeguards would protect the privacy of their personal health information. Unfortunately, certain marketing practices by physicians, hospitals, insurers, and pharmacies that fall within acceptable guidelines of HIPAA may leave consumers with a false sense of security when it comes to their privacy.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to examine privacy breaches in personal health record information that expose consumers to unsolicited marketing.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Examples of: data theft by healthcare workers; sale of consumer health data by entities not covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); and piracy of health data through sophisticated internet targeted marketing.\nFindings: - This paper finds that HIPAA's strict safeguards to medical privacy are not extended to database companies that aggregate data for electronic medical records, a source of highly profitable information that is purchased by advertisers. Similar health information is obtained by marketers through consumer \"health surveys\" completed on web-based health information sites or at community health screenings.\nPractical implications: - Consumer education is warranted to ensure awareness of privacy breaches and vigilance against loss of personal and protected health information to marketers.\nOriginality/value: - The paper highlights the areas for protecting consumers via identifying loopholes in HIPAA, as well as pointing out consumer behavior that can lead to subtle, yet systematic exploitation of their health information for profit via marketing.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Transforming information security governance in India (A SAP-LAP based case study of security, IT policy and e-governance)
|
[
"Sap-Lap",
"Information security",
"IT policy",
"E-Governance",
"Digital India",
"ICT Applications"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Nowadays, e-governance in the Indian economy is seen as a complementary subject of information security, where e-service delivery ensuring the information technology (IT) policy development is the main focus. Apart from important instructions, the policies in the segment of e-governance framework are important for implementing procedures and security controls in various organizations and sectors. To frame security IT policy and support the process of e-services delivery to citizen, the area of information security governance is more challenging in the context of meeting the Indian objectives of sustainable development. Various implementing frameworks and routes have been developed as processes to fill the present gaps of the governmental development, where many actors are involved in the process of e-governance process implementation. Leading actors, i.e., the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Government of India (GoI), has taken a number of policy measures in the recent years of e-governance. Those measures are crucial for achieving the vision and objectives of a recently launched programme on Digital India. The programme is seen as one of the keys to sustainable development. In the area of information security and e-governance, IT policies are envisaged to provide the necessary support to all central ministries and various departments for running the central sector initiatives up to the state level. In this reference, all the States and Union Territories are being transformed by leveraging emerging technologies, making use of newer business models and revamping existing projects. The aim of such project-based services is to implement the vision and deliver the services electronically to citizens in an efficient, transparent and affordable manner. These policies also draw their strengths from national and international best practices in their respective domains as well as inputs from subject matter experts from Government departments, industry and academia. In addition to this, information security policy (the so-called IT policy) initiatives are endeavouring to chart out the roadmap for implementation of e-governance projects and to extrapolate best practices and key reform principles that can help the government implement a new paradigm of governance in the country (Government of India, 2008, 2016, Second Administrative Reforms Commission, Eleventh ARC Report, and e-Government Survey, United Nations Public Administration Network). The projects cover a number of important areas like open source software (OSS), open application programming interfaces (APIs), e-mail policy, use of IT resources, collaborative application development, application development and re-engineering for cloud-ready applications.\n2. Case overview based on situation-actor-process and learning-action-performance framework: The growth of e-governance first began in India with the establishment of National Informatics Centre in 1977. This was a first major step towards e-governance and, subsequently, there were policy developments in the IT sector and many initiatives that were launched to support the growth of e-governance in the country. Consequently, upon these initiatives, the launch of National Informatics Centre Network in 1987 was one of the driving forces and other significant initiatives include the creation of a Union Ministry of Communication and Information in 1999 and identification of a 12-point minimum agenda for e-governance to implement in all other Union Government Ministries and Departments by 2000. Later, administrative reforms established the NeGP in 2006 and started the Digital India programme, which set out an impressive agenda for developing e-government services. Despite all the cyber security risks, the movement towards the Digital India programme is inevitable and the challenge is that presently, the majority of government departments and e-governance projects are being conducted in silos, specifically those working for rural area development. As noted, this cannot be the case with the flagship programme to support recent developments in the areas of smart cities, where security needs to be considered as an integral part rather than an afterthought. Due to many challenges in the area of information security and governance, it is important to model and present a wide range of issues covering the subjects of information security, cyber security breaches, IT sector development, policy, penetration testing of ICT applications and making e-services available to support e-governance, in one architecture for research.\n3. Situation-actor-process and learning-action-performance model of information security transformation, information technology policy and e-governance: The case study identifies SAP-LAP components and the following sub-section presents elements of the SAP components only. Based on these SAP components, LAP components have been synthesized at the later stage of the case. For the same purpose, detailed studies about the initiatives taken by the GoI and implementation of MMPs. It is observed that the objectives of MMPs are set to the transformation of e-governance to meet the present challenges which exist in sustainable development goals (SDGs) and also to support the e-governance process. The description of MMPs is also presented here. The case study approach illustrates various interpretive matrices (Sushil, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2009), where matrices can help in developing programme planning (Warfield, 1974). Later, such a matrices-based model is used as a guiding framework to develop linkages between the SAP-LAP components. The later part of the study highlights the LAP components which discusses the various challenges of the Indian economy (Refer to Appendix 1 and 2 for Future Plan for e-Governance and Status of MMPs).\n4. Discussion: In the previous section, various issues related to information security and IT policy initiatives for driving the e-governance process are presented. Overall, the case is presented through the selection of the situation and assessed based on the SAP-LAP model used in this case study. Based on the steps of the SAP-LAP model implementation, both qualitative and quantitative synthesis of SAP and LAP components is carried out. Qualitative analysis is based on critical questioning, while quantitative analysis is based on assessment through CIM, interpretive matrices of actors versus process and actions versus performance. For the same purpose, SIM and CIM structures are developed. Based on the five-point scale for quantitative assessment, information and on the severity of influences, interpretive matrices are formed. Similarly, the dominance and binary matrices for actions versus performance, indicating ranking of actions, are also presented. After analysing the interpretive process of SAP-LAP, it is found that the actor for IT policy implementation includes MeitY (A1) and Department of Telecommunication, GoI, (A2) which attains a high rank in their actions to support e-governance. As IT policy framing and implementation is also seen as the backbone of e-governance to control various processes, threats and risks, it is found from the dominance matrix of Table VI that the rank of Actor (A3) is equally important to Actor (A6). The same ranking of actors is obtained and it may be due to the direct relationship between policy implementation with the governing body of the Digital India programme, which also imparts training to government officials (Refer Tables V and VI).\n5. Challenging areas: From the above case study discussion, it is seen that the implementation of e-governance does have certain constraints. The area of literacy, i.e. the users' ability to use the computer and their ability to read and write, should be more focused areas for e-governance implementation. There are large numbers of potential barriers to the implementation of e-governance and one significant challenge is to remove hindrances in the path of implementation, like security, unequal access to computer technology by the citizen, the high initial cost for setting up the e-government solutions and resistance to change. A few of the main challenges identified are trust, resistance to change, the digital divide, cost and privacy and security concerns. At the outset, a few challenges are identified as follows:\n6. Concluding remarks and recommendations: The case study has analysed and presented various issues related to information security governance and IT policy for e-governance using the SAP-LAP model framework. The case has been presented considering the selected issues of information security, cyber breaches, IT policy and its management to support e-governance in the country. For the same purpose, a qualitative and quantitative model of SAP-LAP was used. The systematic inquiry-based questions developed or analysing the SAP component were based on the framing of critical questioning, and synthesis of both SAP and LAP components were carried out. The components were specifically classified in the areas of information security, IT policy issues and e-governance. The LAP synthesis is concluded separately using both types of qualitative and quantitative assessment of e-governance in the context of information security and IT policy implementation. The proposed framework addresses various issues related to information security and management. On development of the SAP-LAP and synthesis of various components, learning from the case study shows that the SAP-LAP framework is very useful for analysing sensitive matters of the Indian situation of e-governance, which needs information security and IT management as the challenging tasks to be dealt with in the focused approach of MMP implementation. However, based on the interpretative mode of inquiry approach of SAP-LAP, the development of matrices, capacity building, segment-like change management to support civil attitudes to resist the changes required are significant areas to manage country's information security, develop good IT policy and also to support the overall e-governance process for the national security.\n7. Implications on theory, management and policy: This case study presented and shared research ideas to readers from academia, Government and the IT industry that have addressed some of the concerns related to various sector developments based on the needs of policy making and effective e-governance implementation. The section concludes the implication on theory, management and policy for the respective categories of readers. The implication of research is presented as follows.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: Digital India, the flagship programme of Government of India (GoI) originated from National e-Governance Project (NeGP) in the year 2014. The programme has important aspect of information security and implementation of IT policy which supports e-Governance in a focused approach of Mission Mode. In this context, there is a need to assess situation of the programme which covers a study of initiatives and actions taken by various actor involved and processes which are responsible for overall e-Governance. Therefore, the purpose of this case study is to develop a Situation-Actor-Process (SAP), Learning-Action-Performance (LAP) based inquiry model to synthesize situation of information security governance, IT policy and overall e-Governance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this case study both systematic inquiry and matrices based SAP-LAP models are developed. Actors are classified who are found responsible and engaged in IT policy framing, infrastructure development and also in e-Governance implementation. Based on a synthesis of SAP components, various LAP elements were then synthesized then which further led to learning from the case study. Suitable actions and performance have also been highlighted, followed by a statement of the impact of the efficacy i.e. transformation of information security, policy and e-Governance on the Digital India programme.\nFindings: On developing the SAP-LAP framework, it was found that actors like the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of the Govt. of India secures a higher rank in implementing various initiatives and central sector schemes to accelerate the agenda of e-Governance. Actions of other preferred actors include more investments in IT infrastructure, policy development and a mechanism to address cyber security threats for effective implementation of e-Governance. It was found that actors should be pro-active on enhancing technical skills, capacity building and imparting education related to ICT applications and e-Governance. Decision making should be based on the sustainable management practices of e-Governance projects implementation to manage change, policy making and the governmental process of the Indian administration and also to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by the Indian economy.\nResearch limitations/implications: The SAP-LAP synthesis is used to develop the case study. However, few other qualitative and quantitative multi criteria decision making approaches could also be explored for the development of IT security based e-Governance framework in the Indian context.\nPractical implications: The synthesis of SAP leads to LAP components which can bridge the gaps between information security, IT policy governance and e-Governance process. Based on the learning from the Situation, it is said that the case study can provide decision making support and has impact on the e-Governance process i.e. may enhance awareness about e-services available to the general public. Such work is required to assess the transparency and accountability on the Government.\nSocial implications: Learning based on the SAP-LAP framework could provide decision making support to the administrators, policy makers and IT sector stakeholders. Thus, the case study would further help in addressing the research gaps, accelerating e-Governance initiatives and in capturing cyber threats.\nOriginality/value: The SAP-LAP model is found as an intuitive approach to analyze the present status of information security governance, IT policy and e-Governance in India in a single unitary model.\n",
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College students' awareness in organizational strategy use in English writing: A Taiwan-based study
|
[
"Awareness",
"Writing",
"English language arts",
"English teaching",
"Teaching writing",
"NESs",
"EFL",
"L1/L2",
"Contrastive rhetoric",
"Organizational strategy use"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: An English as a foreign language (EFL) student's first language (L1) and associated culture influence preferences for organization and structure of writing may be different from native English language speakers' preferences (Connor, 2011; Connor et al., 2008; Grabe, 2001; Soler-Monreal et al., 2011). Despite the fact that in the writing process, writers would organize during planning, the actual content of how writers organize their writing might be different when they write in different languages. A very important strategy which has to be pointed out and documented in the literature is the organizational strategy (or rhetorical strategy) during the planning process, as it is particularly related to specific conventions when writers write in second language (L2).\nLiterature review: English written discourse pattern\nResearch design: Research questions\nResults: Breakdown of organizational strategy use\nDiscussion: The results in the present study can be interpreted as follows. First, the present study shows that speakers and writers of different varieties of English do not simply have differences, but they also share similarities in their discourse organization. Based on text analysis, when compared with EFL high achievers' and NESs' writing, they were similar in location of thesis, existence of introduction, existence of topic sentences, macro-level patterns, existence of conclusion, existence of a concluding sentence and existence of a final comment, but different in existence of background information, as most of the high achievers only wrote one sentence in the introduction (i.e. thesis statement - whether they agreed or disagreed with the writing topic).\nConclusion: In conclusion, this study offers insights into different writing conventions in a school setting. It adds to our knowledge of students' awareness of organizational features in writing in relation to a specific social context in Taiwan. In comparison with EFL high achievers and NESs, EFL high achievers tended to organize their essays in roughly the same way as NESs did, which is an interesting finding. Text analysis shows that they shared more similarities, but meanwhile, there was a difference between EFL high achievers' and NESs' writing, such as existence of background information. High achievers were in most cases conscious of similarities and differences between English and Chinese writing. They did so also to meet their English teachers' expectation.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of the study is to look at Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' organizational strategy use in English writing at universities in Taiwan. One significant area that has been indicated in contrastive rhetoric studies spins around the notion of culturally constructed organizational patterns. It is claimed that second language (L2) writers may have implicit culturally driven presuppositions and values about academic writing in the first language (L1) that may transfer straightforwardly to academic writing in English.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were from 50 high- and 50 low-achieving EFL students' and 50 native English speakers' (NESs') written texts, and semi-structured interviews with EFL students and their teachers.\nFindings: Based on text analysis, when high-achieving EFL students and NESs were compared, they were similar in location of thesis, existence of introduction, existence of topic sentences, macro-level patterns, existence of conclusion, existence of a concluding sentence and existence of a final comment, but different in existence of background information. Nonetheless, it is noted that low-achieving EFL students were quite different from high-achieving EFL students and NESs in several aspects, such as location of thesis, existence of introduction, existence of topic sentences, macro-level patterns, existence of conclusion, existence of a concluding sentence, and existence of a final comment. In addition, the written texts and interview findings suggest that while cultural differences do, in fact, exist, Chinese writers' English organizational strategy use were to some extent intertwined with their writing experiences and teachers' writing instructions. The results also suggest the flexibility of writers and multiplicity of writing experiences within a cultural group.\nOriginality/value: The study makes original recommendations for language pedagogy.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Qualitative generalising in accounting research: concepts and strategies
|
[
"Qualitative research",
"Qualitative accounting research",
"Generalisation",
"Naturalistic generalisation",
"Qualitative generalisation",
"Theoretical generalisation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: To generalize is to claim that what is the case in one place or time, will be so elsewhere or in another time. Everyday social life depends on the success of actors doing just this (Payne and Williams, 2005, p. 296).\nIdiographic or nomothetic focus?: Sometimes the word generalization is used in paradigmatic struggles - as friend or foe (Larsson, 2009, p. 25).\nGeneralisation in qualitative accounting papers: To obtain a current insight into how qualitative accounting researchers are addressing the issue of generalisability in their papers, we analysed the qualitative methods papers published in the 2015 issues of four well-regarded outlets for qualitative research: Accounting Auditing\nSocially constructing generalisation: However, the idiographic - nomothetic divide that can be seen as separating qualitative and quantitative researchers is not as clear cut as might first appear. Arguably, many qualitative researchers actually do engage in some forms of generalisation, even though they themselves may not be entirely conscious of this or clear about the form of generalisations they employ. From outside the accounting domain, Williams (2000, p. 210) expresses this cogently:\nReinterpreting qualitative generalisation: It is to address this methodological reticence that we now turn to alternative available definitions of and approaches to qualitative generalisation drawn from across multiple disciplines.\nDistilling the essence: two categories of qualitative generalising: To sum up, our review of the qualitative research literatures from fields outside accounting has identified five dominant modes of qualitative generalisation. However, their sharing of some characteristics blurs the boundaries between them, making it difficult for accounting researchers to locate themselves within a particular mode of generalising. In this section, we focus on the key similarities and differences between the various forms of generalising to distil two overarching categories that provide a foundation for qualitative accounting generalisation.\nThe quality of research generalisation: Having identified the spectrum of forms that qualitative generalisation takes and having then distilled its two overarching categories, it is also important to note unique features that influence the quality of those generalisations that can be delivered by qualitative researchers. Three particular features will be briefly considered here: sample selection, validity/credibility and thick description.\nFrom unique to typical to exceptional: In addition to sample selection, the validity/credibility approach, and thick description just discussed, various other strategies can all contribute to the qualitative researcher's enhancement of their findings' generalisability. They include the employment of \"structural corroboration\", advanced by Pepper (1942). This involves obtaining convergence of various sources of information to reach the same conclusion rather than simply relying on repeated observations of the same thing - i.e. enhancing the credibility of research findings by \"triangulating\" evidence obtained from two or more sources. Pepper employed an example of empirically determining if a chair is sufficiently strong and worth purchasing by examining its structure, studying its construction and considering the reputation of the manufacturer (rather than simply by watching people of all sizes sitting in it) (Kilbourn, 1999).\nEmbracing qualitative generalisation in accounting research: In the qualitative accounting research community, we have rarely directly addressed the issue of generalising our research findings, and even when we have done so, we have invariably hinted at a somewhat simplistic understanding or an outright apology. Alternatively, there are plentiful examples where qualitative accounting researchers have avoided addressing the concept altogether and yet, when their conclusions and stated study implications are examined, they can be often found to make implicit generalisations. Why has this been the case? Three cultural conditioners most likely explain this. One is the misplaced assumption that most qualitative studies are idiographic and incapable of any form of generalisation. Another is a likely continuing deference, be it conscious or unconscious, to the quantitative accounting research community's claims to superiority and dominance of their research tradition. That may further reflect a lack of familiarity with the concepts and available approaches to qualitative generalisation, which this paper now offers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify and articulate concepts and approaches to qualitative generalisation that will offer qualitative accounting researchers avenues for enhancing and justifying the general applicability of their research findings and conclusions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study and arguments draw from multidisciplinary approaches to this issue. The analysis and theorising is based on published qualitative research literatures from the fields of education, health sciences, sociology, information systems, management and marketing, as well as accounting.\nFindings: The paper develops two overarching generalisation concepts for application by qualitative accounting researchers. These are built upon a number of qualitative generalisation concepts that have emerged in the multidisciplinary literatures. It also articulates strategies for enhancing the generalisability of qualitative accounting research findings.\nResearch limitations/implications: The paper provides qualitative accounting researchers with understandings, arguments and justifications for the generalisability of their research and the related potential for wider accounting and societal contributions. It also articulates the key factors that impact on the quality of research generalisation that qualitative researchers can offer.\nOriginality/value: This paper presents the most comprehensively sourced and developed approach to the concepts, strategies and unique deliverables of qualitative generalising hitherto available in the accounting research literature.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Telling stories: engaging critical literacy through urban legends in an English secondary school
|
[
"Critical literacy",
"English teaching",
"Curriculum English",
"Early career teaching"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Beginning and early career teachers of English navigate a challenging landscape where they work to develop critical, research-informed practice within the wider context of a mandated curriculum in which their subject is increasingly framed according to narrow, assessment-driven models and prescribed skill sets. In England, non-dominant voices have been further marginalised in the latest iteration of the national curriculum's English programmes of study (DfE, 2014), with its emphasis on canonical texts of \"British heritage\" and the side-lining of speaking and listening as core elements of the curriculum. Within this context, this article brings together the perspectives of a teacher of English at the beginning of her career (Katie) and a tutor of initial teacher education (ITE) (Susan) to argue for the continued importance of literacy education that develops young people's critical engagement with text, rooted in their everyday experiences.\nA story of critical literacies: Subject English has been the focus of debate for decades, but recent years have seen particularly acute effects of neoliberal policy on the experience of learners and teachers in English classrooms. Increasingly driven by a climate of intense performativity, the subject has been reduced to that which can be measured by standardised assessment. Competency-based assessment regimes, such as that described by Locke (2008, p. 308) in the New Zealand context, are responsible for \"distorting students' understandings of genre, marginalising real-world textual practices [...] and drilling students in arid and formulaic responses to literary texts'\". Alongside this, as is documented by Allard and Doecke (2014), the standards agenda frames the work of teachers across a range of jurisdictions. The impact of this policy context on experienced teachers has been outlined in various international contexts (Sandretto and Tilson, 2015; Comber, 2012; Ravitch, 2010; Ball, 2003). However, the particular experience of teachers new to the profession in navigating this landscape is also a concern. McIntyre and Jones (2014) describe the experiences of beginning and newly qualified teachers of English and the potential of ITE as a critical space for the negotiation of possibilities amongst the apparent limitations of policy. For the teachers in their study, English in schools took on a formulaic approach with a narrow sense of the texts available to study and a set range of genres with which pupils could engage in their own writing. Turvey and Lloyd (2014, p. 77), through a powerful account of a beginning teacher's exploration of learning rooted in the social relationships of his English classroom, argue that:\nUrban legends and a critical literacy curriculum: the research: The initial inspiration for using urban legends to develop critical literacy was kindled by two critical incidents (Tripp, 2011) during my ITE course. The first incident occurred during research I conducted into students' literacy practices in and out of school. During one interview, a Year 7 boy (aged 11) stated firmly that being able to read was important but stories were not. His comment surprised me as he would frequently share stories with friends about events at home or in the local area. Despite this, he did not seem to think that the kinds of literacies involved in storytelling were important or empowering. In my observations of English lessons thereafter, I focused upon the nature of the texts that were used and valued by teachers and students.\nWhat can we tell about critical literacy learning through urban legends? Some reflections: For Katie's students, urban legends are powerful texts which offer the means to explore what we do when we tell stories, both inside and outside the English classroom. Stories such as those shared by Katie's students represent opportunities for creative and critical engagement with text; as such, they are telling examples of the resources young people can bring to critical literacy learning in current classrooms.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Non-dominant voices have been further marginalised in the most recent national curriculum in England (DfE, 2014), and those working across the English teaching profession often find the subject framed according to narrow, assessment-driven models and prescribed skill sets. This paper aims to bring together two perspectives on the importance of literacy education that remains rooted in young people's everyday experiences of place.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Chapman is a newly qualified secondary English teacher. She will share examples taken from her own classroom practice of the ways in which she has responded to stories told by young people about the places in which they live.\nFindings: Jones is a tutor of initial teacher education (ITE). She suggests that Chapman's approach provides persuasive exemplification of how engagement with alternatives to a dominant view of literacy should remain a key objective for those working with beginning teachers of English.\nOriginality/value: For Chapman's students, urban legends are powerful texts which offer the means to explore what we do when we tell stories, both inside and outside the English classroom. As will be shown, such stories are telling examples of the resources young people can bring to critical literacy learning in current classrooms. In the context of the dominance of a narrow, mandated experience of English as a subject, the imperative becomes even greater to recognise stories such as those shared by Chapman's students as opportunities for authentic, creative and critical engagement with text.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Comprehending CSR messages: applying the elaboration likelihood model
|
[
"Corporate image",
"Corporate social responsibility",
"Public relations",
"Involvement",
"Elaboration likelihood model"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: By many accounts, corporations stand to benefit greatly from implementing socially responsible business practices. These corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives cater to stakeholder needs and wants, which enhance organizational image and thus bottom-line performance (Browning, 2016; Lee, 2016; Orlitzky et al., 2003). Communication plays an important role in achieving such positive CSR effects because consumers' knowledge of organizations' CSR practices drives these outcomes (Aguinis and Glavas, 2012; Chaudhri, 2016; Clacher and Hagendorff, 2012; Lee, 2016). Organizations spread awareness about their CSR initiatives among their stakeholders through their corporate and social media websites, traditional media, advertisements, direct mail, in-store displays, and product packaging - among several others channels (Cone Inc., 2013; Schmeltz, 2012; Lee, 2016; Pomering and Johnson, 2009). CSR communication not only informs and educates consumers about corporate initiatives and global issues, it also creates an affinity between the organization and its consumers, in turn, enhancing corporate image (Mattila et al., 2010; Sen and Bhattacharya, 2001).\nA review of the ELM and proposed points of investigation: As conceptualized by Petty and Cacioppo (1984b), the ELM provides a continuum for persuasive message processing along which other theories of attitude change can be linked. The ends of this continuum are identified as the central route - representing highly engaged message cognition - and the peripheral route - informed by fringe factors such as attractiveness of the source, perceived credibility, or repetition of the message (Petty et al., 1983, 1999, 2009; Petty and Cacioppo, 1984a, b, 1986; Glynn et al., 2004; McQuail, 2010). Both routes are impacted differently by similar variables, including source, message, channel, and other contextual factors.\nMethod: This study employed an experimental design to test the impacts of message complexity on perceptions of corporate image following the communication of a CSR initiative. The hypotheses and research questions were derived from the theoretical constructs of the ELM; therefore, in addition to measuring perceptions of corporate image as a dependent variable, other key constructs predicting central and peripheral route processing were also investigated. These included cause involvement and ability and motivation to process a message.\nResults: The success of the manipulation check demonstrated that complex messages were indeed more difficult to understand. An independent samples t-test was used to investigate potential differences in image ratings between the two experimental groups. While participants viewing simple CSR messages rated the organization as having a better image when compared to participants viewing complex messages (Mdiff=0.31), that difference merely approached statistical significance, t(98)=1.92, p=0.058. Thus, the authors did not find statistical support that simple CSR messages would lead to higher image rating than complex ones, contradicting H1.\nDiscussion: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ELM constructs in CSR message processing and ultimately how differences in message processing influence perceptions of organizational image. Specifically, the researchers explored how message complexity would affect processing (i.e. as a central or peripheral cue) and how differences in issue involvement and ability and motivation to process CSR messages would affect ratings of organizational image.\nConclusion, limitations, and future research: The findings here provide clear guidelines for practitioners seeking to produce well-received CSR messages, while at the same time highlight gaps in scholarly knowledge. Generally speaking, simple, direct messaging about CSR initiatives seems most effective. While complexity may itself serve as a useful peripheral cue, it only appears to do so among those unable to process such complex messages. Given that ability to process CSR messages can strongly and positively influence opinions of organizational image - particularly among highly involved publics - organizations would serve themselves well in making messages accessible to wider audiences of disparate levels of processing ability. Moreover, studies have shown that consumers rarely process more information than they feel necessary (Petty et al., 1999; Wood et al., 1985; Wang and Anderson, 2011), and thus may be more susceptible to influence by simple, direct messages. According to ELM predications, it should be more beneficial for organizations to minimize distractions, use repetition, and present clear, well-developed CSR messages, especially when dealing with more cognitively capable audiences (Pomering and Johnson, 2009).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Using the elaboration likelihood model as a framework, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of cause involvement, ability to process, and motivation to process on consumer judgments of organizational image following exposure to a corporate social responsibility (CSR) message.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study relies upon an experimental manipulation of message complexity and uses quantitative survey data. The data were analyzed via tests of means differences, hierarchical multiple OLS regression, and mediation analysis.\nFindings: The authors found that CSR's influence on image is unaffected by message complexity - at least directly. However, CSR's influence on image is intensified by greater cause involvement and information processing ability, which indicates that central route processing is more likely to move the needle on such assessments. Additionally, involvement serves as an important mediator on the effects that ability and motivation to process have on ratings of organizational image.\nOriginality/value: The findings suggest the necessity for communicators of CSR to foster cause involvement in consumers if social responsibility efforts are to resonate and garner positive results. Additionally, should organizations wish to create deeper elaboration about CSR messages among consumers, simple, straightforward messaging appears most effective. Complex messages can, however, serve as valuable peripheral cues among certain audiences.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Consumers' attitudes towards online and mobile banking in China
|
[
"Internet",
"Banking",
"Electronic commerce",
"Consumer marketing",
"Consumer behaviour",
"China"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In 1997, China Merchants Bank was first to launch the internet payment system in China and thereafter, the internet banking and telephone banking system spread rapidly within mainland China (Li, 2002).Although the proficiency of using internet is relatively low and electronic banking is still in its infancy (AC Nielsen Consult, 2002), with the advantages of being convenient, safe, efficient and economical, Chinese domestic banks are confident that electronic banking benefits would outweigh traditional banking services in the future and therefore, are eager to implement the new technology and services in order to grasp, penetrate the market and gain competitive advantage (Li, 2002).Most retail banks in China now provide online banking as add-on services to the existing branch activities while mobile banking is in the initial stage of implementation. According to the latter, the largest mobile banking network operator in China collaborated with three leading banks - Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Merchants Bank to implement this new service which has several advantages for customers - one, guarantee of safety of clients' funds. Two, the service can be accessed 24/7 and finally, a cheap going rate of 0.1 Yuan for every successful transaction plus no charges for unsuccessful transactions with the whole process taking a few seconds to complete after the user sends his message.Since 1998, China's information technology developments including internet access has been reported to be good and, personal computer sales are growing at 60 per cent per year. Although distribution is low with only 2.5 per cent of Chinese households owning a personal computer (Trappey and Trappey, 2001) expectations are, that 25 per cent of these households would own a computer by 2010 and that sales growth would continue if Chinese internet infrastructure continues to follow the world's trend (Trappey and Trappey, 2001). In 2002, China was reported to have become the largest internet and the biggest mobile phone market in the world, with 59.1 millions internet users and 200 millions mobile phone users (Wong et al., 2004).Furthermore, AC Nielsen Consult China Online Banking Study (AC Nielsen Consult, 2002) found that the population of emergent internet bankers has grown 56 per cent to 2.5 millions, up 900,000 from the second half of 2000. Thus, it is believed that electronic banking including mobile banking, if well implemented, can become very successful given the size of the Chinese population. With the recent developments and growth in this area, it has the greatest potential for growth of a world-scale internet economy.However, despite this optimistic forecast by bankers and the alike, there are two factors hindering the growth of online and mobile banking. These are lack of influence from the market place and government restrictions that limit the ability of private firms and, individuals to contribute to internet infrastructure (Trappey and Trappey, 2001). For instance, there are too few businesses and consumers holding credit cards. Similarly, there are still many crucial problems, which are very difficult to conquer such as Chinese attitudes towards the new technology-based banking services, lifestyle of local people, attitudes towards using credit cards, traditional concept and habits of personal financial management and, the low prevalence of internet in some areas of China. Safety was also reported to be a big obstacle for online payment (Wong et al., 2004).In spite of the problems and opportunities cited above for Chinese electronic banking, little research has been carried out in China - only one past study addressing issues of online developments and strategies practised by Chinese banks (Oppenheim and Shao, 1994) and two recent studies focusing on current developments of electronic commerce in China and Greater China (Trappey and Trappey, 2001; Wong et al., 2004).Although recently more studies have covered the Asian and newly industrialised countries (Balachandran et al., 2000; Suganthi et al., 2001; Gerrard and Cunningham, 2003; Rotchanakitumnual and Speece, 2003; Luarn and Lin, 2004), much of electronic banking research remains in the diffusion and adoption of online banking amongst Western and developed world banks, corporate customers (Daniel, 1998,1999; Bradley and Stewart, 2003; Sarel and Marmorstein, 2003a, b) and high street customers (Lewis, 1991; Holmund and Kock, 1996; Jun and Cai, 2001; Aladwani, 2001; Barczak et al., 1997; Sathye, 1999; Beckett et al., 2002; Howcroft et al., 2002; Karjaluoto et al., 2002; Kapoulas et al., 2002; Sarel and Marmorstein, 2003a, b; Kolodinsky et al., 2004).As far as mobile banking is concerned, it is still in its development phase in Europe and the USA, where a small market with few users have been reported for both markets. This is due to lack of consumer acceptance and the slow process of the service (Goldfinger, 2002; OBR Report, 2002). The literature only tends to look at the provider's perspective (Barnes, 2002; Olla and Patel, 2002). Given the size of the Chinese market and the recent developments in electronic banking in China as mentioned above, it is therefore, difficult to ignore studying this area which has the potential to constitute a large part of the internet economy (AC Nielsen Consult, 2002; Wong et al., 2004).The aim of this study was to investigate the market status for online and mobile banking in China. Consumer behaviour, attitude, motivation and cultural influence were examined with regard to Chinese adoption of these services. The paper includes reviews of consumer attitude and adoption of electronic banking literature, description of the research methodology, discussion of results and conclusions outlining the overall findings and scope for future investigation.\nLiterature review: Consumer adoption of electronic banking research\nResearch objectives: Chinese adoption of online and mobile banking was reported to have changed dramatically hence it is crucial to study the market, to find out the target customers and their demographic characteristics. At the same time, the literature suggested consumers' behaviour, attitudes and motivations were key factors in influencing consumers' acceptance of new technology-based banking services. Therefore, the objectives of this study were:* to investigate the market status of online and mobile banking in China;* to identify the target customers for online and mobile banking;* to understand the demographic characteristics of users and non-users of electronic banking; and* to compare attitudes of users and non-users towards electronic banking with respect to a number of factors such as technology, security, convenience, prior computer/new technology experience, prior personal banking experience and possession of a credit/debit card and a WAP/CDMA as well as users and non-users' attitudes towards the product attributes and reference groups' influence.\nMethodology: A total 300 respondents from six major cities of China, including China's capital city, Beijing, were prompted randomly in the streets and interviewed by a small team of interviewers. Respondents verbally replied to a structured questionnaire their answers were recorded accordingly by the interviewers. The technique used was similar to that of high street consumer market research poll. In total, 128 respondents participated in this survey, giving a response rate of 43 per cent. There were two advantages for prompting respondents. First, questionnaires were fully completed, thus reducing non-response items. Second, as collection of questionnaires was on the spot, no reminders were needed and, hence, time was considerably saved.The sample size decisions were primarily based on cost considerations and in line with studies on consumer attitude and adoption of electronic banking, where sample sizes used were between 114 to 1,167 respondents. The sample was not necessarily representative of the Chinese population as a whole as it ignored the large rural population. However, the target market for online/mobile banking is likely to be urban and relatively wealthy so we have a sample which is potentially representative of the target population. Respondents were randomly selected from six major cities was necessary, as less developed regions are difficult to reach and lack internet infrastructure. It would have not therefore, been realistic to ask for any views on the topic concerned.The relatively high response rate for this type of consumer study was thought to be attributed mainly, to three factors: a clear and simple design questionnaire translated into ordinary Chinese, respondents were briefed about the content and purpose of the survey and were guaranteed that their replies would be treated in strictest confidence. Lastly, the high response rate was also attributed to the respondents' enthusiasm or willingness to participate obviously, to what they considered as an interesting subject to put their views across.The survey was concerned with users and non-users of internet/mobile banking. The items in the questionnaire were constructed based on the consumer attitude and adoption of electronic banking literature, mentioned above. The questionnaire focused on the following main issues:* consumers' attitudes and reactions to new technology;* consumers' attitudes to the traditional retail banking distribution channel;* consumers' perceptions of online and mobile bank product attributes;* consumers' expectations and major concerns of online and mobile banking;* psychological factors; and* demographic factors.\nResearch findings: Users/non-users' demographics\nDiscussion and managerial implications: This study attempted to ascertain the extent of online and mobile banking in China by establishing its market status, identifying the target customers, the demographic characteristics of users and non-users and comparing their attitudes towards electronic banking adoption.The current target market for online and mobile banking was found to be relatively small. At least, among the urban population surveyed, 33 per cent used online banking and 14 per cent used mobile banking. Thus, the level of awareness of such services was low in China. This suggests, in line with Trappey and Trappey's (2001) findings on Chinese e-commerce, that there was lack of influence from the marketplace. Nevertheless, the findings indicate a penetration in the target market, i.e. urban, middle class and above therefore, the potential of this market should not be underestimated. Equally, there is some good potential for developing Chinese mobile banking, since the results also indicate the proportion of mobile bank users was nearly half of the proportion of online bank users.The findings showed large discrepancies between China and Western countries in terms of users' demographic characteristics and attitudes towards online/mobile banking which, seems to reflect in the cultural differences between the two blocks of countries. In terms of demographic characteristics, Karjaluoto et al. (2002) found a typical user of online banking in Finnish market highly educated, relatively young and wealthy person with good knowledge of computers. Our study found the level of education did not influence online/ mobile banking adoption. Especially, with regard to mobile banking, the typical user of such service was aged up to 44-years old. The users were predominantly male, consistent with Singh (2004)'s study conducted in South Africa, which found that more males used internet banking than females. Online bank users were also found among the salaried employees, senior managers and in the case of mobile banking, small business owners. They were also in a high-income earners' group.With regard to consumers' attitudes to online and mobile banking, perceived risks were found most important factor that encouraged or discouraged Chinese adoption of online banking. The findings also showed that Chinese respondents did not attach much importance to convenience, ease of use and access to a wide range of services free from time and place than security factor unlike respondents in other countries to whom these attributes were rated as highly important. Hackers and fraud were further found one of the main barriers of online banking adoption in China. Consistent with Trappey and Trappey's (2001) findings, Chinese consumers tend to have low confidence towards e-commerce and the internet especially, in the area of personal financial management. Although, the data cannot give an insight into why Chinese consumers' perceived risks of online banking was high, the particular culture influence, the old beliefs to personal financial management, the old tradition of cash-carry banking reflecting in Chinese low possession of a credit/debit card and the general lack of regulation in online trading mentioned in the literature, might have been the main causes. Therefore, in order to improve the rate of online banking adoption in China, security issue must first be addressed.Two other factors were also found to affect Chinese consumer adoption of online and mobile banking. These were previous experience with computers and new technology. The findings showed non-users of online banking tend to have no prior experience with computers and no experience with new technology, in the case of mobile banking. This was consistent with the literature suggesting, computer attitudes had an effect on attitudes and behaviours towards online banking. Perhaps as Thornton and White (2001) also suggested, as consumers gain knowledge, confidence and with a gradual increase in computer usage, changes in the use of delivery channels would take place.Clear contrast was also found with China's Asian counterparts. Compared with Singaporeans and Malaysians, for instance, Chinese consumers seem more traditional and less affected by technology advancement. Singaporeans have negative perceptions about accessibility and confidentiality but they have positive attitudes towards and experience of new technology compared to the Chinese (Gerrard and Cunningham (2003). While, similarly to Chinese consumers, more awareness and attitude to change were found to affect internet banking adoption in Malaysia (Suganthi et al., 2001).Finally, as far as mobile banking is concerned, lack of understanding of its benefits was found significant. Despite this, it was perceived as a novelty. Therefore, perhaps while Chinese bankers should focus on security issue for online banking, their advertising should focus on the novel aspect for mobile banking. Bankers should also consider raising consumer awareness and acceptance of new technology-based banking services more, through advertising and promotion rather than word-of-mouth communication, as this might proved not to be effective since reference group's influence did not have any impact on online and mobile banking in China.\nConclusion: As the brand new banking distribution channels to Chinese consumers, online and mobile banking are still at early stages in China. The current target market for online and mobile banking is relatively small due to its low level of awareness nevertheless, this should not be underestimated. There is good potential for introducing dual online and mobile banking services since, mobile banking adoption is not far behind the former. There were many critical issues, which stood out as being obstacles to consumer adoption of online and mobile banking among these were consumers' attitudes. Security factor was found the most important attribute that could motivate consumers' attitudes towards online banking in China. Other barriers to Chinese adoption of online banking were perceived risks, computer and new technological skills and Chinese habit of cash-carry banking. As for mobile banking, lack of understanding of the concept and its benefits were the main barriers to its adoption. In contrast to Western countries, Chinese online and mobile bank users tend to be predominantly male, not typically young neither highly educated. Users were also widely spread among the salaried employees, senior managers and small business owners. This study gave an insight into online and mobile banking in China, which had not previously been investigated. In particular, the study highlighted issues to assist Chinese bankers and the like in implementing these services more effectively. As such, more women or a particular customer profile may be targeted. Advertising messages could emphasise security for online banking and novelty for mobile banking. A more detailed study can be carried out to acquire insights into the phenomena, based on a larger sample size and a better distribution of respondents' demographics.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The aim of this study is to investigate the market status for online/mobile banking in China. With the recent and forecasted high growth of Chinese electronic banking, it has the potential to develop into a world-scale internet economy and requires examination.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The demographic, attitudinal and behavioural characteristics of online and mobile bank users were examined. Respondents from six major Chinese cities participated in the consumer survey.\nFindings: - The results showed Chinese online and mobile bank users were predominantly males, not necessarily young and highly educated, in contrast with the electronic bank users in the West. The issue of security was found to be the most important factor that motivated Chinese consumer adoption of online banking. Main barriers to online banking were the perception of risks, computer and technological skills and Chinese traditional cash-carry banking culture. The barriers to mobile banking adoption were lack of awareness and understanding of the benefits provided by mobile banking.\nOriginality/value: - This study offers an insight into online/mobile banking in China, which has not previously been investigated. Distinct differences and common trends between Chinese and other countries were observed with clear indication of marketing strategy to be deployed by the service providers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Public planning and science policy: new versions
|
[
"Risk assessment",
"Social accounting",
"Social values"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The planning attitudes of governments regarding scientific research were first formulated during the Second World War because of obvious military needs. Ever since J.D. Bernal's earlier critique, The Social Function of Science (1939), the question of \"What science and for whom?\" has increasingly demanded foresight and budgetary provision. A biologist and crystallographer, Bernal was in the company of other concerned specialists, including the biologists J.G. Crowther, J.B.S. Haldane and biochemist Joseph Needham - all Britons, coincidentally, and adherents of the extreme left in their politics. Concomitantly, concern for look-ahead, balanced management and professional responsibility in the research-society relationship has grown almost exponentially since then.\nDefining \"the public\": The Foundation's concerns interest everyone, therefore, but does the expression civil society include or not the private industrial sector, the main purveyor of technology-derived-from science? Questions such as this one come at an auspicious moment, when the European Union's (EU) Directorate-General of Research is popularizing a new financial instrument, Research for the Benefit of Special Groups. This programme will include for the first time civil-society units as full-time actors within the EU's research-and-innovation system.Research \"for the benefit of special groups\" is a notion that clearly excludes firms and other entities doing research; it is directed at civil society (NGOs, not-for-profit organizations) affected by the applications of research. During the Foundation debates, Peter Levesque of Canada, a scientist and former civil servant (Council of Research in the Human Sciences) who is now in the consulting business, stressed the need to set up infrastructure to accommodate partnerships between public research bodies and civil society. This might be done on the basis of the existing Community-Research Alliances (CURA) in Canada or, in France, the analogous PICRI (Citizens' Partnership Institutions for Research and Innovation).Biologist Jacques Testard, the Foundation's president, proposes using \"consensus conferences\" to decide the thrust of publicly funded research, whereby both the local public and investigating scientists would take part in reaching agreement on research to be undertaken. In this case, however, the public participants would volunteer for three months of prior preparation in order to understand clearly the stakes involved in innovative science.The development of participative research became, indeed, the heart of the October conference; it has existed for decades on the fringes of the research system, and is strongly advocated by biologist Ignacio Chapela of the University of California at Berkeley. Chapela, who has been internationally recognized for his challenge of the privatization of public universities, discovered in 2001 the contamination of maize by genetically modified organisms in the highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico - the very cradle of this important crop. He works extensively with native communities for a better understanding of the impact genetic modifications of maize species.Helen Wallace of the UK-based Genewatch organization examined the corporate shaping of science, innovation and the economy in both Britain and the EU, including the role of the so-called Lisbon objectives. Citing the commotion around genetics and personalized medication, she argued that today's method of setting research priorities is too skewed towards commercial priorities and wealth creation. The results of neglected research, Wallace contends, would otherwise benefit health and sustainable agriculture.Gus Massiah, representing the NGO known as CRID (Centre de Recherche et d'Information pour le Developpement), proposed that at the next World Social Forum - scheduled for January 2009 in Brazil - strong links be forged among research communities throughout the world's universities to \"ensure constructive dialogue concerning cooperative science\" in view of the growing public interest in national science policies.Wishful thinking? Probably not. In Washington the National Science Foundation is financing a $331-million programme called the Ocean Observatories Initiative. This will study the seas in the water itself beginning in 2009. This multi-system effort will combine buoys floating above submerged, high-definition cameras and sunken data collectors joined by internet fibre-optic cabling to help understand how the world ocean affects life near and away from the seas, with special regard for:*tsunami generation;*weather/climate and global warming;*evolving fish populations; and*how ocean temperatures regulate agricultural seasons.Because the public will have access to the Initiative's internet-based communications, the activity should engage the public \"more deeply with ocean issues by making them more immediate\", according to William Yardley of The New York Times. The implication is that the public itself will be able to monitor and react and take an active role in the refinement of this ambitious undertaking, Participative research, in other words.For more on the Fondation Sciences Citoyennes and its forthcoming activities, contact Claudia Neubauer in English, French or German at +339 5406 5409 or at contact@sciencescitoyennes.org\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to advise the reader of non-governmental efforts to help form national/international science policies, using as a highlight the endeavor of the Citizen Science Foundation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The approach is journalistic: science policy is explained, what is had led to in innovative research, what specialized yet non-official groups are doing to supplement official science policy, especially the ethical implications of science leading to sometimes controversial technology.\nFindings: - The efforts of public participants (societies, associations) in this line are explained, with particular consideration for the ethics of the new biotechnologies. A brief history of the origins of science policy leads to the citing of multiple, current but non-official initiatives to make new research ethical, environmental and in the service of humankind.\nOriginality/value: - This is a topic seldom seen in even interdisciplinary media, establishing thereby an originality of its own. The text is accessible to non-scientists. The topic has not previously been treated in foresight.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Entrepreneurial management education needs in the Republic of Croatia, Poland and the United Kingdom
|
[
"Management education",
"Export",
"Intellectual property rights",
"Educational needs",
"Small to medium-sized enterprises"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The globalization of higher education (HE) markets presents a complex challenge for management education particularly for those business schools attempting to compete in the global marketplace. Business schools are shifting from monodisciplinary topic approach to multidisciplinary approach while attempting to develop a global mindset through management diversity. Thus, invention and innovation processes involve highly interdependent teams that are long in duration, which makes them complex and increasingly more ambiguous. Building and sustaining knowledge and creative capacities for global operations is a critical challenge for most universities. To achieve that goal almost every country in the OECD has substantially increased its spending on education over the same period and launched multiple initiatives to spend this money more effectively. Meeting the challenges requires changes in cognitive processes through which managers frame business problems and adopting the set of attitudes that is often described as the global mindset (Barber et al., 2013).\nLiterature review: This paper and the research upon which it is based adopts the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2013:15 definition: \"Enterprise education is the application of creative ideas and innovations to practical situations with enterprise education aiming to produce individuals with the mindset and skills to respond to opportunities, needs and shortfalls, with key skills including taking the initiative, decision making, problem solving, networking, identifying opportunities and personal effectiveness. Enterprise provision can be applied to all areas of education, extending beyond knowledge acquisition to a wide range of emotional, social, and practical skills. Entrepreneurship education is the application of enterprise skills specific to the creation and growth of organizations, with entrepreneurship education focusing on developing skills and applying an enterprising mindset in the specific contexts of setting up a new venture, developing and growing an existing business, or designing an entrepreneurial organization\"[2].\nManagement education and needs of SME: The relationship between universities and local SMEs presents a great leverage for knowledge transfer between these two entities (BIS, 2010). The research conducted by NESTA (2008) points out that strong links between HE and industry can result in newly added value, innovative and entrepreneurial graduates, as well as in improvements in technical development, product innovation and business development. The importance of enterprises and entrepreneurship for future development is undeniable considering that SMEs generally account for approximately 95 percent of a country's economy (Shaw and Allen, 2006). Therefore, the long-term objective of business schools has increasingly been to become more involved in regional economic and social development through closer business and industry collaboration, such as management and leadership education programs (Darabi and Murray, 2012). This has resulted in the changing role of the HE sector. Nowadays, for the purpose of economic development, universities are becoming more entrepreneurial as they commercialize their knowledge (Smith, 2000 in Marzo-Navarro et al., 2009). The university's role has traditionally been viewed as a support structure for innovation streaming mainly to provide the industry with trained personnel, research results and knowledge. However, recently the trend has been changed and universities have embraced a different role establishing firms often based on new technologies originating from academic research (Etzkowitz, 2003; Etzkowitz et al., 2012). Increased globalization processes followed by rapid changes in competition and innovation processes promoted the need for the creation of stronger links between research communities and commercial enterprises (Plewa et al., 2005). The above mentioned situation has created space for development of serious models which will explain how universities/business schools close the gap of market needs? One of the most cited models is the Triple Helix model which stipulates that innovations are products of cooperation among universities, companies and governments (Etzkowitz, 2003). However, it is worth noting that the mentioned model has its opponents. In their research Viale and Campodall'Orto (2002) mention that this kind of model presents a threat to academic freedom and that it apprehends the space of education as the primary function of the university. If the major feature of the relationship between universities/business schools and companies is the creation and development of skilled labor force, technical consultancy services and even business start-ups - often in high-technology fields (Benneworth, 2001; Phusavat et al., 2012) - then inflation of unnecessary labor would be avoided and pressure on labor market would be reduced. This kind of approach emphasizes that the university - industry interface is a pillar that underpins knowledge-based economic development. In his article, Hormann (1990, p. 10) states:\nLearning approaches: Within the literature relating to \"learning\" in managerial contexts, it is widely agreed that experiential learning provides a useful pedagogy (Kolb, 1984; Cantor, 1997; Maudsley and Strivens, 2000; Kayes, 2002; Kolb and Kolb 2005). Rather than having a teacher provide facts and then testing their ability to recall these facts via memorization, Hmelo-Silver (2004) and Rae (2009) prefer problem-based learning, which aims at getting the students apply the knowledge to new situations; when faced with contextualized, structured problems the students are asked to investigate and discover meaningful solutions by using action and impact-driven programs like SPEED, a program implemented in 13 UK HE institutions and funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.\nIntellectual property rights (IPR) protection, sales and export of new products and services: The significance of business schools' education relating to SMEs' needs is undisputable, as already emphasized above. Furthermore and more precisely, the need for education on intellectual property protection has lately become the focus of many SMEs and business schools. Evidence of heavy emphasis of education on intellectual property comes from the most recognized universities in the USA, such as Carnegie-Mellon University, the John-Hopkins University, Bucknell University, Cornell University, University of Chicago, Brown University, California State University, etc. Results of the \"ip4inno\" project reveal a lack of IP-trained personnel in average SMEs, which leads to a logical recommendation: to increase intellectual property protection training among SMEs (PRO INNO Europe, 2008):\nMethodology: Data collection\nFindings: Learning approaches\nConclusion: All evidence from the three countries involved in the survey shows that the most effective way to deliver sustained and substantial improvements in the outcomes of education efficiency is through sustained and substantial improvements in business school instruction. Having examined the role the business schools in meeting SMEs' management education needs on the basis of the information collected in the Republics of Croatia and Poland, and in the UK, the sampling facilitated a comparison of countries within different contexts and historical developments. Nevertheless, even though the same numbers of questionnaires were sent in all countries, the number of respondents across countries varied significantly. Thus, Croatia's response rate was the largest with 213 returned questionnaires, while only 100 and 67 questionnaires were returned from Poland and the UK, respectively. Consequently, the size of the sample has influenced the variability regarding the different types of formal and informal IPR protection, especially in the case of UK (with only 67 respondents).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to take the emergence of the knowledge mobilization as an opportunity to develop an understanding of needs for catching up appropriate knowledge application in SMEs in the Republic of Croatia, Poland and the UK. It draws upon the \"frame mobilization\" literature, which illuminates the role that acts as interpretation play in instigating, promoting and legitimating collective action with aim to provide \"quality entrepreneurial education\".\nDesign/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey based on a literature review built by Stimulating Learning for Ideas to Market (SLIM) project partner was employed to test the given perspective. A total of 380 businesses completed the survey from 12 to 20, November 2013. Participants have different profiles, act in diverse roles and industrial sectors. Identification of appropriate types of support, education, training and advice was made to recognize what small businesses need and can use to improve their operations.\nFindings: Empirical research evidence conducted among entrepreneurs, 213 were from Croatia, 100 were from Poland and 67 were from the UK, respectively. Results identified the nature of management education according SMEs' needs to increase innovative activities and intellectual property adapting a more business-like approach, scanning the horizon and identifying new markets and opportunities for growth. It discussed the impacts of formal and informal ways of intellectual property protection in sales and exports market (SLIM) project partner was employed to test the given perspective.\nResearch limitations/implications: Main limitation lay in unequal sample response among countries. However, results proofed very similar response in all questions among three countries even size, entrepreneurial development, GDP or historical background are highly different.\nPractical implications: Therefore, the original contribution of the paper lies in the authors' empirical investigations into the current thinking and practice of existing entrepreneurs by suggesting some implications of this point, which should be of interest to all stakeholders who design courses in IP and who engage in social mobilization.\nSocial implications: There are important organizational culture barriers with this target group, such as the emphasis on the need to publish and an unstable/unavailable IP budget. The integration of IP tools into curricula is an important step to improving the use of IP tools by future researchers. There is an indisputable case for integrating IP as an R\nOriginality/value: This paper illustrates the current challenges on SMEs' educational needs and intellectual property rights carried out in among 380 entrepreneurs across the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Poland and the UK. Most intriguing suggestion, perhaps, is that the role knowledge cooperation with universities may play as a breaking point to fully exploit SMEs' innovative potential. Surprisingly, needs for establishing a classification of diverse IP-management and collaboration-management tools useful in university-enterprise collaborations, within a general context of IP and open innovation has not been recognized.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
SMS advertising, permission and the consumer: a study
|
[
"Mobile communication systems",
"Advertising",
"Consumer behaviour"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: From the radio transmitter using Morse code for maritime applications developed by Guglielmo Marconi in the 1890s, to Motorola's \"walkie-talkie\" developed for the US Army during the World War II, to the current third generation of mobile telephones for the consumer, a long journey has been made. Mobile phones have become apparently ubiquitous; they are seen everywhere - from huge cities to remote villages.The growth and convergence of distributed networking, mobile computing and mobile telecommunications has created significant commercial opportunity. Mobile commerce, defined as transactions with direct or indirect monetary value over wireless handheld devices, is expected to reach 1.67 billion users by 2008 (Dickinger et al., 2005). The value of mobile commerce is expected to reach $88 billion by 2009 (Jupiter Research, 2004). The growth of the market, the profusion of new technologies and their convergence has opened many new opportunities for marketing promotions and advertisements. One of those new modes of advertising is via short message service (SMS) to handheld devices, notably mobile phones. SMS, known as text messaging, is a store-and-forward communication system for the mobile phone. Recent variants, such as multimedia message service have added multimedia capabilities. According to the GSM Association, cell phone users send more than 10 billion SMS messages each month, making SMS the most popular mobile data service (Dickinger et al., 2004).With companies fighting over the emerging market - and global variation in wireless data communications policy - the consumer is not always asked for his or her permission before receiving SMS advertisements. However, in European countries, legislation requires advertisers to obtain explicit permission before contacting customers via electronic channels such as e-mail or SMS. Here, permission could be seen as the ability for the consumer to specify - before receiving it - whether or not he or she is interested in a message. Despite the increasing importance of SMS advertisement as a marketing and advertising channel, as yet there is relatively little academic research and empirical support for it. It is the noticeable gap in the literature regarding permission marketing and SMS advertising that has attracted our attention for this research. Thus, our study aims at addressing this issue by determining:* how consumers perceive SMS advertisements and permission;* how consumers are willing to give permission;* the profile of information consumers are willing to give and to receive; and* key factors affecting consumer permission.One may question why permission to send an advertisement actually matters. Permission matters because unsolicited advertisements may lead to consumers' frustration and unanticipated results (Barnes and Scornavacca, 2003); cellular phones are intimate so sending SMS advertisements without the consumers' consent is a violation of privacy. If we could better understand what affects consumers' willingness to give permission this may better equip practitioners to approach this sensitive issue; marketers, managers and advertising companies may be able to offer better services to consumers and increase their competitiveness while consumers will benefit from tailored services that specifically answer their needs and requirements. Related to this, our insights could be of some value to mobile communication service providers that seek to efficiently manage the opportunities that SMS technology and their database of customers may offer them.In the next section, we provide some background literature on SMS advertising and permission. This is followed by a brief description of our mixed-method research approach. Fourth and fifth sections examine the findings from the focus group and survey, respectively. Finally, the last section provides conclusions and directions for future research.\nThe foundations of SMS advertising: Electronic-marketing (e-marketing) refers to \"the achievement of marketing objectives through the use of electronic communications technology\" (Chaffey, 2003, p. 318). E-marketing is often used as a tool of direct marketing, i.e. \"Marketing through advertising media that interact directly with consumers, generally calling for the consumer to make a direct response\" (Kotler et al., 2002, p. 784).Mobile marketing or wireless marketing is a subset of e-marketing and is defined by Dickinger et al. (2005) as \"... using a wireless medium to provide consumers with time-and-location-sensitive, personalized information that promotes goods, services and ideas, thereby benefiting all stakeholders\". Mobile marketing can also be seen as:All activities required to communicate with customers through the use of mobile devices in order to promote the selling of products or services and the provision of information about these products and services (Ververidis and Polyzos, 2002).Mobile advertising has typically been categorised into push- and pull-models (Barnes, 2002). In the pull-model campaign, the marketer sends the information requested by the consumer; whereas in the push-model campaign, the marketer takes the initiative to send messages to the consumer. The latter model includes much of SMS advertising and raises the issue of consumers' permission, since it is the marketer that initiates contact and communication. Permission marketing refers to the asking of consumers' consent to receive commercial messages while giving the individual and opportunity to stop receiving them at any time (Tezinde et al., 2002). This approach can considerably reduce individuals' privacy concerns (Sheehan and Hoy, 2000); it can act as a trust-building alternative to more effective information control (Milne et al., 1999). Unfortunately, some marketers manipulate consumers' inattention and cognitive laziness to get their consent. Bellman et al. (2001) affirm that: \"Using the right combination of question framing and default answer, an online organisation can almost guarantee it will get the consent of nearly every visitor to its sites.\"Privacy\nMethodology: The strategy of enquiry is sequential and exploratory (Creswell, 2003) and this strategy includes three phases (Figure 2). The first phase is a literature synthesis of factors impacting on consumers' willingness to give permission to receive SMS advertisements. The second phase is an investigation of consumers' perceptions of the phenomenon and the development of a research model via a focus group. The focus group provided us with fresh insights into the phenomenon and allowed us to make adjustments in the light of these findings. The third phase is the validation of the research model using empirical data from a survey questionnaire.Focus group\nQualitative findings: In general, the focus group participants did not like SMS ads without permission. They all emphasized the need for permission. In our study, the major differences in the willingness to give permission appeared to be linked with gender and knowledge about mobile telecommunications.The discussion can be analysed according to the perceptions of SMS advertising without consent, how respondents wanted to give permission, to whom they wanted to give it and finally, the information that they were willing to receive.Perceptions of SMS ads\nQuantitative findings: In this section, we summarise the statistical analysis from the survey. First, we examine the descriptive statistics. Second, we test the scenarios in the model.Descriptive statistics\nConclusions: Overall, the findings show us that consumers' perceptions of SMS ads are rather negative. The negative attitude toward SMS ads, especially when unsolicited, implies that marketers have a lot of work to do to make SMS ads more popular and attractive to young people. When designing an opt-in contract, marketers should avoid asking for information that consumers are not willing to provide - which our study suggests may include landline telephone numbers or financial details - in order to avoid a negative attitude or raising consumers' suspicion. The disclosure of personal information without the customer's consent is a major concern and can easily damage company image.To appeal to respondents, marketers must adapt their ads to individual use of text messaging and to areas of interest. Marketers should try to find a single point that regroups all of the permission threads for ads from different sources so that consumers will not have to repetitively answer whether or not they wish to give permission for every ad they receive. Companies that launch an opt-in SMS advertising campaign should register with cell phone operators or specialised SMS information services to reach the maximum number of consumers. These companies can act as filter for unsolicited SMS ads.By design, the study is limited in its scope. While the student population is a core target market for operators and advertisers, further studies should examine a broader sample both in the UK and overseas. Further, the unconscious variables omitted from this study are clear candidates for future investigation, as are issues of pricing, given that ads are usually free but may have implicit value to the recipient.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This study aims to examine the phenomenon of consumers' willingness to give permission to receive short message service (SMS) advertisements. The purpose of this research is threefold: to better understand the phenomenon of consumers' willingness to give permission to receive text message (SMS) advertisements, to provide empirical data that supports our understanding, and to develop and test a basic model of consumers' willingness to give permission to receive SMS advertisements.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study utilised a multi-method research approach with both qualitative and quantitative data - via focus group and scenario-based survey.\nFindings: - The results show that even if the relevance of the advertisement is high it does not on its own make consumers give permission; it needs to be combined with the control over opt-in conditions to assure consumers and gain permission. Regarding brand familiarity, this appears to have little impact on consumers' willingness to give permission to receive SMS advertisements. The opt-in conditions valued the most are: the possibility to withdraw at any time, personal data disclosure only with consent, and mobile phone operators as a primary advertising filter.\nOriginality/value: - The principal contribution of the paper is in furthering our understanding of the concept of permission as related to the emerging topic of SMS advertising. The paper provides evidence and data triangulation in an area that so far has had little empirical investigation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A study of developments and applications of mixed reality cubicles and their impact on learning
|
[
"Mobile computing",
"Mixed reality",
"CAVE",
"Cubicles",
"Learning impacts"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Humans typically perceive and relate with their surrounding environment using the five physiological senses of sight, smell, touch, sound and taste, although sight, sound and touch are more readily used. Mixed reality technology has the potential to offer richer information, increase learner engagement and to improve the educational offering for different categories of learners. Augmented reality (AR) as the leading technology has the capability to engage the user in an enhanced perception of the surroundings as well as the possibility to act as a bridge toward different types of contents encompassing text, audio and video. AR is characterized by the combination of real and virtual components and by interaction in real time (Azuma, 1997; Milgram and Kishino, 1994).The portability of technology over the years has seen a shift from the use of heavy backpaks and associated displays to the use of light glasses connected to mobile devices such as Google Glass (Google Glass, 2013) and the futuristic AR contact lense. Most recently, the use of Microsoft's Hololens platform (Microsoft Hololens) has resulted in new levels of immersion to a holographic AR reality experience, with the help of a head-mounted display embedding all the hardware (Cheok et al., 2004; Ostanin and Klimchik, 2018).Reality may be considered as a state of having existence, substance or objects that may be actually experienced and/or seen (Onime and Abiona, 2016), while virtuality may be considered as having a non-realistic (or abstract) view of objects, that is opposite of an idealistic, realistic or notional view. This opposing relationship between reality on the one hand and virtuality on the other hand is illustrated in Figure 1, where reality is at one extreme of a continuum while virtuality, better known as virtual reality (VR), is at the opposite extreme and in-between them is the mixed-reality environment (Onime et al., 2016).Traveling along the continuum from left to right represents diminishing reality (or reduction in real objects) and increasing virtuality (increase in virtual objects) resulting in the complete absence of real objects at the virtual end. In other words, at the VR end, the environment is completely made up of virtual objects. Two kinds of mixed reality environments are present in the continuum: AR, where the environment is predominantly composed of real objects and augmented virtuality (AV) where it is made up of virtual objects. In AR, the goal is not to exclude the real objects (as in VR) but to blend additional or computer generated information into the real world. While in AV, the goal is to blend real objects (data or information from real world) into a computer generated environment (Onime et al., 2016). From Figure 1, it is not difficult to imagine a centroid point of the continuum where it is no longer possible to distinguish the real world from the virtual world (Milgram et al., 1994), located hypothetically between AR and AV that represent a situation of balance, or equal number of real and virtual objects.In general, the environment described by the continuum may be simplified as the integration of real and virtual objects as shown in the following equation:(1)E=[?](R+V),where E represents the environment, R the set of real objects and V the set of virtual objects.As earlier discussed, E may be conditionally grouped into distinct environments as follows:(2)E={ER;ifV=0EAR;ifR>VEAV;ifR=VER;ifR<VEVR;ifR=0,where ER, EAR, Ec, EAV and EVR represent the Real, AR, centroid, AV and VR environments, respectively, each of which may be individually expanded from Equation (1). Eliminating the extremities from Equation (2) then results in the mixed reality environment as show in the following equation:(3)EMR={EAR;ifR>VEC;ifR=VEAV,ifR<V,where, EMR represents the mixed reality environment.In practice, the solution of Equations (3) and (1) is simplified during the creation of mixed reality environments by introducing/using special place holders known as markers to indicate the relative entry-points (or positions) and/or orientation of other (to be introduced) objects within environment. For example, in the visual form of AR, the marker is a graphically visible image that should be recognized at run-time from different distances, resolutions and angles.That is:(4)EAR=[?](R+RP),where Rp is the set of real place-holders used for insertion of virtual objects:(5)EAV=[?](VP+V),where Vp is the set of virtual place-holders used for insertion of real objects. Ec is simply the special case of either Equations 4 or 5 when the cardinality of both sets (under the integral sign) are equal.1.1 Virtual reality\n2. Literature review: VR and mixed-reality are two technologies that are changing the future directions of ubiquitous computing and there are already, many diverse applications of VR technology in various sectors: For example, VR has been used as a plat- form to study differences in human behavior within controlled environment and the real physical world (Santa'S Company: Santa's co, 2013). It has also been used as a platform for teaching specialized procedures to pilots (Pausch et al., 1992) and doctors (O'Toole et al., 1998) without the associated risks involved in a real environment.Mixed reality applications now surround us everywhere in education, at home and in industry. They are most obviously in video games and entertainment, but also in live events, in retail, education, healthcare and engineering (Quint et al., 2015; Bellini et al., 2016; The Ford Motor Company, 2017). They are used for information visualization, remote collaboration, human-machine-interfaces, design tools as well as education and training (Scholz and Smith, 2016; Bacca et al., 2015).Mixed Reality combines the real world and the virtual world into one user experience, which significantly helps to extend opportunities for enhanced real learning (Lee, 2012; Guo, 2015). In the face of rapid technological developments with increasing student number abd diversity of needs, there is the search for new ways to teach, it could be argued that AR has the potential pedagogical applications to meet some of the needs.In the education sector, there are on-line resources that use non-immersive VR related techniques to provide several chemistry laboratory experiments/exercises, as well as, simulation of a chemistry laboratory through use of rich media powered by JavaScript (Georgiou et al., 2007). In civil engineering, building technology and architecture, VR based prototyping is also commonly used to provide a 3D view (or 3D printed model) of objects with varying levels of abstraction (Cecil and Huber, 2010).VR is used to provide the interactive display of 3D objects in the gaming industry (massive on-line role playing games) and scientific research work especially those involving modeling and simulation. However, in cases of on-line use, the full potential (or immersive nature) of VR is limited by the traditional user interface (UI) of end-user computers.Just like VR, mixed reality technology has been used for diverse applications including the reconstruction of heritage (Huang et al., 2009), the training of operators in specialized processes (Henderson and Feiner, 2009), system maintenance (Schwald and de Laval, 2003), augmenting visits to muse- ums and historic buildings (White et al., 2004) and for medical training (Albrechta et al., 2013). Mixed reality technology provides the opportunities to combine learning and entertainment in new ways especially suited for laboratory and classroom (Davidsson et al., 2012). For example, Billinghurst et al. (2001) discussed a mixed reality system for augmenting a normal story book with 3D animations of the characters. While, (Loscos et al., 2003) discussed a mixed reality framework for the construction and manipulation of photo-realistic virtual worlds specifically for educating learners about cultural heritage, architectural design and urban planning. In engineering, Andujar et al. (2011) discussed the augmentation of remote laboratories, while Onime et al. (2014), Onime, Uhomoibhi and Pietrosemoli (2015) and Onime, Uhomoibhi and Radicella (2015) presented laboratory experiments based on mixed reality tools/technologies.2.1 Cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE)\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Mixed reality visualization cubicles\n4. Results and discussion: 4.1 Applications\n5. Conclusion and future work: This paper has presented the implementation of a mixed-reality visualization cubicle based on mobile AR technology. The implementation uses spatially arranged AR markers to provide features typically avail- able within VR CAVEs. Cost-effectiveness is obtained by developing mixed reality applications for commonly available mobile Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices (smartphone and tablet) as the hardware platforms are readily affordable/available to all. Future work include the creation of an Experience Lab by the Artificial Intelligence and Applications Research Group at Ulster University, that involve the deployment of several enhanced mixed-reality visualization cubicles at Ulster University and the ICTP. Enhancements would involve using suitable head and chest-mounted mobile devices for visualizing and exploring fully-immersive AR environments and supporting joint visualizations and explorations by users in different geographically separate locations. Applications for the Experience Lab would include creating visual-experiential presence during videoconferencing meetings, immersive exploration of cities or tourism sites and the creation and use of \"smart\" AR markers based on Internet of Things (IoT) or similar sensors.The Artificial Intelligence and Applications Research Group at Ulster University has set up an Experience Lab, which includes the deployment of cost effective mixed reality cubicles at Ulster University and the ICTP. Both groups are investigating creating wide-angle semi immersive mixed reality environments as discussed in this paper along with fully immersive mixed reality environments using suitable head and chest-mounted mobile devices. The latter allows the free use of both hands for gesture based interactions.In the Information Visualization for Big Data (IVIS4BigData) reference model, multiple researchers in different geographically separate locations are expected to concurrently work together, interactively examining/exploring Big-Data or research data in real-time and without restrictions. Progressing toward the IVSI4BigData model requires research on various techniques for dynamically transforming and streaming fragments of Big Data to a variety of visualization tools/platforms including the mixed reality cubicle described in this paper. In line with the IVIS4BigData reference model, The mixed reality cubicle would need to be extended for multidisciplinary Computer Supported Group Work (CSCW) based on open standards over various infrastructure including local wireless or mesh networks, the Internet and Clouds.Apart from the above described activities, we foresee the immersive interactive exploration of various data sets from diverse sources within the mixed reality cubicles of the \"Experience Lab.\" For example, geospatial data sets of existing locations (or cities) could be used to provide interactive remote exploration and tourism related experience. Other data sets derived from IoT or other sensors could be used for the interactive exploration and study of otherwise inaccessible locations including underground caves, coral reefs or other sea beds and even in some mining related activities.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on developments and applications of mixed reality cubicles and their impacts on learning in higher education. This paper investigates and presents the cost effective application of augmented reality (AR) as a mixed reality technology via or to mobile devices such as head-mounted devices, smart phones and tablets. Discuss the development of mixed reality applications for mobile (smartphones and tablets) devices leading up to the implementation of a mixed reality cubicle for immersive three dimensional (3D) visualizations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The approach adopted was to limit the considerations to the application of AR via mobile platforms including head-mounted devices with focus on smartphones and tablets, which contain basic feedback-to-user channels such as speakers and display screens. An AR visualization cubicle was jointly developed and applied by three collaborating institutions. The markers, acting as placeholders acts as identifiable reference points for objects being inserted in the mixed reality world. Hundreds of participants comprising academics and students from seven different countries took part in the studies and gave feedback on impact on their learning experience.\nFindings: Results from current study show less than 30 percent had used mixed reality environments. This is lower than expected. About 70 percent of participants were first time users of mixed reality technologies. This indicates a relatively low use of mixed reality technologies in education. This is consistent with research findings reported that educational use and research on AR is still not common despite their categorization as emerging technologies with great promise for educational use.\nResearch limitations/implications: Current research has focused mainly on cubicles which provides immersive experience if used with head-mounted devices (goggles and smartphones), that are limited by their display/screen sizes. There are some issues with limited battery lifetime for energy to function, hence the need to use rechargeable batteries. Also, the standard dimension of cubicles does not allow for group visualizations. The current cubicle has limitations associated with complex gestures and movements involving two hands, as one hand are currently needed for holding the mobile phone.\nPractical implications: The use of mixed reality cubicles would allow and enhance information visualization for big data in real time and without restrictions. There is potential to have this extended for use in exploring and studying otherwise inaccessible locations such as sea beds and underground caves. Social implications - Following on from this study further work could be done to developing and application of mixed reality cubicles that would impact businesses, health and entertainment.\nOriginality/value: The originality of this paper lies in the unique approach used in the study of developments and applications of mixed reality cubicles and their impacts on learning. The diverse composition in nature and location of participants drawn from many countries comprising of both tutors and students adds value to the present study. The value of this research include amongst others, the useful results obtained and scope for developments in the future.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
There is no "T" in school improvement: the missing team perspective
|
[
"Team leadership",
"School leadership",
"School improvement",
"School change"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The common assumption today is that schools must change and adapt rapidly in order to be successful in today's dynamic social and political environment (Spillane and Coldren, 2015; Tang et al., 2014). Literature on improving the educational system often emphasizes the role, or potential role, of principals and teachers as agents of change. However, few studies have focused on the role of school teams in promoting school change in general, and as change agents in particular (see notable exception - Leithwood, 1996). For instance, canonical works on school improvement and restructuring (e.g. Bryk et al., 2010; Harris and Muijs, 2004; Hopkins, 2003) mention the word \"team\" less than three dozen times (ranging between 3 and 34 occurrences) in texts totaling about 90,000 words. To exemplify the severity of this oversight, let us consider the example of a clockmaker attempting to fix a clock but only examining the movement of the clock's hands and the integrity of the different cog-wheels, without testing the specific mechanisms that integrate and tie together the various parts to make the clock function as a whole.\nWhy are teams so central in schools?: Teams are first and foremost functional sub-units designed to promote organizational work that is complex in terms of quantity (i.e. high value) or quality (i.e. interconnected responsibilities) (Cameron and Green, 2015). Often, teams are necessary to address complex problems and deal with subject matter that cannot be adequately addressed through an individual alone (Jimerson and Wayman, 2012). Thus, teams are an important component of school success (Fleming, 2013; Walker, 1994).\nTeamwork: a relational and a structural coupling function: When teaching is organized in a loosely coupled structure, which is more resilient to change in comparison to strongly coupled units, teams become essential to ensure a holistic integration of school operation. The interrelationships in teams assist in developing goals, curricula, instructional strategies, and budgets, since they create a network with a capacity for developing a \"collective mind\" fundamental to efficient change adjustments and school improvement (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Weick and Roberts, 1993).\nThe coping side: how do school change initiatives influence teams?: School improvement initiatives, particularly those aimed at generating fundamental changes in school regularities (i.e. second-order change) influence teams by affecting the team's natural life-cycle development, leading to team under-performance. To understand the effect of external change on school teams we will use the Tuckman's (1965) model of team development. The Tuckman model, one of the most popular models in team literature, offers a linear conceptualization of progress in team dynamic. The model suggests that a team moves from the initial stage to more progressive stages until it becomes a fully developed team. Forming, the first stage in team development, refers to the team's attempt to establish its primary goal, structure, roles, procedures, relationships, and boundaries. Storming, the second stage, is characterized by the emergence of unsolved conflicts around key questions requiring solutions. Norming, the third stage, refers to the team dynamic gaining a normative status instead of the previous ad-hoc status. Performing, the last stage, is the stage at which the team focuses primarily on its task while addressing routine individual and team needs. Organizational change is said to often reverse the team's progression in this linear sequence (Cameron and Green, 2015) (see Figure 2).\nThe pushing side: how do effective teams promote school improvement?: In essence, an effective team acts as an agent for change when it distributes the change to other teams and the rest of school staff. For improvement initiatives to take root in a school, a broad and successful transformation must occur in the dynamic of the school. Thus, school teams must extend their attention and outcomes outside the teams' boundaries. Kurt Lewin's (1947) psychological model of three stages can be handy in considering how such effective interactions can unfold. First, according to the model, an unfreeze stage must occur to set the groundwork (i.e. questioning the current situation, understanding the reasons for change). Second, the change itself is introduced (e.g. a new program is presented, its implementation begun). Third, the refreeze stage that crystalizes the change should occur (e.g. creating routines that establish the change, and maintaining the change via socialization and supervision).\nConclusions and implications: In sum, we propose that school teams, as a coupling mechanism, can serve as key change agents in school restructuring processes, specifically when balancing between \"coping\" and \"pushing\" forces. Yet, no discussion will be complete without addressing the role of school principals in promoting teachers, educators, and school teams as effective change agents (Hallinger and Lu, 2014). School principals hold major responsibility for creating, promoting, and improving intra- and inter-team processes and outcomes (Benoliel, 2017). Particularly during school restructuring, a hierarchical managerial approach does not fully exploit the inherent potential of teams as a \"coupling\" mechanism. Accordingly, an alternative managerial approach based on networking and boundary spanning activities is more advisable for school principals. We offer several guidelines for school principals to assist teachers and teams to cope with change and fulfill their potential of becoming effective change agents (Fleming, 2013; Spillane, 2005; Walker, 1994):\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The concept of teams tends to be marginalized in the scholarly discussion of school improvement. The purpose of this paper is to argue that teams play a crucial role in promoting an holistic integration of school operation necessary to support school change. Specifically, the paper outlines the dynamic of effective teams at times of school improvement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper presents the concept of teams, elaborates on their central function as a \"coupling mechanism,\" and describes the reciprocal relations between teams and school change.\nFindings: The paper emphasizes the reciprocal effects of teams and change, suggesting that teams can serve as key change agents in school restructuring processes, specifically when balancing between \"coping\" and \"pushing\" forces. Based on the model, effective team leadership and effective school leadership at times of school change are introduced. Practical implications are discussed for school leaders.\nOriginality/value: The integration of the concept of teams into the school improvement discourse might assist school leaders to develop processes and procedures that will enable both school teams and schools to react more effectively in times of change and restructuring.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
An adapted Porter Diamond Model for the evaluation of transnational education host countries
|
[
"Internationalization",
"Diamond model",
"Strategic analysis",
"Transnational education",
"Higher education exports"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Transnational education (TNE) offers a range of benefits, for both exporting and host institutions and countries; however, it also involves significant financial and reputational risks. As such, TNE activities should be carefully planned, pursued, and monitored as part the higher education institution's (HEI) internationalisation strategy and activity. Nevertheless, often TNE activities are pursued as result of connections and personal initiatives by academics and researchers in exporting and host countries (McBurnie and Ziguras, 2007). There is the recommendation for thoughtful strategic analysis and senior management engagement as a way to minimise the risks and maximise the benefits of TNE activities (Emery and Worton, 2014). By adapting Porter's Diamond Model (PDM), this study aims to propose a practical analytical framework that TNE exporting countries and institutions can use for the strategic evaluation of TNE host countries in terms of attractiveness for exporting higher education (HE).\nLiterature review: Models to evaluate strategic decisions in TNE\nPilot application of the adapted PDM: China and Malaysia: Methodology\nFindings: Factor conditions\nSummary and conclusions: Some of the key points emerging by the pilot application of the adapted PDM model for the evaluation of China and Malaysia are:\nLimitations and future research: The adapted PDM is subject to the limitations emerging from the diverse and dynamic nature of TNE activities. Specifically, the implementation of the adapted PDM will be influenced by variant definition of TNE models, the scarcity of data, and the blurring of boundaries between TNE and international student mobility.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose an adapted Porter Diamond Model (PDM) that can be used by transnational education (TNE) countries and institutions as an analytical framework for the strategic evaluation of TNE host countries in terms of attractiveness for exporting higher education.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses a literature review to adapt the PDM in the context of TNE host countries. A pilot study of adapted PDM is conducted for China and Malaysia. Available country data are collected via desk study.\nFindings: The pilot application of the adapted PDM revealed no major issues or failings. Only some minor difficulties in the identification of appropriate data which can be resolved with the use of alternative metrics. The results from the analysis of the two countries indicate that China and Malaysia are both suitable TNE host countries for expanding existing and developing new activities. This also indicates that the proposed use of the adapted PDM is suitable to effectively evaluate TNE host countries.\nPractical implications: This adapted model can be used by TNE exporting institutions and countries to access the suitability of prospective TNE host countries for education export. Also, it can be used to evaluate the future risks for existing TNE activities. TNE host countries can use the model to strengthen their attractiveness for education import or to plan of becoming education hubs.\nOriginality/value: Considering the scale and the expected growth of TNE, as well as the lack of strategic analysis tools for TNE; the proposed model provides a valuable practical tool to aid strategic planning at institutional and country level.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Empowerment and entrepreneurship: a theoretical framework
|
[
"Gender",
"Women",
"Entrepreneurialism",
"Empowerment",
"Homeworking",
"Entrepreneurship",
"Subordination",
"Middle East region",
"Jordan",
"Palestine"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In a critical overview of the status of and potential for entrepreneurship research published at the turn of this century, Shane and Venkataraman (2000) axiomatically adopted an objectivist ontology as field appropriate. This assumed that the essence of entrepreneurship research rests upon analyses of associations between opportunity recognition and resulting wealth creation. Since then, however, this stance has been subject to considerable ontological and epistemological critique (see e.g. Rindova et al., 2009; Watson, 2011) which re-conceptualises this construct to encompass both entrepreneurship and entrepreneuring. This shift, suggesting overlaps between being [noun] and doing [verb], recognises that entrepreneurial orientation and behaviours arise from, and reflect, diverse contexts and so, generate a range of differentiated socio-economic/political outcomes (Sarasvathy et al., 2003; Calas et al., 2009; Welter, 2011). As such, the analytical focus shifts from the discovery and enactment of opportunity associated with generating economic returns. Rather, it suggests a more nuanced and complex exploration of the entrepreneuring activities which effect a range of context dependent and institutionally bounded outcomes (Rindova et al., 2009). In recognition of entrepreneuring as a contextualised activity reflecting a diverse range of influences, we explore the interface between entrepreneurial activities, gender, migrant status and empowerment.\nContextualising debate: heritage entrepreneurial activities and empowerment potential: The social and gender status of displaced women in Middle Eastern economies is defined through economic and cultural exclusion in a context of patriarchy. Small-scale home-based enterprise has potential to challenge this matrix of disadvantage. In addition to offering women an enclave where economic activity can be undertaken within the protected space of the home, much small-scale enterprise largely depends upon traditional and typically feminised indigenous skilled craft work (Chifos, 2007). So, displaced women can utilise entrepreneuring activities as an acceptable form of income generation whilst also preserving and celebrating a cultural heritage. It is recognised that analyses addressing traditional craft production assume and embed gender and socio-cultural norms which essentially associate such activities with indigenous women both within their home countries (Jena, 2007), or as members of ethnic minorities in host nations (Buller, 2007). To this extent, the production of traditional craft has been criticised for reproducing a gendered division of labour, inequalities and limited development and empowerment for women (Vallianatos and Raine, 2007). However, this critique does not acknowledge that traditional craft production is often the only link between displaced women and a lost culture and identity (Ramussen, 2005) which de Bruin and Mataira (2003) term as \"heritage entrepreneurship\". In addition, for women experiencing a myriad of intersectional disadvantages from their denigrated status as dispossessed female migrants within a highly controlled patriarchal society, home-based craft entrepreneuring acts as a bounded protectorate. The possession of particularised knowledge and skills transformed into economic activity through home-based enterprise can strengthen social identities and so, within certain contexts, has the potential to inform greater socio-political awareness leading to degrees of personal and collective empowerment (Al-Dajani and Marlow, 2010).\nWomen's empowerment and motivations for entrepreneurship: The entrepreneurial discourse has largely centred upon economic opportunity recognition and remains normatively masculinised (Ahl, 2004; Ahl and Marlow, 2012). Although there is growing recognition of intersectional influences which inform empowerment and entrepreneurial activities (Gill and Ganesh, 2007; Abbasian and Bildt, 2009; Gupta and Sharma, 2011), this debate remains contextualised within a dominant US/Euro-centric frame. Yet, there is a convincing case to extend this analysis to novel contexts (Welter, 2011; Steyaert and Katz, 2004; Trettin and Welter, 2011) such as the Middle East where the intersectionality between gender, patriarchy and displacement critically shapes the relationship between entrepreneuring and empowerment (Al-Dajani and Carter, 2010; Al-Dajani and Marlow, 2010). By presenting the proposed empirically informed conceptual framework below, we aim to contribute to this extant literature whilst also exposing and critiquing the limited and biased reach of current entrepreneurship theorising.\nMethodology and method: Given that empowerment is a process which can only be assessed upon a temporal basis, a longitudinal approach is preferable to dependence upon post hoc rationalisations. Accordingly, this study spanned a ten-year period, constituting three consecutive phases of data collection in Amman, Jordan from 1999 to 2009. The participants were 43 displaced Palestinian women entrepreneurs operating home-based enterprises within the feminised traditional embroidery sector.\nThe empirically informed conceptual framework: This section outlines the three critical components for the framework and explains how these combine to form a continuous spiralling process whereby entrepreneuring enables social change through female empowerment.\nDiscussion: embedding women's entrepreneuring within the proposed framework: Within the entrepreneurship literature, empowerment is not a visible component of thematic discussions addressing barriers and opportunities for women\nConclusion: The fundamental stance informing the arguments within this paper rests upon and presumes that the prevailing entrepreneurial discourse is critically gendered (Marlow et al., 2009). However, to develop and contribute to this theoretical assumption, it is essential to recognise and explore the intersection of entrepreneuring with diverse contextualised gendered performances. We undertake this task within this paper through the development of an empirically informed model which illustrates and evaluates the empowering potential that heritage-based entrepreneuring offers displaced Palestinian women. As such, following suggestions from Bansal and Corley (2011) we challenged the somewhat narrow assumptions underpinning the gendered/subordination discourse within the entrepreneurial field. By re-contextualising this debate within the environs of a marginalised community of women seeking to preserve a valued heritage whilst attempting to generate income and enhance their status, we contribute to developing analyses of the relationship between gender theory and entrepreneurship. As such, we acknowledge the imperative to move away from presumptions of gender as generic (Ashcraft, 2011) which essentially positions women in shared spaces and, instead, interrogate influences which reveal the complexity of gendered performances in differing entrepreneurial contexts.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop an empirically informed conceptual framework to analyse the gendered relationship between empowerment and entrepreneurship contextualised within the lives of displaced Palestinian migrant women operating home-based enterprises in Amman, Jordan.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A longitudinal qualitative study was undertaken during which semi-structured in-depth interviews were regularly conducted with 43 women producing high-quality traditional embroidered goods within home-based enterprises. The empirical material was utilised to inform and illustrate the creation of an empowerment framework.\nFindings: Entrepreneurship is popularly presented as an individually focused economic undertaking. However, this paper demonstrates it is also a socio-politically situated activity; within this particular context, marginalised subordinated women were empowered through their home-based enterprises.\nOriginality/value: This paper offers a gender informed conceptual framework to inform the analyses of empowerment and entrepreneurship. The discussion describes the necessary processes for development goals to be realised, and explains how traditionally subordinated women can utilise enterprise to contribute to social change. In so doing, the proposed conceptual framework acts as a theoretical illustration of the gendered relationship between empowerment and entrepreneurship.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Do switching barriers in the retail banking industry influence bank customers in different age groups differently?
|
[
"Service industry",
"Switching barriers",
"Retail banking",
"Segmentation",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Age groups",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"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: It is encouraging to note an increase in research on switching barriers in the services industry (Balabanis et al., 2006; Yanamandram and White, 2006, Colgate et al., 1996; Fornell, 1992; Fornell and Wernerfelt, 1987). However, little is known about how switching barriers influence different customer groups. In this study we use the retail banking industry to address the question whether switching barriers affect different age groups differently. We define switching barriers as any factor that makes it difficult or costly for customers to change bank service providers (Jones et al., 2000). The research is significant for two reasons. First, many banks use age to segment their customers (German, 2000). However, little is known about the effect of switching barriers among age groups. If switching barriers affect different age groups differently, banks can design a relationship marketing strategy that is effective in retaining each customer age group. Second, the severe competition in the market for financial services is a serious challenge to the profitability of retail banking institutions. Thus, understanding how switching barriers affect each customer group helps banks to design a relationship marketing strategy that enables them to attract new young and older customers who are ready to switch from other banks.The paper is organized as follows. The following section briefly describes the literature focusing especially on the practices of using switching barriers to retain bank customers. The third section explains the method. The fourth section discusses the findings. Finally, section five offers concluding remarks.\nTheoretical background: Customer retention is potentially an effective tool that banks can use to gain a strategic advantage and survive in today's ever-increasing competitive banking industry (Thomas, 2001; Clayton-Smith, 1996; Dawkins and Reichheld, 1996). Thus, one of the primary challenges of retail banks in the twenty-first century is keeping their existing customers and making more profit from them. Most banks claim that creating and maintaining customer relationships are important to them and they are aware of the positive values that relationship provides (Colgate et al. 1996). With each additional year of relationship between a bank and a customer, the customer becomes less costly to serve because of learning effects and decreased serving costs. Thus, the longer a customer stays with a bank, the more utility the customer generates to the bank (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990; Turnbull, 1990). In view of these results it comes as no surprise that banks have introduced numerous switching barriers.Switching barriers\nResearch methodology: The purpose of this research is to understand if switching barriers in the retail banking industry influence bank customers in different age groups differently. The data were collected through a survey of bank customers at two higher education institutions in the state of Washington:1. Eastern Washington University; and2. Bellevue Community College.The questionnaire was pre-tested on 20 bank customers and their feedback was incorporated into the final questionnaire. The survey targeted 1,525 bank customers, of which 298 bounced back. The survey was conducted online between March 3, 2008, and July 15, 2008. In order to minimize non-response error and to increase the response rate, a follow-up e-mailing was sent resulting in a 188 responses. Legally, only persons who are 18 years old or more can make individual financial decisions. Thus, in this research we collected data from bank customers who are 18 years old or higher only. Table I shows the demographic characteristics of the surveyed bank customers. Since much bank information is proprietary and unavailable it was not possible to compare the demographics of the sample respondents to those of the target population. While the demographic characteristics of the respondents are interesting of themselves, it is important to report these results along with the statistical results.Questionnaire design and measurement\nDiscussion of results: First the discussion of the results of the independent two-sample t-tests is divided into five subsections: relational benefits, switching costs, availability and attractiveness of alternatives, service recovery and retention. Later we will discuss the results of the logistic regression analysis and ultimately draw our conclusions and research implications.Relational benefits\nConclusion: The purpose of this paper is to address the question of whether switching barriers in the retailing banking industry are perceived differently by bank customers in different age groups. Preliminary analysis using independent two-sample t-tests followed by logistic regression analysis results support all five hypotheses confirming that young and older bank customers significantly differ in their perception of relational benefits, switching costs, availability and attractiveness of alternatives, service recovery and the duration of time they intend to end their relationship (retention) with their banks. The results are interpreted as: the younger the bank customer, the less he/she perceives relational benefits, switching costs, and efforts of service recovery as switching barriers. Yet, the younger the bank customer, the higher he/she perceives the availability and attractiveness of alternatives. Moreover, younger customers are more likely to end their relationship with their present bank, regardless of the time frame, than older bank customers are. Our findings are in line with the Colgate and Lang (2001) argument that those customers who have seriously considered moving banks tended to be younger than those who had not seriously considered moving. The logistic regression results are consistent with our argument that older bank customers are more likely to be satisfied with the services their banks offer than young customers. Thus, since younger customers are more likely to change their banks easily, if retail banks want to retain younger customers they need to offer more meaningful incentives to younger customers than they offer to older customers. The latter argument may seem contradictory to the belief that since older customers conduct more business with their banks than younger customers some people may argue that investing in older customers is more profitable to banks than investing in younger customers. However, guaranteeing business continuity is important to banks and recruiting younger bank customers and investing in them contributes toward that end.Researchers in the past have found a close association between customer age and bank product usage (Stanley et al., 1985). Moreover, Curasi and Kennedy (2002) have shown that switching barriers play an important role in binding the customer to the service organization. However, neither study by Stanley et al. (1985) nor by Curasi and Kennedy (2002) explained the relationship between bank switching barriers and the bank customer's age. In a later study, Cohen et al. (2006) have shown that that age is related to the decision to stay with or leave service providers. Hence, this research is not only the first empirical effort to validate the switching barrier variables that affect different age groups differently but also elevates the role of age in banks switching barrier design.Our findings are in line with the fundamental marketing principle of market segmentation. The overall intent of market segmentation is to identify groups of similar customers and potential customers, to prioritize the groups to address, to understand their behavior, and to respond with appropriate marketing strategies that satisfy the different preferences of each chosen segment. Thus, the findings of this research indicate that banks need to understand the needs of younger and older customers and design switching barriers accordingly.Research implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine whether switching barriers in the retail banking industry affect different age groups differently.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Questionnaires were administered to 188 bank customers of different age groups, measuring their perception of variables related to relational benefits, switching costs, availability and attractiveness of alternatives, service recovery and retention.\nFindings: - Results from independent two-sample t-tests and logistic regression support all five hypotheses, confirming that young and older bank customers differ significantly in their perception of switching barriers: relational benefits, switching costs, availability and attractiveness of alternatives, service recovery and the duration of time they intend to end their relationship with their banks.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This study was conducted among employees of two higher education institutions. Thus, further research needs to test the research results in a diverse population.\nPractical implications: - Since younger customers are more likely to change their banks easily, if retail banks want to retain younger customers they need to offer more meaningful incentives to younger customers than they offer to older customers. In terms of practice the findings in this research highlight the need for managers to design different switching barrier packages for each customer age group.\nOriginality/value: - Researchers in the past have found a close association between customer age and bank product usage and have shown that switching barriers play an important role in binding the customer to the service organization. However this research not only validates the switching barrier variables that affect different age groups differently but also elevates the role of age in banks switching barrier design.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Making water count: water accountability change within an Australian university
|
[
"Water accounting",
"Actor network",
"Emergent management strategy",
"Water accountability"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Water reserves across large parts of Australia rapidly declined into the 2000s as a result of protracted drought conditions (WSAA, 2009). Climate change was also demonstrated at this time (IPCC, 2007a) which included projections that rainfall in eastern Australia would remain lower than past averages (IPCC, 2007b). Responses from public authorities focused on motivating water consumers towards greater efficiency. As global populations continue to rise, empirical exploration of how Australian organisations responded to both these drought conditions, and to related responses from authorities, can inform broader efforts to encourage efficient water usage.\nUniversities and accountability for water usage: Universities are expected to be both socially useful (Craig and Amernic, 2002), and to act as something of a critical conscience for society (Coy and Pratt, 1996). Where the attention of public universities was once largely limited to issues of regional concern (Gunasekara, 2006), they are now increasingly compelled to focus on globalised challenges (Kwiek, 2006). Knowledge, leadership, and innovation are increasingly encouraged (Luke, 2005; Peters, 2003). At the same time, economic pressures including a diminishing capacity to fund higher education threaten efforts to focus on issues of broader social concern such as water scarcity (Brennan et al., 2004). Cost focused \"new public management\" (NPM) reforms swept through public agencies in many developed nations into the late twentieth century (Broadbent and Laughlin, 2005) emphasising a \"pronounced tendency to adapt to market solutions\" (English et al., 2005 p. 29) and a restraint on public spending (Guthrie et al., 1999). The \"Bradley Review\" of Australian higher education in 2008 reflected this embrace of NPM, placing emphasis on greater global competitiveness, and closer alignment of funding with agreed core teaching and research outcomes (Bradley et al., 2008).\nUnderstanding accountability change through actor network theory: A constructivist perspective is adopted in this study, such that water accountability change is seen, not as \"the result of linear, rational improvements or functional adaptations to new demands\" (Justesen and Mouritsen, 2011, p. 164), but rather as something that will always be contingent and dependent on a constellation of heterogeneous elements (Miller, 1991). Those elements include the impact of both human actors, as well as non-human \"actants\" including underlying management practices and accounting technologies (Latour, 1987). Actor network theory (hereafter ANT) provides a meaningful framework for this study as it argues that rich insight into the management of change can be achieved through understanding the impact of all actors as they negotiate, debate, shape, and attempt to enrol others.\nResearch issues: We choose to describe \"issues\" for exploration rather than \"research questions\" to highlight the exploratory nature of the study. Considering insights from our literature review, this study will explore:\nMethodology: \"Social science has in the final instance nothing else to offer than concrete, context-dependent knowledge and the case study is especially well suited to produce this knowledge\" (Flyvbjerg, 2002, p. 72). Gibb Dyer and Wilkins (1991) argue that examining just one case organisation can provide valuable insight where the goal is to obtain a deep understanding rather than comparison. The case university was captured by the 2005 NSW Water Savings Order (NSWP, 2005) because it consumed more than 50 megalitres of water in 2005. As a consequence, it was required to develop and implement a \"water savings action plan\". The university was also considered ideal for empirical investigation because it claimed on its web site, to be taking a leading response to issues of community concern and to have a strong focus on water efficiency. It also had extensive grounds and gardens and utilised water for a variety of purposes.\nTwo forms of water accountability: water efficiency and water principles: This section chronologically explores the growth, and in some cases decline, of water accountability within the university from 1999 to 2010. In so doing, the study's three research issues are addressed. To provide a preliminary overview, the responses to those issues may be summarised as follows:\nFurther discussion: Actor network theory (ANT) suggests that the taken for granted-ness of developing accountability mechanisms depends on how comprehensively a broad range of actors come to participate and co-constitute meaning for each other. Were practices still questioned and contested or alternatively, had key participants simply become intermediaries attending to related duties? Callon (1986, p. 223) argues that \"at the end of the process, if it is successful, only voices speaking in unison will be heard\". It is therefore fruitful to examine how key water propositions were shaped and re-translated through the period of this study. This section draws further from the language of ANT to explore the fate of three key groupings of water statements; statements about the value of water efficiency, statements about the value of water principles, and statements about the importance of attaching water principles to core financial accountability mechanisms.\nConclusions: We have explored an emergent focus on water within a large university located in Sydney, Australia from 1999 to 2010. In so doing, we ask whether water ultimately came to \"count\" by exploring the links that developing practices were able to establish with core accountability mechanisms. Providing practical insight into how water consuming organisations can respond, we reveal a developing focus on improving water efficiency, addressing leaks, developing water principles, and constructing two impressive rain storage systems. The case suggests that higher education has an opportunity to contribute to thought leadership (Coy and Pratt, 1996) through initiatives that emerge from both core and peripheral units (Hackman, 1985).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Drought conditions affected an acute water scarcity crisis across large parts of Australia through the late 1990s and into the 2000s. Public policy responses emphasised demand management strategies. This study aims to examine the response to these challenges within a large Australian university from 1999 to 2010.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Case study utilising semi-structured interviews.\nFindings: Staff empowered to take an emergent approach to issues of social concern, initiated water accountability change focused on water efficiency from 1999, and \"water principles\" from 2002. A growing network had some success translating and enrolling others over coming years. However into the late 2000s, as drought conditions abated and with a renewed focus on financial control, developments that had not established clear links to core accountability mechanisms eroded. This study demonstrates that measurement is essential to understanding patterns of water usage, but also needs to establish links to core systems of accountability to broadly change behaviour.\nPractical implications: Higher education continues to be an environment where creative responses to community challenges can be nurtured. Despite increasing pressures to focus on financial outcomes, the sector should continue to nurture opportunities to shape issues of community concern through leading practice.\nOriginality/value: This study provides insight into the development, fragility, and contested meaning of emergent systems of water accountability within the context of a university.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Global operations and their interaction with supply chain performance
|
[
"Denmark",
"Supply chain management",
"Globalization",
"Outsourcing",
"Supply chain performance",
"Offshoring",
"OLI model",
"Managerial challenges"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Relentless global competition forces many companies to evaluate how the global market should be approached. The role of manufacturing has changed over the last decades due to a globalized business environment in which products are made in one country and then shipped across national borders and continents for further processing, packaging, assembly, storage, and sale (Ferdows, 1997). Drivers to become more global vary and include, for example, cost reduction, improving responsiveness, reducing cycle times, and increasing quality and flexibility (Venkatraman, 2004; Jiang et al., 2006). Decisions to locate international manufacturing plants is primarily based on reasons of closeness to low-cost production, proximity to market, and local technological resources (Ferdows, 1989). In order to respond to the increased global complexity, a company can choose among different globalization strategies. Ferdows (2008) distinguishes between rooted and footloose production networks. A rooted network strategy means that a company is focused on exploiting its own manufacturing facilities whereas a footloose network strategy is based on leveraging the capabilities of others. Both rooted and footloose network strategies can be spread out geographically in different ways, and they are the result of two distinct globalization strategies - outsourcing and offshoring. Outsourcing denotes a process whereby a company enables an external, independent supplier to perform a specific task. This can include both domestic suppliers and suppliers in foreign countries. Offshoring means that the company is restructured based on geography (Contractor et al., 2010). Outsourcing and offshoring can be perceived as competing business models strategies used to orchestrate the firm's overall value chain (Mudambi and Venzin, 2010).The choice of globalization strategy can lead to both success and failure (Bin, 2003; Aron and Singh, 2005; Kinkel and Maloca, 2009). Outsourcing and offshoring can, for example, be mainly driven by cost reduction in order to reduce the cost of goods sold (Jabbour, 2010). Getting access to pools of highly skilled talent around the world has emerged as a new key strategic driver (Lewin et al., 2009; Manning et al., 2008). Other factors, in addition to cost, must be included in the decision process of outsourcing or offshoring because the decision can have a huge impact on the supply chain performance in terms of, for example, longer lead-time, excess inventories, higher logistics costs and quality (Handfield, 1994; Ritter and Sternfels, 2004; Lau and Zhang, 2006; Holweg et al., 2011; Gray et al., 2011). In addition, the specific location chosen as the destination for outsourcing and offshoring can impact the performance (Hatonen, 2009; Kotabe and Mol, 2009). Thus, the globalization strategy must be linked to corporate strategy and the company's competitive priorities (Takala et al., 2007). Kroes and Ghosh (2010) have documented how the congruence between drivers of an outsourcing decision and a company's competitive priorities impacts supply chain performance (delivery cycle time, manufacturing cycle time, missing/wrong products shipped, on-time delivery performance, and warranty/returns processing costs). Furthermore, effective and efficient functioning of supply chains or production networks does not depend only on its cost efficient and robust design (Jaehne et al., 2009). The physical and informational transactions in supply chains and networks also depend on decisions and actions of people and groups which are embedded in organizations and in a particular region and, therefore, also in a particular cultural context (Liao et al., 2011). Hence, it is insufficient to only consider the hard factors of quality, time, and costs when designing and operating supply chains and global production networks (Jaehne et al., 2009; Holweg et al., 2011).Extant literature on supply chain performance seems not to include a perspective on the interaction between global allocation of production and supply chain performance. In order to clarify the conditions that must be fulfilled before a company locates parts of its production in other countries, this paper presents and discuss Dunning's eclectic paradigm or \"OLI model\" (Dunning and Lundan, 2008). The OLI model is a holistic paradigm, that is, it is a summary of various theories which is specifically related to the emergence of multinational corporations. Dunning's eclectic paradigm has long been the most influential framework for empirical investigation of determinants in international production. One of the reasons for the enduring nature of the OLI model is that it was never intended to be just another theory. It was intended to provide an overall analytical framework for empirical investigations which would draw the attention of the analyst to the most important theories for the problem at hand. Stock (1997) has suggested applying theories from other disciplines to logistics and supply chain management (SCM) issues in order to get new insights. Within SCM-related journals, few contributions building on the eclectic paradigm are found, although several examples include Japanese and Singaporean internationalization strategies (Slater et al., 2007), evaluation of the success of entering the Indian retail market by a large US retailer (Halepete et al., 2008), and foreign direct investments in Italian districts (Grandinetti et al., 2009). Hence the article seeks to make a contribution to the understanding of how supply chain performance interacts with the OLI model of Dunning.In order to fulfil this aim, two research questions are raised:RQ1. How does supply chain performance interact with the locating of production in foreign countries?RQ2. How does supply chain performance interact with the choice of globalization strategy?The RQ1 seeks to address whether supply chain performance improves or deteriorates by locating production in foreign countries. The focus is also concerned with a clarification of whether supply chain performance can be viewed as a location-specific advantage or disadvantage. The RQ2 concerns the relationship between the choice of offshoring or outsourcing and supply chain performance. This relationship can be viewed from two perspectives:1. how a specific choice actually affects the performance; and2. how a requirement for a specific performance influences the choice between offshoring and outsourcing.Section 2 contains information about the method applied in the research. In Section 3 we argue in favour of the interaction between supply chain performance and the OLI model of Dunning, whereby a theoretical framework for an analysis and interpretation of the empirical data is given. Case study analyses are included in Section 4. Finally, the paper concludes with the overall research question and provides implications for theory and practice in Section 5.\n2. Method: This paper is based on four case studies with data collection in 2011. The case studies have been completed as part of our ongoing ad hoc-based research on this topic area. The case study method is a theory-building approach which is anchored in rich empirical data that makes it possible to develop theory that is accurate, interesting, and testable (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007). Case studies can be used to accomplish different purposes such as to explore, to describe, to explain, and to predict (Yin, 2009; Ellram, 1996). Because not much is known about the interaction of globalization strategies and supply chain performance, an explorative and inductive research strategy was chosen. The case study method is particularly relevant to use when the research question is formulated as a why or how question (Yin, 2009, p. 8; Ellram, 1996). This paper has set out to dig deeper into how supply chain performance is affected by offshoring and outsourcing strategies of production. The overall case study design is thus a multiple case study design. The unit of analysis is the specific production task that has been outsourced or offshored. Research in SCM based on the case study method has been claimed to lack information about the research process (Seuring, 2008). Therefore, sections about sampling criteria, data collection, data processing, and judging criteria are included.2.1 Sampling criteria\n3. Theoretical frame of reference: This section aims to provide a theoretical frame of reference to be used for the analysis of the four case studies and to provide answers to understand the implications connected to the interaction between global allocation of production and supply chain performance. First, a brief overview of the understanding of supply chain performance is presented. Second, the eclectic paradigm of Dunning in terms of the OLI model is described. Thereby we can finally establish the interaction between supply chain performance and the OLI model of Dunning.3.1 Supply chain performance\n4. Analysis: In this section, the four case studies are analyzed. Each case is structured first by a brief introduction to the company and its owner-specific advantages. After that, the next section describes their globalization initiative, why it was chosen and, finally, how it interacts with the company's supply chain performance (Table II).4.1 Case 1: a successful offshoring\n5. Conclusions: The purpose of this article is to explore whether supply chain performance interacts with both the choice of location and the choice of globalization strategy when a company locates parts of its production in other countries. The contribution of the paper is that consciousness is needed in the practices of offshoring and outsourcing, and that each has an impact on supply chain performance and vice versa. However, the paper does not suggest that one globalization strategy is better than the other. On the contrary, both strategies may have positive as well as negative consequences for supply chain performance.In an actual implementation of outsourcing or offshoring strategies, firm-specific context variables must be considered. Extant literature on supply chain performance does not appear to include a perspective on the interaction between global allocation of production and supply chain performance. Dunning's eclectic paradigm, the \"OLI model\", has been applied. It clarifies the conditions that must be fulfilled before a company locates parts of its production in other countries, either in the form of outsourcing or offshoring. An important element in such decision-making processes is an understanding of the implications of each choice, whether the choice is localization or a globalization strategy. Theoretical considerations must be made about the interaction between, on the one hand, the choice of localization and globalization strategy and, on the other hand, supply chain performance. It was argued that these interactions can be both positive and negative.To illustrate and analyze the problem, we used a multiple case study design by combining the offshore/outsourcing dimension with the success/failure dimension. Hence we used four case companies. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with persons responsible for the choice of globalization strategy, whether outsourcing or offshoring, and the case studies indicated that supply chain performance is affected by both the choice of location and the choice of globalization strategy. But the case studies also showed that the requirements for supply chain performance have an impact on the choice of location and globalization strategy. Key factors are the availability of labor force, local management, control over IT systems, and tacit knowledge of the production. Some supply chain performance measures were judged to be more sensitive in connection with these choices than others, and it is concluded that in relation to global allocation of production, it is important to recognize which supply chain performance measures are most sensitive to the specific choice of location and globalization strategy. The four case studies do not provide a foundation for statistical generalization, but they do outline a proper theoretical model about the interaction between, on the one hand, the choice of localization and globalization strategy and, on the other hand, the supply chain performance measures.The paper demonstrates that no best solution exists, which calls for a conscious decision process when operations are being globalized. In general, it is therefore important to recognize which supply chain performance measures are most sensitive to the specific choice of location and globalization strategy. The explorative character of the paper has developed propositions that needs to be further studied in the theory development process within this problem domain. Thus, future research can expand the problem area presented in this paper by including more case studies and applying a quantitative research design that combine time series and cross-sectional analyses.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - A major part of economic globalization has taken place in the form of different globalization strategies. Offshoring and outsourcing of manufacturing activities from Western locations to Eastern Europe and the Far East are used to remain competitive. Such strategies have implications for supply chain performance. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether supply chain performance is affected differently depending on the choice of globalization strategy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper is based on in-depth literature reviews and explorative case studies - two offshoring and two outsourcing projects. A model explaining the choice of localization and globalization strategy (the OLI model) is applied as a basic framework. Data have been collected through in-depth interviews with persons responsible for the offshoring and outsourcing projects.\nFindings: - The paper addresses different practices of managing supply chain performance in offshoring and outsourcing strategies. The OLI model provides an increased consciousness of the managerial challenges related to supply chain performance based on the chosen globalization strategy.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The paper is explorative in nature and is based on four case studies. The paper provides no basis for statistical generalizations.\nPractical implications: - The supply chain performance is affected both positively and negatively in each type of globalization strategy. The OLI model provides an extended understanding of the factors that should be considered in decision processes concerning offshoring and outsourcing.\nOriginality/value: - In this paper, the OLI model is integrated in a new understanding of supply chain performance.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Social networks, accessed and mobilised social capital and the employment status of older workers: A case study
|
[
"Employment",
"Social networks",
"Social capital",
"Older workers"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Worldwide populations are ageing with the UN (2017) estimating that more than 962m people are over 60 years old, and the number aged more than 60 years expected to grow to over 2.1bn by 2050. Ageing is most advanced in the more developed countries (such as Japan, Italy and Germany 33, 29 and 28 per cent were, respectively, 60 years or older in 2017 (UN, 2017). This is, however, a worldwide phenomenon and in all regions, except Africa, around 25 per cent or more people will be older than 60 years by 2050 (UN, 2017; He et al., 2016). Identification of the effects of ageing prompted the OECD (2006) to make the recommendation to employment ministers of developed countries that \"living longer must mean working longer\". The governmental response to population ageing has changed from one where older workers were encouraged to leave the labour market to make way for younger workers to a policy advocating continued labour market participation (Eurofound, 2016; CIPD, 2016; IES, 2016; Loretto and Vickerstaff, 2015; Phillipson et al., 2016; Taylor and Earl, 2016). After falling in the latter part of the twentieth century, Eurostat data illustrate that in the EU employment rates of older people (those aged from 55 to 64 years) have risen from 42.2 per cent in 2005 to 57.1 per cent in 2017, and for the UK the older employment rates have changed from 56.8 to 64.1 per cent over this period (Eurostat, 2018). There have been similar rises among other developed countries (OECD, 2016).\nSocial networks and employment: Granovetter (1973, 1995) identified the major role of social networks in job search and labour market outcomes. He proposed the ground-breaking concept of \"strength of weak ties\" for successful job search in which he mentioned that rather than strong ties of immediate networks, weak ties (friend's friend or acquaintances) are more important to get diverse job information and thus to secure a job. The value of social contacts in gaining employment was supported by Snijders et al. (2010), Wong (2008), Calvo-Armengol and Jackson (2004), Yakubovich (2005) and Hallsten and Rydgren (2017) who demonstrated that an increase in the proportion of weak ties in a network decreases inequality and increases the employment rate. Similarly, Varekamp et al. (2015) found that those with more social capital, particularly in terms of multi-dimensional social resources (including higher education levels) and job search advice were more active in searching for jobs. Cingano and Rosolia (2012) also found that a displaced worker's unemployment duration fell when their personal network contained more contacts who were employed and who provided information on jobs.\nData collection, analysis procedures and measures: The data set used in this paper has both quantitative and qualitative components and is extracted from a larger data set which was collected in 2004/2005 to undertake a comparative study of the effect of social networks on the labour participation of younger and older workers (Gayen et al., 2010). Re-examining this unique data set, which remains relevant, gives the opportunity to expose the importance of social networks and how older people activate them and so help address gaps in the literature.\nResults and analysis: Respondents' backgrounds and descriptive data\nVignettes: Here, we give summaries of six representative case study vignettes of respondents' typical situations. These vignettes give the perspective of older workers (names are pseudonyms') describing their job searching experience, particularly the importance of social networks in their job searching.\nDiscussion: The results appear consistent across the descriptive statistics and modelling, social network analysis and vignettes, suggesting robustness of the results and demonstrating the importance of social networks in successful job search for older workers.\nConclusions: Two distinct objectives of this paper were to better understand job searching procedures of older people seeking to re-enter the job market and the relation of their social networks in that process. While doing so, we found that rather than Granovetter's (1973, 1995) \"strength of weak ties\" being crucial for successful job hunting by young people, for the older people the \"strong ties\" with higher positioned people in their networks were more effective. Their requirements were not only job information, but also direct help with applications, gaining \"rich\" advice on how to undertake job search, including employer specific information on handling interviews, and references to employers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of social networks, and the social capital embedded in them, to secure employment if someone had become unemployed after the age of 50 years and to reveal the process of accessing and mobilising that social capital.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A case study of a Scottish labour market was undertaken which involved an interview-based survey of those who became unemployed in their early 50's and tried to regain employment. The interview had structured and unstructured parts which allowed both quantitative and qualitative analysis to compare those who were successful in regaining work with those who were not. The uniqueness of the paper is the use of social network components while controlling for other socio-economic and demographic variables in job search of older workers.\nFindings: Those older people who were unemployed and, returned to employment (reemployed) had a higher proportion of contacts with higher prestige jobs, their job searching methods were mainly interpersonal and the rate of finding their last job via their social networks was higher than those who remained unemployed. Both groups mobilised social capital (MSC), but those reemployed accessed higher \"quality\" social capital. \"Strong ties\", rather than \"weak ties\", were found to be important in accessing and mobilising social capital for the older workers who returned to employment.\nResearch limitations/implications: This work is limited to a local labour market and is based on a small but informative sample. However, it does show that policy is required to allow older people to enhance their social networks by strengthening the social capital embedded in the networks. The results support the use of intermediaries as bridges to help compensate for older people who have weak social networks. Besides the policy implications, the paper also has two distinct research implications. First, the use of social network component to the existing literature of older workers' job search. Second, exploring the type and relational strength with network members to explain older workers' reemployment.\nPractical implications: The paper illustrates that how accessed and MSC can be measured.\nSocial implications: As populations age, this work points to an approach to support older people to re-enter employment and to include them in society.\nOriginality/value: The paper extends social network and employment literature to fill gaps on how older people require to both access and mobilise social capital. The importance of \"strong ties\" in the reemployment of older workers contrasts with much of the literature on younger workers where the \"strength of weak ties\" so far has been regarded as essential for successful job search. Measures are forwarded to reveal the relevance of social capital. The policy value of the work is in suggesting ways to facilitate older people re-enter or remain in work and hence sustain their well-being.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Leader-member exchange differentiation in the military platoon
|
[
"Armed forces",
"Singapore",
"Leadership",
"Team performance",
"Social interaction"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory occupies a unique place in the leadership literature in that it focuses explicitly on the dyadic relationship that exists between leader and follower (Gerstner and Day, 1997; Schyns and Wolfram, 2008). At its very foundations, LMX theory contends that leaders develop differentiated exchange relationships with individual followers based on the quality of relationships formed with each follower. Differentiated exchange is considered a necessary condition since only a few high quality LMX relationships can exist in work groups due to time and resources constraints (Green et al., 1996). Although leaders are advised to focus on building higher quality relationships with members that can contribute the most benefits (Yu and Liang, 2004), there have been relatively few studies investigating the antecedents for LMX differentiation in specific organization contexts. This study makes an important contribution to the literature by focusing attention on demographic variables that may impact the quality of LMX relationships within a military platoon.\nLMX and demographic characteristics: LMX refers to the dyadic relationship between a leader and a follower. Fundamentally, LMX is a relational concept whereby leaders form unique relationships with each follower through differentiated exchanges that can be characterized as being of either high or low quality (Graen and Uhl-Bien, 1995). In high quality LMX relationships, the exchanges between leader and follower are accentuated by mutual trust, respect and obligation such that there is reciprocal interaction between leader and follower (Graen and Uhl-Bien, 1995). This reciprocity contributes to role negotiation over time where followers actively participate in decision-making processes that elevate their social status as \"in-group\" members within the work group (Graen, 1976; Liden et al., 2006). In low quality LMX relationships, the social exchanges between leader and follower are contractual in nature where tasks are performed according to formal regulations defined by a unilateral information flow from leader to follower (Wang et al., 2005). Followers often receive little support and encouragement from their leader and are delegated minimal responsibility with simple tasks. Typically, low quality LMX relationships are characterized by a wider social distance between leader and follower such that followers take on an \"out-group\" social status.Relational demography is a term used to describe similarities and differences in demographic characteristics between leaders and followers. A range of demographic characteristics have been studied with age, gender and organizational tenure being the most common (Epitropaki and Martin, 1999; Tsui and O'Reilly, 1989). According to the similarity-attraction paradigm (Byrne, 1971), individuals are attracted to one another on the basis of similar life experiences (as reflected in age cohorts) and social/ethnic backgrounds. Compatible demographic characteristics are assumed to promote relationships of high LMX quality although the evidence has been mixed to date (Gerstner and Day, 1997). Such inconclusive results have prompted researchers to pose the question whether LMX relationships may be influenced more by demographic distance between leaders and followers (Napier and Ferris, 1993) rather than by any degree of demographic similarity (Liden et al., 1993).LMX and rank of followers\nMethod: Procedure\nResults: Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion: Results indicate rank and type of service to be important demographic variables impacting the quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships within a military platoon. This is consistent with the basic tenets of LMX theory which contends leaders develop unique relationships with individual followers that can be characterized as being of either low or high quality (Graen and Uhl-Bien, 1995).Responses from non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and recruits suggest officers develop higher quality social exchanges with NCOs than with recruits in their platoons. Since resource and time constraints make it unrealistic to expect officers to maintain high quality LMX with up to 27 followers, favoring NCOs over recruits may provide additional benefits to officers in terms of running the platoon (Green et al., 1996; Yu and Liang, 2004). The fact that NCOs have undergone numerous selections tests and training before being accorded rank and status suggests that they are more capable than recruits of performing complex tasks. In this respect, rank may offer a fair assessment of the utility of NCOs and their subsequent abilities in assisting officers perform the complex tasks and challenging duties associated with direct leadership (Wong et al., 2003). Critics might argue such delineation on the basis of rank by officers' overlooks the potential of recruits and may affect the overall performance of the platoon. These arguments seem well founded and act as a warning not to discourage the establishment of higher LMX relationships with recruits altogether. It is of course possible that certain exceptional recruits may offer more skills to officers over others and thus warrants a high LMX relationship to be offered.LMX differentiation by rank can also be justified on the basis of the direct responsibilities of officers and NCOs (Hunt, 1991; Wong et al., 2003). Although officers are responsible for all aspects of soldier well-being, including items such as recognizing the potential of soldiers and helping solve their problems, the actual tasks associated with maintaining soldier well-being are \"considered the primary domain of the non-commissioned officers and a secondary domain for commissioned officers\" (Wong et al., 2003, p. 678). By forming closer relationships with NCOs and assigning them specific soldier maintenance tasks for which they have been trained, officers can focus more on tasks associated with executing higher level orders and providing role clarification and direction (Chen and Bliese, 2002). In other words, the performance of the entire platoon may be at a stage of operational combat readiness when officers attend to mission-oriented critical tasks and allow NCOs to perform direct leader tasks associated with maintaining soldier well being. If this differentiation is made, it is possible NCO's will form closer social relationships with recruits. However, by only using the platoon commander as the point of LMX reference this study ignored the NCO-recruit dyad and therefore cannot offer an informed judgement on the degree of social intimacy at this level.Results indicate officers also develop higher quality LMX relationships with regular, full-time soldiers than with two-year conscript personnel. This is an interesting and controversial finding as it poses questions as to whether a perception of officers favoring a small minority (regular soldiers made up 6 per cent of the sample) in a conscript army is a healthy occurrence. The possible implications of this are two-fold.Firstly, differentiation based on the type of service may create a large rift between full-time personnel and conscripts such that high quality LMX relationships are only circulated among small clicks of regular soldiers. This type of differentiation promotes a belief that competence can only be expected of full-time personnel since high quality LMX is meant to be reserved for those more capable. Hence, conscripts that are naturally gifted may be discouraged to perform well since they are not expected to and also because their good performance may be overlooked by the pervasive bias towards regular soldiers. This occurrence will cause officers to overlook many followers who are both capable and eager to reciprocate high quality LMX but are undermined due to being conscript soldiers. Hence, such a form of LMX differentiation can be viewed as dysfunctional to the performance of the platoon.Secondly, another possible implication is the development of a negative attitude towards conscription over time. The lack of high LMX accorded to conscripts will leave many, especially those who are capable and eager to reciprocate, dissatisfied. Over time, the pervasiveness of such a practice may be institutionalized in the platoon and eventually promote a negative attitude towards conscription. On a larger scale, this may also contribute to a negative image of the SAF as an organization that only favors full-time soldiers in spite of being a conscript military. Assuming lower quality working relationships correspond to lower levels of performance, satisfaction, commitment and citizenship behavior on the part of the follower as empirical research suggests (Ilies et al., 2007; Schriesheim et al., 1999; Wakabayashi et al., 2005), conscript soldiers are likely to see little obligation in \"going the extra mile\" for their platoon commanders. This lack of motivation may have disastrous consequences in a military combat situation. One possible remedy to the present scenario is to modify training and leadership development programs for officers to increase awareness of the problem. Officers should be constantly reminded that their expectations of performance and consequent differentiation of LMX relationships should not be determined by the type of service of their followers.From the perspectives of soldiers with different lengths of military service, officers do not seem to significantly differentiate their leader-member exchanges. Similar observations across different soldier tenure groups reflect the relative homogeneity of the sample and the fact soldiers are conscripted as a batch at the same time. Over a two-year period, rank delineation based on perceived skill differences may have cancelled out any perceived higher quality relationships resulting from longer military service.Limitations and future research\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to identify demographic variables that may impact the quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships within a military platoon.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A total of 109 non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and 421 recruits from 27 platoons in the Singapore Armed Forces independently assessed the quality of their relationship with their platoon commander using the LMX7 survey instrument.\nFindings: - Bivariate analyses indicated rank and type of service differentiated the quality of LMX between leaders (platoon commanders) and followers (NCOs, recruits).\nResearch limitations/implications: - The paper considers LMX only from the perspective of followers and does not take into account the broader context of the military platoon.\nPractical implications: - The performance of the entire platoon may be more effective when platoon commanders operate at a distance, respect rank and formal authority relationships, and build closer personal relationships with NCOs than with recruits.\nOriginality/value: - There have been no studies examining the demographic basis for LMX differentiation in an Asian military organization. This paper fills the gap.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Antecedents to organic cotton clothing purchase behaviour: study on Indian youth
|
[
"Consumer behaviour",
"Peer influence",
"India",
"Garment industry",
"Organic clothing",
"Green apparel knowledge",
"Past environment-friendly behaviour",
"Indian youth"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In recent years, trade liberalisation has accelerated investment from global garment manufacturers and retailers in India. This has fuelled the growth in local demand for designer and fashion clothing. The Indian apparel industry contributes to a significant proportion of the country's gross domestic product. Ganguly (2012) stated that the Indian apparel and textile industry was expected to grow to $221 billion by 2020. India's domestic apparel industry is growing steadily and likely to account for $141 billion by 2021. In emerging economies, green products, organic clothing, recycling and environment-friendly lifestyles are novel concepts. Consumer awareness in Western countries about environment-friendly products and their impact on society is high. The richer and more developed countries have been involved in fair trade movements and environmental protection (Koszewska, 2013). However, in emerging countries, there is little emphasis on sustainable practices, green products, environmental protection and recycling. In India, with growing awareness of environment protection laws and greener technologies, many firms are offering environment-friendly products (Maheshwari and Malhotra, 2011; Saxena and Khandelwal, 2012). Advertising and promotional strategies are designed to generate awareness about green brands and the environment-friendly policies of companies (Nair and Menon, 2008; Mishra and Sharma, 2010; Shrikanth and Raju, 2012). Lack of empirical evidence about Indian consumers' organic clothing buying behaviour and environment-friendly attitudes makes India an interesting region for research. An examination of Indian consumers' organic clothing buying behaviour can help in understanding their environment-friendly attitudes and behaviour.\n2. Theoretical framework: 2.1 Organic clothing purchase behaviour\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Research context\n4. Analysis: 4.1 Structural equation analysis\n5. Findings and discussion: Based on standardized path coefficients and significance levels, green past behaviour (b=1.073, p0.00) influenced green apparel purchase behaviour. Therefore, H1 was accepted. The results of hypotheses testing indicated that H2 and H3 were rejected (p>0.05). Hence, peer influence and green knowledge do not influence green purchase behaviour. The results of hypotheses testing are reported in Table VI.\n6. Marketing implications: The objective of the current research was to understand the relationship between past environment-friendly behaviour, peer influence in the green context, and the effect of green apparel knowledge on organic clothing purchase behaviour. There is limited research to understand Indian youths' organic clothing purchase behaviour and the current research provides interesting insights about organic clothing purchase behaviour. The findings of the research can help organic clothing manufacturers and retailers to position and market their clothing brands. Since young people are conscious about latest fashions and styles, it would be important for organic clothing manufacturers to present organic products as elite and sophisticated. Firms should design marketing strategies to educate youths about the advantages of organic clothing and its impact on environment. There appears to be limited awareness about organic clothing, the impact of textile manufacturing technologies on the environment, and knowledge about technology used for manufacturing organic clothing. Clothing symbolizes self-concept, image, and the lifestyle of individuals (Michaelidou and Dibb, 2006; Piamphongsant and Mandhachitara, 2008; Khare et al., 2012), and therefore it is important for organic clothing manufacturers to make products personally relevant for consumers. They should match with their values and help in communicating environment-friendly self-identity. They can also be related to one's commitment to protecting the environment.\n7. Limitations and future research directions: The research was limited to Indian college students and youths. The sample was restricted to youths with experience of green products and organic clothing. Youths having limited or no knowledge about environmental issues were not included in the sample. This was purposely done as the influence of past green buying behaviour and knowledge about organic clothing was being studied. Thus, the results cannot be generalised to a youth segment with limited or no knowledge about green products. Further, the study did not focus on understanding the organic clothing purchase behaviour of other age groups and was restricted to wealthy youths. This is a major limitation. The influence of demographic variables like age, gender, income and occupation on organic clothing purchase behaviour was not examined. Influence of demographic factors on youths' purchase behaviour could provide interesting insights; however, it was not considered under the purview of this study. Future research can examine the role of gender, education, income and occupation on decision to purchase organic clothing. Since sample comprised primarily of youths to one category in terms of education and income, it was not considered appropriate to use these variables for analysis. Given these limitations; therefore, the results cannot be generalised to other income groups.\n8. Conclusion: The paper indicated that past environment-friendly behaviour influenced Indian youth's organic clothing purchase behaviour. Interestingly, green apparel knowledge and peer influence had no impact on organic clothing purchase behaviour. The findings suggest that decision to purchase organic clothing amongst youngsters was mainly related to one's pro-environmental values, past experience and awareness of green brands.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine influence of past environment-friendly behaviour, peer influence and green apparel knowledge in the context of organic clothing purchase behaviour.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected by means of a survey carried out in three major metropolitan cities and a sample of total 889 respondents was collected who were college students in India.\nFindings: Past environment-friendly behaviour influenced Indian youth's organic clothing purchase behaviour. Green apparel knowledge and peer influence, interestingly, had no impact on organic clothing purchase behaviour.\nResearch limitations/implications: The sample was limited to students who had past experience with green products. This was deliberately done as the objective was to examine the influence of past environment-friendly behaviour and green apparel knowledge on organic clothing purchase behaviour. Youth with limited awareness about organic clothing were not contacted. This restricted the findings to a specific youth segment. Further, the study was limited to Indian youth and did not examine the purchase behaviour of other consumer segments. Demographic variables were not used for analysis as only purchase behaviour of young people as a consumer segment was studied.\nPractical implications: The findings can be used by organic apparel manufacturers in marketing organic clothing brands to the Indian youth. Organic clothing can be positioned to emphasise green values and distinct lifestyle for environment-conscious youths. Initiatives like celebrity talk-shows, organic clothing exhibitions, and launch of organic clothing designer brands can be used to promote organic apparel. College students can be used as opinion leaders to communicate benefits of organic clothing and inculcate green values among larger population.\nOriginality/value: Organic products and brands are becoming popular among Indian consumers. There has been limited research on the subject of youths' purchase behaviour of organic clothing to date. Companies trying to launch organic clothing brands in the country may find the results helpful in understanding green buying behaviour.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Recent research in hospitality financial management
|
[
"Dividends",
"Financing",
"Firm performance",
"Hospitality financial management",
"Investing"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Financial management is the backbone of any business, including firms involved in hospitality (including but not limited to hotels, restaurants, and casinos). In the hospitality industry, managers at the property level are charged with using owners' invested assets to enhance revenues and reduce expenses to achieve desired net profits. However, managers at the corporate level are more involved in issues related to investing excess cash and raising debt and equity capital. Dividend policy and decisions, which to some extent signal board-level views on the firm's future development opportunities, also play a significant role in hospitality finance. The hospitality industry is fairly capital-intensive (Karadeniz et al., 2009; Lee, 2007), requiring managers at all levels to have adequate financial management skills and access to strategies for achieving the goal of financial management, namely value enhancement or creation for owners (Andrew et al., 2007). Nevertheless, given increasingly complicated operating environments and more sophisticated and educated customers and stakeholders, good financial management has become even more critical in coping with ever-changing operating parameters. It is critical that practitioners as well as academics understand the recent research on financial decisions and phenomena.Research in hospitality financial management has noticeably emerged since the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many papers have been published to disseminate new knowledge or unveil existing phenomena in the field, and to explain the managerial implications of financial management issues and problems to industry stakeholders. However, as Harris and Brown (1998) point out in their review of research and development in hospitality accounting and financial management (with more focus on accounting than finance), some of this work has tended to be inward-looking, with inadequate methodologies and superficial results. Atkinson and Jones (2006) also noted in their review (with more focus on management accounting than finance) that not much progress has been observed in areas highlighted as \"innovative\" in 1998, and little evidence exists of the development of new theories. Another critique is that studies have tended to replicate mainstream financial research, with the only major difference being the use of a hospitality sample. This contributes minimally, if at all, to our knowledge. While the hospitality industry does share some commonalities with other service industries, some unique operating characteristics necessitate separate examination of particular topics. Since Harris and Brown's (1998) and Atkinson and Jones's (2006) works, hospitality financial management research alone has grown noticeably in terms of diverse topics and sophistication of methodologies. The need for an update motivated us to conduct a review of recent research. The goal of this paper is to present the status of contemporary hospitality financial management research from 1998 through 2009 and to suggest future research opportunities.We began our initial literature search by entering into the ABI/INFORM database via ProQuest 19 pre-identified keywords related to the major functions of financial management, namely investing, financing, and dividend decisions (Chatfield and Dalbor, 2005), as well as commonly indexed keywords in hospitality finance research. The 19 keywords included risk, return, firm performance, stock, bond, weighted average cost of capital (WACC), capital structure, bankruptcy, financial, ownership, dividend, debt, financing, equity, asset, growth, financial management, shareholder, and corporate governance. We then expanded our literature list through the reference lists of the studies we identified. We have not included every possible piece of research in this paper due to constraints regarding the availability of journals, language issues, and relevance, among other issues, but limited ourselves to papers published in hospitality journals between 1998 and 2009 and written in English. The list of journals which appeared during our search is presented in Table I.This review is sequenced around the major functions of hospitality financial management, namely hospitality financing, hospitality investing, and dividend policy studies. Studies relevant to financial conditions and performances are also reviewed and discussed. The literature included in this paper is summarized in Table II.\n2. Hospitality financing: Hospitality firms are heavy users of long-term debt to support their asset investment (Singh and Upneja, 2008) and growth opportunities, and the debt structure is comprised largely of fixed-rate debt (Singh, 2009a). For example, the mean debt ratio of casinos and hotels in the USA during 1999-2003 was 52.6 percent (Tsai and Gu, 2007b) and 41.9 percent, respectively (Tsai, 2005), and for restaurants was 26.6 percent (Tsai and Gu, 2007a). Since the contemporary business world is constantly changing in response to the competitive and regulatory environment, which in turn is also reshaping the financial service industry, a central issue for hospitality operators and investors is the uncertainty associated with the role of financial institutions as suppliers of capital (Singh and Kwansa, 1999). Capital supply and demand has become a key research theme.2.1 Debt financing\n3. Hospitality investing: Activities related to hospitality investing can be examined from two perspectives, namely the firm and its investors, although a majority of published studies focus on the latter. From a firm perspective, research has provided capital budgeting guides, practices, and benchmark comparisons (Guilding and Lamminmaki, 2007; Rubelj, 2006; Guilding and Hargreaves, 2003; Damitio and Schmidgall, 2002; Ashley et al., 2000). Capital budgeting relates to how firms respond to their operating and business strategies, appraise capital expenditure projects and make informed decisions that will bring value to the firm and shareholders. For example, Guilding and Lamminmaki (2007) demonstrated a positive relationship between hotel size and the use of financial investment appraisal techniques. Regarding the formalization of capital budgeting systems and investment techniques, hotels are less developed in reviewing required rates of return and in applying post-completion audits. Studies from the investors' perspective are more diverse and include topics such as risk and return and performance measurement, among others.3.1 Risk and return\n4. Hospitality dividend policy: Firms reward investors through cash or stock dividends or stock price appreciation. Using logistic regression analysis to examine the financial features of firms that did and did not pay dividends, Kim and Gu (2009) showed that firm size (measured by total assets) and profitability (measured by ROA) are significant drivers of dividend payout decisions for US firms, while investment opportunities deter them from paying. These results are consistent with those of Borde et al. (1999) and Dalbor and Upneja (2007) in terms of the effect of firm size on dividend payout decisions and those of Canina et al. (2001) on investment opportunities and profitability (i.e. earnings). In other words, larger firms with higher profitability but fewer investment opportunities are more likely to pay dividends. Smaller and less profitable firms with more investment opportunities are less likely to pay dividends because they need to retain earnings to pursue growth. Canina et al. (2001) argued that the average dividend payout for lodging firms is less than for other firms in the market due to higher investment requirements, highly volatile income, and/or high interest payments.Similar to Canina et al. (2001), Dalbor and Upneja (2007) found a negative relationship between total debt and dividend payout in the US restaurant industry and a positive relationship between firm size (measured by number of shareholders) and dividend payout. They argued that the latter could be a substitute for interest payments and serve as a mechanism to constrain management within the agency framework. Dividend initiations and increases imply an appreciation in firm value, so the market reacts positively. Equally, the market reacts negatively to announcements of dividend decreases (Borde et al., 1999; Canina et al., 2001). Borde et al. (1999) cautioned that changes in dividend policy could affect the availability of capital to fund growth. While investors perceive higher payouts positively, firms might need to seek funding in the capital market if unforeseen opportunities emerge. Comparing lodging corporations and REITs in terms of the impact of dividend policy on institutional shareholdings, Oak and Dalbor (2008b) found that institutional investors tend to prefer REITs, most likely due to REITs' committing a fixed percentage of earnings paid out as dividend.Hospitality firms' dividend policies have been far less studied than their financing and investment. How firms utilize operational earnings sends different messages to their investors. While paying out more dividends would please stockholders, it could also indicate that the firm has few or no value-creating opportunities ahead, signaling low growth. However, cutting or reducing dividends could displease investors even if it means growth opportunities are ahead. Dividend policy changes could be an interesting topic for research, as could capital reduction, which triggers dividend payments, stock price appreciation, and increases in other performance measures such as ROE. An example of this occurred during Formosa International Hotels Corporation of Taipei's capital reductions in 2002 and 2006 (Taipei Times, 2009).\n5. Financial conditions and performance: 5.1 Bankruptcy\n6. Concluding remarks: Hospitality financial management research has grown noticeably since Harris and Brown's (1998) and Atkinson and Jones's (2006) reviews. The current paper has reviewed and synthesized studies published over the period 1998-2009 in the categories of financing, investing, dividend policy, financial condition, and performance. Our review should give academics and practitioners an overview of the updated body of knowledge in the field and stimulate further in-depth research that will extend the literature and prompt better financial decision-making for practitioners.Clearly, recent research has emphasized hospitality financing due to the capital-intensive nature of the industry. Financing precedes hospitality development and is closely linked to evaluating investment opportunities. Compared to debt financing, equity financing is a relatively less-studied topic that might have potential for research exploration. Facing an ever-changing financial world, traditional wisdom such as \"pecking order\" or trade-off theories (as noted in Karadeniz et al., 2009) might need to be revisited, and refinancing from equity owners could be a better option than commercial banks. How might one-off events (predicted or otherwise) that change the \"rules of the game\" shape the operation and management of hospitality firms? Case studies of firms that failed because of and survived after such events would help illuminate the stories behind the scenes.Most studies sample from the US market, probably because there exist better databases such as COMPUSTAT and more publicly traded hospitality firms that are specifically listed as hotels, restaurants, and casinos. Less work has been done outside of the USA For example, in Hong Kong, many hotel firms are not publicly listed and they are operated as a subsidiary of a multi-industry corporation such as Hutchison-Whampoa, rather than as a separate entity, so available financial information is not sufficiently detailed. Nevertheless, a few financial data providers in Asia (e.g. CSMAR and Taiwan Economic Journal) have recently established databases similar to COMPUSTAT, making it easier to collect data on publicly-traded firms. With more financial management research being conducted worldwide, the body of knowledge may become more comprehensive by including more geographic regions.Industry uniqueness is also observed. While some studies appear to replicate mainstream finance research using hospitality samples, within-sector differences in financing or investing behaviors between hotels, restaurants, and casinos is also in evidence (e.g. Upneja and Dalbor, 2001b). Financial research at the industry level has merit because stakeholders such as creditors, owners, or managers might have different views about how and what financial decisions should be made (Andrew et al., 2007). Industry-specific regulations and restrictions in shareholdings (such as the case of the casino industry on block ownership; Tsai and Gu, 2007b) can affect such areas as debt financing and corporate governance, which subsequently play a part in driving firm performance. However, it is also observed that authors of some studies do not make a strong case for why a separate investigation on the hospitality industry is warranted, given that mainstream finance researchers have already examined the same problems and issues. Studies of this type contribute minimally, if any, to the body of knowledge.Financial features as determinants of hospitality firm events (e.g. failure) or behavior (e.g. financing) have been well examined in the reviewed studies. Some hospitality finance researchers have explored hospitality firms' nonfinancial features (e.g. geographic diversification and owner-lender relation) and financial ones as drivers of firm events or performance. The models constructed in the reviewed studies could serve as benchmarks for industry practitioners in gauging their past firm performance and condition because most studies were conducted on a macro level using samples at the industry level.Little evidence of new theory development in hospitality financial management research was noted in Atkinson and Jones's (2006) work. Our review of past studies highlighted the development of new theories. For example, Jang and Ryu (2006) and Jang and Kim (2009) showed contradictory evidence against the separation theorem between a firm's investing and financing decisions (Modigliani and Miller, 1958; Tobin, 1958). Madanoglu and Olsen's (2005) proposed LAPM contributed better understanding and estimation of the cost of equity for the lodging industry. It is expected that hospitality finance researchers could contribute more by developing new theories in the future, whether these theories are industry-specific or not.One noticeable area receiving little attention over the past 12 years is the domain of asset management. While asset management has become a field of expertise and profession within the financial management arena in the USA (Andrew et al., 2007), not many studies identified in our review examined asset management-related issues or the underdevelopment of asset management in other continents such as Asia. Nevertheless, one related work is Beals's (2006) introduction of hotel real estate finance and investments on topics related to operating leverage, financial leverage, tax issues, owner-franchisor and owner-operator relations, and others. Empirical investigation of hospitality real estate finance and the development of REITs in Asia could be good topics to explore. The emergence of hotel REITs introduced in places such as Hong Kong (e.g. Regal REIT) and Singapore (e.g. CDL Hospitality Trusts) in the past few years may warrant case studies.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize published contemporary hospitality financial management research from 1998 through 2009 and provide future research directions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors began their initial literature search by entering into the ABI/INFORM database via ProQuest 19 pre-identified keywords (i.e. debt, financing, ownership) related to the major functions of financial management, namely investing, financing, and dividend decisions, as well as commonly indexed keywords in hospitality finance research. The paper then expanded the authors' literature list through the reference lists of the studies that they initially identified. The authors limited their search to published studies between 1998 and 2009 and within hospitality journals written in English.\nFindings: - The paper identifies 98 published papers that represented the major work and efforts in expanding the body of knowledge in both the theoretical and practical perspectives of hospitality financial management. The major categories of papers include hospitality financing, investing, dividend policy, financial condition, and performance. Areas that warrant further investigation are noted throughout the paper.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The papers review provides academics and practitioners an overview of the updated body of knowledge in the field and suggests the need for further in-depth research to extend the literature and prompt better financial decision making for practitioners.\nOriginality/value: - Since Harris and Brown's and Atkinson and Jones's reviews of past hospitality accounting and finance studies which mostly focused on the former, hospitality financial management research alone has grown noticeably in terms of diverse topics and sophistication of methodologies. To the authors' knowledge, no updated reviews that focus solely on hospitality finance research have been published in the last 12 years, and the need for such a task motivated them to conduct a review of recent research on this topic.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Lean product development and agile project management in the construction industry
|
[
"Construction industry",
"Design management",
"Agile project management",
"Lean product development"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The organizations are constantly under pressure to increase agility and efficiency in product development. Facing this scenario, researchers and professionals started to reinvent the current methods, arguing that existing methodologies were not always aligned with new challenges (Serrador & Pinto, 2015). In this context, several techniques, methodologies and alternative philosophies appeared, two of the most famous are lean product development (LPD) and agile project management (APM) (Salgado & Dekkers, 2018; Serrador & Pinto, 2015).\nBibliographic review: Lean product development (LPD)\nMethodology: As the analysis of this phenomenon contains a strong influence of its context (participants, stakeholders, clients, etc.), many times it is hard (almost impossible) to separate the phenomenon from the context. Therefore, this paper opted to conduct a case study, as suggested by Yin (2014). Multiple case studies are used to avoid finding singularities instead of real representatives of the majority of the organizations (Miguel & Sousa, 2018).\nResults: After the interviews, the collected answers and observations were aggregated around the elaborated questions on Table I and analyzed seeking to find patterns (Yin, 2014). The summary of this consolidation can be found in Table AI.\nDiscussion of results: After encounter data analysis, we realized that the potential application of new approaches demonstrated technical similarity with cases in other companies registered in literature, however, the social dimension showed very little adherence of the companies studied to the principles of LPD and APM. These findings are even worse than those of El. Reifi and Emmitt (2013), who looked at UK designers and found reduced but more significant adherence. This raises the possibility of having a certain connection between the company's nationality/market of operation and its maturity concerning LPD and APM concepts.\nFindings and suggestions for future research: In the current market, increasingly demanding faster and integrated solutions, concepts like LPD and APM could gain strength, since they pledge for a dynamic and robust project development. This study aimed to investigate the potential application of its technical and social dimensions in one of the most traditional industries of the world: civil construction, more specifically in the design stage. The literature review around the subject indicated that these concepts would be applicable at this stage. Therefore, in order to study this phenomenon, a multiple case study of three Brazilian companies in the sector was carried out. From this research, we concluded that, at the moment, the cases studied show little adherence to LPD and APM concepts within their organizational context. When technical aspects of this low adherence were analyzed, we did not find technical reasons that would hamper the adoption of LPD and APM. On the other hand, the social dimension (obstacles concerning organizational culture and social relation established in the current organizational structures) stands out as the biggest barrier to LPD and APM's non-adoption.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: In recent years, innovative methodologies of product development such as lean product development (LPD) and agile project management (APM) have emerged. Even though previous research studies focused on these subjects, only few of them were focused on traditional industries, as civil construction. The purpose of this paper is to cover a part of this gap by estimating the potential of the application of these two new approaches (LPD and APM) in the construction industry, more specifically on the design stage.\nDesign/methodology/approach: For this, a case study has been conducted in order to understand if some of LPD and APM tools and practices had already been used, and also to evaluate the potential application of these new methodologies. Three Brazilian companies have been evaluated, all of them were exclusive executors of the design stage and presented distinct characteristics (size, structure, business model, etc.).\nFindings: The results show that there is currently little adherence to LPD and APM practices within the companies studied. In terms of potential application of these new methodologies, the study has identified evidence regarding technical similarities between the reported cases and others mentioned in literature. However, the interviewees' reception of these concepts was mostly pessimistic, showing considerable resistance to changes in the current process.\nOriginality/value: According to the analysis, the study identified that the main challenge/hampering to the implementation of these tools in the cases studied herein are the functional organizational structures, the customer-supplier relationships and the internal cultural resistance to change.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Does ingredient advertising work? Some evidence on its impact
|
[
"Experiment",
"Advertising",
"Brands",
"Demand"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Business-to-business marketers have been for many years advertising their ingredient brands directly to consumers in diverse markets such as computers, textiles, beverages, car parts, cameras, cooking utensils and home entertainment systems. For instance, Du Pont has been successfully using ingredient advertising for many decades to encourage consumer demand for numerous host brands (Norris, 1992). Implicit in this context is the ability of such ingredient advertisements to enhance the attractiveness and perceived value of host brands incorporating the advertised B2B ingredient, which in turn favors the B2B ingredient providers in many ways: increased derived demand, ability to command price premiums, greater switching costs that are able to lock-in ingredient buyers and greater bargaining power in the channel.\nTheoretical background: Understanding ingredient brands\nResearch hypotheses: We have already pointed out that end users consider branded ingredients as attributes of the host products and are interested in the potential benefits for the usage and enjoyment of the host products (Kotler and Pfoertsch, 2010). It is instructive at this point to remind ourselves of how marketing theory deals with the role of product attributes in product evaluations and purchase decisions.\nResearch design: As noted above, the main aim of this research is to consider the effects of ingredient advertisements. To this end, we will employ an experimental approach to determine the impact of ingredient advertising on PIs and brand attitudes (Ab) for host products that incorporate the advertised industrial products.\nPretests and pilot test: Pretesting was conducted for the identification of both a higher and a lower importance attribute (B2B ingredient) for each of the two host products (laptop computer and soft drink, respectively).\nDependent measures: Brand attitude (Ab) is a standard measure of advertising effects in the empirical marketing literature. Brand attitude was assessed by the widely used, multi-item scale of Batra and Ray (1986). The scale includes 7-point semantic differential items: \"useful-useless\", \"important-unimportant\", \"pleasant-unpleasant\" and \"nice-awful\". The scale's Cronbach alpha is 0.95 and 0.94 for experiment 1 (laptop computer) and experiment 2 (soft drink), respectively. Higher scores on the scale indicate a more positive attitude toward the host brand incorporating the advertised ingredient.\nManipulation and confound checks: To assess whether the higher/lower importance attribute manipulation employed in this research was valid, respondents were asked to evaluate the importance of the two focal ingredients in selecting a brand in that category on a standard seven-point importance scale from 1 (not at all important) to 7 (extremely important) (Batra et al., 2001).\nResults and discussion: Experiment 1\nConclusions and implications: The results provide strong empirical evidence in support of the research hypotheses for the effects of B2B ingredient advertising on host products. H1 proposed that consumer advertising of a B2B ingredient positively affects the attitude and PI toward the host brand that incorporates the advertised B2B ingredient, and H2 proposed that the higher the importance of the advertised ingredient as an attribute of the host brand, the greater the advertising effects on the attitude and PI toward the host brand.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of ingredient advertising. Specifically, the authors consider the question as to whether ingredient advertising can increase derived demand and favorably influence purchase intentions and attitudes toward the host product that incorporates the advertised B2B ingredient.\nDesign/methodology/approach: They conduct experiments in two host product categories using a three-group, between-subjects experimental design.\nFindings: The findings of the study are revealing about the impact of ingredient advertising on the demand for host products, in which the advertised ingredients are incorporated. It is demonstrated that consumer advertising positively affects the attitude and purchase intention toward the host brand that incorporates the advertised industrial product. It is also found that the higher the importance of the advertised ingredient as an attribute of the host product, the greater the advertising effects on the consumer brand.\nPractical implications: The findings imply that ingredient advertising can help marketers to stimulate derived demand in the sense that it makes consumer brands incorporating the advertised industrial product more attractive to consumers. The positive influence of ingredient advertisements is greater for industrial products that are perceived by consumers as very important ingredients of the final product as consumers are more prone to search for and process ingredient-related information and are also more likely to respond to it.\nOriginality/value: Despite the implementation of ingredient advertising campaigns by many B2B brands and the vast literature on conventional B2C advertising, there has been no previous attempt to investigate this issue in the empirical literature. This empirical study shows how ingredient advertising works and how it can benefit both buyers and suppliers of the advertised B2B products.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Online destination image of India: a consumer based perspective
|
[
"India",
"Consumer psychology",
"Internet",
"Product image",
"Tourism management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: India has started targeting tourists aggressively through its \"Incredible India\" campaign. Even though India's share of world tourism was 0.49 per cent (Incredible India, 2007), the Government of India considers tourism a major driver of economic growth and employment generation. It also plans to make extensive use of the internet for promoting tourism (Saxena, 2005). However, apart from one study (Chaudhary, 2000) hardly any work on India's destination image exists. The current paper explores India's online destination image through message board data and attempts to contribute to the emerging literature on the use of the internet in destination image studies.Within the destination image literature, the importance of the internet as an image formation agent is increasingly recognised (Castaneda et al., 2007; Choi et al., 2007; Govers and Go, 2003, 2004; Govers et al., 2007; Gursoy and McCleary, 2004). After conducting attributes based destination image research for The Netherlands, Govers and Go (2003) concluded:... consumers create destination images based on an onslaught of online as well as offline sources of varying quality, this posts whole new challenges in the online environment, and complete deconstruction of the destination image is probably needed (p. 26).Castaneda et al. (2007) studied the influence of the internet on destination satisfaction and postulated a positive relationship between them. Govers and Go (2004) conducted a study of projected online destination image of Dubai and found significant differences in the online images projected by public and private players. Similarly Choi et al. (2007) studied the destination image of Macau on the web by analysing the online content of the DMO, blogs, magazines, guides and travel trade magazine's web sites. The DMO was concerned with widening the travel appeal of Macau beyond the casinos but this concern was not shared equally by others. They reiterate that image formation sources (Gartner, 1993; Tasci and Gartner, 2007) should be re-categorised and the internet should be incorporated into it.In this paper India's online destination image is explored through consumer generated data on two popular message boards, Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree (TT) and Indiamike (IM). Any member can post a query on a message board after registering with the sites. A typical example could be \"How do I reach Agra from New Delhi to visit the Taj Mahal?\". Here a first time visitor is looking for guidance from people already familiar with the destination. Travel agent replies for using their services are discouraged in many ways. This type of interaction emphasises a group process that is reasonably protected from marketing bias.\nMethodology: Quantitative methodologies are the predominant mode of studying destination image with a reported lack of qualitative research (Choi et al., 2007; Gallarza et al., 2002; Govers et al., 2007; Pike, 2002; Ryan and Cave, 2005). After reviewing 142 papers Pike (2002) concluded that less than half of them used any qualitative methods involving customers' opinions. Ryan and Cave (2005) state that structured instruments force respondents to think in pre-determined ways. Attributes based research is also said to categorise consumers overly as rational thinkers rather than storytellers using the narrative mode (Govers and Go, 2003).Message board data resemble story telling where travellers share their experiences within the community so that others may benefit from these narratives. Hence, a qualitative approach is more suited for this study. Borrowing from the marketing literature, it was decided to use Netnography (Kozinets, 2002, 2006) as the methodology for this work. Netnography is ethnography applied to the internet. The author had been a participant observer at both the message boards even before the research idea was conceived. The strength of Netnography is that it taps into naturally occurring consumer conversations, independent of any research considerations (Kozinets, 2002). This approach has an advantage over free elicitation (Govers et al., 2007), which solicits respondent's opinion, but the interaction still gets mediated by a research context.Netnographic techniques are applied to two online communities catering largely to independent tourists. Lonely Planet's The Thorn Tree (2007) (TT, 400,675 members) and Indiamike.com (2008) (IM, 29,236 members) were selected because of their large membership base and high rank with the search engines like Google. Permission was sought from the moderator of the TT and the owner of IM.All the words used in Table I were searched at TT using the web site's search engine. A total of 100 posts were downloaded from TT to develop the discussion. These posts can be sorted by date or relevance. It was decided to use the relevance feature and rely on the TT search engine algorithm so that the posts selected were external to the researcher's judgment. Attributes/dimensions having less than ten posts were ignored as they contained too little information. The initial plan was to use both the message boards, but the search engine at IM gave imprecise results and its use was dropped. However, once the variables were identified, IM data were used for the qualitative discussion. All the individual quotes have been generated from IM where permission was taken from the members to quote them.\nHighly discussed attributes/dimensions for India: Beerli and Martin's classification (2004) of destination image (see Table I) has been used to structure India's online destination image. The classification covers a wide range of functional and psychological attributes that are capable of highlighting both common and unique features (Ecthner and Ritchie, 2003) of India's destination image.The data are reported in Table I. However, the variables are re-arranged according to the number of times they occurred in the Indian context. Internet search results are better for synonyms rather than some of the original words used. The alternative searches are indicated with italics in Table I. Similarly, for words like \"Night Life\", the search results were high because of the word \"night\" and \"life\" occurring within the same message without any relation to the term \"night life\". Such terms are indicated with an asterisk next to them.India is considered to be rich in natural resources. For beaches, Goa and Kerala are the most discussed regions. The Himalayas and the Western Ghats are the prominent mountain ranges. Kashmir's Dal Lake is popular followed by the lake in Udaipur. A desire to see a tiger is often expressed in the context of national parks. The state of Rajasthan is recommended for those who want to go to the desert. For flowers, \"Valley of Flowers\" in Uttaranchal (UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2007) is the most discussed destination. Winter and spring are considered the best months to visit India but the summer is severe.Taj Mahal is the icon of Indian Tourism. However, it is quite common to see a lot of harsh words for the city: \"Agra was by far and away the worst place I have ever been to in India for touts ... apart from the Taj, Agra to my mind is a dirty, congested, constant hassle nightmare of a place I will never go back to ... why can't they just move the Taj somewhere peaceful?\".For general infrastructure, airports are the most commented upon topic. One member expressed the experience as \"Imagine Michael Jackson arriving at an airport with thousands of screaming fans being held back by ropes ... we ... spent the next ten minutes or so saying 'no thank you' to everybody offering taxi's, rickshaws and hotels\". Tourists question the reliability and punctuality of public transport. Phones and internet facilities are found adequate in bigger cities. Numerous health concerns are expressed by travellers like access to safe drinking water, hygiene of food, malaria and stomach upsets.For tourist infrastructure hotels are the most discussed aspect. Many complain that clean hotels are difficult to find. For restaurants, quality and safety of food is widely discussed. Presence of bars is associated with bigger cities. Clubs and discotheques are not discussed significantly in the Indian context.Within tourist leisure and recreation, trekking was the most discussed topic followed by shopping. Bargaining with the shopkeepers is considered mandatory for an authentic India experience. People from non-cricket playing nations show an interest in the game. India has low attractiveness for acquired attractions like theme parks, golf, casinos and nightlife.In culture, history and art, food is most discussed and gets a mixed review. Indian history is considered to be on a \"grand scale\" but the lack of maintenance of the monuments is discussed almost in the next sentence. Festivals of India evoke keen interest along with Indian music.For political and economic factors prices are the most discussed topic. India is considered generally safe but for \"petty crime\" or scams. Safety for women is a separate topic in itself. There is not much discussion for political leanings or India's recent economic growth.For natural environment, large cities (places like Mumbai, Delhi) find mention due to historical sites, religion or spirituality but also for the wrong reasons like touts, aggression, etc. Towns and villages in India get a kinder mention. A very prominent concern is to find a place that is less crowded and \"touristy\". Huge dissatisfaction is displayed regarding the cleanliness in India. Traffic in larger cities is considered terrible with lot of pollution.For social environment, common people are considered to be friendly and unable to say \"no\", even if they do not know the answer. However, hassle and aggression of touts and beggars also finds prominent mention. Language barriers are considered low in \"touristy\" areas as people speak some English. Poverty is considered to be \"in your face\" and a huge deterrent.For atmosphere of the place, the word \"interesting\" is used for a variety of experiences, a sort of catchall phrase and is much more commonly used than \"attractive\". People travelling with family and young kids have different concerns. Mystic, surprisingly, is a rarely used word in context of India. However, it was also used just 92 times for any destination on TT. As reported in Table I words like pleasing and relaxing have higher frequency of occurrence than stress or stressful for India.\nDiscussion: The data from the two message boards indicate that consumers are actively constructing their own destination image of India which is shared via the internet and available to a large audience through search engines. Travellers feel no compulsion to present only the positive side of the destination. The Indian travel experience is discussed with all its nuances. Positive aspects like rich natural and cultural heritage finds a mention along with negative aspects like touts, inadequate transport facilities, crowds, lack of maintenance of tourist facilities, etc. Even the experience of visiting the Taj Mahal is subject to the same mix of positive and negative reactions. Thus, demand side images differ significantly from the marketing initiatives where a destination is presented in an entirely positive light.When the dimensions listed by Beerli and Martin (2004) were searched at TT, some of the original words were hardly used by travellers. The most surprising result was for the term \"mystic\" that was used just twice to describe India and 92 times to describe all the destinations listed on TT across the globe. This could be because consumers use different words than researchers to describe the same phenomenon (Govers et al., 2007; Ryan and Cave, 2005). If this is the case then further thought is required on the words used in a survey instrument.Even though the keywords searched for India were generic (like airport, visa, roads, etc.) the posts contained highly India specific information such as \"trains can safely be expected to run late\" or \"roads in the monsoon would pose challenge\". This lends credence to the view that qualitative methodologies are more affable to bring out the unique aspects of a destination (Govers et al., 2007). Methodologies like netnography have an advantage here as they tap into naturally occurring consumer interactions rather than consumers responding in a research mediated environment.The banning of direct advertising and postings by travel agents coupled with remarks like \"I think a tourist is plain stupid not to do additional research than the marketing brochures\" lend credence to the observation that consumers are aware of the marketing biases (Jenkins, 1999) and would seek advice that is relatively unbiased (Kozinets, 2002).The internet is not only making it easy for suppliers to get their information to large number of customers easily, it is also playing an important role in providing an outlet for consumer to consumer interaction. Earlier, word of mouth was limited by its reach but the \"word of mouse\" faces no such limitations. Hence, this study adds support to the call for incorporating internet (Govers and Go, 2003; Choi et al., 2007) and consumer-generated data as an important information source of destination image.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the nascent literature on the use of the internet in destination image formation by exploring India's online image through consumer queries posted on travel message boards.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper uses netnography, which is ethnography applied to the internet and is a qualitative method.\nFindings: - The paper finds that consumers are not only perceivers of destination image information but actively construct and share their own images via the internet. India is appreciated for its natural resources, culture, history and art but huge dissatisfaction is expressed for general and tourist infrastructure.\nPractical implications: - With consumers sharing both positive and negative aspects of a destination online, destination marketing organizations will increasingly find their \"picture postcard\" images being contested.\nOriginality/value: - Traditionally internet based travel studies have focused on supply side sources. This paper illustrates that with the internet, consumers can and do easily share their complex images with other consumers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Predicting future AI failures from historic examples
|
[
"Cybersecurity",
"Failures"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: About 10,000 scientists[1] around the world work on different aspects of creating intelligent machines, with the main goal of making such machines as capable as possible. With amazing progress made in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) over the past decade, it is more important than ever to make sure that the technology we are developing has a beneficial impact on humanity. With the appearance of robotic financial advisors, self-driving cars and personal digital assistants come many unresolved problems. We have already experienced market crashes caused by intelligent trading software[2], accidents caused by self-driving cars[3] and embarrassment from chat-bots[4], which turned racist and engaged in hate speech. We predict that both the frequency and seriousness of such events will steadily increase as AIs become more capable. The failures of today's narrow domain AIs are just a warning: once we develop artificial general intelligence (AGI) capable of cross-domain performance, hurt feelings will be the least of our concerns.\n2. AI failures: Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, very few papers have been published on failures and errors made in development of intelligent systems (Rychtyckyj and Turski, 2008). Importance of learning from \"What Went Wrong and Why\" has been recognized by the AI community (Abecker et al., 2006; Shapiro and Goker, 2008). Such research includes study of how, why and when failures happen (Abecker et al., 2006; Shapiro and Goker, 2008) and how to improve future AI systems based on such information (Marling and Chelberg, 2008; Shalev-Shwartz et al., 2017).\n3. AI Safety: In 2010, we coined the phrase \"Artificial Intelligence Safety Engineering\" and its shorthand notation \"AI Safety\" to give a name to a new direction of research we were advocating. We formally presented our ideas on AI Safety at a peer-reviewed conference in 2011 (Yampolskiy, 2011a, b), with subsequent publications on the topic in 2012 (Yampolskiy and Fox, 2012), 2013 (Muehlhauser and Yampolskiy, 2013; Yampolskiy, 2013a), 2014 (Majot and Yampolskiy, 2014), 2015 (Yampolskiy, 2015), 2016 (Pistono and Yampolskiy, 2016; Yampolskiy, 2016b), 2017 (Yampolskiy, 2017) and 2018 (Brundage et al., 2018; Ramamoorthy and Yampolskiy, 2017). It is possible that someone used the phrase informally before, but to the best of our knowledge, we were the first to use it[51] in a peer-reviewed publication and to bring it popularity. Before that, the most common names for the field of machine control were \"Machine Ethics\" (Moor, 2006) or \"Friendly AI\" (Yudkowsky, 2001). Today the term \"AI Safety\" appears to be the accepted[52],[53],[54],[55],[56],[57],[58],[59],[60],[61],[62],[63] name for the field used by a majority of top researchers (Amodei et al., 2016). The field itself is becoming mainstream despite being regarded as either science fiction or pseudoscience in its early days.\n4. Cybersecurity vs. AI Safety: Bruce Schneier has said, \"If you think technology can solve your security problems then you don't understand the problems and you don't understand the technology\"[66]. Salman Rushdie made a more general statement: \"There is no such thing as perfect security, only varying levels of insecurity\"[67]. We propose what we call the Fundamental Thesis of Security - Every security system will eventually fail; there is no such thing as a 100 per cent secure system. If your security system has not failed, just wait longer.\n5. Conclusions: The history of robotics and artificial intelligence in many ways is also the history of humanity's attempts to control such technologies. From the Golem of Prague to the military robots of modernity, the debate continues as to what degree of independence such entities should have and how to make sure that they do not turn on us, their inventors. Numerous recent advancements in all aspects of research, development and deployment of intelligent systems are well publicized but safety and security issues related to AI are rarely addressed. It is our hope that this paper will allow us to better understand how AI systems can fail and what we can expect from such systems in the future, allowing us to better prepare an appropriate response.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain to readers how intelligent systems can fail and how artificial intelligence (AI) safety is different from cybersecurity. The goal of cybersecurity is to reduce the number of successful attacks on the system; the goal of AI Safety is to make sure zero attacks succeed in bypassing the safety mechanisms. Unfortunately, such a level of performance is unachievable. Every security system will eventually fail; there is no such thing as a 100 per cent secure system.\nDesign/methodology/approach: AI Safety can be improved based on ideas developed by cybersecurity experts. For narrow AI Safety, failures are at the same, moderate level of criticality as in cybersecurity; however, for general AI, failures have a fundamentally different impact. A single failure of a superintelligent system may cause a catastrophic event without a chance for recovery.\nFindings: In this paper, the authors present and analyze reported failures of artificially intelligent systems and extrapolate our analysis to future AIs. The authors suggest that both the frequency and the seriousness of future AI failures will steadily increase.\nOriginality/value: This is a first attempt to assemble a public data set of AI failures and is extremely valuable to AI Safety researchers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Reliability in lean systems
|
[
"Modelling",
"Simulation",
"Reliability management",
"Lean production",
"Lean system reliability model",
"Principal components analysis",
"Stochastic processes"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Much has been published about the independent uses of both the Lean philosophy and reliability concepts; however, there is scant research on the collaborative use of Lean and reliability. This is largely attributed to an organization's dedicated emphasis towards the successful application of one concept or the other, but not both simultaneously. This case study examines the concurrent use of an innovative reliability model in a Lean manufacturing concern to determine the reliability of its Lean system, subsystems, and components.1.1 Background\n2 Literature review: Research with respect to the integration of reliability with Lean systems has revealed scant published works in this area. The essential focus of Lean manufacturing is the efficient use of scarce resources through the minimization of all forms of waste and non-value added activities in the organization. Current thinking comes from different perspectives whereby performance reliability, safety, and culture are believed to be important criteria for successful integration.Roberts (1990) identifies high reliability organizations (HROs) as the subset of hazardous organizations that achieve a record of high safety over long periods of time. If an organization's failures could result in catastrophic consequences on the order of tens of thousands of times, but these failures were prevented, then the organization is considered a \"high\" reliability organization. Hence, safety is the primary organizational objective for HROs. Such organizations hold the optimistic view that accidents can be prevented through good organizational design and management and that a \"high-reliability culture\" breeds a value system that provides incentives for failure detection rather than punishment (Weick, 1987). That is, the culture perpetuates the view that when employees see a problem, they \"own it\" until it is solved or until others who can solve it take responsibility for it. This culture empowers people to stop and fix problems, ensuring quality results the first time (Liker, 2004).Smart et al. (2003) poses the challenge of integrating design principles of both Lean and high-reliability models where performance reliability and safety are critical, rather than merely substituting one for another. They further suggest incorporating design principles that focus on the achievement of medium- and long-term goals over short-term efficiency gains. HROs place an emphasis in organization design whereby \"failure is simply not an option.\"Sawhney et al. (2010) developed a modified FMEA approach to enhance the reliability of Lean systems by considering four critical resources: personnel, materials, equipment, and schedules that form the basis for Lean production.Resnick (2005) suggests going beyond traditional methods of reliability by widening an organization's scope of analysis to include all stages of the life cycle and additional interactions between system components. These interactions are evaluated to discern their effects on system reliability and to discover ways to identify sources of error or component failure. Resnick also notes that reliability is affected at the management level by factors such as corporate culture, supervisory practices, and human resources. Citing the Columbia Space Shuttle failure in 2003, NASA's corporate culture was such that systems approval was given based on a previous history of success despite deviations in performance for this particular launch (Babcock and Morse, 2009; Thomas, 2010; Camarda, 2009; Richardson and Korb, 2008). This resulted in a failed mission caused by foam that struck the orbiter's wing. Supervisory policies that emphasize productivity measures over safety and quality may reduce systems reliability due to neglected maintenance issues and safety hazards. Moreover, inadequately trained employees can lead to product reliability issues.A strict organizational structure, decentralized decision making, quality training, an experienced workforce, redundancy in the workplace, and simulation modeling are considered important requisites for becoming a highly reliable organization (LaPorte and Consolini, 1991; Roberts, 1993). Bain (1999) suggests that Lean and high-reliability should be viewed as \"complementary, not competing perspectives.\"\n3 Development of LSRM - Phase 2: 3.1 Determining critical subsystems at Knox Box\n4 Model validation - Phase 3: 4.1 Monte Carlo simulation of Lean components\n5 Overall equipment effectiveness vs overall labor effectiveness: Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is a widely accepted management tool that measures and evaluates production floor efficiency consisting of three key metrics: availability, performance, and quality (Hansen, 2001). When using OEE, availability refers to the proportion of actual production run time vs available production run time. Performance refers to the proportion of total parts or units produced relative to the scheduled production rate of the machine. Quality refers to the proportion of good parts or units relative to total parts or units produced on the machine. Hence, availability considers any losses attributed to downtime, performance considers any reduction in output due to losses in run speed of machinery, and quality considers any losses such as scrap and rework attributed to poor quality during the production process.By contrast, Overall labor effectiveness (OLE) is a relatively new management tool that measures the effectiveness of labor in the workforce (Nguyen and Gordon, 2010). OLE consists of similar metrics employed by OEE; however, the most notable distinction is in the use of the availability metric. Whereas in OEE considers production-related factors such as run time, setup time, downtime, and total available time; OLE metrics consider the human element of the key drivers for each metric (KRONOS, Inc., 2012). For example, availability refers to workforce utilization measures such as attendance (i.e. excused or unexcused absences, unavailability due to meetings, training, or other organizational functions), the scheduling of the of people in place with the right skill level at the right time, and a host of worker-related delays such as any of Ohno's (1982, 1988) seven forms of waste. Performance refers to the availability of machinery, processes, materials, instructions (or work orders), tools, worker knowledge, proper skill level of workers, and appropriate support staff that includes supervisors, maintenance workers, and quality or safety professionals which directly affects production output. Quality refers to employee skill level in reading work orders and setting up equipment as well as the ability/authority to shut down a machine or process when a problem occurs during a production run and correcting the problem (Jidoka). Hence, availability refers to the proportion of total time that effective contributions are made by the workforce; performance refers to the number of orders delivered to customers on-time; and quality refers to the proportion of good, saleable product produced.An examination of Knox Box's overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and overall labor effectiveness (OLE) provides additional insight as to how variables may relate, parallel, or contrast with the driving variables with regard to the reliability of its Lean system (Table IX).\n6 Conclusions: A reliable Lean system is essential in accomplishing a firm's objective of minimizing cost for on-time delivery of goods of quality products or services. A LSRM was developed to measure the reliability of a stochastic Lean system. The LSRM consists of three phases:Phase 1 - conceptual framework.Phase 2 - development of LSRM.Phase 3 - model validation.In Phase 1, an infrastructure was developed for evaluating Lean systems. Phase 2 consisted of using PCA to identify Lean critical subsystems. In Phase 3, Monte Carlo simulation techniques are utilized to determine whether the researcher's criterion was satisfied in validating the LSRM. The simulation was composed of three parts:1. Performing a simulation of n=1,000 trial runs of 500 random samples for all Lean components based on historical observations.2. Performing a simulation of n=1,000 trial runs of 500 random samples for all Lean critical subsystems based on historical observations.3. Performing a simulation of n=1,000 trial runs of 500 random samples for the Lean system based on historical observations.Recall that the levels of system, subsystem, and component are relative terms, since the system at one level in the hierarchy is the component at another level. Simulated mean reliability results among Lean components, Lean subsystems, and the Lean system are accurate to within the researcher's objective of 2.5 percent of historical data. Hence, the LSRM is considered a valid model due to its accuracy at any level within the Lean system.Whereas overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is a management tool that is designed to ensure maximization of output from production machinery (Borris, 2005), overall labor effectiveness (OLE) has become a management tool that is designed to understand the effects that workforce performance has on overall manufacturing performance (KRONOS, Inc., 2008).By employing a proactive preventive maintenance program, a strong emphasis on having a cross-trained workforce to allow for mastery of multiple skills and manufacturing flexibility, and a committed quality assurance program, Knox Box's OEE=90.97 percent which, in turn, leads to a highly reliable Lean system. By improving all three metrics that comprise OEE; principally, machine uptime that drives availability, significant improvements can be made to drive OEE closer to the ideal state of 100 percent.Upon examining the human element of Knox Box's Lean system, improvements to board warp as it relates to the production of top-quality boxes is a concern since working through various warp issues such as \"up\" warp, \"down\" warp, or \"s\" warp slows down production by having to make time-consuming trial-and-error adjustments during the production run. Additionally, although Knox Box maintains a highly skilled workforce, their availability to make effective contributions is hampered by various forms of waiting time (i.e. stock, supervisory sign-offs, or maintenance technicians to arrive when a machine problem arises). Knox Box's OLE=84.44 percent, which means that Knox Box converted on 84.44 percent of the factory's potential for maximum profitable output. This is significant in the sense that this potential cannot be recaptured - it is lost forever. By making improvements to the key drivers of availability, performance, and quality, OLE can improve for the future closer to the ideal state of 100 percent and the true potential for profitable output can, indeed, be realized.Of significance in comparing the two metrics, OEE vs OLE, is that:1. Knox Box must run at higher run speeds (OEE) to compensate for waiting times at machine centers (OLE) in order to meet production schedules.2. Product quality (OEE) is hampered by fighting through myriad board quality issues such as converting warped board running through machines into top-quality finished boxes (OLE).The LSRM provides a useful framework for Lean practitioners when examining the reliability of Lean systems. The LSRM is validated using two distinct methods:1. comparing simulation results vs historical results; and2. by examining overall equipment effectiveness vs overall labor effectiveness as they relate to Lean system reliability.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to propose a contemporary reliability model for lean systems through the development of an innovative lean system reliability model (LSRM).\nDesign/methodology/approach: - LSRM models the reliability of lean subsystems as a basis for determining the reliability of lean systems as a whole. Lean subsystems, in turn, consist of reliability measures for lean components. Once principal components analysis techniques are employed to determine critical subsystems, Monte Carlo simulations for lean components, subsystems, and the overall lean system are then compared with historical data to determine the adequacy of the LSRM model. If simulation results are accurate to within the researcher's objective of 2.5 per cent of historical data results, the LSRM model is determined to be a validated model.\nFindings: - A literature search shows limited practical methodologies to assess the reliability of lean systems.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Reliability computations involve many tedious calculations and, hence, require reliability software.\nOriginality/value: - This paper defines lean system reliability, develops a conceptual model to assess the reliability of lean systems, demonstrates how to decompose a lean system into subsystems and components, and compares simulation results versus actual results to validate the LSRM model.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Internal relationships: Linking practitioner literature and relationship marketing theory
|
[
"Relationship marketing",
"Competitive advantage",
"Market orientation",
"Employee relations",
"Customer relations"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: One of the greatest challenges facing firms today is how to gain an advantage over competitors in satisfying customer needs (Kandampully, 1998). This is being driven primarily by more demanding customers (Buttle, 1996; Parvatiyar and Sheth, 2000). Hence, businesses need to be able to show more concern for customers than the competition in order to gain any competitive advantage (Sheth and Parvatiyar, 1995).\nThe practitioner literature: Practitioner literature was scrutinized for evidence of the belief that treating employees well was good for business. Table I provides a summary of the findings from the examination of the literature that was found. The theme of each work is summarized in column 2 of Table I. Also reported are the results of the evaluation of each text in terms of the expressed strategic focus of the firm(s) discussed (column 3), an expressed link between the employees and the customer (column 4), and links made to superior profitability (column 5). The final column (column 6) of Table I details whether or not writers discussed or identified what they were doing as being relationship building.We now discuss in more detail these findings in relation to how the practitioner literature linked treatment of employees to a number of important outcomes. These include superior success and customer retention, a customer-focused business orientation and strong relationships with employees.The link between employees and superior success\nAcademic marketing literature: We now turn to a discussion of the academic marketing literature to demonstrate that the discussed practitioner literature falls within the domain of marketing. Firstly, the overall focus on customers will be discussed with market-orientation being identified as representing the focus and culture of the firms discussed. Secondly, we identify and discuss how the crucial relationship aspect of the practitioner literature constitutes relationship marketing. We further elaborate on how relationship marketing provides the foundation for saying that what these firms are doing is building strong relationships with employees so that they may build strong relationships with customers.The practitioner literature falls within the general domain of marketing\nThe connection between relationship marketing and the practitioner literature: Upon closer examination of both bodies of literature, it can be seen that, the relationship marketing concept embodies the viewpoints identified in the practitioner literature. Both the practitioner literature and relationship marketing literature provide for a customer focus of the firm. The practitioner authors and relationship marketing academics both advocate the existence and importance of the internal relationships to the marketing function of the firm. A link between the internal relationships and external relationships of the firm is advocated in both literature bases. There is agreement that good relationships between the firm and employees presuppose good relationships with the customers of the firm and there is also agreement that this will have a positive impact upon the performance and profitability of the firm.Hence, a clear connection can be drawn between the relationship marketing and practitioner literature. The connection between the synthesis extracted from the practitioner literature and relationship marketing is shown in Figure 2. It is proposed that the adoption of a relationship marketing perspective will begin with a customer (market) orientation for a firm. A market-oriented culture is seen as a critical antecedent to relationship marketing, because it is the culture of a firm which has the greatest impact on employees' attitudes and behaviour (Payne et al., 1994; Gronroos, 1995). Therefore, to get employees to exhibit favourable attitudes and behaviours towards customers requires that the firm adopt an overall customer-oriented focus. The expanded view of the customer should then see employees subsequently treated as \"internal customers\". This supports the view found in the practitioner literature. Payne et al. (1994) also speak of the need for a firm to be concurrently relationship-oriented and customer-focused, thereby providing further agreement with the views of the practitioners. Such a focus should lead to the formation of good relationships between the firm and its employees in the first instance. This will subsequently impact on external customer relationships due to employees being customer-focused and relationship focused and committed to their firm. The outcome of this is generally agreed to be increased profitability for the firm, which is the result of increased employee productivity and repeat sales to retained customers. This is also a typical outcome of relationship marketing activities.\nManagerial implications, future research and conclusions: This paper provides a number of implications for practicing marketers. We have shown that there is a group of successful practitioners who believe that the firm's relationship with its employees will impact on its relationship with its customers. It was also demonstrated that such practices have lead to competitive advantage for those firms. It was demonstrated that this falls within the relationship marketing research domain and specifically identifies the importance of the firm-employee relationship on the firm-customer relationship. Practicing marketers who are trying to gain a competitive advantage via repeat business from existing customers should:* adopt a relationship marketing approach; and* understand the linkages between internal and external relationships.A practitioner-oriented internal relationship business model was extracted from the review of practitioner related business literature. This model articulates the link between looking after employees, employees looking after customers, and this having a highly positive impact on the firm's performance in comparison to competitors who do not pursue such a model.Focusing also on the link between employee and customer attributes implies a need to integrate marketing and human resource management efforts of the firm. Recommendations for managing this already exist. As an example, Gordon (2000) speaks about firms creating \"internal relationship manager\" positions. The sole purpose of this role is to manage connections, culture and values with the firm and to overcome internal friction. This will ensure that the customer's experience is so good that they will want to come back again (Gronroos, 2000).Further, an opportunity is also provided to expand human resources management literature generally, through examination of how all of the human resource activities of the firm can be utilized to aid in the development of the required strong relationships with employees. Indeed, there have already been calls for human resource management to take a \"marketing-like\" approach to their activities. For example, Smilansky (1997) calls for viewing employees as \"customers\" and Gibbs (2001) considers that from a research perspective, such an approach leads to being better informed about the success of HR practices and policies through the voices of the actual \"people\".The link between the internal marketing concept and human resource management can also be further explored. Whilst to date, the concept of internal marketing has received attention in the human resource management literature, the nature of the discussions has generally not been positive. Internal marketing is frequently viewed negatively. For example, Hales (1994, p. 67) describes internal marketing as shifting HRM \"... away from negotiation and mutuality within a pluralist framework towards manipulation and persuasion within a unitarist framework\". We believe that taking a new viewpoint from the relationship marketing perspective can enhance future examinations of the association between marketing and human resource management.This paper has also outlined gaps in the empirical relationship marketing literature which do not yet confirm the evidence provided by the cases and reflections found within the practitioner literature. There is considerable agreement about the existence of the different relationships that a firm must manage. There is also similar recognition that relationships operate within networks whereby the relationships affect one another. However, considerably less attention has been paid to relationships with partners other than customers in the academic literature (Liljander, 2000). And, as highlighted by Liljander (2000, p. 162), \"one marketing relationship which has a direct effect on customers, and which has received too little attention, is the one involving the company's personnel\". The academic marketing research related to employees to date has been largely conceptual, outlining what might be rather than what is (Ballantyne, 1997, 2000; Bejou, 1997; Liljander, 2000).Hence, this paper has aimed to make an initial contribution to demonstrating the importance of the firm-employee relationship. This has been done by highlighting consistent evidence provided by successful practitioners of the link between the internal and external customer relationships of the firm. The development of the business model informed by the practitioner viewpoint enables the development of a research agenda to test such a model. Research can consist of testing the links in the model empirically. Identification and exploration of different types of internal relationships can be conducted. Research should also be conducted with the view to developing an understanding of the interaction processes within the internal relationships and how these impact on the external relationships. Finally, there also needs to be empirical assessment of possible antecedents (market-orientation) and consequences (profitability, success) to these relationships. Presently there is no empirical evidence in relation to any of these posited links from the relationship marketing perspective.Such a research agenda will move the academic literature forward to demonstration of whether the links proposed are supported empirically. If indeed it can be found that building strong firm-employee relationships does provide a competitive advantage for firms, this has considerable consequences for firms in terms of the approach to employees and the manner in which they are managed. Both the marketing and human resource disciplines can benefit from empirical examination of the proposed model, as well as to more detailed exploration of other links in this model.In conclusion, this paper examined the practitioner literature related to exceptional success in firms and explored the provided reasons for such success. As it became evident that the employees were viewed as providing the avenue to success, it was noted that senior executives were mostly concerned with how their employees were treated within the firm (Rosenbluth and McFerrin Peters, 1992, 1998). As such, we have drawn together marketing, services and relationship marketing literature to propose a model for what the practitioner executives espouse. This model expands the service-profit chain concept by adding a marketing-orientation and relationship marketing focus. Further, the model is also already supported by the evidence from practitioner literature which was drawn upon to develop the links in the model. All that remains now is for academics to further expand and explore the relationships from an academic perspective so that empirical evidence can be utilized to support the assertions of these practitioners. As noted earlier, these practitioners have already had difficulty in trying to convince other practitioners of their belief that the key to success lies with how employees are treated. Finally, the model offers human resource management academics an alternative viewpoint from which to launch further investigation of the link between marketing and HRM from the relationship perspective. This can only aid in further understanding of how human resource management and marketing are intertwined for the purposes of achieving organizational success.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - Practitioners argue that the way they treat their employees has an impact on firm success. However, they frequently do not equate this with relationship building. On the other hand, the academic relationship marketing literature does highlight internal relationships as having an important impact on external customer relationships. However, this relationship suffers from a lack of academic empirical evidence. Neither seems to recognize the knowledge of the other leading to incongruence between marketing theory and practice. The purpose of this paper is to bring the two literature streams together demonstrating that the practitioners are talking about, and practising, relationship marketing.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Exploration and comparison of the academic and practitioner literature bases to elaborate on the value of relationship building within organizations.\nFindings: - Competitive advantage can be attained through development of a relationship-building culture which includes building relationships inside the organization as well as customer relationships. In fact, successful customer relationships rely on successful internal relationships.\nResearch implications/implications: - A broad research agenda is outlined for understanding the nature of internal relationships and their impact on a firm's success.\nPractical implications: - Organizational success can be gained through building strong internal relationships and the development of a relationship-building organizational culture.\nOriginality/value: - Links practitioner cases and reflections to the concept of relationship marketing, demonstrating further how relationship marketing activities provide a competitive advantage.\n",
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Organizational decline: A synthesis of insights from organizational ecology, path dependence and the resource-based view
|
[
"Organizational decline",
"Path dependence",
"Organizational ecology",
"Resource‐based view",
"Business failures",
"Business performance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: There is an enormous body of literature addressing organizational decline and corporate failure. In recent decades, organizational decline has been widely discussed from different perspectives. A first strand of research focuses on a firm's failure to properly respond to changes in the environment or to the decline of an industry in general (e.g. Cameron et al., 1988; D'Aveni, 1989; Harrigan, 1980; Staw et al., 1981; Weitzel and Jonsson, 1989; Whetten, 1980). Other research is more concerned with the relationship between organizational decline and an organization's ability to innovate (e.g. McKinley, 1993; Mone et al., 1998). All of this research refers to the need for models that grasp the dynamic aspects of corporate failure, such as downward spirals (Hambrick and D'Aveni, 1988, 1992), self-reinforcing feedback loops or the pathologies of decision processes (Tversky and Kahneman, 1981; Carmeli and Schaubroeck, 2006). Nevertheless, up to now, there has been no complete dynamic theory of organizational decline that integrates the various findings and different approaches.In the following, we will attempt to integrate diverse aspects related to organizational decline on the firm-level by using the organizational ecology approach, the theory of path dependence and the resource-based view. We chose these building blocks because they represent a process perspective and correspond largely to the three requirements of a full-fledged evolutionary theory (Dosi and Nelson, 1994; Nelson, 1995). That is, an evolutionary theory must give account of:* the relevant units of selection;* the mechanisms that perform the selection; and* the selection criteria (see Figure 1).Accordingly, the paper will proceed as follows: This introduction is followed by a section addressing some general problems that occur when one is out to contribute to the research field of organizational decline from a process perspective. The section makes the reader aware of the complexity of the research field. In the following sections, the concept of organizational ecology will be outlined, giving special attention to the process of organizational decline from a macro-perspective. After that, the concept of path dependence will be introduced, along with an account of different mechanisms that may drive an organization into death. In the third step, the resource-based view will be introduced in order to analyze from a micro-analytic perspective why some organizations get off track. Here, special attention is given to the knowledge that is incorporated into an organization. From these three lines of argument, an integrated framework of organizational decline on the firm level will be derived. Based on that framework, a distinction of two generic scenarios of organizational decline is made. The concluding section will highlight some open questions and considers practical implications of our approach.\nWinnowing the concept of organizational decline: At first glance, it is obvious that organizational decline is a serious matter for every organization. A process of organizational decline occurs when an organization moves towards death, i.e. a situation, when an organization can no longer perform its functions and, therefore, the organization no longer exists (Sheppard, 1994). This is a relatively broad definition. However, it is helpful to distinguish, when one can speak of organizational decline and when not. For example, the definition embraces the case of a hostile acquisition when the acquired organization becomes stripped of its core processes, ultimately leading to organizational death of the acquired organization. Alternatively, strategic bankruptcy has not to be seen as a result of organizational decline, but as a legal tool, which can be used to improve an organization's effectiveness.The definition used in this paper implies that organizational decline is a process ultimately leading to organizational death. This clarifies the general direction to which organizational decline is heading, namely, to a situation when an organization's existence ends. But, other intricate questions remain. For example, in a mature market firms, may feel extreme pressure on costs, while at the same time, customers redistribute demand to new markets. As a consequence, firms in mature markets may have to down-size their organization. But is it also a result of organizational failure, if a mature market forces organizations to down-sizing? In a mature market, a declining organization can be relatively successful in comparison to its competitors. A firm may have well performing routines in place, which guarantee a high and stable return on investment, while at the same time, the firm is shrinking. This scenario is clearly a case of organizational decline. However, there must be no management failure involved, if the returns are reinvested into young and prospering industries.Now that the definition of organizational decline is clear, two additional properties of the perspective that is offered in this paper should be highlighted. First of all, our perspective belongs to an evolutionary theory. The approach focuses on the interaction of diverse variables, which are situated in both an organization's environment and inside an organization's boundaries. Thereby, the interaction of variables takes place over time and is non-ergodic (Dosi, 1991). As an evolutionary approach, the proposed framework identifies the relevant units of selection, the mechanisms that perform the selection, and the selection criteria. However, the usual disclaimer of evolutionary theorizing in social sciences applies:Is the process similar to models derived from evolutionary biology? What difference does the intentionality of the players make? And what is the nature of the human intentionality that is the immediate source of institutional change? (North, 2003: 11).These questions are guiding posts for every evolutionary theory in social sciences.The second property refers to the point that we explicitly focus on the firm level. Separately from the development of markets or industries, we examine the developmental pathway of declining organizations. By taking this process perspective, our reasoning centers on intra-organizational processes that are inherent causes of an organization's decline. Our firm-level perspective is taken primarily for the sake of theoretical parsimony and coherence (Whetten, 2002).Ultimately, this discussion begs the question: Is organizational decline a problem for organizational theory at all? The majority of organizational theory still follows a growth-oriented paradigm. It is about a better understanding of organizational performance and how to manage organizations successfully. Even though management science is far away from having resolved all problems of organizational performance, there is a stock of common knowledge about the factors that are involved in organizational success. Taking the accumulated knowledge about economic performance as a basis, one could conclude that organizations without specific success criteria decline and ultimately die. From this perspective, organizational decline is the negative image of organizational performance and, thus, a theory of organizational decline would be automatically included into a theory of organizational performance. Indeed, many variables that play a role in organizational success play also an important role in the process of organizational decline. Nevertheless, it is highly questionable whether a theory of organizational decline, which is just conceptualized as the flipside of a theory of organizational performance, allows grasping such a complex phenomenon as organizational decline. The interplay of variables promoting organizational performance can be different from the interplay of variables resulting in organizational decline. In this case, a distinct theory of organizational decline is needed, in order to elucidate the interplay of variables leading to organizational decline. In addition, organizational decline may be triggered by totally different variables compared to organizational performance. Then, a distinct theory of organizational decline is needed, because a theory of organizational performance cannot contribute to a better understanding of organizational decline. For example, while entrepreneurial activity is surely an ingredient of organizational performance, it might be also a trigger of organizational decline. This is the case, if entrepreneurial activity leads to a fragmentation of the product-portfolio, a disdain of well-established products, or the continuous intra-organizational struggle of what might be the most promising innovations. While a theory of organizational performance recognizes all of these points, it is more or less silent in case an organization has already those problems. Therefore, a theory of organizational decline will have to elucidate more systematically the variables, which hinder an organization to profit from entrepreneurial activity. The phenomenon of downward spirals triggered by one-sided entrepreneurial activities is hardly a topic with which a theory of organizational performance is concerned, while a theory of organizational decline is.\nBuilding blocks of an integrated framework for organizational decline: Organizational decline and organizational ecology: units of selection\nTwo generic scenarios of organizational decline: Organizational ecology, path dependence and the resource-based view build the elements for an integrative understanding of organizational decline on the firm level. Each building block provides a different aspect of organizational decline.Organizational ecology points to the embeddedness of an organization into a selection environment consisting of other related organizations. The theory of path dependence is more micro-analytic, and emphasizes the specific selection mechanisms that foster structural inertia and organizational lock-in. Finally, the resource-based view is sensitive for the specific selection criteria that drive an organization into decline. The resource-based view is not only micro-analytic, but also recognizes firm heterogeneity as being essential for the analysis of competitive advantage or disadvantage.Considering these three building blocks, we make a distinction between two archetypes of organizational decline on the firm level:1. malabsorptive incompetence; and2. maladapted competencies.Thereby, the first archetype of malabsorptive incompetence will be only lightly touched, because it is analytically a relatively simple case. Then the second archetype of maladapted competencies will be analyzed in greater detail, because it contains a more facetted array of triggers of organizational decline.Malabsorptive incompetence\nConcluding remarks - in search for normative answers: The purpose of this paper has been an integration of different schools of thought for the study of organizational decline. What has been left open is how the gained insights may be fruitfully applied to practice. In other words, which normative answers can be drawn from the advocated framework?While organizational ecology and path dependence are mainly descriptive and do not provide answers on how to overcome a concrete process of organizational decline, the resource-based view allows for a normative reasoning on how to manage corporate crisis situations. However, the resource-based view gives very general recommendations for regaining competitive advantage. For example, advising a firm to build up \"VRIN-resources\" or \"dynamic capabilities\" is apparently a very broad recommendation and, thus, only of little help for a firm that faces bankruptcy. Instead of focusing indifferently on all circumstances that may be responsible for corporate breakdown, corporate crisis ought to be transferred into a concept that allows for a structured reasoning on the normative consequences of organizational decline.To accomplish this task, it is promising to assume that declining firms have the capacity to continue business if reorganization can lift up already existent but, yet, hidden critical resources. Although advising a bankrupt firm to search for hidden resources seems still vague, it produces two important insights: First, it is uncertain whether or not an organization has hidden valuable resources. Whether an organization may have the potential resources to survive in the market may be figured out only by a careful and deep investigation and requires taking into account a broad range of facts. If that investigation brings to light an insufficient potential of resources, then a business closure will be adequate. The second insight follows directly from the first one. Because the search for hidden resources and the recombination of resources into wealth-creating bundles is a time-consuming process, all stakeholders of a firm must grant time to that search process. This has a demanding consequence since all stakeholders of the organization, especially shareholders and creditors, must have patience. Two subsequent research questions follow from that requirement that may head the future research on organizational decline.The first question is concerned with the cognitive and behavioral patterns of stakeholders. When are stakeholders inclined to grant time to the search of hidden resources? This seems to be an empirical question, but it also implies a theoretical key question. While principal-agent theory stresses the propensity of stakeholders to act opportunistically in case of a looming bankruptcy, stewardship theory is more confident that stakeholders care about the common interests of an organization, trust each other and will contribute to overcome an organizational crisis (Donaldson and Davis, 1991). This implies the question of which model of man is more appropriate for the analysis of declining organizations. Although the process of organizational decline might be properly analyzed by a more comprehensive model of human action, the economic standard model of the neoclassical homo oeconomicus might be very well suited for the setting of effective (high-powered) incentives, in order to lift up hidden resources (for an early epistemological treatment of this question, see, e.g. Friedman, 1953 and his critics Rosenberg, 1972; Caldwell, 1980).A second question refers to the role of business law, namely insolvency law, if time is needed to stop organizational decline. This question aims at a better understanding of the interconnection between legal institutions and an organization's ability to overcome organizational decline.Insolvency law is a legal artifact by which society forces organizations to close business if specific threshold levels of the balance sheet are attained. Borrowing a term by Charles Darwin, this sort of selection has been termed \"artificial selection\". It was prominently introduced into economics by Commons (1934) and, then, revived by Alchian (1950). Following Alchian, institutions configure the rules of the game under which the players (persons, organizations, and jurisdictions) are competing to obtain advantageous positions. This makes institutions the building blocks of the selection environment, to which persons and organizations must adapt in order to gain success and to survive (Nelson and Winter, 1982; North, 1990; Ramstad, 1994). A firm that is not capable to cover its costs will go bankrupt, because the institutions of a market economy have set this rule of the game (Alchian, 1950).In case of a looming corporate breakdown, insolvency law is a means to protect the interests of shareholders and, especially, creditors. If insolvency law cannot protect the interests of shareholders and creditors, a firm can hardly raise funds for doing business. Otherwise, in the event of corporate breakdown, the interests of shareholders and creditors may bring forth actions that deteriorate the chance to detect and to lift valuable, but yet, hidden resources. Shareholders may be interested in selling their shares to an investor who is only interested in parts of the firm, for example, intellectual property rights, the client list or real estate, but they may not be interested in reorganization and continuing business. Similarly, creditors are mainly interested in the refunding of the loans they have given to the firm. They are hardly interested in the long-run development of resources and capabilities.Although insolvency law should not unconditionally protect managers, the perspective of this paper is more differentiated and points to the critical resources that are typically not easy to identify since a characteristic of critical resources is their inimitability and causal ambiguity. This holds especially true for lifting up hidden resources, in order to overcome a path-dependent process of organizational decline.Two insights follow from these arguments with strong implications for the design of corporate governance in the advent of a firm's bankruptcy. First, due to the ambiguity regarding promising resource combinations, the organization has to be shielded against a breaking out of resources until it is clear which bundle of firm resources will probably regain competitive advantage. Second, even though the incumbent management was unable to detect valuable resources and to create wealth in the past, the incumbent managers are probably the most informed about an organization's resources. This superior knowledge makes them a critical resource as well. Therefore, removing the incumbent management from a declining organization may turn out to be an ill-advised action (Lee et al., 2007).Finally, this raises the question of appropriate governance mechanisms. How can organizations get rid of managers who resist corporate change, but simultaneously protect the search for hidden resources? Obviously, the design of such rules is not an easy task. While it is very promising to search for such rules, it is far beyond this article to make detailed legal propositions for a reform of insolvency law. However, considering this line of argument, a sort of protection mechanism for incumbent management might be useful in order to increase the chance of uncovering hidden resources in case of a looming insolvency.\n",
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},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The aim of this paper is to propose an integrative framework of organizational decline on the firm-level.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In recent years, there has been a growing number of contributions to the research field of organizational decline from diverse theoretical perspectives and different levels of analysis. In this paper, an integrative framework of organizational decline on the firm-level is proposed that relies on a process perspective, combining insights from organizational ecology, path dependence and the resource-based view.\nFindings: - Different theoretical perspectives are used to explore various aspects of the problem of organizational decline. A theoretical framework as a theoretical perspective is developed to guide research and to interconnect diverse theoretical findings. Based on the suggested framework, two archetypes are distinguished which lead an organization to insolvency: malabsorptive incompetence and maladapted competencies.\nOriginality/value: - The proposed framework allows the capture of the dynamic process of organizational decline and the identification of the triggers driving organizational decline.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Supply-side structural reform and the transformational development of China's foreign trade
|
[
"Foreign trade",
"Supply-side",
"Structural reform",
"Transformational development"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Questions: Opening up makes China stronger and it is the inevitable path to prosperity. This was put forward clearly in the report of the 19th CPC National Congress that we must \"promote a new pattern of all-round opening up.\" General secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that \"China's door of opening up will not be closed and will only open wider.\" This is a major strategy made by the Party Central Committee with President Xi Jinping as the core, based on the accurate judgment of new changes in the international situation and a strong grasp of the development of China's open economy entering a new era at this time. The essence of forming a new pattern of all-round opening up is to transform the open development, namely, to develop a high-level open economy. As one of the important parts of the open economy, China's foreign trade is of decisive significance. It is a pivotal manifestation and the result of entering the international division system, which is dominated by the current global value chain. Owing to its rapid growth, China's foreign trade has been ranked as one of the best in the world. Faced with international and domestic challenges, especially the \"anti-globalization\" of some advanced economies in the form of trade protection, China's foreign trade development has shifted from high-speed growth to a new stage of high-quality development. We must \"transform the driver and improve the quality\" as soon as possible. To achieve this goal effectively, China must adopt a supply-side structural reform of foreign trade.\n2. The necessity of supply-side structural reform of foreign trade: First, factors constraining the growth of China's exports exist both on the demand-side and the supply side, but the central aspect of the contradiction is still the latter one. It is difficult for supply side structure and quality level to meet the demands of the international market. This helps to explain recent Chinese consumers' craze for overseas shopping and overseas procurement services. From Japanese toilet lids and rice cookers to New Zealand milk powder and Dutch razors, the Chinese purchase a vast amount of various foreign products. The products produced by domestic companies, whether in terms of quality or brand, cannot meet the \"hierarchy of needs\" of domestic consumers, let alone be exported to compete in the international market.\n3. The connotation of supply-side structural reforms in foreign trade: To smoothly advance supply-side structural reform of foreign trade, we need to understand the necessity and urgency and also grasp its scientific connotation. The supply-side structural reform of foreign trade actually means the implementation and application of supply-side structural reforms in the field of foreign trade. Therefore, in addition to the general meaning of supply-side structural reforms, it also incorporates the factors of foreign trade. That is to say, this concept not only includes what to supply to the international market, but also how to supply.\n4. The goal of the supply-side structural reform in foreign trade: Speeding up the transformation and development of China's foreign trade is one of the crucial goals of advancing the supply-side structural reform in China's foreign trade. Based on the practice of China's foreign trade development and the actual needs of the transformational development, the goals of the supply-side structural reform of foreign trade, specifically, can be summarized as the following four aspects:\n5. The measures for the supply-side structural reform of foreign trade: The key to successfully promote the transformation and development of China's foreign trade lies in the implementation of effective measures for the supply-side structural reform of foreign trade. Basically, the supply-side structural reform of foreign trade includes the adjustments on the supply content as well as the supply mode and structure. Based on this realistic demand, China should focus on the following aspects in the supply-side structural reform of foreign trade:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: From the perspective of supply-side structural reform, the purpose of this paper is to analyze and discuss the necessity and feasibility of China's foreign trade transformation and development and explores the realization path accordingly.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper mainly uses the speculative method of qualitative research to find out the scientific countermeasures of foreign trade transformation from the supply-side reform level on the basis of in-depth interpretation of the supply-side structural reform and foreign trade transformation and development.\nFindings: The study found that the main problem facing China's foreign trade development is structural problems. Therefore, through structural reforms such as technological innovation and institutional innovation, it can effectively promote the transformation and development of foreign trade.\nOriginality/value: This paper is the original result of the author. Except for the content already quoted in the text, this paper does not contain any other individuals or groups that have published or written the work.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A comparison of text structure and self-regulated strategy instruction for elementary school students' writing
|
[
"Self-regulation",
"Text structure",
"Writing instruction",
"Writing outcomes"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Writing plays a pivotal role in helping elementary school learners achieve academic success, leading to entrance into an academic community and the workforce later in life. Unfortunately, a large number of upper-grade elementary school students are underprepared for English writing. For student writers, learning to write involves more than mastering a complex array of language skills. These writers must understand the importance of planning, monitoring, and evaluating various writing-related tasks (Teng, 2019a, 2019b; Tracy et al., 2009). Young learners may struggle to communicate their ideas in writing (Koutsoftas, 2018); for example, young learners who reach upper elementary school may still find it difficult to acquire essential knowledge about writing. This can result in frustration, lack of motivation, and attitudinal problems leading to failure.\nLiterature review: Effects of text structure instruction on writing\nMethod: Participants\nResults: The mean scores for the two tests are listed in Table I.\nLinguistic and textual analyses of students' written work: Linguistic and textual analyses of students' written work included the following dimensions: syntactic complexity, content organization and lexical variations, all of which are important in L2 writing (Kuiken and Vedder, 2017). First, elementary school learners in the TSI condition tended to summarize main points from reading sources and compile them into a more inclusive conclusion or statement than students in other groups. In rewriting materials from reading resources, students combined several sentences into a single sentence, organized ideas more concisely, and categorized details (e.g. \"Technology in the future will help us solve the environmental, social problems we encounter now\"). Students demonstrated a range and sophistication of forms in written essays and exhibited greater ability to use complex sentence structures (e.g. \"I feel nervous and I am afraid of standing in front of lots of people when I am talking on the stage\"; \"becoming a chef is one way that I can spread my joy to many more\"). Occasionally, TSI group learners exhibited an emerging but inconsistent grasp of basic tenses and basic grammar construction. Some inaccuracies in tense use and spelling were detected along with unnatural or awkward expressions (e.g. \"If I will become a physical therapist, I will help sicked people to get well\"; \"I also need to be hardworking so that I can go to a university degree\").\nDiscussion: The ability to compose from sources and write an essay based on a given topic is challenging dimensions of writing for L2 young learners. This study's findings extend prior research highlighting the pivotal role of text structure knowledge on comprehending and composing from reading sources (Kintsch, 1990; Reynolds and Perin, 2009) and the role of self-regulation strategies on enhancing writing quality (Teng and Huang, 2018; Tracy et al., 2009). Consistent with previous studies (Limpo and Alves, 2018), promoting automaticity at the lowest level of organizational knowledge and self-regulation strategies resulted in spare attentional resources that contributed to high-level processes of generating ideas and organizing them into sentences. Overall, TSI and SRSI each seem to be promising instructional approaches that could enhance L2 young students' writing ability and support them in organizing main ideas from sources. Both techniques seemed to enable students to identify more ideas for their writing, produce more complete and elaborate writing, and lead to more syntactically complex sentences. In particular, explicit instruction in text structure seemed to have greater impact on the quality of written summaries compared with the more generic approach used in SRSI. Further, SRSI instruction seemed to have a greater impact on essay writing than TSI.\nLimitations and implications: This study is not without limitations. First, the intervention was administered by three instructors; although attempts were made to control for teacher effects through randomized-controlled trials, teacher characteristics may have produced confounding results. Second, due to difficulties in accessing elementary schools, few participants were included in each group. Additional intervention studies should be conducted with larger samples to detect intervention effects. Third, future studies should be carried out with controls for more variables, such as learners' motivational processes, strategic behavior, pre-intervention beliefs and working memory. Fourth, writing is a complex process. More tests, including those on writing length or written recall, may be needed to examine writing performance. In addition, pre- and post-tests in this study were identical; practice effects may have influenced the findings. Because reading comprehension is important for note taking and synthesis, a measure of reading comprehension should be included in future studies. Finally, the author observed the teachers and completed the fidelity checklists; raters should be employed for observations in future studies to enhance objectivity. Despite these limitations, training involving TSI or SRSI breaks new ground in writing for elementary school L2 learners. This training may help to attenuate elementary school L2 learners' challenges in summarizing main ideas and may decrease difficulties associated with L2 English writing.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: This study aims to examine the writing outcomes of 6th-grade students learning English as a second language.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In all 45 students in a text structure instruction (TSI) group were compared with 45 students in a self-regulated strategy instruction (SRSI) group and 43 students receiving traditional writing instruction. SRSI was adapted from the self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) model (MacArthur et al., 2015). The SRSD model includes self-regulation writing strategies, text and genre knowledge and think-aloud modeling. Findings allowed for a comparison of TSI and SRSI, in which organization knowledge does not need to be taught using SRSD methods. Measures of writing outcomes, including writing quality and summarization of main ideas, were administered after a one-month intervention.\nFindings: Results revealed that, compared with traditional instruction, the TSI and SRSI groups each exhibited better writing outcomes. Compared with the traditional instruction group, each technique had a unique impact: SRSI on writing quality, and TSI on main ideas included in written summaries. Linguistic and textual analyses of students' writing revealed that the TSI and SRSI group learners both demonstrated high syntactic complexity, content organization and lexical variation in their compositions.\nResearch limitations/implications: The present study provides empirical evidence that explicit teaching of SRSI writing strategies or TSI can be implemented effectively and elicit gains in elementary school L2 learners' written output. A clear division does not exist between self-regulated writing strategies and text structure knowledge; the two techniques should be complementary, as suggested in the earlier SRSD model.\nOriginality/value: Classroom-based research has addressed the need to enhance self-regulated capacity in writing. However, writing has become more challenging for primary school learners. In addition, writing is a cognitively demanding process. The plethora of processes involved in writing may be one of the factors that caused difficulties in writing. Thus, writing proficiency relies on the development of text structure knowledge and the fostering of self-regulation capabilities.\n",
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